Avengers Spotlight #29

Feb 8

Feb 8 Avengers Spotlight #29

1990s, Acts of Vengeance

What’s The Point?

Hawkeye has been summoned to meet with documentary filmmaker Dollar Bill at the local hospital. Bill is not happy that his doctors weren’t able to get Daredevil, the hero he actually wanted, but decides to ask for help anyway since the situation is so dire.[1] He tells Hawkeye how he got into trouble recording the latest episode of the “Madcap Comedy Hour”. He explains that Madcap is a nihilist who cannot die and they film his crazy antics and stunts.

Playing the recording of the latest episode, Hawkeye witnesses Dollar Bill’s capture of Madcap as he is is kidnapped by a pair of men armed with high tech weapons based on construction tools. Hawkeye reluctantly agrees to try and track down what happened to Madcap, annoyed by the fact that Bill doesn’t seem to know who he really is.

Getting the license plate from the abductor’s vehicles, Hawkeye traces the ownership to Scuzz, a local punk bar. Going inside and sitting at the bar the hero orders a drink only to have a trap door opened under him. He falls into a room where Madcap is strung upside-down and being tortured by his abductors, the Power Tools. Their employer is furious that Hawkeye has stumbled upon their operation and orders his minions to kill the archer.

In the ensuing battle, Hawkeye manages to free Madcap who then proceeds to use his madness gaze upon one of the Power Tools, a woman with a saw attachment with the unoriginal named of Handsaw. By this point, their leader — who turns out to be mad scientist Karl Malus — reveals himself and explains that he wanted to learn the secrets of Madcap’s inability to die. With his plan falling apart, he sets his hideout to self destruct.

With the Power Tools defeated, Hawkeye suggests that he and Madcap hightail it out. However, the lunatic goes back inside to recover his arm, which was severed in battle. The building explodes, but unsurprisingly, Madcap survives the blast. Hawkeye had had enough excitement for one evening and decides to let Madcap go after Malus alone, figuring if anyone should have to deal with this, it should be Daredevil.

Recurring Characters

Hawkeye, Dollar Bill, Madcap, Power Tools (Vice, Triphammer, Pick Axe, Handsaw), Karl Malus

Continuity Notes

The reason why Dollar Bill was hoping for Daredevil is because the hero once dealt with Madcap back in Daredevil #234.

Topical References

Dollar Bill’s copy of the “Madcap Comedy Hour” is depicted as being recorded on VHS tape and played on a CRT television. This should all be considered topical as these are obsolete technologies.

Tales From the Vault (Conclusion)

The Acts of Vengeance conspiracy has ended and the masterminds behind it have failed to eliminate America’s superheroes. With the Vault prison back up and running, Iron Man has arrived to hand deliver newly advanced suits of Guardsmen armor to prevent another break out from happening. He is now running the guards through how the suits operate, confident that they can never fall into the wrong hands as he has designed them to not function outside of the prison.[1]

The training session is interrupted when one of the staff informs Iron Man that all the escaped villains are being returned to the prison.[2] Heading down to the cell block, Iron Man witnesses as members of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four are returning the likes of the Rhino, Absorbing Man, Angar the Screamer, Screaming Mimi, Nekra, Titania, the Quill, Flying Tiger and the Eel back to their cells.[3] Once all the criminals are incarcerated, Captain America thanks Iron Man and his employer, Tony Stark, for stepping up to make sure the Vault is secure again.

Not long after the other Avengers and Fantastic Four have left, the Vault receives its latest prisoner, the Wizard, who was betrayed by his co-conspirators who rigged his teleportation system to deliver him into the hands of the authorities.[4] Upon his arrest, they also confiscated the briefcase that contained the Wizard’s armor. Iron Man asks to examine it to make sure the case is not booby-trapped. It absolutely is and upon examination, Iron Man unleashes Klaw who was hiding within. Klaw keeps Iron Man busy with solid sound constructs while the Wizard scrambles to put on his suit of armor. As Iron Man uses the uni-beam in his armor to negate Klaw’s sound powers, the head Guardsman — Guardsman Prime — easily subdues the Wizard with his new suit of armor. Stripped down to his underwear, the Wizard complains that Guardsman Prime wouldn’t be so tough without his armor.

Taking him up on this challenge, Guardsman Prime removes his armor and re-introduces himself, Frank Ensign, the Guardsman the Wizard almost killed when he first broke out of prison. Ensign knocks the Wizard out with a single punch and when Iron Man walks in and asks what just happened, Frank claims that the Wizard had fallen.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Guardsman Prime, Eel, Flying Tiger, Quill, Titania, Nekra, Screaming Mimi, Absorbing Man, Rhino, Angar the Screamer, the Wizard, Klaw, Human Torch, Thing, Captain America, Thor, Avengers West Coast (Wasp, Wonder Man, Vision)

Continuity Notes

Previously, Tony Stark has bricked all the old suits of Guardsman armor in order to prevent the unauthorized Starktech inside from falling in the wrong hands. This wasn’t a popular move, forcing Stark to fake Iron Man’s death and claim that there was a new individual in the suit of armor. See Iron Man #225-232 and Captain America #340.
Loki had caused a break-out at the Vault back in Avengers Spotlight #26, as part of his Acts of Vengeance conspiracy.
The captures of these villains were all depicted in Avengers Spotlight #28 (Angar and Mimi), Fantastic Four #335 (Eel, Flying Tiger, Quill), Quasar #5 (Absorbing Man), Spectacular Spider-Man #160 (Rhino), Web of Spider-Man #59 (Titania), and Alpha Flight #79-81 (Nekra)
The Wizard was betrayed in Avengers #313.