Cage of Freedom

The Wrecking Crew rampaged through New Orleans in order to capture Captain Marvel. However, when they were about to be teleported away, the Scarlet Witch used her hex powers on them. Instead of being brought back to their employer, the Crew and Photon (formally Captain Marvel) ended up being shunted to another dimension.[1] Using Mjolnir to open a portal, Thor and the other Avengers — Captain America, the Scarlet Witch, Vision, Firestar, Wonder Man, and the Black Knight — discover that the crew have been sent to the world of Polemachus, home of Arkon. When they arrive they see the place is in flames from some kind of conflict.[2] While the others are focused on the task at hand, Firestar is concerned for her teammate and lover Justice who was injured in their battle with the Wrecking Crew.

Back on Earth, Iron Man has taken Justice back to Avengers Mansion where he is examined by Doctor Jane Foster. She tells Vance that he has suffered a concussion and will need to rest and give himself time to recover, this also includes not using his telekinetic powers. That’s when Giant-Man and the Wasp arrive and tell the others that Carol Danvers has also been kidnapped via teleportation. Iron Man orders Justice to stay behind while he and the other two senior Avengers try to trace the energy signature of the device that teleported Carol away.

Meanwhile, Carol Danvers — aka Warbird — wakes up a prisoner of the Doomsday Man, and is wearing her original Ms. Marvel costume. When she doesn’t really remember him,[3] he reminds her how he was once two of her foes: The robot Doomsday Man and AIM scientist Kerwin Korman.[4] When they were all caught in a psyche-magnetron explosion fused him to the robot. AIM then covered it up and then worked on finding how useful he could be. The reason why he has sought Carol out is because her hybrid human/Kree DNA has the key to finally freeing him from his metal prison. Warbird manages to break free and begins fighting the Doomsday Man, just as Iron Man, Giant-Man, and the Wasp arrive to rescue her. They are surprised to see that the Doomsday Man has been hiding out in the ruins of their recent battle with Lord Templar and AIM.[5]

While on Polemachus, the other Avengers arrive at in the city and find it deserted. There they are attacked by Thundra — Arkon’s chosen mate — and a team of warriors. However, the Avengers quickly explain that they have come to help.[6] Thundra accepts their offer, telling them how the Wrecking Crew showed up and quickly overpowered Arkon and took over the kingdom.

On Earth, Jarvis goes to check on Justice and discovers that the young hero has left. Unwilling to stay behind, Vance has arrived at the scene of the battle but finds himself feeling weak and dizzy due to his concussion. Despite this, he ends up trying to join the fight and in the ensuing melee gets his leg broken in the ensuing scuffle. Despite this injury, Justice is able to use his telekinetic power to rip the Doomsday Man open, revealing that the withered body of Kerwin Korman inside. Defeated, Korman explains that he sought freedom from his metal prison. When AIM examined him following the explosion that fused him to the Doomsday Man they discovered that without a Kree DNA matrix, Korman could not be removed from the robot. Finding no use for him, they put Kerwin in storage until he recently escaped captivity.[5] The Avengers. With the battle over, the Avengers get an ambulance for Justice so he can get his broken leg treated.[7]

While on Polemachus, the Wrecking Crew have captured Captain America. Pleased to have one of the Avengers as a prisoner, the Wrecker decides to make an example out of him.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man , Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Justice, Firestar), Doomsday Man, Wrecking Crew (Wrecker, Thunderball, Piledriver, Bulldozer), Photon, Black Knight, Warbird, Arkon, Thundra, Greybeard Jane Foster, Edwin Jarvis, (in flashback) AIM, MODOK

Continuity Notes

1. The Doomsday Man wanting Ms. Marvel and the Wreckers confusing her with Captain Marvel all comes down to the convoluted naming schemes for characters. The details:

   • The Doomsday Man is actually two Ms. Marvel foes that were merged together when caught in a Psyche-Magnatron explosion that merged AIM scientist Kerwin Korman with the Doomsday Man robot. See Ms. Marvel #1-4.

   • However, the merger and why he wants Ms. Marvel to free him isn’t explained until next issue. The fusing process requires Kree biology to help free Kerwin from the Doomsday Man, hence why he wants Ms. Marvel since she has the needed Kree DNA. Kerwin remained in storage/stasis at an AIM warehouse until the place was busted by the New Warriors in Avengers (vol. 3) #13.

   • What Korman doesn’t know is that Carol Danvers, aka Ms. Marvel, has changed her name a few times since he first fought her. She started calling herself Binary in Uncanny X-Men #164, and more recently, Warbird in Avengers (vol. 3) #4. At this point in time she has never been called Captain Marvel, a title she won’t take on until Avenging Spider-Man #9.

   • The Captain Marvel that the Wrecking Crew is going after is Monica Rambeau and she started calling herself Captain Marvel in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16. However, after meeting Genis-Vell, the son of the original Captain Marvel in Avengers Unplugged #5, she decided to change her name to Photon.

2. Dane Whitman states that Polemachus didn’t look like this the last time he was there. That was in Avengers #358-359.

3. Carol says that her memory is spotty after having them sucked out of her mind. This was done to her by Rogue, who absorbed all her memories and original powers. See Avengers Annual #10.

4. Kerwin Korman and the Doomsday Man clashed with Ms. Marvel back in Ms. Marvel #1-4.

5. Korman escaped captivity during the Avengers and New Warriors battle with AIM in Avengers (vol. 3) #13.

6. Here, Thundra is wearing an eye-patch. She tells the Avengers that this injury is only superficial. This proved to be true when she appears again in Hulk: Raging Thunder #1 she is no longer wearing the eye-patch.

7. Following his appearance here, Doomsday Man/Kerwin Korman he will end up in AIM custody again and used to attack Carol Danvers again in Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #11-12.