Avengers (vol. 3) #49

Jan 22

Jan 22 Avengers (vol. 3) #49

There Are No Words…

Kang the Conqueror’s invasion of Earth is in full steam and the Avengers are losing badly. Captain America, the Scarlet Witch, Photon, and Jack of Hearts are seemingly dead after their space ship was destroyed. Thor and Firebird are assisting UN forces fend off the invasion of Europe. While Wonder Man is presently defending Los Angeles. At Avengers Mansion, the Wasp watches in horror as Kang controlled Sentinels make their way back to the planet surface.[1]

In Europe, the battle has lost and watching medics deal with the injured and dead weigh heavily on Thor.[2] Firebird notices this and is concerned for her friend’s well being. That’s when they are contacted by the Wasp who is recalling them from the front lines.

In Washington, DC, Kang arrives with his army of Sentinels. In response, the Air Force mobilizes fighter jets to deal with them. They are quickly blown out of the sky. However, but this point, a force field is erected around the city thanks to the barrier wall built up around it by the Master of the World.[3] While the field keeps the Sentinels at bay, Kang signals up to the Damocles ship in Earth orbit. This gives his son — the Scarlet Centurion — orders to open fire with the ship’s main cannon.

This breaches the barrier and as Kang and the Sentinels move forward, the Avengers arrive. On the ground, the Secret Service arrive at the White House to evacuate the President. As battle is waged over the city, citizens try to flee Washington only to be blocked by the Master’s barrier wall. Kang then starts firing energy blast on the city, causing massive destruction. This also causes Marine One to crash. Luckily, the President isn’t seriously injured. Needing to evacuate the Commander-in-Chief immediately, Thor uses Mjolnir to open a portal to Deviant Lemuria, where the President is put in the protection of Warlord Kro.[4] Thor then orders the Wasp and Firebird through the portal as it is no longer safe for them to remain in the city either.

Thor and Wonder Man return to battle just as Kang drops a massive bomb in the middle of the city. While Thor and Wonder Man are able to withstand the blast, it decimates the entire city and leaves untold thousands dead. Recovering from the explosion, Thor sees the remains of innocent people killed by the bomb and begins to cry into the heavens. Soon a rainstorm comes and washes away all the smoke.

Later, Kang meets with American officials and the Wasp aboard a floating platform above the ruins of Washington. This meeting is to sign the articles of surrender. While the top military brass motions to sign the document, Kang stops him as he would rather the Wasp sign it instead. Utterly defeated, the leader of the Avengers officiates America’s surrender to Kang the Conqueror.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Thor, Wasp, Wonder Man, Firebird), Kang, Scarlet Centurion, Sentinels, Kro, Sluice

Continuity Notes

Kang announced his plans to invade present day Earth in Avengers (vol. 3) #42. The opening salvo — the invasion of France — happened in issue #46. Last issue, Kang blew up Cap’s ship and seized control of America’s fleet of 75 Sentinel robots.
Thor was reminded of how fleeting mortal lives were when Captain America was briefly transformed into a radioactive zombie by the Presence in Avengers (vol. 3) #44. Although he was restored to normal, the incident convinced the thunder god to reconsider his connections to humanity. Believing his connection to humans is important, Firebird has made it a point to try and change his mind since issue #45.
In an effort to take control of humanity himself, the Master of the World erected his barrier walls around every major city in North America in Avengers (vol. 3) #45. The Avengers seized control of these defenses last issue after Warbird killed the Master in battle.
The Avengers earned a favor from Kro after they stopped an uprising of rogue Deviants in Avengers (vol. 3) #42-44.

Topical References

The President of the United States is depicted as George W. Bush. This should be considered a topical reference as he was only President from 2001 to 2009.