Double-Crossed!

With information they gleaned from Cornelius Van Lundt, the West Coast Avengers are able to ambush the Zodiac as they attempt to rob the Denver Mint. Scorpio, Zodiac’s leader, tries to fend the Avengers off with the powerful Zodiac Key. However, the tide of battle quickly changes. After some effort, Scorpio is able to will the key to teleport himself and his minions away. Mockingbird is furious that they got away because they still have her husband — Hawkeye — prisoner. Little do any of them know that Tigra had also been kidnapped and substituted with a LMD duplicate.[1]

As they leave the mint, Iron Man recalls how Scorpio was given the Zodiac by the Brotherhood of the Ankh, who exist in another dimension. The purpose of the Zodiac Key is to draw power from conflict. Since things have become peaceful in the Brotherhood’s dimension, the Zodiac Key was sent to Earth to draw power from there.[2] Back in their Quinjey, they question the shackled Cornelius Van Lundt. Using his knowledge of astrology to predict where the Zodiac will be next and determines that they are in Death Valley.

There, Scorpio is dealing with another outburst from Leo, who is once again questioning their leader. That’s when the Avengers arrive in their Quinjet. While Scorpio is focused on the jet, he is ambushed by Iron Man who traps the Zodiac Key in an energy field. At first, the Avengers appear prepared to deal with the Zodiac. However, the phonyTigra takes advantage of the situation.[3] With an energy draining device, she manages to get close enough to Iron Man to clamp it on his armor. This frees the Zodiac Key, however when Scorpio brags about his new Leo, the old one attacks him and tries to get control of the Zodiac Key before he is destroyed. Wonder Man also piles on to try and get the Key for the Avengers.

Ultimately, the Zodiac Key pulls itself free and Scorpio is destroyed. However, the key restores Scorpio and the other wrecked members of the Zodiac. Scorpio decides to take the fight to a higher plane of existence and orders the Key to send them to the dimension ruled by the Brotherhood of the Ankh. At first, the Key resists his demands, but ultimately it complies, and teleports all the combatants away. Finally alone, Cornelius Van Lundt decides to take advantage of the situation and get free from his restraints and escape.

When the Zodiac and Avengers end up in the Brotherhood’s dimension, the androids all suddenly deactivate as they have been cut off from their power source — the astrological signs they have named themselves after.[4] Zodiac Key shows them that the real Hawkeye and Tigra are here and fighting the Brotherhood. When they try to help Hawkeye and Tigra, the Zodiac Key fights them off and returns to the Brotherhood. They call an end to the violence, having had their fill fighting the two Avengers. The leader of the Brotherhood vows to return the Avengers back to their home dimension, vowing to stop targeting the Avengers in the future.[5] Despite Hawkeye’s protests, they are returned to Earth’s dimension without much more than that.

As they return to the Quinjet, Mockingbird tries to tell her husband the truth about Phantom Rider’s death but gets cold feet at the last minute.[6] When they board the jet, they discover that Cornelius Van Lundt has escaped. This particularly angers Moon Knight who made him promise on the moon to go straight, and now that he went back on this promise, Van Lundt has now must be punished by the First of Khonshu.

Recurring Characters

West Coast Avengers (Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Iron Man, Hank Pym, Wonder Man, Tigra, Moon Knight), Taurus (Van Lundt) Zodiac LMDS (Taurus, Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Scorpio, Vergo), Brotherhood of the Ahnk

Continuity Notes

1. The Zodiac swapped out Hawkeye with a Sagittarius LMD that resembled him. This happened last issue, as did Tigra getting swapped out.

2. Iron Man’s past experience with the Zodiac Key was detailed in Iron Man #35-36 and Daredevil #37.

3. This was the same energy siphon used by Vigo in West Coast Avengers Annual #1.

4. This is the end of the Life Model Decoy Zodiac. However, this would not be the last time we see a group calling itself Zodiac. Another unrelated organization will surface in Captain America #449.

5. Despite the claims that they would not target the Avengers again, they will target the Earth again in Avengers (vol. 3) #59-60.

6. In West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #17-23, Mockingbird was kidnapped by the Phantom Rider who forced a love potion on her. After breaking free from its spell, she allowed the allowed the Phantom Rider to fall to his death. She has kept this a secret from her husband and won’t tell him the truth until issue #35.