New Avengers #15
Public Relations
Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) is asked to assist on a routine prisoner transport.[1] The prisoner in question is (Ulysses) Klaw, who can turn sonic energy into solid light constructs. When Klaw attempts to escape, he learns, to his great regret, that his powers have little effect on someone like Carol, who can absorb energy.[2] When he unloads on her, she ends up absorbing so much of his solid sound form that only his sonic horn is left. This takes a bit out of her and after Klaw is secured again, one of the guards tells her that she can head back to New York. When she asks what for, that’s when she learns that there is a new team of Avengers that is being announced.[3]
Carol was aware of the new team before the public, but thought they were going to play it low key. However, since the Sentry’s Watchtower materialized on the roof of Stark Tower, she supposes that they couldn’t keep things under wraps anymore.[4] Ms. Marvel decides to go to New York for the big event and when she arrives at Stark Tower she is welcomed in by Edwin Jarvis, the team’s resident butler.[5]
On the 34th floor, she meets with the current roster — Captain America (Steve Rogers), Iron Man (Tony Stark), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Luke Cage, Wolverine (Logan), and Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew),[6] — and can’t help but think that she never thought some of them would ever become an Avenger.[7] After everyone greets Carol, they all head off to get ready since their press conference is in an hour.[8] While the others are gone, Steve sits down with Carol and says that if she has come to see if she can join the team that she welcome, because once an Avenger, always an Avenger.
Carol is flattered, but she actually came by to talk to Steve about her recent experiences during the House of M incident. While it was a massive blow to the mutant community, she has come out of the experience feeling greater than ever.[9] She is has decided to give it her all and live up to the Ms. Marvel name. Cap is glad to hear that Carol is going to be pushing herself to be the best she can be. He also tells her that the Avengers will always be there if she ever needs them. After a tearful hug, Carol then asks if she can stick around and watch the press conference because new roster day is her favorite thing about the Avengers. Steve lets her, but he’s not as certain this will be as celebrated as past roster announcements.
No sooner does he say this do they walk in on Wolverine and Iron Man arguing. Logan refuses to go out in front of the public. Even if this would be a good show of solidarity with human/mutant relations as they are. Logan points out that he has killed a lot of people in his time and refuses to go out on a stage, telling Stark that this wasn’t part of their deal. Tony then goes to coach the others telling them that this press release will make them icons. This worries Peter Parker, who reminds everyone that he gets nothing but bad press, particularly from the Daily Bugle.[10] Tony tells Peter not to worry about it and promises that this time, they’re going to use the media to their advantage.[11] Seconds later, Jarvis enters the room with J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, and Kate Farrell of the Daily Bugle. They were invited to meet with the New Avengers on behalf of Captain America and Iron Man, ahead of the public announcement of the new roster.
Iron Man takes this opportunity to offer Jameson exclusive stories and access to the team and their missions in exchange for laying off Spider-Man in his editorials.[12] Jonah is visibly conflicted over this, but Joe tells Jameson that if he doesn’t take the offer, he’ll quit. After a tense moment of silence, Jameson surprises everyone when he reaches out to shake Spider-Man’s hand, seemingly accepting the deal. With minutes before they go out in front of the press, Spider-Woman has second thoughts. She doesn’t feel worthy to be out there after she almost killed Cap earlier that day. Steve tells her that she needs to go out and face the public due to her messy situation as a double agent for both SHIELD and Hydra.[13] He also promises to help her get out of the mess she is currently in.[14]
Captain America then goes out to address the media and the crowd. He makes an emotional speech about how the Avengers were a family and how they have suffered losses leading to the group disbanding. He says that was premature and recently a new group of unlikely heroes stepped up to defend the city.[15] He then announces the New Avengers team, to thunderous applause from people there live and those watching at home on TV. Although this is a celebrated occasion, things are soured when the Avengers read J. Jonah Jameson’s editorial. Rather than focusing entirely on Spider-Man, Jonah instead focused on the checkered pasts of the rest of the new recruits.[16]
Upset by all of this, Jessica says she needs to go out, but declines an offer to join from Wolverine. This is because she is meeting with Connelly, her handler within Hydra. She tells him how she admitted everything to the New Avengers and this, in turn, got Nick Fury to briefly come out of hiding to pledge to help the Avengers in secret to take down the terrorist organization. Connelly is pleased with this intel and tells Jessica that she has saved her life for another day.[17]
Recurring Characters
New Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, “Spider-Woman”, Wolverine, Sentry), Klaw, Ms. Marvel, “Edwin Jarvis”, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Kate Farrell, Jessica Jones, Mary Jane Watson, Aunt May, Connely
Continuity Notes
Carol refers to the various codenames she has gone by over the years. Of course there is her original nom de gurre, Ms. Marvel, which she started using in Ms. Marvel #1. She later started calling herself Binary starting in Uncanny X-Men #164. She then began calling herself Warbird in Avengers (vol. 3) #4. She started going back to Ms. Marvel House of M #1.
