Avengers Spotlight #28

Feb 8

Feb 8 Avengers Spotlight #28

1990s, Acts of Vengeance

Denver Doubles

In Denver, Colorado, the Avengers known as Hawkeye and Mockingbird are holding up a jewelry store. This only the most recent of a string of brazen robberies committed by the pair, or is it?

The story makes front page news and when Hawkeye and Mockingbird read about it at Avengers Compound in California, it becomes clear to them that they are being frame for crimes they did not commit.

The pair then take a Quinjet and fly to Denver International Airport. Announcing their arrival, they find a team of police officers waiting to put them under arrest. Hawkeye insists that they are innocent of the crimes they are accused of. This leads to a tense stand-off until a radio report comes in that Hawkeye and Mockingbird are apparently robbing a bank across town. This convinces the officers that the two Avengers have been telling the truth.

Racing to the scene, Hawkeye and Mockingbird confront the two impostors in the middle of their robbery. Mockingbird is surprised to see that these impostors look exactly like them. However, on the other hand sees them for who they really are: the sonic-sound producing criminals Angar the Screamer and Screaming Mimi. In fact, he is the only one who can see the villains for who they really are. Realizing the jig is up, Angar begins using his power to make people hallucinate through sound to cause the one of the guards to being seeing demons. In a panic, he pulls out his gun and begins trying to shoot these phantoms.

Quickly, Hawkeye pushes Mockingbird down out of the path of the bullets. Then using his bow and arrow he disarms the rent-a-cop and then wraps up Angar and Mimi in a bolo arrow. Calling in the authorities and gets sound-cancelling muzzles on the two villains so they can be incarcerated. Mockingbird and the police are puzzled as to how the pair were able to trick people into thinking they were Hawkeye and Mockingbird. Hawkeye was able to get the story out of the pair directly. They were among the super-criminals who escaped from the Vault.[1] In a chance meeting the pair realized they had similar powers and worked on using them in concert to create the illusion that they were the two heroes.

The only thing that the cops don’t understand is how Hawkeye was unable to see the illusion. The archer answers by jokingly saying he can’t hear him and turns up his hearing aid.[2]

Recurring Characters

Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Screaming Mimi, Angar the Screamer

Continuity Notes

The break out at the Vault happened in Avengers Spotlight #26.
Hawkeye wears a hearing aid because he has suffered a loss of 80% of his hearing. There are conflicting accounts as to when this happened. Hawkeye #4 shows that Clint purposely inflicted this disability on himself to counteract the effects of Crossfire’s sonic weapon that was forcing him and Mockingbird to fight to the death. However, Hawkeye (vol. 4) #19 states that Clint actually suffered a loss to his hearing due to an abusive childhood. As of this writing (April, 2022) Marvel has yet to clarify. I posit a theory on that here.

Second Thoughts

A mysterious entity has been offering to help break super-villains out of the Vault. All of them have accepted the offer as part of a grand scheme to take down Earth’s superheroes.[1] Mulling it over, the Thinker calculates that this plan has flaws and will more than likely end in failure. When he refuses his mysterious benefactor’s aid and explains how his plan will fail, the mystery man takes offense and teleports away.

Pondering the situation over some more, the Mad Thinker contemplates the push for legislation that will force the super-hero community to register with the government, which has become a hot button topic since the break out at the Vault.[2] He determines that such laws would negative impact future schemes and decides to break out after all in order to shift public support against registration.

In Washington, DC, out side the Capitol Building, protestors both for and against superhuman registration have gathered. On this day the Clarion, a civil liberties agency that is against registration is holding a public speech to show their support to the superhero community. They have gotten the Avengers known as the Wasp and Wonder Man to speak with the crowd. Given the podium, the Wasp tells the gathered crowd that while she and Wonder Man have made their true identities public, other superheroes do not have that luxury and being forced to register with the government will affect their ability to remain anonymous and put their family and friends at risk.

Suddenly, the gathering is attacked by the giant super-villain known as Gargantua.[3] The two Avengers then spring into action to take Gargantua down. This is made somewhat more difficult because Wonder Man forgot to bring his jet pack with him for this function. The Wasp, having experience with giants, is able to hold her own against their foe.[4] During the fight, it becomes clear that someone is giving the dim witted Gargantua orders remotely. The Wasp then flies into his ear and finds a transmitter inside. Destroying the device, the Wasp talks directly into Gargantua’s ears and gives him order to bend over, allowing Wonder Man to knock the giant out with a single punch.

With Gargantua defeated, Wonder Man and the Wasp continue the speech which is received with overwhelming support. Observing this from his secret hideout, the Mad Thinker is content with his success and begins working on his next scheme.

Recurring Characters

Wonder Man, Wasp, Mad Thinker, Loki, Gargantua

Continuity Notes

This mystery man is revealed to be Loki in Avengers West Coast #55.
The attempts to legislate super-heroes is covered in Fantastic Four #334-336.
A footnote here tells readers that Gargauntua was previously known by the name Leviathan. The dimwitted giant went by that previous name in Defenders #126, 128, and Captain America #338.
The Wasp states here that Gargantua reminds her of her ex-husband. This would be Hank Pym aka Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, and Yellowjacket. The two were crime fighting partners for years starting in Tales to Astonish #44. They got married in Avengers #60. More recently the pair got divorced after Hank struck Janet in Avengers #213.

Topical References

After knocking out Gargantua, Wonder Man quips “Bring on Tyson!” This is a reference to boxer Mike Tyson who, at the time this story was published was a heavy weight champion for many years. This should be considered a topical reference since Tyson had mostly retired in the early 2000s and no longer holds the title of heavyweight champion.