Avengers Spotlight #27

Feb 8

Feb 8 Avengers Spotlight #27

Acts of Vengeance, 1980s

Hurting Inside

Boomerang has attacked the headquarters of Stark Enterprises. However, he hasn’t come to steal anything, he is only seeking out information about the industrial saboteur known as the Ghost.[1] He is doing so on behalf of his employer, Justin Hammer, and almost lets this slip when clashing with security. When the guards try to sound the alarm, Boomerang uses one of his weapons to cut the power. One of the men informs the villain that information on the Ghost is being held at the facility’s main security building, but they refuse to let him go any further.

This leads to a clash between Boomerang and Stark’s security forces that is evenly matched. Suddenly, a mysterious stranger in a trench coat and fedora phases through the wall.[2] He recounts how Boomerang and his friends — Blizzard and Blacklash — have all been trounced by Iron Man in the past. He suggests that Boomerang go up against an Avenger that is could be more easily defeated and recommends he after Hawkeye.

At that moment, Hawkeye’s wife Mockingbird is forcing him to see a doctor to be treated after being subjected to Mad-Dog’s poison. Clint is reluctant to trust the doctor but is forced to go through a rather painful examination.[3] He is diagnosed with a bladder infection and is given medication to treat the problem. After Mockingbird heads off to meet up with Big Bertha for lunch, Clint is left to his own devices.[4]

That’s when he is ambushed by Boomerang and, in the ensuing clash, a nearby building is set on fire by the villain’s flamerangs.[5] As the building is being evacuated, Hawkeye rushes into the burning building to save a woman trapped inside. After his daring rescue, he then snares Boomerang in a net arrow. Rather than getting thanks from the woman he just saved, she slaps him across the face. She has blames Hawkeye for her building being set on fire, and says superheroes are more of a menace than a help, prompting Hawkeye to walk away in shame.[6]

Recurring Characters

Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Boomerang, Loki,

Continuity Notes

The Ghost has been causing problems for both Tony Stark and Justin Hammer at the time of this story. See Iron Man #219-221 and 238-240.
This mystery man is revealed to be Loki in Avengers West Coast #55.
Here, Hawkeye states that he doesn’t trust doctors after his last experience with one. He is referring to Myron Steinmetz, a marriage councilor who was also working with Crossfire as part of a larger revenge scheme against Hawkeye. This was also when Clint was bitten by Mad-Dog. See Avengers Spotlight #23-25.
Big Bertha being one of the Great Lakes Avengers. Hawkeye and Mockingbird have been mentoring them since their debute in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #46.
Hawkeye recounts the recent break out at the Vault that happened last issue as well as Avengers headquarters at Hydrobase being sunk into the ocean. That happened in Avengers #311.
An undercurrent to the Acts of Vengeance event is that there is a growing resentment for superheroes and the United States threatening to pass a law forcing crime fighters to register with the government (sound familiar?). Unlike the later Civil War even, most heroes are against this during this event and the Fantastic Four manage to petition congress to lay off, as seen in Fantastic Four #334-336.

Some Assembly Required

After Hydrobase was sunk into the ocean, part-time Avenger Stingray has been summoned to assist with the salvage operation. This is because there is equipment and materials that were contained in Avengers Mansion that could be dangerous if they got into the wrong hands. Searching the wreckage, he discovers that the Heavy Metal robots that were being held in the mansion are now gone with no evidence of what may have happened to them.[1] That’s when he is ambushed from behind by something. Luckily, Stingray manages to send off a signal before being knocked out.

On the surface, Firebird, Black Widow, Moondragon, and Hellcat are assisting with the salvage operation on the surface.[2] Getting Stingray’s distress signal, Firebird tries to rush ahead of the others but is knocked back out of the water by Stingray’s attacker, the Awesome Android. Having adapted Stingray’s powers, the android leaps from the water with Stingray as its prisoner. The four female Avengers try to stop the rampaging android, but it proves too powerful. This prompts the Black Widow to radio for more help, but many of the core Avengers are busy fending off attacks by various villains of their own.[3]

In New Orleans, Monica Rambeau cancels a date so she can aid the team as Captain Marvel. She races to the scene where the battle is not going very well. This is because the Awesome Android is able to adapt to whatever attacks are used against it. Captain Marvel takes command of the situation and dives into the waters to recover a stasis field projector from the ruins of Avengers Mansion. Coordinating the other Avengers through a psi-link established by Moondragon, Captain Marvel commands Firebird to channel her powers into the projector to power it up enough to render the Awesome Android inert once more.

In the aftermath of the battle, the Black Widow is concerned that more Avengers didn’t answer their distress call and wonders if it has any connection to the sinking of Hydrobase.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Firebird, Hellcat, Moondragon, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Stingray), Awesome Android

Continuity Notes

Heavy Metal were a collection of robots, androids, and other artificially intelligent lifeforms that were gathered by the Super-Adaptoid. This was all part of an effort by the Adaptoid to gain access to the Cosmic Cube and use its power to transform Earth into an Adaptoid utopia. Among its numbers included Machine Man, TESS-One, the Awesome Android, and the Kree Sentry. They were all defeated by the Avengers and stored on Hydrobase for safe keeping, see Avengers #286-290. The fate of these robots is revealed in Avengers Annual #19.
Firebird mentions how she recently learned that she learned the true scope of her powers. She discovered that she had control over heat energy and that her powers were of alien origin rather than divine ones. See Avengers Spotlight #24.
This of course is a plug for other parts of the Acts of Vengeance event that was happening in all the Avengers related titles and other Marvel books at the time. The conflicts referenced here include:
- Thor’s battle with the Juggernaut which took place in Thor #411-412.
- Iron Man’s battle with the Wrecker, chronicled in Iron Man #251.
- Captain America fighting a mind-controlled Sub-Mariner in Captain America #365.
- Quasar battling the Absorbing Man in Quasar #5.
- Lastly, the Avengers West Coast’s battle with the U-Foes in Avengers West Coast #53.

Topical References

Monica Rambeau is depicted as having a pager to receive Avengers distress calls. This should be considered a topical reference as pagers are an obsolete technology.