Up From the Depths!

Three green skinned humanoids emerge from the swamps outside a SHIELD facility. Seeping through the perimeter fence, they ambush the guards on patrol and take on their shape so they can infiltrate the facility.

Several house later, the Avengers are in Meadowland Memorial Gardens paying the final respects to their former teammate, Jocasta, who had recently laid down her life to stop her mad creator, Ultron.[1] In attendance are Captain America, Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, and the Beast, with the Vision giving a eulogy for their departed friend. After the service, the Beast catches up with his old teammates and asks where Iron Man is, Cap admits that they aren’t sure where the Golden Avenger is.[2]

At ten o’clock that morning, Nick Fury is accompanying the President of the United States to the SHIELD compound for an inspection. When they arrive, the guards suddenly draw their guns and take the pair prisoner. Five minutes later, the Avengers have returned to Avengers Mansion to attend a regular meeting. Just as the team expresses their concern about Iron Man’s absence, they suddenly get a phone call from their teammate. Iron Man shocks them all by announcing his immediate resignation from the Avengers, but ends the call with no explanation for his actions. With Iron Man’s departure, the Wasp motions that they begin considering a new prospective member for the team.

Meanwhile, Fury and the President are taken to the head of the SHIELD facility, Jasper Sitwell. Sitwell explains that he is holding them hostage until the United States government agrees to pay a huge ransom. Hearing this scheme, Fury realizes that this is not the real Sitwell, but an impostor. The phony Jasper is impressed that Fury could see through their deception but tells him that this doesn’t change the situation. Soon, Fury is forced to make a call to the National Security Agency to issue the ransom demands. While doing so, Nick manages to slip a codeword that prompts Henry Gyrich to summon the Avengers to deal with this crisis situation.

Once given their mission, the Wasp sends Captain Marvel ahead of the team in her light form to scout the area. Marvel arrives at the base in seconds and determines the entire staff of the facility are being held prisoner in a room full of gas and have been replaced with impostors. She also finds Fury and the President locked in a room, safe and unharmed. Informing Fury that the Avengers are on their way, Monica then returns to her teammates who are already en route to the base in a Quinjet. Confident that Nick can keep the President safe, Captain America begins laying out a plan for a full frontal assault.

In a nearby submarine, the mastermind behind this plot, Plant-Man, gets an update from his Jasper Sitwell impostor. As it turns out, the Plant-Man created an army of bio-duplicates made out of plant matter that can take on the appearance of anyone. It was this technique that the villain and his secret backer used to escape prison recently, leaving plant-based bio-duplicates in their place.[3] Unaware that the Avengers are on their way, the phony Sitwell assures the Plant-Man that everything is going according to plan. Moments after he ends transmission, a storm rolls over the base, courtesy of the thunder god Thor. Soon, the Avengers land their Quinjet and confront the guards and tanks that have been summoned to deal with them. While the others are busy, both Captain Marvel and the Wasp infiltrate the SHIELD facility. Monica returns to Fury to give him an update as the master spy begins putting together the weapon hidden in his belt so he can defend the President should anyone come after them.

Back at Avengers Mansion, Jarvis races out into the backyard to face an arriving alien ship in the event that it is an enemy attacking. It turns out to be Eros from the Saturnian moon of Titan. He explains to the butler that he has come to Earth seeking adventure, something he believes he can achieve by becoming a member of the Avengers.[4] Although Jarvis is reluctant to reveal details of the Avengers current mission, Eros manages to convince him to talk.

At that moment, at the SHIELD facility, the Avengers quickly discover that they aren’t fighting real people, but creatures that are made of plant matter. No longer worried about accidentally killing anyone, the team stops pulling their punches and begin decimating Plant-Man’s constructs. Meanwhile, “Sitwell” reports back to his master to inform him of the Avengers involvement. Not willing to give up his scheme, Plant-Man begins working on more simuloids to back up his other minions.[5] By this time, Hawkeye has joined the Wasp in freeing the real SHIELD agents by turning the ventilation back on to filter out the knock out gas. With the soldiers awake again, the Wasp then orders them to strip off their uniform shirts so the Avengers can tell them apart from the impostors.

Meanwhile, the fake Sitwell and a team of simuloids head down to the room where they have been keeping Nick Fury and the President locked up. However, before they can open the door they are ambushed and destroyed by the rest of the Avengers who free the captives. Moments later, the base is attacked by a massive simuloid created by the Plant-Man. When the Avengers head out to face the creature they quickly discover that it is not going to be easy to destroy this monster as the pieces they break off grow into independent forms that attack them. Luckily, the battle comes to a swift end when Eros arrives and flies his ship through the monster’s head, killing it instantly. With his plan ruined, Plant-Man flees in his submarine before he can be discover and apprehended. Soon, the facility is back under SHIELD control and the President finally begins his inspection.

In the aftermath of the battle, the team congratulates Captain Marvel for her part in keeping the President safe, and decide to make her a full-fledged Avenger. Eros is surprised to hear the Avengers newest recruit is named after his old friend.[6] When the Avengers ask Eros why he has come to Earth, he announces his intention to join the team as well.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Wasp, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel), Plantman, Beast, SHIELD (Nick Fury), Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Henry Gyrich, Edwin Jarvis, Starfox, Iron Man, Tony Stark

Continuity Notes

1. Ultron created Jocasta to be his bride in Avengers #162. She had left the Avengers after being neglected by the team back in Avengers #211. She sacrificed her life in Marvel Two-In-One #93. However, she will not remain offline for long as she will be repaired and reactivated by the High Evolutionary in Avengers Annual #17.

2. At the time of this story, Tony Stark has fallen off the wagon and is spiraling into a drinking binge which started in Iron Man #167. This will force Jim Rhodes into the role of Iron Man in issue #170 of that series. The Avengers won’t learn this until next issue.

3. Plant-Man and his compatriot the Wizard escaped prison circa Avengers #227. We’ll learn of the Wizard’s involvement next issue.

4. Jarvis recalls Eros from when he helped the Avengers defeat Thanos. This was during the so-called Thanos war which took place in Captain Marvel #25-33 and Avengers #125.

5. Plant-Man recounts his failed attack on the city of London, that happened in Sub-Mariner #3.

6. Eros is surprised by this because the original Captain Marvel had just recently died on cancer in Marvel Graphic Novel #1.

Topical References

• The President of the United States in this story is depicted as Ronald Reagan. This should be considered topical because his term as President ended in 1989 and he has since died in 2004.

• In this story, “Sitwell” hopes to extort a ransom of a billion dollars. Which was a lot back in 1983, but not so much now. That would be $2.7 billion dollars in 2021 money due to inflation, which still seems like a small sum to be ransoming the President off on, but I digress.