Avengers (vol. 3) #35
Interstellar Intrigues
Maximum Security continues from X-Men Unlimited #29…
The Avengers “Infinity” Team — consisting of Thor, Moondragon, Tigra, Starfox, Photon, Quasar, and Jack of Hearts — have come to a Shi’ar flagship seeking an audience with Empress Lilandra.[1] At first, they are denied until Photon mentions they are from Earth, causing the guards to completely change their tone. As the Avengers are taken to meet with Lilandra, two members of the Ruul debate on ambushing the Earthlings like they had the Skrullian mutants. They decide against it since the Avengers are not posing a threat and go to their master for instruction.[2]
When Lilandra meets with the Avengers, she explains why the Earth’s solar system has been locked out from the rest of the universe. This was a decision based on the votes of the Galactic Council who decreed that the citizens of Earth posed a major threat to order in the universe due to their many disruptive actions over the years. In order to contain them, the council then decided to lock out the solar system, then make Earth a prison planet. The idea being that the heroes of Earth would be too pre-occupied dealing with alien criminals to venture further into the stars, and all the council’s problems would be neatly resolved.[3] The Earth heroes are upset that nobody spoke on their world’s behalf. Lilandra explains that she actually came to Earth’s defenses but was out voted.[4] When Moondragon then tries to issue the challenge of Arin’nn Haelar, it doesn’t work out as planned.[5] Rather than accept the challenge, Lilandra reiterates that the decision to lock out Earth was made by the Galactic Council, not the Shi’ar Empire, and her challenge would change nothing. Lilandra empathizes with their situation and promises that she will try to bring up an appeal during the next council meeting. With their business concluded, Lilandra ends their audience and leaves.
The Avengers then head to temporary quarters to figure out what their next move is. Jack of Hearts and Quasar were both looking forward to returning to Earth as they had been away for a long time.[6] The two find comfort in talking about the things from Earth that they most look forward to experiencing agian. Tigra is seeking comfort from Starfox and is reminded that his own people — the Eternals living on the Saturn’s moon, Titan — are also trapped behind the locks set up around the Sol system. Elsewhere, Moondragon holds council with Thor and Photon. Her telepathic abilities have confirmed that Lilandra is sincere in what she said. However, Heather has had a difficult time probing the minds of the Ruul, due to their heavy psychic defenses. While Photon isn’t sure how they can free their world, Thor suggests that they try gaining the support of others in the council such as the Rigellians or the Starjammers.[7] Failing that, Thor could summon the armies of Asgard itself to fight for Earth’s freedom should it come down to it. However, Thor wishes to exhaust every way to get the Council to behave honorably before resorting to violence.
That’s when Moondragon detects a psychic probe trying to spy on them. She spots the spy and incapacitates them with her mental powers. That’s when an army of alien warriors charge into the room, but they are blasted by Photon’s energy powers. However, before they can question their attackers, they dissolve into organic soup. Annoyed by this attack, because they were promised safety during their stay, Thor rouses the other Avengers so they can confront Lilandra about this attack. However, they never make it when they are ambushed by members of the Ruul. These warriors have no apparent minds of their own, making Moondragon’s mental powers useless against them. The Avengers put in their best, but the Ruul are able to restrain the heroes and douse them with gas. The only person left standing is Thor, who wisely holds his breath. However, he passes out moments later because the type of gas used can be absorbed through the skin.
