Gatherings

The Vision and the Scarlet Witch have arranged a meeting with the President of the United States. After a photo-op outside the White House. Leaving the Scarlet Witch with the First Lady, the Vision goes into a private meeting with the President to discuss ways to improve communication between the government and the Avengers. Overhearing this, Wanda wonders what her husband is playing at, since he has been acting oddly ever since taking over as Avengers chairman.[1]

Meanwhile, in New Orleans, Frank Rambeau is busy in the kitchen making some of his famous gumbo when he gets a call from his daughter Monica. She asks to come and visit and he is more than happy to see her. Monica hopes to finally tell her parents how she got super-powers, became the hero Captain Marvel, and joined the Avengers.[2] However, she is apprehensive about telling them the truth because she isn’t sure how they are going to take the news.

While at Avengers Mansion, the Wasp is reading a book when she gets a call from Hawkeye in California. He reports that he has found a suitable location for the Avengers west coast headquarters and technicians are working on setting the place up.[3] As Janet ends the call, Starfox enters the room and notices that she is upset about something and asks her what’s wrong. She tells him that she though she could use some downtime but now that she is hearing that everyone else is busy doing something she realizes how bored she really is.[4] Eros then tells her how he heard about a party going on in the city and invites her to tag along with him.

Meanwhile, the Vision and Scarlet Witch are heading back after their meeting with the President. Rather than taking a Quinjet, they are flying back on a commercial airliner. Wanda can’t understand why the Vision suggested this or why he is acting more human than usual. Little does she know that the Vision wants the general public to accept him as leader of the Avengers.

Back in New Orleans, Maria Rambeau returns home to find her husband still working on his gumbo. That’s when Monica calls back and says she is coming over. They are surprised when she knocks at the door a few moments later, wondering how she got across town so quickly. She tells them that her getting there so quickly is part of what she wanted to talk about and tells them to brace themselves because her story is going to get strange.

While in New York, Eros and Janet arrive at the apartment where the party is taking place. It’s here that Janet learns that Eros wasn’t invited and they are essentially crashing the party. However, when they enter, nobody seems to care that they are uninvited guests. They also bump into She-Hulk who is also attending the party. They are then greeted by the host of the party, Sylvia Sersi, who is more than happy to have the two uninvited Avenges over. Little do they know that Sersi is a member of the immortal race of Eternals. As they are talking, a man who had a few too many drinks adjusts his tie in the mirror. Suddenly, the image of Domo appears in the mirror, frightening the man off. Sersi notices this and tells Domo that she is not interested in returning to Olympia for an important matter and breaks communication.

While in the Rambeau kitchen, Monica reveals to her parents that she is Captain Marvel of the Avengers. Seeing their daughter in costume and using her powers comes as a shock to Frank and Maria, however when she is finished telling them how this came to be they tell her that they are very proud that their daughter is a member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Meanwhile, Sersi’s party in New York is crashed by more uninvited guests when the Delphan Brothers come crashing in through the patio door to forcibly return Sersi to Olympia. As the other party guests flee in terror, Starfox attempts to use his ability to tap the pleasure center of the brain to try and pacify the intruders. Unfortunately, the Dalphan’s are immune to this power and attack him. The She-Hulk and Wasp join the battle to protect Sersi, and she surprises them by revealing that she has super-human powers as well by firing energy beams from her eyes and transmuting one of the Delphan’s shields into a pig.

By this time, the Vision and the Scarlet Witch have landed at LaGuardia Airport where a throng of reporters are waiting for them to ask about the Vision’s meeting with the President. One of the reporters mentions rumors that he is seeking to make the Avengers chairmanship a cabinet level post within the government. The Vision tells them that he has no comment and tells them that he must be getting back to Avengers Mansion. This news is yet another shock to the Scarlet Witch who intends to have a talk with her husband once they get back home.

Back at the party, the Delphan Brothers finally manage to get a pair of Leech Manacles on Sersi’s wrists, nullifying her powers. They then try to flee the scene in a craft waiting above the apartment building. Starfox and the Wasp follow after them, inadvertedly leaving the She-Hulk being as she can’t fly. As the two Avengers renew their attack on the Delphan Brothers, one of them realizes that they can’t fly back to Olympia like this and — through sheer concentration — causes the ship to teleport back to the mountains of northern Greece in an instant. While Starfox and the Wasp are disorientated from the trip, the Delphans cause the ship to shatter into pieces sending the two Avengers falling into the city of Olympia where they find themselves surrounded by an army of Eternals.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Starfox, Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, Hawkeye), Mockingbird, Eternals (Delphan Brothers, Sersi, Thena, Ikaris, Makkari), Frank Rambeau, Maria Rambeau

Continuity Notes

1. This is a long con by the Vision in order to make the world into a utopia, something he has been planning since he was connected to ISAAC, the world-computer of Titan back in Avengers #238. He became Avengers chairman in issue #243 and his plan comes to fruition in issue #252-254.

2. Monica recounts her origins and her joining the Avengers. This happened in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16.

3. Some facts about the Avengers expansion to the west coast:

   • The Vision convinced the NSA to allow the Avengers to expand to the west coast in Avengers #243, after he took over as chairman.

   • Clint refers to the technicians as employees of the “old” Stark International. At the time of this story, Tony Stark’s company was part of a hostile take over by Obadiah Stane. This happened take over took place over the course of Iron Man #163-173. Tony will eventually buy back Stane’s assets in Iron Man #283 and merge it with his then current company Stark Enterprises.

   • This new team will begin operations in West Coast Avengers #1-4, which is plugged during this scene.

4. Janet states here that she figured she deserved some down time after her ordeal with that “horrible” Magneto. This is a reference to Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #1-12, wherein she and a number of Avengers were captured by the Beyonder and forced to fight super-villains as part of a contest. During that time she was briefly abducted by Magneto who attempted to romance her for some reason? Anyway, that happened in issue #2 through 4 of that series.

Topical References

• The President of the United States and First Lady are depicted as Ronald and Nancy Reagan in this story. Their appearances here should be considered topical as they left these positions in 1989. Ronald later died in 2004 while his wife Nancy passed away in 2016.

• The Wasp is re-reading The World According to Garp by John Irving. It was published in 1979. This could be considered a topical reference unless you accept the idea that the Wasp is reading an older book. Which is not impossible.

• The Rambeau’s are surprised to see Monica so quickly, stating it would have taken her 20 minutes to get across town making it impossible for her to have been on the phone with her mere moments earlier. This plot point doesn’t really hold up now that cell phones exist and you can call someone literally from their front door. This whole scene could be considered topical.