Persons of Interest

Following the war with the Hulk, Initiative drill instructor Gauntlet is furious that some of his new recruits broke rank during the crisis.[1] He decides to make an example of them by working them — Cloud 9 (Abby), Komodo (Melati), Hardball (Roger Brockridge), Rave (Elvin Halliday), Slapstick (Steve Harmond), and Thor Girl[2][3] — even harder than ever before. He takes the opportunity to berate them all for acting like the New Warriors responsible for the Stamford Disaster.[3] This is overheard by another staff member, Justice (Vance Astrovik), who doesn’t like what he is hearing.

While Gauntlet is hard as nails to his cadets, Joe Green is a softer more gentle person when he is at home with his wife and daughter.[4] After breakfast, Joe heads off to work when he is ambushed from behind and attacked by one of his recruits.

Elsewhere, Yellowjacket (Hank Pym) and Tigra (Greer Grant) are out on a morning job. As Greer chides him about always being cooped up in a lab she suddenly smells blood.[6] They quickly find the unconscious body of Gauntlet on the ground and that someone has written the words NW — standing for New Warriors — on his chest.[7] Because of the evidence, all Initiative members who were former New Warriors — Rage, Slapstick, Ultragirl, and Debrii (Deborah Fields) — are locked up pending an investigation into the beating. Rage doesn’t care that they have been locked up as he takes personal pleasure in Gauntlet getting what he deserved for all the times he disparaged the New Warriors. The rest are not so cavalier about their imprisonment. They briefly think they’re getting out when guards show up with Justice, but this hope is quashed when Vance is locked in as a suspect with them as well.[8]

Meanwhile, Henry Gyrich is holding a press conference to tout the success of the Initiative for evacuating Manhattan during the Hulk crisis. After boasting about their success he then takes questions from the press. That’s when reporter Sally Floyd of the Front Line begins asking questions about sending raw recruits into danger zones and the potential for a repeat of the Stamford Disaster. Gyrich dismisses those concerns, pointing out how the Initiative recruits are all trained by the best heroes in the business and that sending them into active situations is akin to barbers going to barbers college and EMTs going on ride-alongs. Sally then follows up with a question about why nobody has gone in or left Camp Hammond for the past two days and if there is a lockdown currently in effect. Gyrich refuses to answer the question and abruptly ends the press conference.

Gyrich is annoyed and tells his security detail that he wants Sally Floyd thoroughly investigated to find dirt on her. However, the agents — Marquez and McAllister — remind him that they are SHIELD operatives and only present to act as oversight at Camp Hammond. They also remind him that they got a request from SHIELD Director Tony Stark to take over the investigation on Gauntlet’s assault.[9] They request full access to the camp and want to start by checking in on the victim. In the infirmary, Yellowjacket has finished his examination and while Joe is still in a coma he has been stabilized. Marquez and McAllister then question Joe’s wife on who could have attacked her husband. Mrs. Green says that she can’t think of any enemies and says that her husband struggles with the crushing weight of never losing a soldier on his watch. Overhearing all of this, Pym radios Gyrich in private and tells him they’re going to have a problem on their hands but promises to stay on top of things.

Later, back in the Brig, the two SHIELD agents take Debrii from her shared cell to question. After she is gone, Slapstick tries to sing some happy songs, annoying Rage. Elvin then takes out his frustrations on Vance by calling him an Avengers sell out. Justice retorts by reminding Rage that he was an Avenger before him, and reminds him that he only did so by lying about his age.[10] The two then trade barbs about past mistakes, and Rage takes it too far by bringing up the fact that Vance once went to prison for killing his father.[11] Elvin realizes that he had pushed things too far and tries to apologize just as the guards come to question Haliday next.

In the interrogation room, Rage denies that he had anything to do with Gauntlet’s attack. The SHIELD agents aren’t convinced, recounting how Elvin had an altercation with Joe a few days earlier. Rage, after weeks of hearing Gauntlet disparage the New Warriors, had enough and gave the drill instructor a piece of his mind. Joe then pulled Rage aside to tell him he decided that Elvin doesn’t have what it takes to be a hero, and would arrange for Hank Pym to de-power Rage until he turned 18.[12] Rage denies that this was reason for him to attack Gauntlet. When Marquez and McAllister to leave him to stew in while they figure out their next tact. In the hall they are greeted by Baron Von Blitschlag, who tells them that they have determined that Gauntlet’s injuries were from a large blunt instrument, ruling Rage out as a suspect.