Back on Earth, in the state of New Mexico, a woman named Peggy Chandler watches the news. She sees a story about the Avengers fending off the alien threats in New York. She sees that Triathlon, a hero she has been keeping track of for some time. Since the world appears to be ending, Peggy decides it’s now or never. She puts down a magazine about Triathlon next to her scrapbook full of clippings about another hero named 3-D Man, and gets read to head out. Alien invasion or no, Peggy Carter is going to drive all the way to New York and get some answers.[8]
Meanwhile, the space bound Avengers wake up and find themselves prisoners of the Ruul, who in turn work for the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree. The heroes don’t understand how the Intelligence could rule over another alien race. The Supreme Intelligence explains that the Kree, the race he rules over, had reach genetic stagnation for quite some time now and it would lead to the end of that race. For years, he sought a means to jumpstart the Kree evolution once more. He succeeded in doing so, when he manipulated the Kree/Shi’ar conflict which ended with the detonation of a Nega-Bomb in the Kree galaxy.[9] However, these changes would take millennia to begin taking shape. As an artificial being, the Supreme Intelligence could wait and see what happened, but fate offered him the chance to speed things up. The Intelligence soon found himself caught up a temporal war between Kang and Immortus, and aided a team of time lost Avengers in achieving victory. It was at the conclusion of this conflict that the Supreme Intelligence was able to gain access to one of the most powerful weapons in Immortus’ possession, the Forever Crystal.[10]
With this temporal artifact, the Supreme Intelligence was able to use it to hyper-evolve a number of his subjects in a matter of moments. The Forever Crystal then vanished shortly thereafter as it served its purpose.[11] The evolved Kree became organisms that could instantaneously evolve and adapt to whatever needs they had at that moment. From here, the Supreme one began sowing the seeds of rebuilding his empire. Since these evolved Kree looked vastly different from their genetic ancestors, he had them pose an entirely different race called the Ruul. While they infiltrated the Galactic Council and manipulated their affairs, the Supreme One used his power to save Ego the Living Planet.[12] This was to facilitate the acquisition of some of Ego’s biological spores and use them to infect the Earth. This coincided with the Earth’s quarentine from the rest of the universe. Once the Earth has been converted to an extension of Ego, spires erected on the planet by the Ruul would then transmit the vast cosmic power from the living planet to the watch towers giving the Kree Empire unlimited power to re-establish their dominance in the universe. Restrained and their powers nullified, there is nothing these Avengers can do. However, Quasar is able to send out a radio microburst out in the hopes that their comrades on Earth will receive his message.
Little do they know that the situation on Earth is a lot more complicated than they think. When the Earthbound Avengers — Captain America, Goliath, the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Warbird, and Triathlon — have just returned to Avengers Mansion. There they are confronted by government agents Duane Freeman, Val Cooper, and Henry Gyrich. With them is government sanctioned hero US Agent. The Agent has been given the authority to fight back against the forces that have locked their planet away from the universe. To this end, the government has gotten the cooperation of the various alien criminals who have already been captured, and the Avengers have just been ordered to lead them in to battle!
… Maximum Security concludes in Maximum Security #3.
Recurring Characters
Avengers Infinity (Thor, Moondragon, Tigra, Starfox, Photon, Quasar, Jack of Hearts), Lilandra, Supreme Intelligence, Ruul, Peggy Chandler, Avengers (Captain America, Goliath, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Warbird, Triathlon), Ego, Peggy Chandler, US Agent, Duane Freeman, Val Cooper, Henry Gyrich
Continuity Notes
This team of Avengers first formed in Avengers: Infinity #1-4 wherein the team defended the Milky Way Galaxy from the Infinities. They returned to Earth’s solar system in Thor (vol. 2) #30, only to discover that it had been locked away from the rest of the universe. That happened in Maximum Security #1.
The Ruul dealt violently with the Skrull mutants in Maximum Security #2. These are a group of mutant Skrulls that were taken under the wing of Professor X of the X-Men, who formed them into a fighting unit called Cadre K. See X-Men (vol. 2) #97, Uncanny X-Men #379, and Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1. Xavier will leave them to forge their own destiny following the conclusion of Maximum Security.
This is of course, very briefly recapping Maximum Security up to this point. For more on that, check the reading order at the bottom of this page.
At this point in Earth/Shi’ar relations, Lilandra held Earth in strong regard due to her association with the X-Men which began in X-Men #97.
Arinn’nn Haelar is a Duel of Honor where a decision is made through a trail-by-combat. The first time this was uttered in the fiction was X-Men #137 when the Shi’ar sought to destroy the Phoenix. Charles Xavier demanded the Duel of Honor in an effort to spare her life. In the end the Phoenix chose to end her own life, taking the decision out of their hands.
Jack of Hearts left Earth for deep space in Jack of Hearts #1-4, other than a brief return visit from Quasar #19-29, he has lived in space for roughly 4 years per the Sliding Timescale. Quasar left Earth in Quasar #60 so they he could be more effective in his role of Protector of the Universe. He briefly returned to Earth in Avengers (vol. 3) #1-4/Captain America (vol. 3) #3. He’s been gone from Earth for about a year.
Thor first encountered the Rigellians in Thor #129-134. Since preventing them from colonizing Earth, the thunder god is usually on pretty good terms with the big-headed aliens. Thor also recommends the Starjammers because they are allies of the Shi’ar and their leader, Corsair, is also from Earth as explained in Uncanny X-Men #156.
