The Ninth Day

The Exemplars are avatars given great power by the mystical entities via magical talisman. They are Conquest, empowered by the Kestrel Key of Krakkan; Bedlam, empowered by the Ivory Idol of Ikonn; Decay, chosen by the Verdant Vial of Vatlorr; Tempest given power from the Wonderous Waterfall of Watoomb; Carnivor who was bequeathed with the Fearsome Fist of Farallah; Stonecutter, endowed with the Ringed Ruby of Raggadorr; and Inferno empowered by the Blinding Brazier of Balthakk. Their purpose is to conquer the world and divide it up into eight kingdoms and then war until one only of them is supreme. However, this goals have been interfered with by a rogue member of their group, the Juggernaut, chosen avatar of the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak.[1]

Arriving in New York in their stone ship, the Exemplars were able to capture the Juggernaut before he could gain the assistance of the Avengers. Having been incapacitated by the group, they keep him suspended until Stonecutter can devise a weapon that can separate Cain Marko from his power so they can kill him. However, they must work quickly, as the Juggernaut’s power — which makes him unstoppable — will soon free him from their stasis beam.

On the ground, the Avengers are busy trying to come up with a means of gaining access to the Exemplar’s ship. This is all going on amid protests and media inquiries that have been generated by a secret smear campaign headed by the Triune Understanding. On the roof, Iron Man has called in Giant-Man to assist with the construction of a cannon to breach the ship’s defenses. Hank is glad to be back, finding a new desire to start being a hero again after the destruction of Ultron.[3] Thor has also called in the assistance of Hercules, who agrees to lend his might, even if he has been stripped of half of his godly powers.[4] Herc also notices the protestors outside the mansion gates, and Thor explains the situation with great distaste. He believes that the humans are ungrateful for all the times the Avengers have saved their lives over the years.

Meanwhile, inside the mansion, things are tense as Captain America obtains the government’s data on the Exemplars. This is because the team just found out that Freeman is a member of the Triune Understanding. As the Avengers believe the Triunes are responsible for their current reputation things are noticeably tense. As Captain America goes over the data, the Scarlet Witch and her brother Quicksilver are in the Avengers trophy room.[5] The siblings are having a tense conversation regarding Pietro being appointed to Magneto’s new governing council on the island nation of Genosha.[6] Given that Magneto has had a long history of hurting them, his own children, Wanda fears that her brother will be harmed when Magneto’s true intentions come to light.[7] Pietro assures her that there is nothing untoward going on but she can’t bring herself to believe him and runs away crying. Pietro quickly catches up with her and assures Wanda that no matter what happens, he’ll always be her brother, and he’ll always love her and be there whenever she needs him. The pair sit down and talk, and Pietro tells her how Genosha has been left in ruins after the mutant apartheid system was abolished and tensions between the human and mutant populations are still strong. Still, Pietro wants to rebuild the country as it is work that is worth doing.[8] Wanda understands and tells him that should he ever need the Avengers help he need only call.

By this time, Captain America has finished going through the records they have on the Exemplars and discovers a common thread among all of them. He is then interrupted by a call from Jarvis. The Avengers’ butler informs Cap that some of the protestors have jumped the fence and were restrained by the security coils while trying to spray paint the walls. Captain America tells Jarvis to let them go, and to ignore all media inquiries as the Avengers are busy doing the job the public is criticizing. That’s when Duane Freeman suggests that they leave the Exemplars alone since all they want to do is execute the Juggernaut. Cap refuses to allow that to happen, reminding Duane that Cain Marko is entitled to due process under the law. He will not allow someone — even a criminal like the Juggernaut — be executed without cause refuses to just let him die, even if the government revokes the Avengers security clearance. Realizing that he overreacted, Steve apologizes and the two men become embarassed.

Back upstairs, Wonder Man is having lunch with the Wasp. Simon discusses his desire to find himself again but he doesn’t want to leave the Avengers in a lurch. Janet understands but tells him that he should leave while he has a chance as emergencies are always cropping up. That’s when Firestar and Justice enter the room to get Jan’s advice on something they’re thinking about as well. Before they can say what that is, the alarm goes off, proving exactly what Janet was saying.[9] Soon, the Avengers are flying to the Exemplar’s ship. As they fly over the mob of protestors, Thor looks down at them with contempt. Along the way, they are also joined by Spider-Man and Nova, who insist on tagging along. Since they can use all the help they can get, the Avengers welcome them aboard.

