West Coast Avengers Annual #1
One of Our Own!
This story continues from Avengers Annual #15…
After being framed by one of their own, the East and West Coast Avengers were imprisoned in the Vault by the government. Freed by Spider-Woman, the two teams find themselves on outlaws on the run. Fleeing through the Colorado Rockies, the team finds cover in a nearby cave. Everyone agrees that every Avenger present — Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Iron Man, Wonder Man, Tigra, Captain America, the Wasp, Hercules, Black Knight, and Captain Marvel — are all trust worthy.
They then begin compiling a list of former and potential members of the Avengers who might be responsible. First they go over the unlikely ones. They include Hank Pym, the Thing, Firebird, Moondragon, Hellcat, Ms. Marvel, Starfox, the Hulk, the Sub-Mariner, Mantis, Jocasta, and the Swordsman. All of whom are either still loyal to the Avengers, focused on personal pursuits, or dead.[1] This leaves those two are still active: Thor, Vision, the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, She-Hulk, the Black Panther, Black Widow, the second Iron Man, the Beast, and Falcon.[2] Unaware that they are being observed by someone who moves too fast to be seen by the naked eye, the two teams agree to split up and interrogate the others.
As Captain Marvel heads to the moon to check on Quicksilver, Iron Man contacts Jim Rhodes. Knowing Rhodey wasn’t responsible for the betrayal, he asks Jim to put on his own suit of Iron Man armor and join the hunt. Tigra visits She-Hulk at the construction site of the Fantastic Four’s new headquarters and confirms she has been too busy with her new team to do anything.[3] When Mister Fantastic offers the FF’s aid, Tigra politely declines, saying that the Avengers will sort this out on their own.[4] Hawkeye contacts the Black Panther in Wakanda, who also agrees to help his teammates find out who betrayed them. Hercules, meanwhile, goes to the apartment owned by Thor in his civilian identity of Sigurd Jarlson. The thunder god is not happy to have his secret identity potentially compromised.[5] Still, hearing how the Avengers are in trouble, Thor agrees to lend his hammer to the cause. At the same time, Captain America is recruiting the Falcon to join the cause as well.[6] While on the lower east side, the Wasp checks in with the Beast, who tells her that he is currently busy with his new team in X-Factor to help.[7] Mockingbird visits the Black Widow — Hawkeye’s old flame — and convinces her to join up with the group.[8] Lastly, Wonder Man travels to Leona, New Jersey to check in on his “brother” the Vision and his wife the Scarlet Witch. This is more of an excuse for Simon to visit his newborn “nephews” Tommy and Billy, and soon leaves. After Wonder Man is gone, Wanda worries that the betrayer to the group might be someone they know.[9]
All of the gathered Avengers then regroup in a cabin in Chichester, New York. The only member not accounted for is Quicksilver, whom Captain Marvel says is no longer living on the moon. Hawkeye can’t bring himself to believe that Pietro has betrayed them, since they both joined the Avengers together.[10] Thor believes that Hank Pym was the one who betrayed them, but the Wasp and Tigra come to his defense. That’s when Quicksilver appears before them and admits that he is the one who betrayed the team. He explains that he is striking out against his former teammates after all the betrayals he has suffered over the years. When Iron Man calls him crazy, Pietro goes through his litany of grievances: That they all still judge him for his past membership in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, that they allowed his sister to be seduced by the Vision and leave him, that they left him to die during the Avengers battle with the Sentinels, and lastly the isolation he experienced living with the Inhumans through his marriage with Crystal, until she betrayed him with an affair.[11] Now since Henry Gyrich has failed to dispose of the Avengers, Pietro is determined to do it himself. He tells the group that he will destroy them in three locations of importance to him: the circus where the team first fought side-by-side, the mansion where he first joined the Avengers, and the installation in Australia where they left him to die.[12] Quicksilver then speeds off and although Captain Marvel tries to follow him in her light form, she loses him in the dense forest surrounding the cabin.
With Pietro gone, Thor suggests that the original Avengers go after him, however everyone decides that the two current team rosters and their allies will split up and search all three locations together. As they all depart, the only person who stays behind is Hank Pym, who is bothered that Thor still holds a grudge against him.
