The Reaper and the Robot Part Four: California Screaming!

The Avengers West Coast have uncovered a plot by Ultron to transform the human race into living robots loyal to him. Soon, they storm Ultron’s hideout in the sewers beneath Los Angeles. There they discover that Ultron has long since fled and left behind an army of humans he has already transformed into his andrones.[1] In the ensuing fight, Quicksilver notes that Wonder Man is being particularly brutal with their attackers, likely venting the frustration he feels over his brother — the Grim Reaper — being on the loose.[2] The Avengers quickly incapacitate the guards so they can be cured later, and prevents the base from being blown up. Still, when they get back to their Quinjet outside the tunnel explodes. That’s when they notices that Wonder Man didn’t leave with them. Quicksliver is certain that Simon could have survived the blast and likely remained behind to find out where his brother had gone and suggests they leave him to it.

Quicksilver’s hunch is correct as Wonder Man is searching the rubble of Ultron’s based for sign of the Grim Reaper. Eric then emerges from the shadows, revealing he was done there the whole time. The Reaper then reveals that he was only pretending to ally with Ultron since following through with the robot’s mad plan would cut him off from a regular supply of human life force that he needs to survive. He explains that a side effect of the robotization of humanity has caused the combined life energies of the victims to be absorbed by Ultron, giving them a weakness that can be exploited. The Grim Reaper then offers to take Ultron down, but he will only if Wonder Man agress to stop pursing him. In exchange, Eric promises to only kill one human a day — the minimum life force he needs to consume — in order to continue his existence. He points out that Simon will save more lives this way than if Eric continues indiscriminately killing people like he has since his resurrection. Realizing he has no choice, Wonder Man aggress to the Reaper’s terms.

Meanwhile, the Avengers have brought Hawkeye back to their headquarters. When he wakes up he starts attacking the team since he is still under Ultron’s control as he was the only Avenger not fully cured yet.[3] The team is no match for Hawkeye who tries to escape. However, when the rest of the team arrives in a Quinjet he suddenly collapses. Hank examines Clint and determines that its was the vibrations from the Quinjet’s engines that caused Hawkeye’s robotic body to shut down.[4] As they are restraining Hawkeye, the Avengers get a a call from Wonder Man’s warning signal and head out to see what he has uncovered.

By this time, the Grim Reaper has revealed that Ultron intends to unleash his robotizing spray on the crowds attending this year’s Rose Parade in Pasadena. Observing the parade through the security system of a local apartment building, Eric points out one of the blimps, saying that Ultron is using that as a cover for his attack. When a security guard catches them, the Reaper wants to absorb his life force. However, Wonder Man yanks him outside before he can succeed in taking a life, refusing to allow Eric to take any lives until after Ultron has been defeated. The two then crash Ultron’s blimp where the Grim Reaper tries to absorb Ultron’s life energies. Made to see the flaw in his plan, Ultron decides to scrap his efforts to turn humanity into robots and initiates his back-up plan.

On the ground, a number of robots from various TV shows and movies that are part of the parade suddenly come to life and start attacking people. Luckily, the Avengers West Coast arrive on the scene and begin containing the rogue robots. Meanwhile, the Reaper has Ultron on the ropes prompting Wonder Man to attack his brother, revealing that he had no intentions of honoring their deal. As Ultron recovers, Hawkeye comes crashing in on his sky-cycle. He gets caught between both Ultron and the Reaper causing a feedback loop with Clint painfully caught in the middle. In order to save his friend, Wonder Man leaps at Hawkeye, shoving him to safety. This causes a sudden power surge that knocks out both Ultron and the Grim Reaper.

As Iron Man rushes Hawkeye off to complete his cure, Wonder Man collapses to the ground exhausted from his ordeals. Considering how he saved the day, the other Avengers believe that Simon has earned himself the rest.

Recurring Characters

Avengers West Coast (Iron Man, Hank Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Tigra), Quicksilver, Grim Reaper, Ultron

Continuity Notes

1. Quicksilver and Tigra both mention how they were briefly transformed into Andrones as well. This happened in last issue although they were cured shortly thereafter.

2. Wonder Man is concerned about finding his brother, the Grim Reaper, who was resurrected in Avengers West Coast #65. This is because Eric now needs to steal the life force from a living human every 24 hours in order to sustain his own existence.

3. The Scarlet Witch states here that she just recently got her hex powers back. Her powers had been on the fritz since Avengers West Coast #62 and finally returned last issue.

4. Hank notes that his Rover’s engines were also what caused some androne farmers to explode. That happened in Avengers West Coast #65 as well.

Topical References

• It is stated in this story that Ultron’s hideout is located near a recent subway tunnel explosion that happened “last summer”. This is specifically referencing an incident that happened in real life in July of 1990. Anything specifically mentioning that fire should be considered topical.

• The Rose Parade is chock full of topical references:

  • There are a number of real world businesses advertising during the parade including: Digital Equipment Corporation, Goodyear tires, and Fujifilm.

  • Pop-culture references: The Starship Enterprise from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gort the robot from the 1951 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still, Robby the Robot from 1956’s Forbidden Planet, and the robot from 1965’s Lost in Space.

  • When Quicksilver battles the Lost in Space robot one of the parade commentators quips “Where’s Bill Mumy when you need him?” As a child, Mumy played the role of Will Robinson on Lost in Space. The robot on the show was a frequent companion of young Robinson.