Avengers #286
The Fix is On!
At a scientific research lab, a team of scientists are examining technology confiscated from various super-villains. One scientist, a man named Todd Martin, examines the Fixers equipment. The helmet fires a mind control probe onto Martin’s forehead and he quickly puts on the suit and flees the scene.
Meanwhile, at Avengers headquarters on Hydrobase, Doctor Druid enters a deep trance so that he can spy on his teammates in his astral form. He first observes Namor and his wife Marrina, who are meeting with their lawyer, Mr. Costello. The Sub-Mariner has little patience for his pending lawsuit and once at his wits end, he retreats into the ocean. Marrina follows after him and tries to be supportive by telling him that she’ll see him through this no matter what. Namor is touched, but believes that his wife is incredibly naïve in the ways of the surface world.[1]
Elsewhere, the Black Knight has finished the check on the equipment salvaged from the ruins of Avengers Mansion following an attack by the Masters of Evil. While he considers this a minor victory, he chastises himself for not trying to pursue a relationship with the Wasp before she resigned from the team.[2] On yet another part of the island, Captain Marvel oversees the reconstruction of Avengers Mansion on the island. Seeing that the workers are doing well thanks to some assistance from She-Hulk, Monica takes off so she can visit FBI agent Derek Freeman.[3]
Moments later, Captain Marvel arrives in Washington, DC where she asks Freeman to pull up any information the FBI has on Captain America. She is concerned about Steve Rogers after learning that hearing that the government was pressuring him to work exclusively for them and he later took a leave of absence with no explanation.[4] Derek is happy to look up the info, but he is unable to learn anything because the information is classified.[5] It’s then that he tells Monica how someone stole the Fixer’s gear.
At that very moment, Todd Martin breaks the Fixer out of his jail cell. Once taken back to his hideout, the Fixer blasts Martin and then begins his latest scheme. Using a data disk he recently procured, the Fixer pinpoints four locations across America that will help him with his plans.[6]
Back at Hydrobase, the Avengers are summoned by the signal alarm and meet aboard a Quinjet being prepped for take off by Doctor Druid. Marrina tags along, insisting to her husband that she can hold her own after her time as a member of Alpha Flight. Druid refuses to tell them what’s going on until Captain Marvel arrives. Marvel is annoyed that Druid was acting on his own and suspects he is trying to undermine her position as team leader. With Monica aboard the Quinjet, Druid tells them that they have received a call for help in Ohio. This call is was put out by a young boy named Bobby Hutchison who was hoping to get help from Captain America. Captain Marvel arrives ahead of the rest of the team and meets with Bobby, who tells her that something is happening at a barn where the inert body of the Mad Thinker’s Awesome Android was being stored.[7] That’s when the Fixer reactivates the android, causing the barn to explode. When Monica tries to stop them, she is blasted with knock out gas fired from the Fixer’s battle harness.
When the other Avengers arrive and begin battling the Awesome Android, the Fixers truck suddenly starts up and takes off. Marrina, ignoring warnings from her husband chases after the vehicle, confident that she can stop it. When she leaps onto the roof of the trailer, a trap door open up dropping her inside. Meanwhile, Doctor Druid detects that the Awesome Android has a weak point under its right arm-pit. When She-Hulk strikes the nerve ganglia located there, it shuts down the Awesome Android. With the battle over, they remove the Fixer’s helmet and discover that it is actually Todd Martin, making them wonder where the real Fixer went.
As it turns out, the real Fixer escaped in the truck and after knocking out Marrina, he vows that this time he will fix everything, including the Avengers.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Black Knight, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Sub-Mariner, Doctor Druid), Marrina, Super-Adaptoid (disguised as Fixer), Awesome Android, Derek Freeman
Continuity Notes
Lots to unpack about Namor’s situation here:
In Avengers #270, Namor was served with a lawsuit over damages he caused in past attacks on the surface world.
The lawsuit against Namor never really comes to fruition. The closest thing is a trial for Namor’s crimes against humanity which happens in Namor the Sub-Mariner #13. I would presume that since Namor was found not legally responsible due to insanity, it made the civil suit a bust.
Namor curses that he doesn’t have his advisor Lord Vashti to rely on anymore. This is in reference to the fact that Namor was recently forced to abdicate the royal throne in Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner #1-4. He will remain deposed until Namor the Sub-Mariner #40.
Mention is made of how Namor and Marrina have only recently gotten married. That happened in Alpha Flight #40.
Namor recounts the last time he had to deal with the surface world courts. This happened way back in Daredevil #7.
Quite a bit of Black Knight drama as well:
Avengers Mansion was destroyed by the Masters of Evil over the course of Avengers #273-277. The team relocated to Hydrobase in issue #278 where they will remain until its destruction in Avengers #311.
The Black Knight realized he was developing feelings for the Wasp in Avengers #256. He didn’t act on it and later discovered that she had been dating the mercenary known as Paladin in issue #271.
The Wasp had been a long running chairwoman for the Avengers starting in issue #217 through 243 and 255 to 278, after her tenure was briefly usurped by the Vision. She decided to resign after the siege on Avengers Mansion in issue #278 so she could have some time to herself.
Watching Captain Marvel take off in her energy form, the construction foreman wonders what happened to “phone booths and ‘up, up and away?’” These are two references to the character Superman published by rival DC Comics. Back in the early days the character was best known for changing into costume in a phone booth and using the “up, up and away” phrase before flying. While these became common tropes of the character in all media, they had their start outside of comic books. The first use of “up, up and away!” was in a Superman radio play in 1940 (necessary since radio is an audio medium) and the whole phone booth thing first started in “The Mechanical Monsters” one of Superman cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios in 1941.
Steve was forced to resign as Captain America in order to maintain his autonomy, see Captain America #329-332. He will reinvent himself as simply “The Captain”, an identity he will maintain until Captain America #350.
Derek mentions how the Avengers had their security clearance revoked after the Vision took over the world’s computers. See Avengers #252-255.
As we’ll learn next issue, this is not the Fixer but the Super-Adaptoid in disguise. He android took the Fixers place during the siege on Avengers Mansion.
The Awesome Android has been kept in the barn since it was deactivated in Captain America #311.