Avengers #302
Earth Rocks!
Super-Nova has come to Earth seeking Nebula, the space pirate who destroyed his home world of Xandar. He has vowed to destroy this planet if its people refuse to hand her over.[1]
On Earth, Wendell Vaughn is setting up his new security business in his new office at the Four Freedoms Plaza. He is glad to be home after an extended period in space. Suddenly, his Quantum Bands begin to glow and after telling his “boss” that he is going to investigate some danger, Wendell changes into Quasar and takes off.[2]
Meanwhile, Super-Nova has landed in Chicago where he burns his ultimatum into the side of the tallest building in town. Quasar arrives soon after and uses his Quantum Bands to try and restrain Super-Nova’s hands with energy cuffs. Unfortunately, Super-Nova is too powerful and easily breaks free. Quasar is then forced to break off his attack to help a news helicopter that flies too close and gets damaged.
Several thousand miles away, at Avengers Compound in California, the West Coast Avengers are passing the time with a poker game. That’s when they receive a distress call from Peggy Carter — one of the new members of the East Coast team’s support crew — who tells them that she has not been able to contact the Eastern Avengers to deal with the crisis in Chicago. Hawkeye assures Peggy that his team will get on it right away and mobilizes Wonder Man, Tigra, and Hank Pym to face this alien threat.
As for the East Coast team, they have survived the destruction of Super-Nova’s space ship thanks to the Invisible Woman who encases the team and Firelord in an invisible bubble. In order to get back down to Earth, Thor emerges from the bubble and tosses Mjolnir, using the hammer’s momentum to push the invisible sphere into Earth’s atmosphere. Although they are heading back home they now face another challenge: the incredible heat that will be generated from re-entry.
By this time, the West Coast Avengers have arrived in Chicago and Haweye sends Wonder Man out to tackle their foe first.[3] As the West Coasters fail to stop Super-Nova, the eastern team manages to get safely to Earth thanks to Firelord, who absorbs the heat from re-entry. By this time, Hawkeye tries a different approach by trying to talk to their foe. Super-Nova grabs the archer and demands to know where Nebula is. Playing dumb, Hawkeye asks the invader to describe her for him, but quickly realizes that this isn’t going to work and if he doesn’t figure out something quickly he’ll be crushed in Super-Nova’s massive grip.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Gilgamesh), Super-Nova, Avengers West Coast (Hawkeye, Hank Pym, Wonder Man, Tigra), Quasar, Firelord, Peggy Carter, Eon
Continuity Notes
The whole Nebula-is-on-Earth thing is really complicated:
Nebula laid waste to the planet Xandar killing its entire population in Avengers #260.
Nebula apparently came to Earth as a member of the Cross-Time Kangs to manipulate the Avengers into helping her obtain the most powerful weapon in the omniverse only to get lost in a Time Bubble some 20 years in the future. See Avengers #291-297.
However, is actually Ravonna Renslayer in disguise, part of a complex scheme to get revenge against Kang the Conqueror. See Fantastic Four #337-341 as well as Captain America Annual #11, Thor Annual #17, Fantastic Four Annual #25, Avengers Annual #21.
The real Nebula is still somewhere in deep space as we’ll learn in Avengers #314-318.
Although they are all dead here, the people of Xandar are later resurrected using cloning technology by the Xandarian world mind by the time the planet is revisited in New Warriors #41-42.
Speaking of complicated, Quasar’s back story at this point in time is quite complex as well.
Quasar’s time in space wherein he meets Eon and is made the protector of the universe was detailed in Quasar #1-2.
Wendell mentions how he was previously the head of security at Project PEGASUS. His tenure ran from Marvel Two-In-One #53 and quit following the events of Marvel Team-Up Annual #5.
Hawkeye notes that Super-Nova resembles the hero known as Nova. Nova first came on the scene in Nova #1. At the time of this story he had given up his power after saving Xandar from a Skrull invasion in Rom #24. He will regain his powers again circa Thor #411 per New Warriors #1.
Topical References
Super-Nova attacks a building that is referred to as the Sears Tower and called the tallest building in the world. Both of these statements should be considered topical references. The building was named so as it served as the corporate headquarters of the Sears company until 1994. It was later renamed to the Willis Building in 2009. The former Sears Tower was considered the tallest building in the world until it lost that title in 1998, as of this writing in September 2021, it is now the 23rd tallest.