Mighty Avengers #20

June 13, 2024 Nick Peron

Years Ago…[1]

The Avengers have recovered the body of Captain America (Steve Rogers) from the ocean. This legendary hero from World War II has miraculously spent the decades since 1945 in a state of suspended animation. While the hero is recovering he is watched over by Giant-Man (Hank Pym) and the Wasp (Janet Van Dyne). They are astonished to learn that this is the real Captain America and that he has survived all these years since he went missing in 1945. They marvel at how much has changed since he went missing. Janet then takes the moment to tell Hank how grateful she is of the life he has brought her into and the two affirm their love for one another. Janet then tells Hank that if he were ever in suspended animation, she’d wait for him to return.

Now

Hank Pym, who has spent months as a prisoner of the Skrulls, has been freed following their failed invasion of the Earth. However, this has come at a price, as Janet seemingly died in the final battle.[2] Now he sits in a church with his friends Carol Danvers (aka Ms. Marvel) and Simon Williams (aka Wonder Man) going over the funeral plans. Hank is so shellshocked from everything that has happened in his absence. Hank finds this all a lot to take in, especially since there will be a coffin but no body to go into it. Hank decides to go and leave everything to Carol to arrange.

When Hank goes to the car waiting for him outside he is swarmed by members of the media looking for comment about all the things that have happened since he was replaced.[3] Carol angrily tells them to show some respect for her grieving friend. When they got into the car, she explains to Hank that the Skrull who posed as him for months was one of the faces of the invasion. Hank isn’t certain when he was replaced and wants to know what went down. When Carol tries to defer this until late, Pym insists that she tell him everything.

Carol tells him how the Scarlet Witch went mad and used her powers to alter the fabric of reality. While Earth’s heroes managed to set everything back it came at the cost of the majority of the world’s mutant population.[4] She talks about the Super Human Registration Act (SHRA) that was passed into law and how this led to a clash between Iron Man (Tony Stark) and Captain America (Steve Rogers).[5] Next, she tearfully talks about how Captain America surrendered only to be assassinated before his trial.[6] Then came the Hulk’s attack on Earth after he was exiled into space.[7] She finishes by telling him about the Skrull invasion that ultimately led to Janet’s death. Hank realizes that the last time he saw Janet was when they two were arguing over his decision to move to England and breaks down in tears.

Later, crowds of people have arrived at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan to pay their final respects to Janet Van Dyne. The funeral is attended by both registered and outlaw heroes, including Tony Stark. After delivering his sermon, the priest asks if anyone would like to come up and say any words. Much to Carol’s dread, Hank gets up and goes to the podium. Hank singles out Tony Stark and berates him for everything that happened, blaming him for the deaths of both Janet and Captain America. Giving into his grief, Hank sobs for a moment alone until Thor arrives and puts his hand on his shoulder. The thunder god tells the audience about how Janet was a valiant warrior who helped found the Avengers and that she has certainly earned herself a place in Valhalla.[8] He then flies off with Hank, telling the audience that they are going to grieve Janet in private. Tony Stark looks at the portrait of Janet and then hangs his head in shame.

After the service is over, Clint Barton (aka Ronin), Bobbi Morse (aka Mockingbird) and Carol Danvers are on their way out when they spot Norman Osborn shaking hands with others in attendance. Clint takes offense to this and confronts Norman about showing up, given his criminal past as the Green Goblin. As the new head of national security, Osborn merely tells Barton that he has 24 hours to register to his Initiative program or else he will be hunted down and brought to justice.[9] This makes Clint belligerent, and he has to be pulled away before he makes a scene. As they walk away, Norman’s assistant Victoria Hand scoffs at how the mighty have fallen.

