Avengers West Coast #100
Soul Gauntlet
Mockingbird has been captured by Hangman’s Lethal Legion and taken to the realm of the demon known as Satannish.[1] Seeking to her, the Scarlet Witch has procured a magic spell book given to her by Agatha Harkness so she can cast a spell that will transport the Avengers West Coast to the netherworld.
However, instead of being brought to this other dimension, the Avengers are transported to a black void where Wanda’s spell book is sucked away. They are then confronted by Mephisto, a rival Hell-Lord. As it turns out the Lethal Legion — reincarnations of Joseph Stallin, Heinrich Hemmler, Lizzie Borden, and Lucrezia Borgia — were all stolen from Mephisto’s realm and he wants them back. Mephisto begins tempting Hawkeye since it is his wife who is a prisoner in Satannish’s realm. However, before Clint can give into the temptation, Wanda completes her spell, transporting them to Satannish’s realm.
There they discover that Bobbi has been trapped in a pillar of stone. Satannish is pleased that the other Avengers have finally arrived and sends his Lethal Legion to battle them once more. War Machine takes to the air so he can scout ahead for the others but is overpowered by Zyklon (Himmler), Coldsteel (Stalin), Axe of Vengeance (Borden), and Cyana (Borgia) and is soon imprisoned in the pillar of stone alongside Mockingbird. The other Avengers then race to the pillar to try and free their friends. However, when they attempt to do so, US Agent becomes trapped next. Soon the Lethal Legion ambushes the remaining members of the Avengers leading to Spider-Woman being the next to fall.
Satannish then makes an appearance so he can personally watch Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch being defeated. That’s when Hawkeye is struck by utter agony. Opening his mouth a plume of red smoke emerges from inside his body and takes on the form of Mephisto. As it turned out, the demon managed to hitch a ride inside Hawkeye to smuggle himself into Satannish’s realm.
Before the two fight over ownership of the stolen souls, Mephisto traps the last two Avengers in the pillar of stone so the two Hell Lords can fight unimpeded. The two agree that the victor of this battle not only gets to claim ownership of the Lethal Legion, but the souls of the Avengers West Coast as well. As the two titans clash, Spider-Woman uses her psi-webs to trip them both up so Mephisto and Satannish come crashing into the stone pillar, shattering it and freeing the captured Avengers. As the Avengers try to make their escape they are attacked by the Lethal Legion. However, as the battle between Satannish and Mephisto drags on, Satannish needs to use more and more of his magic causing the Legion to lose their new forms and powers. The Avengers quickly tie the Legion up with the Hangman’s rope. Soon, the two Hell-Lords are in a literal tug of war over the damned souls but the strain is too much and the Lethal Legion’s spirits are destroyed in the process.[2]
Furious over this loss of souls, Satannish and Mephisto turn their attentions toward the Avengers in the hopes of recouping the souls for themselves. Luckily, the Scarlet Witch’s hex powers are able to summon back Agatha Harkness’ spell book. She then casts the spell to open a portal back to Earth. As the other Avengers cross over, they realize that Wanda is still on the other side. Mockingbird and Hawkeye both leap in to rescue Wanda and bring her back. However, on the way back, Mockingbird is fatally struck in the back by one of Mephisto’s fireballs. Her dying words are that she sacrificed her life in order to save Clint.
A few days later, the Avengers of both coasts meet to pay their final respects at Bobbi’s grave. Wanda tells Clint that the team will be there for him so he won’t feel alone. Clint — still reeling from the loss of his wife — tells Wanda that no matter what he has never felt so alone, so empty, in his entire life and nothing they can say or do will bring Bobbi back.[3]
Recurring Characters
Avengers West Coast (Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, “Mockingbird”, US Agent, Spider-Woman, War Machine), Mephisto, Satannish, Lethal Legion (Zyklon, Axe of Vengeance, Cyana, Coldsteel, Hangman), Living Lightning, Captain America, Tigra
Continuity Notes
The woman who appears to be Mockingbird here is actually a Skrull spy named H’rpra who took Bobbi’s place between issues #90 and 91. This is all part of a years long plot by the Skrulls to invade the Earth. However, nobody will not learn this until many years later in New Avengers: The Reunion #2. The real Mockingbird will be rescued from the Skrulls in Secret Invasion #8.
Although seemingly destroyed here, Hangman actually survives having his soul ripped apart and will resurface again years later in X-Factor #226-228. Lucrezia Borgia is the only other member seen again. Her reanimated head will be seen in Gorilla Man #1 and Deadpool Team-Up #899.
The real Bobbi is of course not really dead as I mentioned in point #1 above. However, this will not be the last we’ll see of H’rpra the Skrull spy. Even in death she keeps up the ruse that she is really Mockingbird. We’ll see her spirit again in Avengers (vol. 3) #10-11,Thunderbolts Annual 2000, Hellcat #3, GLA #4, and X-Statix Presents: Dead Girl #1-5.
