Avengers #323
The Crossing Line Part 5: One World’s Not Enough for All of Us
The Avengers, Alpha Flight, and People’s Protectorate have been trying to liberate the nuclear submarine Waterwind from the terrorist organization called the Peace Corps. Unfortunately, their hopes have failed when the leaders of the terrorist group — Illyich Prokvitch and Mendev — hooked themselves to the launch computers. Once the link was severed the entire nuclear arsenal went off, threatening to destroy an entire town on the coast of Newfoundland.
Rather than being atomized, the three teams, a group of Atlantean warriors, and a group of locals have found themselves tossed into four different dimensions. Captain America, Red Guardian, Vision, and Vostok find themselves in a dimension of air. While Sersi and Fantasma are trapped in a domain of active volcanos. Quasar, Crimson Dynamo, Perun, Tyrak and Orka find themselves trapped in a domain of purple water. Lastly, Guardian, Stingray and U-Man find themselves in a desert. Through Sersi and Fantasma’s mental powers, everyone is mind linked and quickly learn that they were all saved when Alpha Flight’s Shaman turned his medicine bag inside out and sucked everyone into these dimensions at the moment of detonation. Now it will take pooling all their resources together in order to make it back to Earth alive.
First, Vostok uses his ability to restructure machines to convert a Quinjet into a massive passenger vehicle. As Shaman works to open portals between the different dimensions, Captain America’s crew crosses over to the realm Sersi and Phantasma have been trapped in. They next jump to the dimension of water, where Madison Jeffries — aka Box — is able to use his own power to transform his robotic body armor into a line that can be used to tow everyone further down through the dimensions. After Guardians team is rescued, everyone decides to return the innocent civilians back to Earth first. Tragically, once the first batch of refugees is brought back to their home, they are suddenly atomized by the radiation they were exposed to when the nuclear bombs went off. The heroes are horrified and realize that they can only return home after they find a way to purge themselves of the lethal radiation.
Time is of the essence as Shaman can’t hold the dimensional barriers open much longer. To make matters worse, Illyich and Mendev appear before the stranded heroes. The explosion has merged to the two men together to become a singular entity called the Combine who offers to help them all return home. When Captain America points out that doing so will poison the entire planet, the Combine reveals that it already knows.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Sersi, Stingray. Vision, Quasar), Alpha Flight (Guardian, Shaman, Box, Puck, Diamond Lil), People’s Protectorate (Red Guardian, Vostok, Fantasma, Crimson Dynamo, Perun), The Combine, Peace Corps (Mendev, Voroshilov, Kuryestan), Tyrak, U-Man, Orka
Topical References
Russia is referred to as the USSR in this story. This should be considered a topical reference as the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.
The Man and the Wolf
The Avengers Crew are hard at work getting the Avengers new headquarters up and running. John Jameson, Captain America’s personal pilot, is checking the monorail system that will take the Avengers to their underground launching bay. The test is goes off without a hitch. However, when John emerges from the rail car, he suddenly spots something glowing on the floor. Upon closer inspection, he is horrified to discover that that it is the Moonstone that used to change him into the Man-Wolf, an impossibility since it had long since been destroyed.[1]
Before he can stop it, the Moon-Stone leaps out of his hand and attaches itself back onto his throat, transforming John into the Man-Wolf again. The Man-Wolf then returns to the facility where the creature seemingly slaughters the rest of the Avengers Crew: Edwin Jarvis, Peggy Carter, Michael O’Brien, and Fabian Stankowicz. However, none of their personal hauntings are really, but were vivid illusions. When the one responsible calls upon them, each member of the Avengers Crew — now in their mysterious attacker’s thrall — emerge from Avengers Headquarters.[2] Pleased with their work, the mastermind behind this scheme boasts that their minds will be her thrall forever more!
Recurring Characters
John Jameson, Edwin Jarvis, Peggy Carter, Fabian Stankowicz, Michael O’Brien, Mother Night
Continuity Notes
John first encountered the Moonstone while on a manned mission to the moon, the powerful rock transformed him into the deadly Man-Wolf, as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #124. After years of being cursed with the Moonstone, John was finally free of it in Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #3.
It’s later revealed that Moon-Stone was actually an illusion was created by Mother Night who is secretly brainwashing the Avengers Crew to betray the heroes, part of a birthday gift for the Red Skull. This will occur over the course of Avengers #319-324, with Mother Night’s master scheme being attempted in issue #325.
