Ultron-7: He'll Rule the World!

Story continued from Avengers #127...

The Fantastic Four, Avengers and Inhuman royal family have an uninvited guest to the wedding of Crystal and Quicksilver: the robot known as Ultron-7, who has somehow taken control of the body of the inert android known as Omega. After Ultron gloats over his invasion, the Thing tries to attack, only to be repelled back. The killer robot continues to boast about his superiority, pointing out that he is nothing like the Omega Android that the Fantastic Four fought previously. As the Thing recovers, Black Bolt -- leader of the Inhumans -- begins to ponder over the situation since Ultron has Crystal as his prisoner. As the king of the Inhumans ponders the situation, Agatha Harkness teleports onto the scene carrying the comatose body of Franklin Richards in her arms.

As Ultron stands before them, Mister Fantastic demands that the robot explains his presence in Attilan. The boastful robot decides to indulge the leader of the Fantastic Four because it is confident that it will destroy them all. Ultron explains that following its last defeat at the hands of the Avengers, the robot's severed head was located by Maximus, Black Bolt's mad brother. Using devices that Bolt foolishly gave his brother while in captivity, Maximus then drew Ultron's head to Attilan in the hopes of using it to destroy his enemies. Ultron was revived in the body of Omega, but he quickly dispatched his would-be ally in order to get his own revenge as well as initiate his own schemes. With its explanation over, Ultron vows to destroy all humans. This prompts the heroes to prepare to attack, but before they can they are suddenly assaulted with a mental projection that will reduce their minds to blank slates.

While the heroes reel in this mental assault, the beams have an unforeseen side effect: They begin stimulating the dormant mind of Franklin Richards. Coming out of his long-standing coma, Franklin unleashes a powerful mental counterattack that not only catches Ultron off guard but seemingly destroys him. As the vengeful robot's inert body falls to the ground, the gathered heroes recover from the attack. In the aftermath of the battle, the Fantastic Four are delighted to see that not only has Franklin been snapped out of his coma, but the powers that threatened to destroy everything have been seemingly wiped out. Happily reunited with their son, Reed and Sue embrace him in a family hug.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing, Medusa), Avengers (Thor, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Swordsman, Mantis), Inhumans (Black Bolt, Gorgon, Karnak, Triton, Crystal, Lockjaw), Quicksilver, Maximus, Ultron-7, Omega, Agatha Harkness, Franklin Richards, Alpha Primitives

Continuity Notes

• This story continues from the events of Avengers #127 when all the guests arrive at the wedding and Ultron attacks.

• Some facts about Ultron in this story:

  • His body is comprised of the remains of the android known as Omega. Omega was created by Maximus in Fantastic Four #131 and rendered inert in Fantastic Four #132, its body has remained standing over the Inhumans ever since. Ultron was first seen in form in Avengers #127.

  • Ultron mentions his previous destruction at the hands of the Avengers, this happened in Avengers #66-68, ending with Ultron's severed head ending up in a vacant lot.

  • Although seemingly destroyed here, Ultron next appears in Avengers #157 when he turns a statue of the Black Knight against the Avengers.

• This is also not the last of the Omega construct, as the Android is rebuilt many years later in Realm of Kings: Inhumans #4 by Maximus who uses it against the Inhuman royal family again.

• Ultron makes reference to the mental state of Maximus, pointing out that he is currently unstable. Maximus regained some semblance of sanity when he retook in the throne of the Inhumans in Amazing Adventures (vol. 2) #5. Later in Avengers #95, Black Bolt retook the Inhuman throne, and Maximus went mad again after hearing his brother's voice.

• Franklin Richards awakens from his long-standing coma in this story. He was forced into it by his own father in Fantastic Four #141 in order to shut down his powers which were raging out of control thanks to the manipulations of Annihilus in that very story. It is stated here that Franklin's powers are gone, however, they are merely dormant, they begin to manifest again starting in Fantastic Four #216. Franklin’s powers are referred to as mutant abilities in this story. It’s later revealed that he isn’t actually a mutant at all. In Fantastic Four (vol. 6) #26 it is revealed that Franklin subconsciously used his powers to alter his genetic code to register as a mutant and, isn’t truly a mutant.

The Wedding of Crystal and Quicksilver!

With the robot Ultron destroyed, the wedding of Crystal and Quicksilver goes on with much fanfare among Inhuman society. Preparing for the ceremonies are Ben Grimm and his girlfriend Alicia Masters. Although Ben makes a joke about crying weddings, the moment of mirth poorly masks a sadness, leaving Alicia to wonder why Ben continues to mask his true feelings. As Alicia is dressed to be one of the bride's maids, the Thing protests about the customary attire as a member of the bridal party. While elsewhere Reed and Sue spend time together. As they watch the preparations for the wedding, Reed asks her if she remembers when Doctor Doom crashed their own wedding. Sue points out that it's a faux pas to ask a woman if she remembers her wedding day.

