West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #35
The Voice of Doom
Hawkeye and Mockingbird wake up in a strange castle bedchamber with Doctor Doom standing over their bed. However, Hawkeye quickly points out that this isn’t the real Doctor Doom, but Kristoff Vernard, the young boy who took his place. Doom denies this and blasts Clint with his gauntlet. He insists that he is the real Doctor Doom, calling claims that he is merely a brainwashed child a lie. His rationale for being a child’s body he blames on a mind-swap process and that his true body is being controlled by an impostor.[1]
Although the Avengers crash landed in Latveria by accident while trying to flee Hungary, Doom believes that this is fortuitous as he wants help defending his country from his impostor. When the two Avengers refuse, Doom decides to give them until midnight to change their minds.
At that moment, in the castle dungeon, the other Avengers — the Wasp, Hank Pym, Moon Knight, the Scarlet Witch, and the Vision — find themselves restrained with devices that negate their powers. They all figure that Doom thought of everything when Hank remembers that Janet has her antennae and she could use them to contact the local ant population to help free them. Jan tries, but discovers that there are no insects within the castle, confirming that their captor has thought ofd everything. Kristoff soon comes to visit them and also asks them to help liberate his domain from the “impostor” who threatens his rule. When they decline to help, Doom reminds them how they once helped Doctor Doom protect Latveria from invasion by Attuma. However, Hank points out that those were very different circumstances and they continue to try and convince Kristoff that he’s not the real Doctor Doom.[2] Annoyed by this, Kristoff goes to watch another cell where Tigra and Moon Knight are being held. Having never encountered either before, Doom unleashes a number of weapons to test the limits of their powers.
Back in the room where Hawkeye and Mockingbird are behind held, things have been silent. Bobbi asks Clint to talk about the truth behind the Phantom Rider’s death.[3] Hawkeye is furious with her about lying about the fact that she allowed the Phantom Rider to die and that he had to learn the truth from his descendant. Bobbi, who was utterly violated when the Rider enslaved her with a love potion can’t believe that Clint would put the Avengers code over their marriage. The argument becomes so heated the pair both agree that they should get divorced.[4]
Meanwhile, back in the dungeon, the Wasp decides to return to human size since there is no way out. When Hank tries to comfort her, Janet reminds him that they are divorced.[5] In the next cell, Tigra and Moon Knight continue fighting for their lives when Marc comes up with a plan. He tells Tigra to keep fighting against the automated weapons no matter what. Moon Knight then intentionally knocks himself out so the spirit of Khonshu can leave his body and move freely. The moon god then finds Kristoff and demands that he let the Avengers go free or face his vengeance. Kristoff is defiant but decides to comply as Khonshu is the only one who will address him as Doctor Doom.
Kristoff then returns to his throne room where he awaiting the arrival of a representative for the Hungarian government. This turns out to be Quicksilver, who “Doom” is not happy to see since he called Kristoff a obnoxious child when they last met.[6] Kristoff seals the room and negates Pietro’s powers. However, before he can kill him the Avengers come crashing in and prevent him from doing so. Even though they saved his life, Quicksilver vows to never give up his quest for revenge and departs. Doom then orders the Avengers to return to America in the craft he provided before he changes his mind. Hank, however, states that they are returning to Hungary to continue the search for his first wife instead and depart.[7] As they go, Kristoff notices that Hawkeye and Mockingbird are walking far apart from one another and wonders why.
Recurring Characters
West Coast Avengers (Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Hank Pym, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Tigra, Moon Knight), Doctor Doom, Quicksilver, Phantom Rider, Khonshu
Continuity Notes
The whole Doctor Doom in a kid’s body thing is quite complicated:
This all started when the real Doctor Doom was seemingly killed in a battle with Tyros in Fantastic Four #260. This triggered a process in which Kristoff Vernard — Doom’s heir — was made to be his replacement, and had all of Doom’s past memories implanted in the boy’s mind, making him believe he was the real Doctor Doom. See Fantastic Four #278.
In reality, Doom survived by transferring his mind into the body of Norm McArthur. Doom’s body was later restored by the Beyonder. See Fantastic Four #287-288.
When Doctor Doom tried to reclaim the Latverian throne in Fantastic Four Annual #20, he Kristoff dismissed him as an impostor.
Kristoff tries to explain away his being in the body of a child by recounting the time Doctor Doom swapped bodies with Daredevil. This happened in Daredevil #37-38 and Fantastic Four #73.
Also mentioned how Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman are on a leave of absence from the FF to focus on their family. They left the team in Fantastic Four #307. They will eventually return in issue #326 of that series.
The incident that Kristoff mentions here was in Avengers #154-156 and Super-Villain Team-Up #9. He also mentions that Hank was Yellowjacket back then, an identity he used almost consistently from Avengers #59 until he retired from costumed heroics in issue #230. He also recalls how Wonder Man had recently come back from the dead at the time. Wonder Man was seemingly dead from Avengers #9 through 151.
During a trip through time, Mockingbird was kidnapped by the Phantom Rider who forced a love potion on her. When she was freed from its spell, she let him fall to his death. However, the Rider’s spirit survived to the present — possessing his descendant Hamilton Slade — and terrorizing Bobbi anew. Moon Knight found out and kept it a secret. See West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #17-23 and 31-32. The Phantom Rider told a version of the truth to Hawkeye last issue.
Mockingbird dances around the fact that she was raped, probably because of the Comics Code Authority. This fact would be confirmed in Hawkeye & Mockingbird #1. Although they threaten to divorce each other here, the pair try to give their marriage a second shot in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #46. However, the writing is on the wall, their marriage becomes unreconcilable in New Avengers: The Reunion #1-4.
Hank and Janet got married back in Avengers #60. However, they divorced years later after Hank struck her in Avengers #213.
Lots going on with Pietro here as well. The deets:
Quicksilver has gone mad following the revelation that his wife, the Inhuman Crystal, was having an affair in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #10. It’s later revealed that he was pushed into insanity by Crystal’s brother-in-law, Maximus, as revealed in X-Factor Annual #2.
Here, Quicksilver is referred to as the son of Magneto and a mutant. These are both lies. He was made to believe Magneto was his father in Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4. However, it was later revealed he was experimented upon by the High Evolutionary who covered up his work by making Pietro and his sister Wanda register as mutants, per Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5. Their real parents are revealed to be Natalya Maximoff and an unidentified Scarlet Warlock, see Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #4 and 11.
Quicksilver last encountered Kristoff when they were both prisoners of the Fantastic Four circa Fantastic Four #305.
Hank’s first wife, Maria Trovaya, was believed to have died in Tales to Astonish #44. However, Hank found evidence that that she might be alive recently leading to the Avengers going to Hungary to investigate. See West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #33-34.
