Avengers West Coast #54
The Troubled Earth
Acts of Vengeance continues from Punisher: War Journal #13…
The Mole Man orders his massive creature Giganto to attack, prompting the monster to come tearing out of the ground in the middle of Los Angeles on a busy day. This happens as Iron Man and Wonder Man are scouring the city searching for the U-Foes after they attacked Avengers Compound.[1] Needing to get the monster out of the crowded city, Iron Man flies down and lifts the creature up into the air. As he tries to figure out what to do with Giganto, the US Agent arrives on a sky cycle. The Agent suggests killing the monster, but Iron Man isn’t so ready to take its life, pointing out that it might be lashing out because it is afraid. Instead, Iron Man dumps the monster in the ocean, and then begins digging trenches to prevent flooding from the displaced water.
Not far away, Wonder Man arrives at the tunnel that Giganto used to dig up to the surface. He is joined by the Human Torch who offers to tag along. The Torch’s flame is useful, as it lights their way down into the dark tunnel.[2] Deep below the Earth, the pair are swarmed by monsters led by the Mole Man, who reveals that he is behind the attack on the surface.
Meanwhile, Hank Pym and the Wasp are flying back from the east coast in a Quinjet. On board with them is the Scarlet Witch who has gone back into a catatonic state due to her recent ordeals.[3] On the way, their ship is attacked by Tricephalous, a massive three-headed dragon from Monster Island. The creature severely damages the Quinjet causing it to crash. However, some unseen magnetic force prevents it from impacting with the ground. With no time to think about how this is possible, Hank rushes out of the wrecked ship and stands down a charging Tricephalous. When the creature gets close enough he manages to use his Pym Particles to shrink it down in size so that the three headed monster is no longer a threat. With the battle over, the Wasp spots a nearby Forest Ranger station and they head off to get some help.
As they leave, Magneto steps out of the shadows. He was the one who saved their lives in order to keep his daughter — the Scarlet Witch — safe until it is time for him to collect her for his latest plan.[4] Magneto’s scheme is being observed by the mastermind who gathered the mutant and other villains together as the Prime Movers of the “Acts of Vengeance” conspiracy. He muses about how easily he tricked Magneto and the others into thinking he is a mere lacky, something they will regret soon enough.[5]
Back underground, Wonder Man asks the Mole Man why he is attacking Los Angeles. The diminutive villain accuses the Avengers for attacking his home on Monster Island and that this is retaliation. The Human Torch insists that this is all some kind of mistake and that the Avengers were not responsible. This confuses the Mole Man because he thought the Torch was Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four.[6]
While on the surface, Giganto recovers from being thrown in the ocean and starts making its way back to the mainland. US Agent tries to slow it down by blasting the sky-cycles afterburners in the monster’s face. This temporarily blinds the beast but it swats the Agent out of the sky, prompting Iron Man to swoop in and save his teammate. Meanwhile, Wonder Man fights his way through the Mole Man’s legions and when the villain threatens to blast him with the weapons built into his staff, Simon decides to call his bluff. Standing still, Williams reiterates that the Avengers didn’t attack him and will do nothing if the villain decides to shoot him. He is willing to risk injury and potentially death to prove that he is an innocent man and calls the Mole Man’s bluff. The Mole Man can’t bring himself to trust Wonder Man and blasts him. When Simon gets back up, he does it again and again and again. Each time, Simon continues to get back to his feet but refuses to fight back.
Eventually, the Mole Man relents and asks who was responsible for the attack. Simon explains that someone has been posing as the Avengers to trick villains into attacking the team, recounting the recent attack on their headquarters by the U-Foes. This finally gets through to the Mole Man who decides to retract his forces and cease his invasion of the surface world. Before departing he blows on a tiny whistle that cause Giganto to suddenly turn around and head back into the ocean. When Iron Man follows the massive creature under water he discovers that the monster has burrowed its way back underground.
One hour later, the west coast team has returned to their headquarters where they get in touch with Captain America on the east coast. They watch a news story about the debate over the new Super Human Registration Act that is being proposed by the United States government in light of a flare up of super-villain attacks.[7] Comparing notes, the two Avenger teams determined that this appears to be a coordinated series of attacks on themselves and other heroes. Given that whoever is responsible sunk Avengers Island back east there is only on conclusion that can be drawn: Someone is trying to destroy the Avengers!