In the gym, the other trainees — Cloud 9, Hardball, and Komodo — are trying to blow off steam while the facility is still on lockdown. Abby wants to get out so she can see MVP (Michael Van Patrick) again, telling her teammates that he’s still alive. Komodo and Hardball can’t believe this as they both saw Michael get killed in the same training accident. Hardball almost lets slip the fact that he saw MVP’s corpse when he broke into the lab.[13] The discussion is interrupted when Yellowjacket suddenly shoots up from ant-size. He is furious that they are talking about MVP when they were expressly told never to bring his name up and warns them if it happens again they’ll join the ex-New Warriors in brig.

Meanwhile, back in the brig, Slapstick has fallen asleep leaving Justice and Ultragirl to talk in private. Suzy asks Vance if he was the one who attacked Gauntlet, telling him he can keep a secret just as they have been keeping their romantic relationship hidden from the others. Vance assures her that he did not and they share a passionate kiss. Moments later, a guard comes to take Vance for questioning. In the interrogation room, the SHIELD agents bring up how Justice had an altercation with Gauntlet a few days earlier. He tells them that what they discussed leading up to the argument is classified. This was in relation to MVP and the fact that Vance found him apparently alive and well at his family home in Kentucky. Gauntlet insisted that Michael Van Patten was dead and the two almost came to blows. As the trainees separated the two, Vance was heard threatening to kill Gauntlet. Vance says that he said it in the heat of the moment and didn’t actually mean it, pointing out that Joe was not well liked and people threaten to kill him all the time.

When the two agents bring up how Vance could have used his telekinetic powers to bludgeon Gauntlet with a blunt object, Vance points out that he would have had to dispose of the weapon after the assault. He tells them to check with Pym to find out how far he could have flung such an object. The SHIELD agents run with this and after a thorough investigation of the surrounding area, they do not find the attempted murder weapon. What they do find is a mysterious suit of Cape-Killer armor buried in the ground. This was the suit worn by Hardball when he broke into the lab to steal a SPIN bullet and he reports back to the man who had him steal it.[14] His blackmailer then tells Roger to plant something that misdirects any investigation into his crime.

The agents follow the suits energy signature to the Cape-Killer locker room. Opening one of the lockers they find a note telling them to search Pym’s lab. When they go there, they detect the same energy signature. Baron Von Blitzschalg immediately informs Henry Gyrich that the SHIELD agents are attempting to enter the lab and tells him to do something fast before their secrets are exposed. Before they can break down the door, Mrs. Green comes rushing down the hall to tell them that there has been a development with her husband.

They head down to the infirmary where Yellowjacket is about to inject Gauntlet with a serum that will hopefully wake him out of his coma. When he wakes up, Joe tells them that whoever attacked him came out of the wall and was apparently using stealth technology. He suspects that his attacker must have been the Ghost, one of Iron Man’s old foes. He then passes out from the strain of trying to remember. This satisfies the investigators and soon the ex-New Warriors are released. Watching the SHIELD agents leave causes Slapstick to laugh manically because, as it turns out, he was the one who attacked Gauntlet and he got away with it. Hearing his friend laughing, Rage asks Steve what’s so funny. Harmond responds that it was something that Rage had to have been around to see.

Recurring Characters

The Initiative Staff: Gauntlet, “Yellowjacket”, Tigra, Justice, Henry Gyrich, Baron Von Blitschlag

Trainees: Cloud 9, Komodo, Hardball, Rage. Slapstick, Ultragirl, Debrii, “Thor Girl”

SHIELD, Sally Floyd

Continuity Notes

1. This story takes place immediately after the events of World War Hulk #1-5 and its various crossover issues. The Initiative trainees broke ranks during the evacuation of Manhattan to try and fight the Hulk. They ended up getting captured instead and needed rescue from the Shadow Initiative. See Avengers: The Initiative #4-5.

