World Trust, Part 4: Chaos & Order

The Avengers have just discovered that someone has used the Zodiac Key to split the cosmic entity known as the In-Betweener into his two components: Order and Chaos. As a result, Earth and the thirteenth dimension have been slowly merging together causing total chaos. Tracking down Order on Earth, the team attempted to convince him to return to Chaos and merge back together leading to a battle.

Knocked out by the powerful entity, the Avengers — Captain America, Iron Man, the Vision, Black Panther, Warbird, Falcon, and She-Hulk — have been transported to that other dimension. Knocked out by the trip, Falcon relives how he was given his powers by the Red Skull and used as a plant to destroy his foe Captain America. Falcon recalls how he gained the ability to see through the eyes of his bird, Redwing. As the Falcon, Sam overcame his programming and has become a hero in his own right.[1]

When everyone wakes up they are on higher ground and can see that all the cities that have gone missing from Earth are all lumped together on the land below. With various different ethnicities and cultures crammed together, certain areas are at war with one another.

Suddenly, the team are teleported to another location and are greeted by the new Scorpio and his masters, the Brotherhood of the Ankh, and the half of the In-betweener that embodies chaos.[2] Scorpio is impressed that the Avengers have already figured out his plan. He explains that he is doing this because he has given up on following societies rules and wants to plunge all existence into total anarchy. That, and being known as the man who killed the Avengers. With that, he unleashes the power of the Zodiac Key on the captured heroes.

Not all the Avengers ended up in this other dimension, however. Back on Earth, Thor, the Scarlet Witch, the Sub-Mariner and Ant-Man try to restrain Order so they can merge it back with Chaos and reform the In-Betweener. Order makes the mistake of calling Thor a mortal, angering the thunder god enough to summon a massive bolt of lightning to fell his opponent. Picking up Captain America’s shield, Thor uses it to block Order’s blows and knock the cosmic entity on its ass. The Scarlet Witch then uses her hex powers to pin Order under some fallen trees long enough for her to send him back to the thirteenth dimension. While the portal is still open, Wanda and her allies cross the dimensional threshold as well.

Back in that dimension, Falcon uses his connection to Redwing to command the bird to swoop down and steal the Zodiac Key from Scorpio. This allows the Avengers to get free, but Scorpio quickly reveals that he doesn’t need the Key in his possession to channel it’s powers. Getting it back, he orders the Brotherhood of the Ankh to reveal their true forms and attack. Ripping off their robes, the Brotherhood reveal that they are insectoid creatures. Before they can attack, Thor and the others arrive. When the thunder god tosses Cap back his shield, the Star-Spangled hero yells out “Avengers Assemble” and leads his team into battle.

As the Avengers deal with the Brotherhood, Yellowjacket, the Wasp, figure that Ant-Man can use his helmet to command Scorpio’s army of albino scorpions. Sure enough, Ant-Man can do just that and has them swarm Scorpio, rending him immobile and unable to fight back against the Avengers.

Meanwhile, the Scarlet Witch and the Vision track down both Order and Chaos. Using her hex powers, Wanda forces the two to merge together, restoring the In-Betweener to normal. The cosmic entity repays her for her help by using his vast power to destroy the Brotherhood. However, before they can deal with Scorpio, he uses the Zodiac Key to teleport away. He then returns all the stolen cities to Earth. The Avengers then prepare for a fight with the In-Between. However, the cosmic entity says that there will be no more battles this day. He merely restored the natural order of balance. Before departing the In-Between says that as a force for good, the Avengers have a counter-balance, a force of evil. He warns them that it is coming soon and that many will die, including one of their own. With that, the In-Betweener teleports away, leaving the team to ponder what he just told them.[3]

The team soon returns to the mansion most of the team watches news coverage upstairs. While in the sub-basement, the Wasp meets with Iron Man to discuss what they are going to do about Jack of Hearts.[4] However, they are interrupted by Henry Gyrich who tells them they got a call from Secretary General of the United Nations. He doesn’t way what they want, but Janet doesn’t like the way Gyrich is grinning.

Elsewhere, Captain America and the Falcon are on patrol. Steve is concerned that the world is relying on them so much when members of his team can’t trust each other, something he vows to fix. That’s when Cap gets a call to tell him what the UN wanted and what he hears comes as a complete shock.[5]

Meanwhile, at a darkened board room, Scorpio returns to his colleagues with the Zodiac Key. The rest of the Zodiac is very impressed with his work, but vow that when they go after the Avengers, they will strike as a team.[6]

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Yellowjacket, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, Vision, Warbird, Falcon, She-Hulk, Ant-Man), Scorpio, Brotherhood of the Ankh, Sub-Mariner, Henry Gyrich, In-Betweener, Edwin Jarvis, Redwing

Continuity Notes

1. Sam Wilson becoming the Falcon was originally chronicled in Captain America #118. Later, in issue #186 of that series, the Red Skull revealed that Sam got his powers via the Cosmic Cube and that he was previously a criminal that the Skull brainwashed into being an ideal candidate for Captain America’s sidekick. Sam overcame this alleged mental conditioning. All-New Captain America #3 reveals that Sam’s “criminal background” was actually a set of false memories to make him feel less about himself because the Red Skull has layers of racism like an onion.

2. The identity of this Scorpio, time of this writing in February, 2023, remains unrevealed. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #14 confirms that this Scorpio is unique and unrelated to any past individuals who took up the identity.

3. One could assume that the threat the In-Betweener warns of is the events of Avengers Disassembled, however Avengers, Thor & Captain America: The Official Index to the Marvel Universe #15 states that this threat has yet to be revealed. As of this writing in February, 2023 (12 years after that Index issue was published) there are countless stories that we could assume are the events that the In-Betweener’s warning about. However, that is merely speculation. I somehow doubt a definitive answer will ever be provided, but you never know.

4. It’s later explained that Jack needs to be locked in this room because he is losing control of his powers. As we’ll learn in Avengers (vol. 3) #61, this room was constructed to drain off Jack’s excess energies before his body goes critical mass and explodes. He has to spend hours of time alone in this room.

5. Namely, that the Avengers are being designated a sovereign territory and each member of the team an ambassador, as we’ll learn next issue. This proves to be short lived as Iron Man whizzes this all down his leg in Avengers #500.

6. From here, this Scorpio is seen again in New Warriors (vol. 4) #4-5. We never really learn much about this incarnation of the Zodiac. It’s members will be murdered by a criminal calling himself Zodiac, as we’ll see in Dark Reign: Zodiac #1-2.