Later, in Central Park four members of the Zodiac —Gemini, Cancer, Taurus, and Aries — wait for their orders.[13] Quicksilver soon arrives and tells them to be ready to act. He then goes to Avengers Mansion where he convinces Henry Gyrich to allow him and the Zodiac to deal with recapturing the Avengers instead of the government sponsored Freedom Force. This leads to protests from Mystique, but Gyrich orders her team to stand down for the time being and allows Pietro his chance.[14]
As this is being discussed, Captain America is leading a team consisting of the Wasp, Hercules, the Black Knight, and Captain Marvel into the mansion through the underwater submarine access. There they are attacked by Taurus, Aries, and Quicksilver throws the purge switch to try and wash them out to sea. Quick thinking, Captain Marvel blasts an escape tunnel up into central park where Pietro is waiting with Cancer and Gemini.[15] The Avengers defeat the four Zodiac LMDs, but Quicksilver gets away. The Avengers themselves are also forced to retreat when Gyrich arrives with guards to try and apprehend them. While this is all going on, Hank Pym pays a visit to the Vision to tell him what’s going on.
Quicksilver meets up with Libra, Leo, Virgo and Scorpio in Monument Valley, Arizona. From there, they attack the Keibler Circus as it was the scene of the Avengers very first battle with the Hulk. That’s when Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Wonder Man, Tigra, and Iron Man arrive to quell the violence. Once again, while the Avengers are busy taking down the members of the Zodiac, Quicksilver manages to escape.
Back in New Jersey, the Scarlet Witch gets dressed in her costume to help the Avengers stop her brother. However, the Vision insists on joining the battle by himself, asking Wanda to stay and care for their sons.
Finally, Quicksilver meets up with Sagittarius, Pisces, Capricorn, and Aquarius outside the Sentinel’s former “Ant-Hill” facility in Australian outback. Since that day, the local government has converted the base into a scientific research facility. When they break their way inside, they are confronted by Thor, Falcon, the Black Panther, the Black Widow, and Jim Rhodes in his Iron Man armor.[16] As the battle rages, the rest of the Avengers arrive on the scene. However, while they are all distracted, Quicksilver is able to get ahold of a particle beam weapon the Australian government had been developing as a nuclear deterrent. However, before he can use it to kill his former teammates, the Vision arrives on the scene. Using his solar powers on a specially prepared gem, the Vision projects a holographic image of his newborn sons and asks Pietro if he would harm his nephews as well. This breaks Quicksilver’s resolve and unable to bring himself to continue the battle flees the scene.
With the battle over and the captured members of Zodiac having cleared their name, the Avengers celebrate their victory. Hawkeye then suggests they get back to their interrupted baseball game and calls Thor for his team. This is not received well after such a long battle, and when Hawkeye suggests that they are all campfire girls they prove him wrong by playfully attacking him. They all have a good laugh except for one Avenger — Quicksilver — who stands alone on a nearby mountain top where all he can hear is the laughter of his former peers.
Recurring Characters
West Coast Avengers (Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Iron Man, Wonder Man, Tigra), Avengers (Captain America, Wasp, Hercules, Black Knight, Captain Marvel), Hank Pym, Thor, Black Panther, Falcon, Black Widow, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Zodiac (Scorpio, Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Taurus, Virgo), Mister Fantastic, Beast, Henry Gyrich, Freedom Force (Mystique, Avalanche, Blob, Destiny, Pyro, Spiral), Billy Maximoff, Tommy Maximoff,
Continuity Notes
The former/potential Avenger recruits that are mentioned include:
Hank Pym: A founding Avenger dating back to the first issue of their series. It is stated here that he had a mental break down in Avengers #217 and retired from heroics. That’s putting it lightly. He had been on a downward spiral since striking his wife in issue #213 and later retired from costumed heroics in Avengers #230.
The Thing: Briefly joined the west coast team in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #9. However he had to back out in the following issue due to personal reasons not made privy to the Avengers. It was because his body started mutate in Thing #36. He eventually got cured and returned to the Fantastic Four issue #296 of their own series.
Firebird: Was trying to become a member of the west coast team from West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #4-9. She was overlooked in favor by the Thing due to a misconception on Hawkeye’s part regarding a cap on Avengers membership.