2. We still don’t know the full names of a number of characters in this story. They include:

   • 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.

3. The woman who appears to be Thor Girl here is actually a Skrull spy as will be revealed in Avengers: The Initiative #18.

4. The New Warriors were responsible for hundreds of deaths in Stamford, Connecticut back in Civil War #1. This made the team social pariahs and scapegoats for the disaster. It also led to the passage of the Super Human Registration Act (SHRA) in Civil War #3, which begat the Initiative. This law will remain on the books until Siege #4.

5. Gauntlet’s wife and daughter are unnamed here. Mrs. Green’s first name is later revealed to be Althea in Avengers: The Initiative #26.

6. Tigra and “Yellowjacket” started a relationship in Mighty Avengers #3. This is not the real Hank Pym, but another Skrull impostor. See Mighty Avengers #15.

7. This logo was being used by the current roster of the New Warriors who formed to redeem the previous team as seen in New Warriors (vol. 4) #1.

8. It is mentioned here that Vance was a founding member of the New Warriors. He joined the group in New Warriors #1. As for the others: Rage joined up with the New Warriors in New Warriors #22, Slapstick in Marvel Comics Presents #159, Ultragirl in Ultragirl #2, and Debrii in New Warriors (vol. 3) #4.

9. Tony Stark became the Director of SHIELD back in New Avengers #25. He will hold that position until Secret Invasion #8.

10. Both Rage and Justice mention their past affiliations with the Avengers. Rage first became associated with the group in Avengers #328. However, he was forced to quit when it was discovered he was 13 years old at the time, as seen in issue #342 of that series. Vance says Rage was 14, but obviously he was mistaken so let’s not split hairs on this. Justice on the other hand served on the Avengers starting in Avengers (vol. 3) #4 and served until issue #55 of that series.

11. Here we get some of the mistakes that both Rage and Justice have committed in the past. They are:

    • The time that Rage stole a Quinjet. This was to help his fellow New Warriors in their conflict with the Folding Circle in New Warriors #22-26.

    • Vance killed his father in self-defense after years of abuse in New Warriors #21. Vance was found guilty of negligent homicide in issue #25-26 and was eventually released from prison after serving his sentence in New Warriors #43.

12. According to Avengers #330, Elvin was 13 when he first joined the Avengers. According to the Sliding Timescale that story (published in 1991) took place during “Year Eight” of the Modern Age. This story (published in 2007) takes place during “Year Twelve”, this would make Rage around 17 years old at the time of this story.

13. MVP was killed in a training exercise in Avengers: The Initiative #1. Yellowjacket quickly covered this up and the body was taken to the lab for analysis. In issue #4, Abby went to the Van Patten home to meet with his family and was shocked to see that someone who look exactly like Michael was living there but didn’t get any answers. That same issue Hardball broke into the lab and found the real MVP’s body. It is later revealed that this “other Michael” is one of many clones created by Baron Von Blitschlag in Avengers: The Initiative #11.

14. This happened, again, in Avengers: The Initiative #4. The man who blackmailed him is Senator Arthur Woodman who himself as a member of Hydra as will be revealed in issue #12.

Topical References

• Slapstick refers to their jail cell as “Super-Gitmo”, he is referring to Guantanamo Bay detention camp. This facility was opened in 2002 and acted as a prison for suspected terrorists following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Gitmo (as it came to be called) became infamous for holding prisoners indefinitely without trail and numerous human rights violations under international law. At its height, it has held nearly 800 prisoners and as of this writing (July, 2024) only 30 prisoners remain. There has been talk of the prison being closed for years leading to a slow trickle of extraditions and releases. That said, its reference here should be considered a topical reference because it will be closed down sooner or later and one could use a more contemporary example instead.

• Slapstick also refers to Justice as “our man in Havana”, this is in reference to Our Man in Havana a 1959 spy comedy about a vacuum cleaner salesman being recruited by British intelligence to become a spy in Cuba. This should be considered a topical reference as a more contemporary example could be used. If you didn’t know what Our Man in Havana was, that’s why.

• Slapstick sings “Put on a Happy Face” a song popularized by the 1958 play Bye Bye Birdie. This would be topical as well given you could literally replace it with any cheerful song.