Who are Peggy and 3-D Man and what are their connections to Triathlon? Lets break it down:
3-D Man was a hero that was active in the 1950s. When test pilot Chuck Chandler was caught in an exploding Skrull aircraft, it was witnessed by his brother Hal. The image of his brother was then imprinted on his glasses. Hal could then summon his brother — now the super-powered 3-D Man — to fight crime during the 1950s. See Marvel Premiere #35-37.
He then went into retirement for decades until 3-D Man made a brief return in the Modern Age, as seen in Incredible Hulk #251-252. He hadn’t been seen since.
Triathlon appeared on the scene in Avengers (vol. 3) #8. At the time, he claimed that his powers were the result of Triune Understanding’s Jonathan Tremont unlocking his full potential.
The connection will later be revealed in Avengers (vol. 3) #50. It explains that the Chandler’s 3-D Man powers were the result of the shard of an artifact that originated from a godly entity calling itself Trion. Tremont used his power over these shards to transfer the essence of Chuck and Hal Chandler into the body of Delroy Garret, Jr., turning him into 3-D Man. Delroy and the Chandlers will finally be separated in that same issue.
Peggy Chandler is depicted as a middle aged woman in this story, which would have been accurate when this comic was published in 2000. However, as the Sliding Timescale pushed the Modern Age forward, it will become increasingly impossible for Peggy to still be fit enough to drive across country, or be alive for that matter. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #12’s profile on 3-D Man states that Hal’s powers slowed his aging process. However, this does not explain Peggy’s slowed aging. One could assume that exposure to the source of Hal’s powers likely had the same effect on her as well.
The Kree/Shi’ar War was part of the Opreation: Galactic Storm event which took place in Captain America #398-400, Avengers West Coast #80-82, Quasar #33-35, Wonder Man (vol. 2) #7-9, Avengers #345-347, Iron Man #278-279, and Thor #445-446.
Kang and Immortus battled in what is referred to as the Destiny War. It took place in Avengers Forever #1-12.
As of this writing (January, 2023) the Forever Crystal has yet to be seen again.
Ego had been trying to awaken the sentients of other worlds since Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1. He eventually transformed into spore form in the hopes of infecting other worlds. It was in this form that he was taken by the Kree and sent to Earth, as seen in Iron Man (vol. 3) #35.
Topical References
Jack of Hearts and Quasar’s list of things they miss from home is a ton of topical references. Some are not. You know the drill:
Nedick’s hotdogs: Nedick’s was a fast food chain that operated in the Untied States from 1913 until 1980. There was an attempt to revive the brand in 2003, but the three locations opened in New York City have long since closed. This is a topical reference as Nedick’s is a real world brand that has been out of circulation for a very long time.
Vernor’s Ginger Ale: The Vernor company has been making beverages since 1866, it’s ginger ale is the longest surviving recipe. It’s a regional beverage that is mostly sold in Michigan. This is also a topical reference as this is a real world beferage.
The Mets: From New York, they are a Major League Baseball team that have been around since 1962. Another real world reference that should be considered topical.
The Simpson: A long running animated sitcom that got it start as a series of shorts on the Tracy Ullman Show from 1987-1989. It was picked up as a full half-hour series in 1989 and, time of this writing, has been on TV for 34 years. This show would be considered a topical reference usually, but since Disney now owns both Marvel Comics and the Simpsons, this would be a case of brand synergy.
Michelle Marsh: The only famous Michelle Marsh is a model whose career started in 2001 appearing in The Sun, a British tabloid. I don’t think Quasar or Jack are referring to her. More likely they are referring to Michele Marsh (with one l) a news reporter who was on television from 1976 to 2003, mostly in the New York area. This should be considered a topical reference because she retired in 2003 and subsequently died of cancer in 2017.
Peggy Chandler has an issue of People Magazine that features Triathlon on the cover. It is a magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human interest stories. It has been in publication since 1947. It’s appearance here should be considered topical as it is a real world publication.
Maximum Security Reading Order
Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1, Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #22, 23, 24, Iron Man (vol. 3) #33-34, Peter Parker: Spider-Man #23-24, Captain America (vol. 3) #36, Maximum Security #1, Thor (vol. 2) #30, Uncanny X-Men #387, Black Panther (vol. 3) #25, Captain Marvel (vol. 4) #12-13, Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #21, Iron Man (vol. 3) #35, Bishop the Last X-Man #15, Maximum Security #2, Thunderbolts #45, 46, 47, Marvel Knights #6, Gambit (vol. 3) #23, X-Men (vol. 2) #107, X-Men Unlimited #29, Avengers (vol. 3) #35, Maximum Security #3