The Past is Always With Us…

The Crossing continues from Force Works #17…

After a series of murders and security breaches, the Avengers have decided to shut down Avengers Mansion.[1] Iron Man is now overseeing the construction efforts to seal off the building to prevent anyone from going in or out. When the construction crews are endangered by some loosed girders, Giant-Man and Vision are there to get people to safety. The three veteran Avengers then go inside where forensic crews from Stark Enterprises are going over the entire building with a fine tooth comb in order to determine the identities of the killers.

They go down to the room where Marilla was murdered and Giant-Man finds a strange piece of a device on the floor. Iron Man quickly snatches it away, saying it was something he was working on. When the Vision leaves to give a status report to the Black Widow, Giant-Man tries to tell Tony to take it easy, assuring him that they will bring Marilla’s killer to justice. Iron Man agrees that they must, saying that if her killer turns out to be one of their old foes trying to get at them through her, he will never forgive himself.

Meanwhile, upstate, the Swordsman is searching the woods to try and find the glen where he encountered Tuc and a mysterious priest the night before.[2] However, in the light of day he has no luck finding the location. Suddenly, a mass of plants begins to grow and form into a shape similar to himself. This entity explains that it his a member of the Cotati and it has taken on the body of this world’s version of the Swordsman as its host.[3] It asks if Swordsman summoned the heroes as he was asked the night before and he confirms that the Avengers are sending the Vision. Just as the android arrives on the scene the Cotati senses that it is too late. Suddenly, a woman in a high tech hover chair materializes with two warriors named Malachi and Tobias, who have come to kill the Cotati.

The Swordsman and Vision try to defend the Cotati from Malachi and Tobias, but they prove too strong for the pair. As the battle begins to turn, the young woman who brought the two warriors can only watch and mourn the outcome of the battle.

By this time, the Avengers have relocated to the Long Island mansion of Janet Van Dyne. There, Crystal and Quicksilver’s daughter Luna has become increasingly upset over the death of her nanny Marilla, warning them that a bad man is coming. When Luna alludes to the fact that she saw a “lady at the door” get burned away, the Avengers realize — to their horror — that Luna witnessed the murders of both Marilla and Yellowjacket back at the mansion. Quicksilver becomes incredibly concerned that this knowledge could put his daughter in danger.

Back at Avengers Mansion, Tony Stark is waiting for his crew to finish their sweep of the mansion. They find no further evidence as to who was responsible for the murders that happened on site. Tony then asks to be left alone and when he has some privacy he pulls the device he snatched out of Giant-Man’s hand earlier that day. He is troubled because something about the device looks very familiar. Suddenly, it begins to glow and Tony finds himself suddenly transported to a white void. There he is met by a mysterious woman who is unhappy that Tony left witnesses to his murders and orders him to eliminate Luna Maximoff. Tony tearfully pleads with the woman to stop, asking if he hasn’t done enough already. The woman giving him orders is unmoved and tells him that there is nothing else he can do as the die has been cast.[4]

Upstate, the battle between Swordsman and the Vision against Tobias and Malachi rages on. Tuc soon arrives on the scene and tries to join the battle. However, he is grabbed by a mysterious figure who tells the young man that it is not yet his time.[5] Ultimately, Tobias and Malachi defeat their foes. However, before they can slay the two Avengers, their female benefactor tells them that she cannot maintain their presence in this time period and they must return. As they teleport away with the Cotati as their prisoner, the Swordsman and Vision recover from their attack. The Vision overheard everything and detected that the woman was lying in order to spare their lives, leaving them to wonder what is going on, who their attackers are, and why the woman saved them.

Tobias, Malachi, and their female companion soon appear within a massive citadel in some unknown location beyond time and space. There they are welcomed back by the Steward who is pleased to see that they captured the Cotati. He has the brothers bring the Cotati to their mother, who turns out to be none other than the Cotati’s former mate, Mantis who is happy to have her first husband as her prisoner.[6]

… The Crossing continues in War Machine #20.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Iron Man, Giant-Man, Quicksilver, Vision, Swordsman, Deathcry), “Tobias”, “Malachi”, “Mantis”, “Swordsman”, “Tuc”, future “Luna Maximoff”, Luna Maximoff, Edwin Jarvis

Continuity Notes

1. Yellowjacket, Marilla, and Gilgamesh were all killed in the mansion over the course of Avengers: The Crossing #1 and last issue. What nobody knows is that Iron Man himself is responsible for two of those deaths, he will be exposed Iron Man #323.

2. Tuc and a supposed Priest of Pama appeared before Swordsman last issue to tell him he has a great destiny to fill. It’s all bullshit along with nearly everything else that goes on in The Crossing. It’s later revealed in Avengers Forever #8 that this was all an elaborate deception created by Immortus as part of a long running scheme to manipulate the team’s destiny.

3. This Swordsman came from another reality (Earth-921 per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #2) back in Avengers #343. The Earth-616 Swordsman sacrificed his life to protect Mantis in Giant-Size Avengers #2. His body later became host to the Prime Cotati in Giant-Size Avengers #4 so that it could mate with Mantis who had been selected to become the Celestial Madonna. This “Cotati Swordsman” and his attackers here are all Space Phantoms posing as others, as per the grand scheme of Immortus.

4. It is unclear who is talking to Tony here, but Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Avengers confirms that it is the faux Mantis.

5. This story is lousy with mysterious characters grabbing people from off panel. Who exactly is stopping Tuc here isn’t clearly explained either. Even the Official Index isn’t clear. My guess is that it is supposed to be Immortus posing as Kang since the Index lists him as appearing behind the scenes in this story.

6. In case it’s not entirely clear, all of these characters — Tobias, Malachi, the adult Luna, the Cotati, and Mantis — are all Space Phantoms playing a role, as per Avengers Forever #8. It’s explained that the Space Phantoms were brainwashed into thinking they were actually the people they are portraying hence why they are still acting in character when none of the Avengers are around.

The Crossing Reading Order

Avengers #390, Iron Man #319, Avengers: The Crossing #1, Force Works #16, Iron Man #320, Avengers #391, Iron Man #321, Force Works #17, Avengers #392, War Machine #20, Iron Man #322, Force Works #18, War Machine #21, Iron Man #323, Avengers #393, Force Works #19, War Machine #22, Iron Man #324, Force Works #20, War Machine #23, Avengers #394, Avengers: Timeslide #1, Iron Man #325, Avengers #395, Age of Innocence: The Rebirth of Iron Man #1