Moondragon: Here it is stated that Moondragon officially joinedthe Avengers. She started hanging out with the team in Avengers #133, was accepted on as a trainee in issue #137. When she was offered full membership in Avengers #151 she turned it down. She did briefly return to the team to help them in their war against Korvac which lasted from Avengers #172-181. At the time of this story, Moondragon is believed to be deceased following Defenders #152, during the team’s battle against the Dragon of the Moon. She will be resurrected again in Solo Avengers #16, 18, and 20.
Hellcat: Also never became an official Avenger. She started hanging out with them in Avengers #139, assuming her costumed identity in issue #144. She also turned down official membership in issue #151. It is stated the she married the so-called Son of Satan, after he lost his demonic powers. Daimon Hellstrom lost his Satanic powers in Defenders #121, he later married Hellcat in issue #125. He will regain these powers in Hellstorm: Prince of Lies #1-3.
Ms. Marvel: Carol Danvers first associated with the team during the Korvac Saga. She was made an official member in Avengers #183. However, she left the team after she was time raped and gaslit by Marcus Immortus in issue #200 and renounced the team for letting this happen in Avengers Annual #10. It’s stated here that Danvers has since started calling herself Binary in Uncanny X-Men #164 and is currently away in space in since issue #174 of that series.
Starfox: He joined the Avengers in search of excitement in Avengers #232. However, he too left for the stars in Avengers #261. In Eros’ case, he went hunting for Nebula, a space pirate claiming to be the granddaughter of his brother Thanos. A dubious claim at best.
The Hulk: Another founding member of the team, but he quit in Avengers #2 because nobody could trust him. The Avengers believe that the Hulk is incapable of doing anything because, at the time of this story, the monster was in military custody. See Incredible Hulk #322-324.
The Sub-Mariner: Joined the Avengers in issue #262. It is stated that he is away on personal business. He left the Avengers to marry Marrina, see Avengers #272-273 and Alpha Flight #39-40. He will return to the team in issue #282.
Mantis: She tagged along with the Avengers from issue #112 until she was selected to become the Celestial Madonna and left Earth in Giant-Size Avengers #4. We won’t see her again until West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #39.
Jocasta: Created by Ultron to destroy the team in Avengers #162, she wasn’t offered membership on the team until issue #211, but by that point she had left to find her own destiny after being neglected. She later died battling Ultron in Marvel Two-In-One #93. She will be rebuilt again in Avengers Annual #17.
The Swordsman: Tried infiltrating the Avengers for the Mandarin in Avengers #19-20. Trying to redeem himself for his criminal past, he went to the Avengers with Mantis in issue #112. He died trying to defend Mantis in Giant-Size Avengers #2.
The former Avengers that are still active heroes are:
Thor: Thor was also a founding member of the group. The thunder god has been on a leave of absence from the team since Avengers #234 to deal with affairs in Asgard. He’ll rejoin the team in issue #279.
The Vision and the Scarlet Witch: Both had been long standing Avengers since Avengers #16 and 58 respectively. At the time of this story they have been on a leave of absence in Avengers #255. They will join up with the west coast roster in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #37.
Quicksilver: Joined in Avengers #16 alongside his sister the Scarlet Witch. He hasn’t been an official member of the team since he was injured battling the Sentinels in Avengers #104. He did return on an official basis during the Korvac Saga. Otherwise he has lived with the Inhumans.
She-Hulk: Became an official Avenger in issue #221. At the time of this story, she had joined up with the Fantastic Four to replace the Thing after. See Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #12 and Fantastic Four #265. She will remain with the FF until she rejoins the Avengers in issue #278.
The Black Panther: A long standing Avenger since issue #51. At the time of this story, he has been on leave from the team since Avengers #165. He returned for the briefly during the Korvac Saga with literally every other Avenger at the time. He won’t officially return to the team in Avengers #305.
The Black Widow: Had been an associate of the Avengers since issue #30. However, she wasn’t given official membership until issue #111, but she left the following issue. She also came back during the Korvac Saga. She won’t return to the Avengers in a full-time capacity in Avengers #329.