The device built by Iron Man and Giant-Man allows them to breach the force field keeping them out of the ship. Once on board, a brawl breaks out between the Avengers, their allies, and the Exemplars. However, despite their teamwork, the Exemplars are two powerful and each hero falls. Eventually, everyone is captured except for Captain America, who managed to slip away as the Exemplars were taking prisoners. With most of the Avengers suspended alongside the Juggernaut, the Exemplars get into another petty squabble. Captain America has realized that the Exemplars don’t have any sense of teamwork and when they are not fighting mutual foes they argue over who is the most powerful. He decides to use that to his advantage and comes out of his hiding place and surrenders.

However, Captain America asks for a moment to speak his mind, pointing out that as an ordinary man he poses little threat. The egotistical Exemplars agree and as they are focused on what Cap has to say, they do not notice that Iron Man and Thor are working together to free themselves by absorbing the energies that keep them restrained with the others. Captain America reminds the Exemplars of who they once were and suggests that since gaining their powers they have lost all of their free will. He reminds them all that they are all headstrong individuals with hopes, dreams, and desires. He then points out to them that should they go through with what their masters wishes, the things that they love — learning, family, the thrill of collecting, the beauty of art — will all be destroyed leaving them with nothing once their contest is over.

By this time, Iron Man and Thor have gotten free and gotten into position to attack. However, Cap signals for them to stand by, as he continues trying to appeal to the Exemplar’s humanity. Luckily, the one he gets through to is the telepathic Bedlam. Missing her old life, the young girl uses her mental powers to unlock the true personalities of the other Exemplars. Finally free from the mystical influence of their masters and realizing what kind of trouble they are in, the Exemplars flee.[10] Without Stonecutter’s power to sustain it, the stone ship crumbles into New York Harbor.

Once back on the ground, the Avengers wonder what they should do about the Juggernaut. However, Cain decides to do them a solid. Since they helped save his life, he decides to willingly allow himself to be arrested, figuring he can break out of jail at a later time when he can’t accidentally hurt someone.[11] After the police take the Juggernaut away, the Avengers are swarmed by the media who bombard them with questions.[12] By this time, Thor has reached his wits end and throws Mjolnir at the reporters, shattering a camera in the process.

Following this fiasco, the Avengers return to base to deal with the fallout from Thor’s outburst. Captain America realizes that he is ill suited to lead the team right now because he doesn’t have the media savvy to deal with the press like Iron Man would. With that in mind, Steve tells the team that he will be quitting the Avengers, effective immediately.[13]

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Firestar, Justice), Exemplars (Bedlam, Carnivore, Conquest, Decay, Inferno, Stonecutter, Tempest), Juggernaut, Hercules, Quicksilver, Spider-Man, Nova, Duane Freeman, Edwin Jarvis

Continuity Notes

1. The Exemplars first reared their ugly heads during The Ninth Day event which took place in Iron Man (vol. 3) #21-22, Thor (vol. 2) #17, Peter Parker: Spider-Man #10, and Juggernaut: The Eighth Day #1. The Juggernaut first got his powers years earlier from the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak in X-Men #12. However, the spell was interrupted by an airstrike. As a result, Cain Marko retained his full personality while the spell to compel others to find the other temples was interrupted until one was found by accident years later. The Exemplars captured the Juggernaut last issue.

2. These protests have evolved from the Triune Understanding’s smear campaign against the Avengers since Avengers (vol. 3) #13. The protests are a new wrinkle after the Avengers got in a fight at the Triune Understanding’s headquarters in Avengers (vol. 3) #15, leading to uncomfortable questions from the press in issue #19. The protests out front the mansion began issue #23. The reason the Triunes have it against the Avengers is because their leader, Jonathan Tremont, believes the Avengers are responsible for a coming doomsday prophecy. This is actually the Triple-Evil as we’ll learn in Avengers (vol. 3) #41-54 and Annual 2001.

