Avengers #244
And the Rocket’s Red Glare!
The Avengers are on a mission to investigate the threat posed by an alien race called the Dire Wraiths. They have set up cover operations on a boat off the coast of Florida near Kennedy Space Center. Captain Marvel is sent ahead in her energy form to scout the area, but she sees nothing out of the ordinary. Upon her return, the Avengers meet below deck to discuss their mission.[1] The Vision tells the team that there is a series of accidents recently that appear to have been purposely caused by the Dire Wraiths. While NASA has been keeping things quiet, fearing that the space program could be in jeopardy due to negative public opinion.
Suddenly, one of the new experimental rockets explodes on its launching pad. As the Avengers arrive on the scene, the area is filled in a strange purple smoke. The Avengers look around for who is responsible but can only find technicians on the ground. Suddenly a second blast goes off, toppling the rocket to the ground. While the Vision, Starfox, and Captain Marvel race to mitigate the damage, the Rocketeers arrive on the scene and try to destroy the rocket with their jetpack missile launchers. They are opposed by Captain America, the Wasp, and the Scarlet Witch. With too much opposition, the Rocketeers pump the area with more purple smoke, which makes it hard for the Avengers to think and act on top of covering the attacker’s escape. The Vision is particularly hard on himself because this is his first outing as the Avengers’ chairman and vows to capture whoever is responsible as his future plans require the world trusting the Avengers implicitly.[2]
Meanwhile, across the country, Clint Barton and his new wife Barbara Morse arrive at the Los Angeles International airport. They have been sent to California to start up a new western branch of the Avengers. Upon their arrival, they are greeted by Bill Foster — a long time Avengers associate — who has been asked to help with the set up.
Back at NASA, the Avengers have called a meeting with General William Bridges and the lead scientist Doctor Woodrow Cather. Cather is is annoyed about being pulled away from his work on a new ion powered space shuttle, which is at a critical juncture. The Avengers then go over the intelligence they have on the Dire Wraiths. Telling the two NASA officials that they are an off shoot of the alien Skrulls and have been active on Earth for some time. There are apparently two types of Wraiths. The first is the most deadly, with a tongue pincer that kills their victims and allows them to steal the memories and identity of their victim. These Wraiths are also masters of sorcery. They also talk about a second group that are masters of technology, although these Wraiths are the less dominant of the two factions. The Vision concludes his report by telling how the mystical Wraiths had almost destroyed the SHIELD helicarrier recently.[3] He admits that he doesn’t know what the Rocketeers have to do with the Dire Wraiths, as they have little intel on the group.[4]
This is hardly a concern of Cather, whose own project has not been attacked as yet, while General Bridges promises to increase security. This leads to an uncharacteristic outburst from the Vision who insists that the Avengers will be enough to protect the facility. This really disturbs Captain America, who hopes that the Vision knows what he is doing.
Meanwhile, the Inhuman dog Lockjaw teleports Quicksilver to the Wundagore Mountains in Transia. Pietro has come here to recruit a suitable nanny for his daughter, Luna. Racing to the location of a secluded cottage, Pietro is shocked to discover that it has been destroyed and the occupant is nowhere to be found.[5]
While in Florida, the Rocketeers are formulating their next attack on the Kennedy Space Center. Members of the technological sect of the Dire Wraiths they believe that the involvement of the Avenges will complicate their mission, but they believe that their advanced technology — which allows them to disguise themselves as humans — will give them the edge they need. They disguise themselves as technicians so they can carry out their next act of sabotage, believing they can sneak in unseen. By this time, the Avengers have been stationed all over the base. Observing things from the security monitors are the Vision, Captain America, and the Scarlet Witch. When the Dire Wraiths arrive, the Vision’s wider range of vision allows him to see the cloaking fields around the Wraiths.
Alerting the Avengers on the ground, they quickly arrive and stop them from sabotaging the rockets. Little does the team know that Woodrow Cather is also one of these Dire Wraiths and his ion rocket project was a means for these Dire Wraiths to escape from Earth. He sees the capture of his associates as great cover to make his own escape. Meanwhile, Cap and the others arrive at the scene of the battle. There, the Scarlet Witch uses her hex powers on the Rocketeers, causing them to appear in their true forms.[6]
When Cather takes off in the rocket with the experimental ion drive, the other Dire Wraiths begin to panic. They explain that the drive is still unstable and that should it reach critical mass, it will cause a large enough explosion to destroy the Earth. That’s when the other Avengers notice that the Wasp wasn’t present in the battle, that’s because the tiniest member of the team had stowed aboard the rocket which is now reaching escape velocity.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Starfox, Captain Marvel), Dire Wraiths (William Bridges, Rocketeers), Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Bill Foster, Quicksilver, Lockjaw
Continuity Notes
Captain Marvel remarks how quickly things are moving since members of the team just came back from the Beyonder’s Battleworld (Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #1-12) and how the Vision was just elected the team’s new chairman. (last issue)
This is hinting at the Vision’s desire to turn the world into a utopia by any means possible, see Avengers #252-254. This has been in the works since the android began interfacing with the Titan world-mind known as ISAAC back in issue #238.
The connection between the Dire Wraiths and the Skrulls was first revealed in Rom #50. The near destruction of the SHIELD helicarrier happened in Rom #53, this is part of the long running Wraith War event which takes place in the pages of Rom #51-65. This event also ties in with Uncanny X-Men #184-188 and Fantastic Four #276-277.
The Rocketeers were last seen in Rom #21-22, these are tech based Dire Wraiths who took over the persona and identity of the original group that was outfitted by the Corporation back in Daredevil #126-127.
The woman that Pietro is seeking is identified as Bova next issue. It is also revealed then that the person who attacked Bova is Magneto. One of the High Evolutionary’s New Men, Bova cared for Pietro and Wanda shortly after their birth, as first detailed in Giant-Size Avengers #1.
Wanda’s hex powers are referred to here as a mutant ability. However, she is not actually a mutant. It is later revealed in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4 that she was experimented upon by the High Evolutionary as a child. In order to cover up his work, he made it so future genetic testing would have Wanda register as a mutant.
Topical References
This story refers to NASA’s “new” program. This is in reference to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program. At the time this story was published the space shuttles were relatively new, as the first manned mission happened in 1981. However, this should be considered a topical reference due to the fact that NASA’s shuttles were retired in 2011. Modern readers could assume that instead of NASA’s since retired space shuttle program, they are instead involved in a new program that only exists in the fiction.