The “Alternate” Iron Man: This was Jim Rhodes, who took over as Iron Man while Tony was spiraling into alcoholism between Iron Man #167-182, taking over the role in issue #169. Jim was briefly a member of the west coast team from West Coast Avengers #1-4. He gave up being Iron Man in Iron Man #195 due to the negative affect it had on his mental health. Tony came back as Iron Man in issue #200 of that series.
The Beast: A long standing member, joined up on a trial basis along with Moondragon, got membership when Moony rejected hers and remained a mainstay until Avengers #211 when he left the group to follow individual pursuits.
The Falcon: Was made to join the Avengers to fill an employment equity quota in Avengers #184. When this mandate was lifted he left the group in issue #194 because he didn’t feel well with the team.
The Fantastic Four’s original headquarters, the Baxter Building, had just recently been destroyed at the time of this story, as seen in Fantastic Four #278. Their new headquarters, the Four Freedoms Plaza, began construction in issue #293 and will officially open in issue #299.
Here, Tigra has a passing thought about how she is losing control over her conflicting personalities. This has been an issue since West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #1. She cites the team’s recent battle with Graviton which happened in issues #12-13.
Prior to this story, Thor had abandoned his mortal form of Donald Blake and the enchantment that triggered this change was transferred to Beta Ray Bill’s hammer, Stormbreaker, as seen in Thor #337-339. Still needing a mortal identity, Thor assumed the alias of Sigurd Jarlson with the help of Nick Fury in Thor #341.
The Falcon is referred to as Captain America’s former partner. Sam Wilson spent an extended period of time as Captain America’s crime fighting partner from Captain America #133 to 217.
The Beast had just recently joined X-Factor in (you guessed it) X-Factor #1. It’s mentioned that the group is made up of the original X-Men. This is correct, see X-Men #1.
Here, there are mentions made of the Black Widow’s most well known past relationships as well as the romances that Hawkeye has had with both her and Mockingbird. The facts:
When Hawkeye first came onto the scene in Tales of Suspense #57, the Black Widow seduced him into helping her out with her spy activities in America as she was a Russian spy at the time. After Clint joined the Avengers #16, he brought Natasha into the fold in issue Avengers #30. However, their relationship was not meant to be and Natasha decided to leave him to become a SHIELD agent in Avengers #57.
Black Widow also thinks about her former husband, Alexi Shostakov, aka the Red Guardian. At the time of this story, Natasha believes he had died following the events of Avengers #43-44. In reality, he faked his death and will turn up alive again in Daredevil (vol. 2) #64.
Lastly, she thinks about Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil. The Black Widow was Daredevil’s partner and (later) lover for an extended period of time. She left him to pursue her own individual interests. See Daredevil #81-124.
Mockingbird, on the other hand, was Clints next serious relationship. The couple met and got married in short order. See Hawkeye #1-4.
Lots going on in here between Wonder Man, Vision, and the Scarlet Witch. The details:
Wonder Man refers to the Vision as his brother because during a period where Simon was believed dead (Avengers #9 through 151), his brain patterns were used by Ultron to create the Vision (see Avengers #57-58 and 134-135). It’s only been recently that the pair have come to consider each other brothers. See West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #1-2 and Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #1-2.
Wanda had just given birth to twin boys, Billy and Tommy, in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #12. She was able to get pregnant by channeling magic through herself and the Vision in issue #3 of that series.
What nobody suspects is that Billy and Tommy were actually brought to life with fragments of Mephisto’s soul. The literal devil was slain by Franklin Richards in Fantastic Four #277. This revelation (and the tragic demise of the twins) will be chronicled in Avengers West Coast #51-52.
The person that Wanda suspects is, of course, her brother Quicksilver. Pietro Maximoff has been AWOL since discovering his wife, the Inhuman known as Crystal, was having an affair with Norm Webster a real estate agent. That affair began in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #7 and get exposed in issue #10.
Hawkeye and Quicksilver joined the second roster of the Avengers alongside the Scarlet Witch and Captain America in Avengers #16.
This story sure has a lot of exposition. Let’s go into the things that Pietro talks about here that we haven’t already covered above:
He mentions how he was a member of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. He was forced into joining the group after Magneto saved Wanda and him from an angry mob. Their original stint on the team was from X-Men #9-11.