Later, Osborn is sitting alone in Avengers Tower looking over New York City. He thinks about the power he now wields and smiles.[10]

Recurring Characters

Hank Pym, Tony Stark, Carol Danvers, Simon Williams, Thor, Clint Barton, Bobbi Morse, Norman Osborn, Natasha Romanov, Jessica Drew, Thing, Human Torch, Matt Murdock, Maria Hill, Hercules, Victoria Hand, (flashback) Giant-Man, Wasp, Captain America

Continuity Notes

This flashback takes place during the events of Avengers #4, just after the Avengers discovered Captain America in suspended animation. Per the Sliding Timescale, this would have taken place roughly 11 years prior to the main story.
Some things to know off the top at the start of this story:
- Hank Pym was captured and replaced with a Skrull impostor, as seen in Mighty Avengers #15. This happened circa House of M #1.
- This impostor then offered the Wasp a power upgrade which was a secret trojan horse to be used in the event that the Skrulls were losing their invasion. This happened in Mighty Avengers #6 as we learned in issue #15.
- This final weapon was used by the Skrulls in Secret Invasion #8 in an effort to kill all of Earth’s heroes during the final battle in Central Park. Janet seemingly sacrificed her life in order to save the others. In reality, Janet was shunted to the Microverse and will be recused in Avengers (vol. 4) #31-34.
The majority of the questions surround the what happened when the Super Human Registration Act (SHRA) was passed. This was a law that required superhumans to register with the government. This caused a division in the superhero community of those who supported and those who were against the law which came into force in Civil War #3. The Skrull who posed as Hank supported the law. Specific mentions made here are the death of Bill Foster (aka Goliath) one of Hank’s friends since Avengers #32, as well as a clone of Thor. See Civil War #4-5. This law will remain on the books until Siege #4.
The Scarlet Witch altered reality in House of M #1-6. When everything was restored to normal, Wanda also depowered the majority of the mutant population and eliminated the mutant gene entirely, preventing new mutants from being born. This will remain the status quo until Avengers vs. X-Men #12.
This of course is referring to the Civil War event which primarily took place in Civil War #1-7. We also see the formation of Tony’s team of government sanctioned Avengers, which happened in Mighty Avengers #1.
Steve Rogers was seemingly killed in Captain America (vol. 5) #25. What people don’t know is that he was shot with a chronal bullet that has caused him to relive his life in a loop. He will remain trapped in this purgatory until Captain America: Reborn #1-6.
The Hulk was exiled to the planet Skaar where he went from being a gladiatorial slave to ruler. However, he was robbed of this when the ship that sent him into exile exploded, decimating the entire world. He then launched an invasion of Earth which its heroes barely managed to stop. See Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #91-105 and World War Hulk #1-5.
Thor, Hank, and Janet were founding members of the Avengers along with Iron Man and the Hulk as seen in Avengers #1.
Here, Clint mentions that Norman was the Green Goblin a criminal role he had since Amazing Spider-Man #14. In more recent times, he was put in charge of the Thunderbolts, a team of villains seeking redemption in Thunderbolts #110. It was in this role that he eliminated the leader of the Skrull invasion of Earth. This made him a hero in the eyes of the public and he was put in charge of SHIELD. See Secret Invasion #8. Osborn’s reign will come to a violent end in Siege #1-4.
Here we get a plug for Dark Avengers #1, where Norman forms his own team of Avengers which is comprised mostly of criminals posing as heroes.

Topical References

In the flashback, Giant-Man and the Wasp mention all of the things Captain America missed while in suspended animation. They mention television, Pop Tarts, tin foil, McDonald’s, and the Beatles. Since these references are being made in a historical context they wouldn’t necessarily be considered topical references in this case. However, it should be noted that the number of years Cap has spent in suspended animation will be considered topical as it is relative to the date of publication and will continue to grow as the Sliding Timescale bumps the Modern Age forward in time.
Norman Osborn is depicted as shaking hands with former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary. As these are real world politicians their appearance here should be considered topical. Particularly because both are in their late 70s as I write this in July of 2024.

Secret Invasion Reading Order