Avengers West Coast #72
The Pacific Overlords Part III: Chaos and Chrysanthemums
Iron Man, the Wasp, and Tigra are paying a visit to Hasanuma Electronics in Tokyo, Japan, in the hopes of learning what sort of equipment Doctor Demonicus bought from the company and why. There they are greeted by the owner who welcomes them as his company has close ties to Iron Man’s employer Tony Stark. While Mister Anami has no recollection of dealing with Demonicus and his Pacific Overlords he agrees to look at a piece of equipment that Iron Man brought to be identified. Seeing that Anami is being evasive, Iron Man begins pressing him for answers and judging from his increasing panic determines that the part came from Hasanuma’s factory in Kyoto.
That’s when a helicopter piloted by the Yakuza flies up to the building and opens fire on the people inside. While the Wasp helps people evacuate, Iron Man tries to shield them from the spray of bullets. Unfortunately, Anami isn’t very lucky and is shot dead. Meanwhile, Tigra leaps aboard the chopper and quickly incapacitates the shooters with an assist from the Wasp. Iron Man then bowls into the chooper and forces it to land. They then tie up the Yakuza for the authorities. In the aftermath of the violence, Iron Man admits that he knew the Hasanuma Electronics was in bed with the Yakuza. When Tigra quips about how well Iron Man knows Tony Stark’s business, Iron Man reveals that he is Tony Stark after all. Tony explains that he had been trying to keep his continued operation as Iron Man a secret but didn’t have the heart to maintain the ruse with his teammates anymore.[1] With that out of the way, the trio take to their Quinjet and head for Kyoto.
Meanwhile, in his underwater base, Doctor Demonicus checks the media news feeds to find out how his plans to distract the Avengers are going. He is annoyed that Sunfire and Pele failed in their attack on Pearl Harbor,[2] and that the Yakuza failed to stop Iron Man and the others in Tokyo. Demonicus decides that he will no longer use outside contacts to deal with his latest scheme from now on. He is joined by Kuroko his most loyal subject and the pair go to check on their prisoners,[3] the traitor Taifu and the Living Lightning, aka Miguel Santos.[4] The Living Lightning is awake and he wants to know who his captor is. Doctor Demonicus explains that he was once a simple scientist named Doctor Douglas Birely. After getting exposed to radiation, he began researching how radiation could be used to mutate animals. He later discovered the Lifestone and used it to create monsters which he hoped to use to take over the Aleutian Islands. Unfortunately, his ambitions were filed by SHIELD.[5]
He then explains how he managed to preserve a portion of his Lifestone and used it to give his fellow Pacific Overlords their superhuman powers. The Lightning then asks about the Taifu, the other prisoner. Demonicus reveals that Tiafu and his wife and son were saved by Demonicus when their yacht capsized during the storm and he took them in and gave all three powers before Taifu betrayed them. Taifu has awoken by this point and demands to be released and reunited with his family. Demonicus then reveals that his wife and child — transformed into Pele and Big One respectively — have both been defeated by the Avengers West Coast.[6] Angered by this news, Taifu breaks free and attacks his captors. However, he is quickly incapacitate when the Living Lightning also breaks free from his bonds and uses his electrical powers to shock Taifu into unconsciousness. Doctor Demonicus is pleased that Miguel wants to fight by his side, promising him that the Pacific Overlords will succeed where his father’s organization, the Lords of the Living Lightning had failed.[7]
Back in Japan, Iron Man and the others arrive at the Hasanuma factory in Kyoto. There they are greeted by another member of the Pacific Overlords known as Irezumi. Irezumi is covered with tattoos which can take on the form of his opponents allowing him to redirect their attacks. This ability takes out both Iron Man and the Wasp, leaving Tigra alone against Irezumi and an army of Yakuza thugs. Tigra tries her best to fend off her attackers but one manages to slice her with a sword. Bleeding badly, Tigra decides to flee back to the Quinjet as she is in no condition to save her friends. Before she can black out, the feline is able to fire up the Quinjet and make her escape.
While in Sydney, Australia a second team of Avengers arrive to investigate another lead. Landing on the harbor near the Sydney Opera House, the three Avengers — Hank Pym, Wonder Man, and Scarlet Witch — begin looking around. Little do they know that they are being observed by two other members of the Pacific Overlords, the cyborgs known as Jawbreaker and Cybertooth.
