Avengers #344
Echoes of the Past
Answering a phony distress call from the Four Freedoms Plaza, the Avengers — Black Knight, Thor, Hercules, Vision, and Crystal — are ambushed by mysterious man and woman. The man claims to be the Swordsman, an Avenger who had fallen in battle years earlier.[1] He blames for the Avengers for leaving him to die and wants to get his revenge. He launches an attack on the group using the energy blaster hidden in his trademark weapon.[2] After the Avenges scramble to cover, the Swordsman wavers as he is struck with a bout of confusion and asks his companion — a woman named Magdalene — to help him. He gets his act together when Thor attempts to lunge at him, blasting the thunder god into a nearby building.[3]
Hercules then tries to attack the Swordsman to avenge his friend, but Magdalene gets between them. When Herc tries grabbing her staff, he is burned by the powerful energies protecting it. The Black Knight, meanwhile, decides to pit his sword fighting skills against the Swordsman while the others help Hercules. With the Olympian incapacitated, Magdalene grabs and tosses the Vision away, leaving Crystal to fight her all alone.
Back at Avengers Mansion, Marilla — the nanny for Crystal’s daughter Luna — goes down into the kitchen to see what Jarvis is making for dinner. She is disgusted by how bland it tastes and decides to add some of her own menduvian spices. Jarvis catches her red handed and is insulted that she would tamper with one of his recipes. When he tries to give it a taste, the spices are so foul that it makes Jarvis throw up in the sink. That’s when Sersi returns to the mansion after being away for a number of days. Jarvis tells her that the Avengers are answering a distress call at Fantastic Four headquarters. As she leaves to go and join them she deflects the butler’s inquiries as to where she has been. However, on her way out, Sersi catches her reflection in the mirror and what she sees — something that has happened before — and the sight of it causes her to break down into tears on the floor.[4]
Downtown, the battle between the Avengers and their two foes rages on. While Crystal continues to hold her own against Magdaelene, the Black Knight continues clashing with the Swordsman. The two Avengers try to reason with their attackers, but they are too bent on getting revenge. Once again, the Swordsman is struck by a sense of confusion and calls out for someone named Proctor to help him. This momentary lapse allows the Swordsman to strike with his energy sword, frying all of the Swordsman’s synapses. Seeing her lover go down, Magdalene breaks away from her fight with Crystal to race to his side. Before the regrouping Avengers can stop them, Magdalene opens a portal they then escape through. With their foes escaped, the Avengers try to make sense of the attack and the possibility that one of their fallen comrades might be back from the dead.
Moments later, Magdalene and Swordsman materialize at their secret hideout. There, Magdalene pleads with their leader, Proctor, to help with Swordsman. Proctor explains that they are in a delicate phase of Swordsman’s transition will be a slow one. After Magdalene’s insistence, Proctor gives Swordsman his healing touch, and says their comrade will be good as new after a few days rest. Magdalene is furious that Proctor sent them out on this mission before the Swordsman was fully ready. Proctor — who is amused that she cares for the Swordsman as she once cared for him — explains that the risk was necessary if they are to get revenge against the Avengers.[5]
By this time, the Avengers have returned to headquarters are report their encounter with the Swordsman to Captain America and the Black Widow. They all go over the facts that are known as well as the Avengers records. So far as they know, the Swordsman died years ago. However, the man they just fought not only looked and sounded like him, the Black Knight was able to identify that he even fought like the original Swordsman. This, on top of the fact that their security screening has been compromised, prompts Captain America to order a full investigation to find out how serious this new threat is to the group.[6]
Meanwhile, near Earth’s sun, a warp gate opens in space and an alien craft emerges from it. The gate itself causes an increase in the sun’s volatility that is detected by Starcore, the manned space station that examines the sun. The reports coming in deeply disturb lead scientist Peter Corbeau. He wonders what good warning the Earth will be if the sun suddenly goes nova. The alien ship eventually arrives in Earth orbit, attracting the attention of Uatu the Watcher. He grimly muses how little anyone knows that these events may spell the doom of four galaxies.[7]
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Black Knight, Black Widow, Captain America, Crystal, Hercules, Sersi, Thor, Vision), Gatherers (Proctor, Swordsman, Magdalene), Marilla, Edwin Jarvis, Peter Corbeau, Mikhail Kutuzov, Talia Kumra, the Watcher, Vallinor
Continuity Notes
The Swordsman died during a battle with Kang the Conqueror back in Giant-Size Avengers #2. This man is not that Swordsman, but a counterpart from another reality as will be explained in Avengers #355-356.
Here, Crystal states that she only met the Swordsman on one previous occasion, her wedding to Quicksilver. This happened in Fantastic Four #150.
Mention is made as to how this is not the real Thor. At the time of this story, Thor was banished by Odin and the role of thunder god was given to Eric Masterson, as per Thor #432-433. This will remain the status quo until the real Thor returns in issues #458-459 of that series.
Sersi has been absent after the Avengers’ battle with the Brethren in Avengers #334-339. This will prove to be the catalyst for Sersi suffering from the Mahd W’yry, a Eternal illness that is analogous with senility. This will all be explained in Avengers #361.
The whole thing with Swordsman, Magdalene, and Proctor is complicated. The details:
Like Magdalene and Swordsman is the Dane Whitman (aka Black Knight) of another reality. He has formed a group called the Gatherers to get revenge against the Avengers, as will be explained in Avengers #355-356. It’s explained in those same issues that the process in which Proctor travels to other dimensions causes significant mental strain on the travelers, particularly if they have counter-parts in that other reality.
Later in issues #373-375 reveal that Proctor’s whole thing is that he was dumped by the Sersi of his own reality and is getting revenge by killing her multiversal counterparts like a reality jumping Incel.
For those keeping track at home, the universal designations for these characters are Realities 374 (Proctor), 921 (Swordsman), and 9201 (Magdalene) per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Realities 2005.
The Gatherers were able to send their fake distress call by secretly breaking into Avengers Headquarters and hacking their computers, which will be explained in Avengers #355-356.
This is all a prelude to the Operation: Galactic Storm event that takes place in Captain America #398-400, Avengers West Coast #80-82, Quasar #32-34, Wonder Man (vol. 2) #7-9, Avengers #345-347, Iron Man #278-279, and Thor #445-446.