Elsewhere still, Iron Man and Thor hold private council where they discuss their own romantic troubles. Thor recounts how he was unable to be with Jane Foster, how events still keep him apart from Sif, his childhood love. Iron Man can relate to the situation, talking about how he hasn't been able to find anyone special since his secretary Pepper Potts married his best friend. As the Avengers and Fantastic Four begin making their way to the ceremony, Johnny Storm heads to the event morosely until he is stopped by Medusa, who is concerned about him. When Johnny says he believes that Crystal never loved him, she affirms that she did once before and reminds him to remember that people change. When Johnny admits that the idea of Crystal and Pietro getting married is breaking him up inside, Medusa offers to be there for him, and offer that Johnny accepts.

Soon the wedding begins, and all are gathered as Black Bolt officiates over the ceremony. Watching from afar via video link is the Whizzer, whom everyone believes to be the father of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. After the wedding is over, Crystal and Quicksilver are teleported off to their honeymoon by Lockjaw. In the aftermath, Johnny admits to Medusa that regardless of his personal feelings he cannot help but smile on this happy occasion.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing, Medusa), Avengers (Thor, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Swordsman, Mantis), Inhumans (Black Bolt, Gorgon, Karnak, Triton, Crystal, Lockjaw), Quicksilver, Agatha Harkness, Franklin Richards, Alicia Masters, Whizzer

Continuity Notes

• Reed and Sue remissness about how their wedding was crashed by Doctor Doom, this happened in Fantastic Four Annual #3.

• Some facts about the troubled love lives of Thor and Iron Man:

  • Thor's first mortal love in the modern era was Jane Foster, who was the nurse that worked for his alter ego, Donald Blake, starting in Journey into Mystery #84. The two had a struggling romance between Journey into Mystery #84-125 and Thor #126-136. Thor revealed his double identity to Jane in Journey into Mystery #124. He got his father Odin's permission to marry Jane, provided she could pass a trial into godhood in Thor #136. When she failed, Odin sent her back to Earth with no memory of her past life with Thor, she ended up working with Doctor Keith Kincaid.

  • Sif has been Thor's friend and lover on and off for centuries over the various Ragnarök cycles that happen every 2160 years (as stated in Thor #294) The earliest chronological point where Thor and Sif had a relationship was back in Thor: Son of Asgard #12. Their relationship, whatever the state it was in was put on a hiatus when Odin banished Thor to Earth in the mortal guise of Donald Blake as depicted in Thor #159. Thor was reunited with Sif after Jane was banished from Asgard in Thor #136.

  • Iron Man mentions his former romance with Virginia "Pepper" Potts, who was working for his alter ego Tony Stark at Stark Industries as early (chronologically) as Iron Man: The Iron Age #1. The pair had an unsteady relationship between Tales of Suspense #45-90, made all the more complicated with the addition of Harold "Happy" Hogan in Tales of Suspense #45, who also actively pursued Pepper. Ultimately, Stark pushed Pepper away, and Happy won her over, and the pair eloped in Tales of Suspense #91.

• Although he doesn't mention them here, Stark -- to the date of this story -- had the following relationships after Pepper:

  • Janice Cord who Tony was involved with from Iron Man #2-22. This romance ended tragically when she died in a battle between Iron Man and his Russian foes Titanium Man and the Crimson Dynamo.

  • Marianne Rodgers who went on a one-off date back in Tales of Suspense #40 but didn't start dating regularly until Iron Man #36. This romance continued until her ESP powers drove her mad in Iron Man #53 leading to Marianne being institutionalized.

• Johnny Storm mentions his previous romance with Crystal in this story. The pair dated between Fantastic Four #65-105 until the outside world's pollution forced her to return home to Attilan. She ended up rescuing Quicksilver along the way and the two fell in love as seen in Fantastic Four #131-132.

• Some facts about the Whizzer's appearance here:

  • He is watching from afar after he was injured battling his son Nuklo in Giant-Size Avengers #1. He eventually recovers from these injuries by his next appearance in Avengers #151.

  • This story states that the Whizzer is the father of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. There has been much confusion to the parentage of these two heroes over the years and all are centered around how Pietro and Wanda were left in the care of the High Evolutionary:

    • It was first suggested in Giant-Size Avengers #1 that they were the children of the Whizzer and his wife Miss America, who died giving birth to the twins due to radiation in her body. This was at the High Evolutionary's Citadel of Science. The Whizzer fled off into the night in grief abandoning his children.

    • This was refuted in Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4 when the High Evolutionary's creation Bova claimed that they were the children of the mutant terrorist Magneto and his late wife Magda. Magda fled form her husband and it was claimed she gave birth to the twins at the High Evolutionary's citadel before fleeing into the wilderness herself.

    • However the real parents of these twins are Django and Marya Maximoff. Who for the longest time believed they were the adopted parents of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch since their biological children died as stated in Avengers #185. However years later in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4 it was stated that the High Evolutionary kidnapped those children for the purposes of experimenting on them. Then once he was finished and decides to cover up his work, he made it so they registered as mutants and then left them in Django and Marya's care as their "adopted" children.