… And Make Death Proud to Take Us!
Clint Barton is making another visit to the gave of his late wife, Bobbi Morse. Talking to her, Clint recalls back to when they first relocated to California to form the Avengers West Coast.[1] The two newly weds were spending time in hotels as they searched around California for a suitable location for their headquarters….
During that time, the pair were about to spend another evening celebrating their new marriage when they get a call from Bill Foster, a long time associate of the Avengers. Bill had been helping Clint and Bobbi find a new headquarters and arranges for them to see a property in Palos Verdes. The following day, Hawkeye and Mockingbird showed up at the sprawling estate and are surprised to learn that it is owned by Moira Brandon, an actress that was very popular some 60 years earlier.
The aging actress takes them on a tour of the property, telling them how her career came to an end. She takes them down into the basement where she Moira had preserved the set of his most famous film, The Black Sands wherein she played the role of Cleopatra. Mockingbird is fascinated by all of this Hollywood lore but Moira doesn’t think she is anything special compared to superheroes like Hawkeye and Mockingbird, saying that she wishes she could be as brave.
That’s was when Clint and Bobbi were ambushed by their old foe Crossfire, who had forced Brandon to lure his enemies into a trap.[2] This time the villain is prepared for his enemies as he is armed with a specially modified crossbow that can fire three arrows at once. Although the pair were able to knock the crossbow out of Crossfire’s hand, he pulls a gun and shot Bobbi in the shoulder. That’s when Brandon managed to get the crossbow and bravely fired it into Cossfire’s back. This caught the villain off guard allowing Hawkeye and Mockingbird to finally subdue them.
The excitement of doing something heroic is a bit much for Moira Brandon to take and she collapses. Dying, she tells Hawkeye and Mockingbird that she is pleased that she was able to prove she could be a hero at least once before her death, calling it the greatest role of her life.
… Completing his recollection, Clint recalls how Mockingbird had Moira named an honorary Avenger because of her sacrifice. Soon they bought the Brandon property and transformed it into the Avengers Compound. Recounting how Bobbi could have lost her life during the fight with Crossbones, Clint realizes that every moment he and Bobbi shared was precious as it was all on borrowed time. Thinking about how they almost separated, Clint realizes how foolish he was and how much time he wasted that could have been spent being happy with his wife.[3] At least he knows that Bobbi loved him until the very end. With that, he leaves some flowers by her grave and heads home.
Recurring Characters
Hawkeye, (in flashback) Mockingbird, Crossfire
Continuity Notes
This was just shortly after Hawkeye and Mockingbird got married in Hawkeye #4. The pair were sent to California to form the new team by the Vision in Avengers #243.
Crossfire is seeking revenge following his defeat at their hands in Hawkeye #1-4.
How Hawkeye and Mockingbird’s marriage almost ended in divorce. The details:
It was all marital bliss until the time when the West Coast Avengers were struck going backward in time circa West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #17-24. As seen in issue #18, while in the 1800s, Bobbi was kidnapped by the Phantom Rider just as the rest of the Avengers were going backward in time.
Bobbi was forced to drink a love potion that made her loyal to the Rider. Eventually, she shook off the effects of the potion and, in a battle with her captor, did nothing to prevent him from falling off a cliff to his death, as seen in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #23. Because of Clint’s staunch belief in the Avengers rule about killing, Bobbi kept the truth of what happened a secret for months.
Things went south when the the spirit of the Phantom Rider possessed his modern day descendant and revealed the truth to the rest of the Avengers. As seen in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #34-35, Hawkeye didn’t take it very well either and this put a strain on their marriage.
From issue #37 on, Clint and Bobbi split up. However, Mockingbird came back in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #46 and convinced Clint to help her train the Great Lakes Avengers and work on their marriage. Although Clint agreed, the two could not reconcile and Clint returned to the west coast team in Avengers West Coast #60.
Bobbi revealed issue #88 that she filed divorce paperwork and that they have two weeks before it becomes final. Clint finally realized how much Bobbi still meant to him after she was abducted by Ultron and the two reconciled in issue #90-91, or so it seemed.
As you already know, this wasn’t the real Bobbi Morse, but a Skrull spy. We’ll later learn in New Avengers: The Reunion #1-4 that Bobbi absolutely wanted a divorce. The Skrull stopped divorce proceedings so she could continue to be close to Hawkeye and spy on the Avengers.
Topical References
Although Mockingbird’s date of birth and death are heavily obscured they do say she lived and died in the 20th century. This should be considered a topical reference as the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age of the Marvel Unvierse forward in time. It is now such that the beginning of the Modern Age doesn’t begin until after the start of the 21st century. Eventually, it will get to a point where Bobbi couldn’t have been born in the 20th century anymore either.
