Avengers: The Initiative #3

Jul 13

Jul 13 Avengers: The Initiative #3

Bug Hunt

The recruits of the Initiative are coming home from a mission and, along the way, Hardball wonders why one of the trainers Justice (Vance Astrovik) keeps looking at them suspiciously.[1][2] He’s telling this to his teammate Komodo when he notices that she has fallen asleep and, in doing so, has reverted back to human form. Waking up, she changes back to her reptile form and demands to know what he say.[3] Hardball insists that he saw nothing but she tries to attack him anyway. She is pulled off of him by their drill instructor, Gauntlet (Joe Green), who demands to know what’s going on. When Komodo explains that Hardball saw what she really looks like. Hardball smooths it over by saying he didn’t see much but tells her it was finally nice to meet her.

Meanwhile, back at Camp Hammond, Trauma (Terrance Ward) is visited by the Beast (Hank McCoy) and Dani Moonstar of the X-Men, who have come to help him control his fear based powers. Dani, in particular has been called — despite the fact she lost her powers during M-Day — because her mutant gift also involved fear.[4] Terrance thinks this is a waste of time because there is just no controlling his powers. As if to demonstrate this, he changes into a form resembling the Beast before his further mutantions and mocks him over never passing for human ever again.[5] When he turns to Dani, he transforms into the Demon Bear, the creature that she fears most.[6] However, Moonstar had long ago learned how to face her fears and fights Terrance into submission, making him revert back to human form. Impressed by her courage, Terrance decides to give her a chance.

By this time, the other trainees are back at Camp Hamond and Gauntlet runs them through a battery of testing. Komodo is taught first aid by Hellcat (Patsy Walker), while Cloud 9 gets further sniper training from the Black Widow (Natasha Romanov), and Hardball learns about water rescues from Stingray (Walter Newell). Their last bit of training for the day is to spar with the Thing (Ben Grimm of the Fantastic Four). Watching from the sidelines are Yellowjacket (Hank Pym) and Doctor Curt Connors.[7] Connors was called in because Hank has concerns about how Curt’s Lizard formula may affect Komodo’s personality.[8] However, Connors has no concerns because Melati had perfected his formula in ways he could not. His real concern is how her abilities are being used in military application. When Curt asks Pym what he has planned for her, Hank says that’s classified. When the sparring session is done, Hardball suggests he, Komodo and Cloud 9 have some fun.[9] However, Hank wants to meet with Melati and Abby has a counseling session with Justice, leaving Hardball by himself.

In the briefing room, Komodo meets with Yellowjacket and War Machine (Jim Hammond) who have selected her for a secret mission based on her performance against Hydra.[10] Hank tells her that they have improved the technology of inhibitor collars, improving it by using nanites that are injected into a subject through special Adamantium laced bullets. This SPIN technology has has a successful test run on the She-Hulk and now they want Komodo to use it on their next target.[11]

Melati is deployed to New York City where Spider-Man (Peter Parker) is clashing with the Sinister Syndicate — Boomerang (Fred Myers), Hydro-Man (Morrie Bench), and the Shocker (Herman Schultz) — who are trying to rob an auction house.[12] There, a covert operative using stealth technology is keeping an eye on the fight. With War Machine and Komodo on their way, this operative is ordered to stand by as any hostile action will trigger Spider-Man’s spider-sense and blow their cover. War Machine tells Komodo to focus on her specific target as they have one person in mind for the SPIN tech.

Meanwhile, Hardball has gone into the town of Stamford to get some drinks at a local bar. However, the locals — who are unhappy about Camp Hammond being in their backyard — are looking for someone to take out their anger on.[13] However, before a fight can break out, a man calms everyone down and invites Hardball to sit down and have a drink with him. The man knows all about Hardball’s background and threatens to use this secret against him unless he procures the SPIN technology.[14]

Back in New York, Komodo and War Machine ambush Spider-Man in battle. However, the web-slinger is easily able to evade the shots fired by Komodo. Peter is annoyed that they are after him for being an unregistered hero, particularly since the Sinister Syndicate is getting away while they are trying to bag him.[15] War Machine explains that they haven’t come to arrest him, but de-power the wall-crawler for his flaunting of the Super Human Registration Act (SHRA), but assures him that they have a unit going after the bad guys so they can focus on him. Rhodes is correct, as a few blocks away, the three villains are ambushed by a trio of men in Spider-Man’s old Iron Spider suits.[16]

Back on the rooftops, Spider-Man manages to web up one of War Machine’s cannons just seconds before he can fire, causing a blow back that shorts out his weapons systems. Meanwhile, Komodo manages to grab hold of the web-head and tries to stab him with a SPIN bullet. As they struggle, Spidey points out the obvious: if they’re willing to use this power negating technology, how long before they use it against her? This causes Melati to pause long enough for Spider-Man to break free from her hold and escape. War Machine then radios the Scarlet Spiders and learn that they have successfully captured Shocker and the others and are taking them to Prison 42.

Jim then checks on Komodo who has curled up in a ball crying. She pleads with Jim not to take her powers away for failing on her mission, saying that without her powers she is a nobody.