… Acts of Vengeance continues in Avengers #313.
Recurring Characters
Avengers West Coast (Iron Man, Hank Pym, Wasp, Wonder Man, US Agent, Human Torch), Avengers (Captain America, Vision, Quasar), Mole Man, Giganto, Tricephalous, Magneto, Loki
Continuity Notes
The AWC battled the U-Foes last issue.
Here, Wonder Man reminds himself that the Human Torch is nothing like the Vision. Except he is. It’s complicated. In Avengers #134-135, the Vision learned that his body was constructed out of the remains of the original Human Torch. More recently, in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #42-45, the Avengers were tricked into thinking that this was not the case, they later revived the original Torch in Avengers West Coast #50, seemingly confirming this. However, it’s later revealed in Avengers Forever #8 that this was all a grand deception by Immortus to manipulate the Avengers destiny. In reality, Immortus created a chronal duplicate of the Torch. One went to be turned into the Vision, while the other was buried in a grave for the West Coast team to find years later.
The Scarlet Witch has been dealing with a lot as of this story. She witnessed her husband get disassembled and rebuilt without his emotional connections to her in the aforementioned West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #42-45. She later was told that her children (born in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #12) were nothing more than figments of her imagination as seen in Avengers West Coast #51-52. She was briefly on her feet again to assist the east coast team fight rogue members of Freedom Force in Avengers #312.
Magneto refers to the Scarlet Witch as his daughter here. He was led to believe this in Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4. This was later revealed to be a lie perpetuated by the High Evolutionary. The geneticist experimented upon Wanda as a child and in order to cover up his work he made it so she would register as a mutant. Her biological mother is Natalya Maximoff, but the identity of her father (as of this writing in September, 2022) has yet to be revealed. See Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5 and Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #3.
This mystery man gathered Magneto, the Red Skull, Kingpin, Mandarin, and the Wizard together to hatch a scheme where villains would attack heroes that they didn’t usually fight. This was all part of a grander scheme to attack the Avengers directly. We’ll learn next issue that he is secretly Loki. For more on Acts of Vengeance see below.
I don’t know who needs to know this, but Johnny Storm gained powers similar to the original Human Torch in Fantastic Four #1. In Fantastic Four #126 reveals that Johnny named himself after the original Torch to honor his legacy.
For more on the government debate on the Superhuman Registration Act that is being proposed during this event see Fantastic Four #334-336.
Avengers Island was sunken by an army of Doombots in Avengers #311.
Topical References
Among the cars that are tossed around by Giganto in the two-page spread we see an 80s model Volkswagen Beetle. This could be considered a topical reference unless you think someone is out driving a vintage car. It is Los Angeles after all.
Acts of Vengeance Reading Order
Thor #410, Avengers Spotlight #26, Damage Control (vol. 2) #1, Amazing Spider-Man #326, Incredible Hulk #363, Spectacular Spider-Man #158, Web of Spider-Man #59, Avengers #311, Captain America #365, Fantastic Four #334, Quasar #5, Iron Man #251-252, Avengers West Coast #53, Thor #411-412, Captain America #366, Avengers Spotlight #27, X-Factor #50, New Mutants #84-85, Wolverine (vol. 2) #19-20, New Mutants #86, Power Pack #53, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #11, Amazing Spider-Man #327 , Marc Spector: Moon Knight #8-9, Uncanny X-Men #256-258, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #12, Spectacular Spider-Man #159, Daredevil #275-276, Web of Spider-Man #60, Avengers #312, Punisher (vol. 2) #28-29, Amazing Spider-Man #328 , Alpha Flight #79-80, Spectacular Spider-Man #160, Web of Spider-Man #61, Avengers Spotlight #28, Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger #9, Captain America #367, Quasar #6, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #13, Marc Spector: Moon Knight #10, Punisher: War Journal #12-13, Avengers West Coast #54, Avengers #313, Fantastic Four #335-336 , Avengers West Coast #55, Damage Control (vol. 2) #2-4, Amazing Spider-Man #329