Here, Pietro refers to Magneto as his father. The Maximoff twins were led to believe this in Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4. This turns out to be a lie, and as per Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #4 and 11, they are actually the children of Natalya Maximoff and an unidentified Scarlet Warlock.
In fact, Pietro and Wanda aren’t even mutants. As it will later be explained in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5, they were actually experimented upon by the High Evolutionary while still children. In order to cover up his work, the Evolutionary made it so future genetic testing would have them register as mutants.
He references Wanda and Vision’s relationship. They started their romance in Avengers #91, they officially started dating in issue #108, and got married in Giant-Size Avengers #4. When Pietro found out about the marriage in Avengers #110, he denounced it. It was only after Moondragon used her telepathy to alter his mind in Avengers #176 did he finally accept their relationship.
He also talks about his romance with Crystal: Crystal saved Pietro’s life after he was injured in the forementioned battle with the Sentinels, as explained in Fantastic Four #131. The pair fell in love and later got married in Avenges #127/Fantastic Four #150. He also talks about how they relocated to the moon. The Inhumans moved there to protect themselves from man-made pollution on Earth circa Fantastic Four #240.
This is also as good a place as any to let you, the reader, know that Quicksilver’s insanity has been artificially induced by Maximus. This will be revealed in X-Factor Annual #2.
Yeah, the Avengers totally fought it out with the Hulk at a circus during their first adventure back in Avengers #1. The other stuff we’ve already mentioned above (Pietro joining the Avengers, being “left to die” in Australia.)
It is here that the Zodiac reiterates that they are Life Model Decoys created by Scorpio, aka Jake Fury, of the original Zodiac crime cartel. This happened in Defenders #50. What they don’t know is that they weren’t created by the real Jake Fury but a Life Model Decoy of him that was a plant for Nick Fury. See Secret Warriors #25-26 for all the confusing details.
Quicksilver scoffs at Mystique because Freedom Force go its start as the a Brotherhood of Evil Mutants that she formed, and one he finds inferior. Mystique first formed her version of the Brotherhood in Uncanny X-Men #141-142. With the government cracking down on mutants, Mystique used her position within Washington to parlay the Brotherhood’s transformation into the government run Freedom Force in Uncanny X-Men #199.
The Wasp knows that these Zodiac are not the same group that she has encountered in the past. She is referring to the Zodiac crime cartel who first appeared in Avengers #72, which consisted of regular human criminals. She is referring to the cartel’s capture in Avengers #120-122.
Here Thor mentions a few things about his current activities:
He states that Odin had recently died in battle and that Balder the Brave is sitting on as Asgardian throne. Odin seemingly perished battling Surtur in Thor #350-353. In the aftermath, Balder was selected as the new ruler in issue #366. Odin will turn up alive again in Thor #400.
Thor states that he has grown a beard to hide his scarred face. Thor’s face was horribly maimed in a battle with Hela in Thor #360-362. He grew a beard to hide his horrible facial scars from the pearl clutchers at the CAC. Thor’s injuries (including these scars) will eventually be healed by issue #382 and Thor will shave his face in issue #386.
Topical References
The original twin towers of the World Trade Center are depicted as part of the New York City skyline in this story. This should be considered topical as these buildings were destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 and have since been replaced with the Freedom Tower.
In the third chapter of this story, the narrative refers to Native Americans as Indians. This is a dated term that derived from early colonialists mistaking the Indigenous population with the people of India. By today’s standard it is considered offensive to many and its use here should be considered topical. The reference to John Wayne — an actor famously known for his role in westerns — isn’t really a topical reference since he is commonly associated with that genre of cinema even decades after his death in 1979.
One of the patrons at the Keibler Circus recalls the Avengers battle with the Hulk at the circus, stating he was a kid at the time. Per the Sliding Timescale, the events of Avengers #1 and this story happened about seven years apart. The man making this comment is depicted as a full grown adult but since he’s a one-off character making a comment, we don’t really know how old he really is. It’s entirely possible that Englehart was writing as though events have passed in real-time, which he has done before with past stories. Anyway, following the Sliding Timescale, It’s not impossible for this character to have been a kid at the time, it’d just make him 18 or 19 here which is technically an adult.