Recurring Characters

The Initiative staff: “Yellowjacket”, Justice, Gauntlet, War Machine, Henry Gyrich, Moonstar, Beast, Thing, Hellcat, Stingary

Trainees: Cloud 9, Hardball, Komono, Trauma, Bengal, Gargoyle, “Hulkling”, “Wiccan”, Scorpion, Slapstick, Rage, Scarlet Spiders

Wonder Man, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Sinister Syndicate (Boomerang, Hydro-Man, Shocker), Curt Connors, Arthur Woodman (unidentified)

Continuity Notes

Justice suspects that something happened to MVP (Michael Van Patrick), whom he recruited into the Initiative himself. He’s not wrong, as Michael was killed in a training exercise which was covered up by Henry Gyrich and Yellowjacket. See Avengers: The Initiative #1.
We still don’t know the full names of a number of characters in this story. They include:
- Gauntlet’s full name (Joe Green) is revealed in Avengers: The Initiative #6.
- Cloud 9: In issue #1 it was revealed her first name is Abby, but her full name Abby Boylen won’t be revealed until Avengers: The Initiative #9.
- Komodo’s first name will be revealed to be Melati in Avengers: The Initiative #3. He last name (Kusama) will be revealed in issue #9 as well.
- Hardball’s real name is Roger Brockridge, which will be revealed in Avengers: The Initiative #4.
The reason why Komodo is concerned about Hardball looking at her human for has nothing to do with her secret identity. In reality, she is a double amputee that lost both of her legs in as will be revealed in Avengers: The Initiative Special #1.
Dani was one of the many mutants stripped of her powers following the events of House of M #1-8. She will be without her mutant powers until they are later restored in Uncanny X-Men (vol. 5) #15.
As seen back in X-Men #1, Hank McCoy’s original mutation was merely having abnormally large hands and feet, making him incredibly agile and dexterous than your average human being. Years later, after drinking a formula of his own creation, Hank grew hair and an appearance more fitting to his codename in Amazing Adventures (vol. 2) #11. McCoy has shifted in and out of that form a few times (to the whims of whatever writer was using him) but he has been most consistently furry ever since. That said, at the time of this story, Hank had undergone a secondary mutation making him look more feline in appearance starting in New X-Men #114. He will be reverted back to his less-feline form in All-New X-Men #5.
The Demon Bear was responsible for seemingly murdering Dani’s parents. For more on this, see New Mutants #1, 3, and 17-20.
This is not the real Hank Pym but a Skrull impostor who took his place ahead of a planned invasion of Earth. See Mighty Avengers #15.
Connors invented the formula in an attempt to regrow the arm he lost in war. Instead it transformed him into a rampaging reptile called the Lizard. See Amazing Spider-Man #6.
The Thing likens his brawl to the days when he and Justice were part of the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation. Both men were part of the UCWF as seen in Thing #28-36.
The Initiative trainees fought Hydra last issue.
First seen in X-Men #141, these collars were originally used to nullify mutant powers. The new SPIN bullets were successfully used against the She-Hulk in Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #106.
Some things about Spider-Man here: Everyone knows he is Peter Parker because he publicly revealed his identity in Civil War #2. He is wearing a cloth version of his black costume here which he started wearing again in Amazing Spider-Man #539 and will continue wearing until issue #543 of that series. On top of this, he will make the world forget his true identity following the events of Amazing Spider-Man #545. It will later be revealed in issue #641 that he enlisted the aid of Doctor Strange to make everyone forget who he really is.
The people of Stamford are angry at the superhero community after the New Warriors caused the deaths of hundreds of people (including children) in Stamford in Civil War #1. They also mistake Hardball for Speedball, one of the lone survivors of the incident who became the scapegoat of the disaster, as seen in Civil War: Front Line #1.
This man is Senator Arthur Woodman, whose name is revealed in Avengers: The Initiative #12. Hardball’s secret is that he’s affiliated with Hydra, as will be revealed in Avengers: The Initiative Special #1.
Spider-Man was an early supporter of the SHRA when it was passed in to law in Civil War #3. However, he later changed his mind and went rogue in issue #5 of that series, making him an outlaw. The SHRA will remain in effect until Siege #4.
The identity of the Scarlet Spiders is unrevealed in this story. They are clones of MVP as will be explained in Avengers: The Initiative #7. Their suits were based on armor built by Tony Stark in Amazing Spider-Man #529. Peter wore it until he went AWOL in Civil War #5.

Topical References

Terrance refers to Dani as “Pocahontas”, a Native American historical figure that lived from 1596-1617. She was popularized when Disney did an animated feature telling a white washed and fantasized version of her life in 1995. That all said, the way it has been used here has become a pejorative used against Native Americans and to many it is considered a racist comment. While you could have gotten away with saying something like this in 2007 when this comic was published, it has become incredibly offensive since. Particularly since Terrance is using it against Dani, as she is Cheyenne while Pocahontas was Algonquin. The insult makes the ignorant presumption that all Native Americans are the same.
War Machine states that each SPIN bullet costs half a million dollars. This cost is relative to the date of publication (2007) and should be considered topical due to inflation. For example, $50 thousand in 2007 money would be worth over $75 million in 2024.