This story presents Moira Brandon as a silent film star whose career ended as soon as they started making movies with sound. These references should be considered topical due to the Sliding Timescale making it impossible for Brandon to have been a silent film star and still be alive in the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe. Since it is unlikely that Brandon had access to something that extended her life span, these should all be considered topical references. Marvel has yet to provide a revised origin for Brandon as her last handbook profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #2 still makes reference to her silent film career. If it were up to me, I’d have it so she was a movie star who got aged out of her usual roles some 60 years earlier (give or take) as opposed to being part of a specific era of film. That seems like the most universal reason why a female actor would suddenly fall out of fame.
References to the Brandon’s real life contemporaries: Liz Taylor, Claudette Colbert, and Theda Bara should all be considered topical here since all of these actresses are now dead. Taylor died in 2011, Colber in 1996, and Bara in 1955.
Brandon states here that she kept the old movie set for The Black Sands to avoid them being destroyed, citing that the wall from King Kong was burned during the making of Gone With the Wind. Old set pieces were torched to create a fire scene in Gone With the Wind. This this is a famous example of the destruction of iconic film props it wouldn’t necessarily be considered a topical reference here.
U.S.Agent!
US Agent is visiting his parents when their home is attacked by the Watchdogs, a grass roots terrorist organization. They burst in with guns blazing mowing down the Agent’s parents. He suddenly realizes that this isn’t how it all happened and when he unmasks one of the Watchdogs he is shocked to discover the man is waring his face.[1] That’s when US Agent wakes up and realizes that he dozed off while in the sauna at Avengers Compound.[2] John’s screams have drawn out the other Avengers who come to check on him. He dismisses their concern and tells them that he’s fine.
However, John realizes that he probably should go back home since he hasn’t been back since his parents were murdered. Returning to his home town of Custer’s Grove, US Agent enters his old family home. However, being there is too much for him to handle and blaming himself for what happened quickly storms out of the house.
Despite this, John soon finds himself in the cemetery where his parents were buried. There, his mourning is interrupted by a bunch of young kids who came to the grave yard to get drunk and cause trouble. When they toss an empty whiskey bottle at the Walker graves, US Agent becomes furious and chases them into town. There he stops them from running over a young girl crossing the street. The Agent is disgusted that the locals are doing nothing as the driver of the car is the sheriff’s son, Brad.
US Agent chases the hoodlums back to the cemetery where he trashes their car and gives them a rough lesson on respect before sending them packing. This makes John realize that his code of honor was based on how his parents raised him and that instead of blaming himself for their deaths he should celebrate them for the moral values they taught him growing up. As he cleans the broken glass off the ground, John apologizes to his parents and reminds them that he loves them.
Recurring Characters
US Agent, Avengers West Coast (Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Woman, War Machine)
Continuity Notes
US Agents parents were murdered by the Watchdogs back in Captain America #345.
John blames the nightmare as being triggered by his recent interrogation by Caprice and Bloodshot in US Agent #3.
Topical References
Emily Walker’s tomb stone states that she died in 1987. This date should be considered topical as it is the year before Captain America #345 was published. Due to the Sliding Timescale, the year in which Walker’s parents have died will always be in a state of change. Per the Sliding Timescale, the Walkers were killed about a year prior to this story.
The whiskey thrown at the Walker graves is depicted as a bottle of Jack Daniels. This should be considered a topical reference as Jack Daniels is a real world brand.
Wild in the Streets
War Machine is passing through Los Angeles on his way to a meeting with the Avengers West Coast. Passing through one of the poorer neighborhoods, War Machine stumbles upon two street gangs in the middle of a rumble. He is shocked to see that the gangsters are all armed with some high tech weapons. War Machine quickly breaks up the fight and trashes all the high tech weapons. He then notices that one of the gang members was seriously injured. While helping him get to a hospital, Jim is disappointed to see that the gang has named themselves the War Machines after himself.
War Machine then takes the injured young man at LA General Hospital where he gets a lecture about street violence from one of the doctors. When the young gang member is awake, War Machine decides to question him and find out where the weapons had come from. Since he is a huge fan of War Machine, he tells them where the weapons were bought from.
War Machine soon crashes a warehouse later that evening and discovers that the gun runners are none other than the racist organization known as the Sons of the Serpent. Apparently they have been providing weapons to ethnic gangs in the hopes that they will wipe each other out in gang violence. He also discovers that they have been egged on by the Hate-Monger who has been feeding off all the hatred stemming from the Serpents xenophobic bigotry and the gang violence. War Machine trashes the operation but knows that this won’t be the last time he’ll have to deal with it. Leaving, War Machine warns the Hate-Monger to wear clean underwear the next time they meet because he intends on sending him to the hospital.[1]
Recurring Characters
War Machine, Sons of the Serpent, Hate-Monger
Continuity Notes
War Machine and the Hate-Monger will have a rematch in Marvel Comics Presents #154-155.
Topical References
Jim compares these high tech are real “Star Trek material.” Star Trek is of course a long running science fiction series taking place centuries in the future. Comparing new technology to something on Star Trek has become cultural shorthand when expressing how advanced something is, as such this reference wouldn’t necessarily be considered topical.