In her narration, she also mentions how Klaw became a being of sonic sound, as seen in Fantastic Four #53/56.
When Carol is told about the New Avengers public unveiling there are some key facts that are glossed over:
One being that she quit the team to join the Department of Homeland Security in Avengers (vol. 3) #70.
The original Avengers disbanded after the Scarlet Witch went mad and decimated the team, as seen in Avengers #500-503/Avengers: Finale #1.
Lastly, the New Avengers — while forming in New Avengers #2 — hadn’t been revealed to the public until last issue.
The Watchtower was hidden from view because everyone was being forced to forget the Sentry existed. It materialized after the team helped free his mind. See New Avengers #7-10.
This is not the real Jarvis, but a Skrull spy who took his place prior to New Avengers #1. Part of a massive invasion of Earth which will take place in Secret Invasion #1-8. The truth about this infiltrator will be revealed in the first issue of that series.
The woman who appears to be Spider-Woman here is another Skrull spy, named Veranke, as will be revealed in Secret Invasion #3. New Avengers #42 shows that she took the place of the real Jessica Drew circa Giant-Size Spider-Woman #1.
When remarking that she never thought some members of the New Avengers would ever join the team, she figures that’s what people thought of her when she joined the group. Carol became affiliated with the Avengers starting in Avengers #171, but she did not officially become a member of the team until issue #186.
“Jessica” and Peter complain about their costumes smelling for different reasons:
“Spider-Woman says that her costume still smells like dead ninja. This is in reference to the New Avengers recent clash with the Hand. See New Avengers #11-13.
Spider-Man says his costume smells like symbiote. He is referring to members of the Klyntar race, symbiotic creatures that bond with a living host. Peter wore one for a while between Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #6 and Amazing Spider-Man #258. At the time of this story, the last recorded time he fought a symbiote was the then current Venom, Mac Gargan in Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #11. Looking at his chronology that was a while ago, so if he’s not joking that’s pretty gross.
What is the House of M? A whole kettle of fish, that’s what. The details:
The House of M was when the Scarlet Witch used her powers to change reality into one where mutants were the dominant species on Earth. An event that primarily took place in House of M #1-5.When the Avengers and X-Men opposed this new reality, the Scarlet Witch realized her error and changed everything back.
The other thing that Wanda did was depower nearly every mutant on Earth in an event called M-Day. This has been kept a secret from the general public. The reason why House of M has a stroke through it every time it is mentioned here is to signify that to the readers. See Decimation: House of M - The Day After #1.
During the reality warp, Carol experienced a new life where she was the most popular non-mutant hero on Earth. This was also seen in the base House of M mini-series but as in Giant-Size Ms. Marvel #1.
Spider-Man earned the ire of Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson who saw the wall-crawler as overshadowing real heroes like his son, John an astronaut. He has been pretty much editorializing how much a menace Spider-Man is since Amazing Spider-Man #1.
Tony tells Peter to hide his aunt and wife. The wife in question is Mary Jane Watson who, at the time of this story, had been married to Peter since Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21. However, in Amazing Spider-Man #545, reality will be altered so that the two never got married. In the new timeline, Peter and Mary Jane are still engaged, so Tony would either be referring to MJ as either Peter’s fianceé, girlfriend, or some other term referring to a common-law or long term romance.
One of the newspaper editorials that Iron Man pulls up is one that reads “Spider-Man Clone a Menace”, Peter has been cloned many, many, many times. The first recorded clone (later known as Ben Reilly) appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #149.
“Jessica’s” position on the Avengers is quite precarious in this story. As we learned last issue and in Giant-Size Spider-Woman #1, she was approached by Hydra to restore her lost powers. In exchange, they asked her to spy on SHIELD. Jessica took this to Nick Fury who told her to go through with the deal so she can spy on Hydra for him. What nobody knows is that she was swapped out with a Skrull while having her powers restored. She also mentions how she almost killed Cap, this was when she intentionally set Madame Hydra free after the team captured her. See New Avengers #11-13.
Captain America reminds her that he is affiliated with SHIELD. Steve has been an active agent on and off over the years since Tales of Suspense #78.
Captain America mentions how the Avengers were the ones who found him in suspended animation years earlier, a state he had been in since 1945, as seen in Avengers #4.
Of the newly joined team members, Jonah has this to say:
He calls Spider-Woman a terrorist. This is because, early in her career, she was tricked into working for Hydra but was shown the errors of her way by Nick Fury. See Marvel Spotlight #32.
Jameson calls Luke Cage a former heroin dealer. As seen in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1, Luke was convicted of a crime he did not commit. He eventually cleared his name in Power Man and Iron Fist #50.
Jessica Jones is furious because she works for the Bugle and threatens to quit. Jess has been working for their superhero focused magazine The Pulse, as seen in The Pulse #1-14. She will quit after giving birth to her and Luke’s daughter, Dani.
At the time of this story, Nick Fury has gone underground after an unsanctioned coup in Latveria. See Secret War #1-5.