3. The Avengers believe that they have destroyed Ultron for good in Avengers (vol. 3) #19-22. In reality, Ultron has downloaded his mind into a suit of Iron Man’s armor, taking possession in Iron Man (vol. 3) #26, something that won’t be revealed until issue #46 of that series.

4. Hercules was stripped of much of his power and his immortality when he refused to return to Olympus with Zeus in Avengers #384. Herc’s powers will be restored in Ares #1-5.

5. There are a bunch of notable trophies on display in the Avengers trophy room. They include:

   • A marionette of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. These were carved by their uncle, Django Maximoff. The twins briefly had their souls transferred into them until they were freed by the Avengers. See Avengers #182.

   • The costume once worn by Porcupine. It’s owner Alex Gentry turned it over to Captain America before his death in Captain America #315. Cap put it on display in the mansion as a sign of respect to the reformed villain.

   • A cowboy hat worn by the Two-Gun Kid, this probably came into the Avengers possession during the Kid’s brief foray into the present day in Avengers #147. The present soon became too much for Matt Hawk and he was returned to his home era in Avengers #175.

   • Ultron’s severed head: Ultron has been decapitated so many times it’s hard to tell which version of his head is on display here. Your guess is as good as mine.

6. At the time of this story the United Nations had just given Magneto control of the island nation of Genosha. Quicksilver was invited to become part of the governing council. See Magneto Rex #1-3.

7. That Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are mutants and the children of Magneto has since been proven to be false:

   • First off, the pair are identified as mutants here. However, this has since been revealed as false. Per Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5, Wanda and Pietro were kidnapped as children and experimented upon by the High Evolutionary. To cover up his work he made it so genetic tests on the twins would have them register as mutants.

   • The twins have been led to believe that Magneto is their father since Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4. This is another falsehood. Their biological mother was revealed to be Natalya Maximoff in Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #3. Their father, as of this writing in January, 2023, remains unidentified.

   • Unaware of these falsehoods, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch have had a turbulent relationship with Magneto. This started way back before they were tricked into thinking they were related and Mags recruited them into his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, circa X-Men #4.

8. When Genosha first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #235, it was an apartheid state where mutants were treated as slave labor. This carried on until Fabian Cortez and his Acolytes led a civil war in Genosha, leading to the collapse of its government as seen in Avengers #368-369, X-Men (vol. 2) #26, Avengers West Coast #101, and Uncanny X-Men #307. Genosha became a war torn nation from that point until the UN turned it over to Magneto in Magneto Rex #1-3.

9. Firestar and Justice are also deciding to leave the team. Wonder Man, Firestar, and Justice will all leave the team at the same time in Avengers (vol. 3) #27.

10. The Exemplars will go to ground for years, but will eventually turn up again in Black Knight (vol. 3) #2

11. Juggernaut will remain true to his word and will turn up again in Generation X #60-61.

12. One of the reporters point out how the Avengers previously allowed two other foes escape in the past: The Grim Reaper (Avengers (vol. 3) #10-11) and Alkhema (#19-22).

13. Captain America’s time off the team will be very short lived as he’ll be back with the group starting in Avengers (vol. 3) #36-37.

Topical References

• The data the government has on the Exemplars is depicted as being stored on a CD. When this comic was first published in 2000, a CD was a commonly used form of data storage. While CD’s can still be used for this purpose, they have fallen out of favor in favor of better storage formats and the ability to transfer data digitally, making them virtually obsolete. Their use here should be considered topical.

• The profile on Conquest, aka Bridget Malone, states that she may have been involved in terrorist activities with the Irish Republican Army. The IRA has had many incarnations over the years but TL;DR they are an organization that seeks to liberate Northern Ireland from British rule. Over their long history they have gone through periods of violent action and well as periods of peace. Given how the organization frequently splinters, reforms, and changes its mind regarding literally everything, references to Malone’s involvement in the IRA should be considered topical. Modern readers can assume that Malone is rumored to be involve with an unspecified terrorist organization.