In America, Hawkeye and Spider-Woman have returned to the Avengers Compound after their fight in Hawaii against Pele and Sunfire. There they are ambushed by US Agent who has been enlisted by the Commission’s Mike Clemson to eliminate Spider-Woman for going rogue. Knocking out Hawkeye, US Agent is about to strangle Spider-Woman to death when he suddenly realizes that he can’t bring himself to kill her.[8] Happy that the Agent can’t bring himself to carry out Clemson’s orders, she asks US Agent to hear her side of the story and what they both have to do about this.[9]
Recurring Characters
Avengers West Coast (Iron Man, Hank Pym, Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Tigra), Spider-Woman, US Agent, Taifu, Pacific Overlords (Doctor Demonicus, Living Lightning, Jawbreaker, Cybertooth, Irezumi, Kuroko)
Continuity Notes
Tony Stark’s double identity was quite complicated at this time. Let me break it down:
Recently, Tony Stark had discovered individuals were using unauthorized Iron Man technology and, as Iron Man, went on a one-man mission to shut them all down. This put him at odds with the government. Since Tony’s double-identity was a secret to the general public, he faked Iron Man’s death and then tricked everyone into thinking that he hired a new person in the suit. Even though many of his fellow Avengers knew that Tony was Iron Man, he put up the pretense with them as well. See Iron Man #225-232.
Tigra discovered that Tony and Iron Man were one and the same back in Avengers #215-216. The Wasp learned the truth in Avengers #224. It’s also mentioned that Hawkeye knew Iron Man’s secret as well. Tony revealed his true identity to the bowman in Iron Man #193.
Janet points out that she and Clint figured it out when Iron Man made a slip-up in Avengers West Coast #69. In that story, Iron Man states that he recently rejoined the west coast team, something he wouldn’t have said if he was a new guy in the armor. For those keeping score, Iron Man took a leave of absence from the team in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #32 and returned in Avengers West Coast #51.
Sunfire and Pele were brainwashed into attacking Pearl Harbor last issue. They were defeated by Hawkeye, Spider-Woman, and the Sub-Mariner.
Here, Kuroko asks why Demonicus does not remove his mask. As we’ll learn next issue, Demonicus’ face has been hideously deformed by a form of cancer caused by exposure to the radiations given off by his Lifestones.
Taifu betrayed the Pacific Overlords in Avengers West Coast #69. Demonicus was able to reform the Living Lightning and take him prisoner in the following issue after the Lightning was seemingly destroyed in issue #63.
Demonicus is giving a highly abridged account of events that took place in Godzilla #4-5. The omission of Godzilla’s role in Demonicus’ original downfall is because Marvel no longer had the license to the Godzilla character when this story was published.
Big One was captured in Avengers West Coast #70 while Pele was defeated last issue.
The Lords of the Living Lightning was a terrorist organization that plotted to take over the world until their entire organization was trashed by the Hulk. See Tales to Astonish #97-99.
Spider-Woman mentions how US Agent was kicked out of the team recently. That was in issue #69 as well.
Spider-Woman got her powers via the Comission and was in their service for some time as a member of Freedom Force. However, she turned on the Commission to free the Avengers from the Vault when they were framed for crimes they did not commit. Clemson found her on the run and forced her to do covert operations for the Commission promising to clear her of treason if she played ball. However, Clemson has no intentions of clearing her name and is using her as part of a vendetta against Elizabeth Corwall, Spider-Woman’s mother, for marrying another man. See Avengers West Coast #84, Uncanny X-Men #206, X-Factor #8-9, Avengers Annual #15, Iron Man #214, Spectacular Spider-Man #125-126, and Spider-Woman (vol. 2) #1-4.
Topical References
When Tigra gets annoyed by how often the head of Hasanuma Electornics bows, Iron Man tells her stop acting like “Ugly American” 1991 edition. The term “Ugly American” is a pejorative term used to describe American tourists as loud and obnoxious people who are ignorant to and refused to understand or respect local customs abroad. The term comes from a 1958 novel of the same name written by William Lederer and Eugene Burdick. The main protagonist in the story is an Americans trying to stamp out communism in South Asia and doing a piss poor job about it because their inability to grasp the local culture. It was adapted to film in 1963. This reference should be considered topical particularly for the use of the year 1991 as that is relative to the date of publication.
