Avengers #373
Armageddon
Crystal and Quicksilver are heading back to Avengers Headquarters after taking their daughter Luna for a walk. When they arrive they find the building in ruins with emergency crews on site. Racing into the rubble to look for survivors, the pair find the Black Knight who is in a panic over their teammate Sersi. When Crystal tries to get answers out of him, Dane Whitman runs off to go searching for Sersi. Moments later, the other Avengers — Captain America, Hercules, Giant-Man, and the Black Widow — emerge from the rubble with NYPD detective Marta DuBois. It’s quickly explained that DuBois and her men had come to question Sersi over a series of bizarre murders, including two other NYPD officers when she suddenly snapped and used her powers to collapse the building on top of everyone.[1] That’s when officers on the scene tell them that Sersi has been spotted downtown. As the Avengers prepare to confront their teammate, Crystal insists on going along, much to the chagrin of her husband Quicksilver since she and the Black Knight have feelings for one another.[2]
At that moment, Sersi is standing atop the Brooklyn Bridge where she is found by the Black Knight. He tries to convince her that everything is ok, but she is furious that everyone is blaming her for murders she did not commit. Dane points out that people have a hard time believing this after they witnessed her murdering the Polmachian priest named Anskar a while back.[3] As Sersi angrily justifies her killing of Anskar, her rage transmits through the mental link between her and Dane, causing him mental pain. She then senses that the Avengers are coming and since she blames them all for what’s going on she tells Dane that they will face them together.
Back uptown, the Avengers butler Jarvis and Luna’s nanny Marilla return to Avengers Headquarters and find the place in shambles. There, they find Quicksilver who tells them that Sersi was responsible for the damage. When Jarvis wonders if this has anything to do with the strange dreams she has been having about a mysterious man stalking her, Quicksilver is interested in hearing more.[4]
Meanwhile, at a secret facility, Proctor is confronted by one of his newest Gatherers, Jocasta, who demands to know why her team was prevented from killing the Avengers when they had the chance.[5] He tells Jocasta to trust in the plan and that in the end she will be reunited with this reality’s version of her husband, the Vision, as her prize.[6] Proctor then goes down into the bowels of his hideout where has has been keeping the Watcher known as Ute a prisoner. He gloats about how he has been able to use the Watcher’s memories to help finalize his plan and takes perverse joy that he is forcing Ute to violate his oath of non-interference.[7] After telling the Watcher that this world will soon become a funeral pyre, Proctor leaves and Ute sheds a single tear.
Back in New York City, the Avengers arrive at the Brooklyn Bridge to confront Sersi. She and the Black Knight fight back until the entire team has been knocked out save for Crystal. When the Inhuman pleads with Dane to spare her and their friends, Whitman manages to resist Sersi’s mental influence. This breaks their Gann Josin link, causing his eyes to return to normal.[8] He then stops Sersi from killing the Avengers with a blast of cosmic energy. Seeing that her link with Dane has been severed, Sersi angrily flies into the air and uses her powers to cause a massive tidal wave that shatters the bridge. Crying in the wreckage, Sersi is finally approached by Proctor who she vaguely remembers from her dreams. In her confused state, she readily agrees to go with him…
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Giant-Man, Quicksilver, Vision, Hercules, Black Widow, Sersi, Crystal), Proctor, Jocasta, Ute, Luna Maximoff, Edwin Jarvis, Marilla, Marta DuBois
Continuity Notes
These murders started back in Avengers #357. However, the two “deceased” officers — Joe McNamara and Tomas Delgado — were actually transformed into inert matter in issue #363 and will be restored next issue by the Eternals. In that same issue, it is revealed that Proctor had been framing Sersi for these crimes.
I am going to be so glad when I don’t have to reference this anymore, but there has been an on going love triangle between the Black Knight, Crystal, and Sersi. The details:
Since Fantastic Four #150, Crystal has been married to Quicksilver. However, their marriage has been troubled since she cheated on him in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #6-12. This was made all the more harder when Crystal joined the Avengers in issue #336 and both she and the Black Knight became smitten with one another.
Sersi on the other hand has been throwing herself at the Black Knight since Avengers #350. Later, when she was accused of suffering from the Mahd W’yry, her fellow Eternals forced Dane to become her Gann Josin, a telepathically bonded life mate. This happened after Crystal came to believe her marriage couldn’t be saved after a disastrous romantic getaway with Quicksilver in X-Factor #89 went bad. This led to Crystal having a romantic tryst with Dane.
More recently, Quicksilver was injured in a battle with Exodus in Avengers #369 and has been living with the Avengers while he recovers, adding significant strain on the situation. Last issue, Crystal admitted to her husband that she loves both him and Dane.
Recently, the Avengers went to Polemachus to help its ruler Arkon save his planet by draining the excess energy from the energy rings around the world that was turning it into a baren wasteland. There they met Anskar who believed that a virginal sacrifice was the only way to save their world. Even though the Avengers saved the day, Anskar killed the virgin anyway prompting Sersi to incinerate him as retribution. See Avengers #358-359.
Sersi confided in Jarvis back in Avengers #364. What neither of them knew at the time was that the mystery man in her dreams was Proctor as neither of them had met the villain yet.
Jocasta’s team of Gatherers attacked the Avengers last issue. This team consists of Avengers from across the multiverse whose worlds were destroyed. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #2, Proctor hales from Earth-374 and Jocasta from Earth-943. The others, as of this writing in May 2022, have yet to have their realities indexed.
Jocasta’s does kind of get what she is hoping for, as seen in Vision #1-4, until the writers kind of just forgot about her after the fact.
In most universes the Watchers took on an oath of non-interference after sharing knowledge and it backfired spectacularly. On Earth-616, the Watchers gave atomic technology to the Procillians who then wiped themselves out. See Tales of Suspense #53 and Original Sin #0.
When Dane was made Sersi’s Gann Josin it turned his eyes black with red irises, kind of like Gambit from the X-Men. This happened in Avengers #361.
Topical References
The original twin towers of the World Trade Center are depicted as part of the New York City skyline in this story. This should be considered a topical reference as these buildings were destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 and subsequently replaced with the Freedom Tower.
