Solo Avengers #6
Algeria is for Archers
Now
Owing Silver Sable a favor, Hawkeye has agreed to travel to Algeria on a mission with French superhero le Peregrine. As they make their way to their objective, Hawkeye blows the element of surprise by attacking the guards. This annoys le Peregrine as he wanted to go in quietly. Since the damage has already been done, they smash their way into the library of a nearby building. There they take out more gunmen before discovering a secret passageway..
Earlier
With the situation with Trickshot dealt with, Hawkeye wants to get back home to America. However, Silver Sable has other plans and enlists him to help her capture the Red Skull. When Hawkeye points out that the Skull is dead, Sable explains that she is not after the Nazi from World War II, but an impostor who operated under the guise during the 1950s.[1] This Red Skull has stolen the timing device for a nuclear weapon and Silver Sable International has been enlisted to get it back. She says that her best operative was sent to retrieve it and has gone incommunicado. If Hawkeye helps with this mission, Sable will put him on the next flight back home.
Now
The secret passage way leads Hawkeye and le Peregrine into the Red Skull’s secret hideout where he is plotting to use a nuclear bomb to blackmail other nations. When the two heroes ambush the Skull and his men, Hawkeye notices a container full of dirt that their foe seems focused on for some reason. Following his intuition, Hawkeye shatters the glass, freeing Silver Sable’s captured operative, the Sandman.[2]
Sandman is a much welcomed addition to the battle, allowing Hawkeye and le Peregrine to easily trounce the Red Skull’s minions. The Skull, however, decides to cut his losses and tries to escape after setting the nuclear bomb to go off in six minutes. Unfortunately for the Red Skull, Hawkeye disables his escape craft and le Peregrine nabs the spy as he tries to eject. With the bomb about to blow in minutes, Sandman takes a gamble and tries clogging the bomb with sand. Amazingly, this idea works and the bomb is rendered useless.
Unmasking the Red Skull, they are surprised to see that he is a withered old man. Despite his age, the Skull vows to get revenge. After the authorities are called to take the terrorists into custody, le Peregrine laments that the timing device they were sent to recover was destroyed and that Silver Sable will dock this from their pay. Sandman points out that it was unavoidable but le Peregrine jokes that he would have rather been killed in a nuclear explosion than have to face Silver Sable over this failure. Hawkeye, exhausted after his ordeal can’t wait to be rid of Silver Sable and her mercs and go home.
Recurring Characters
Hawkeye, Red Skull, Silver Sable, Sandman, le Peregrine
Continuity Notes
Some fact about the two Red Skulls:
Hawkeye states here that Captain America reported the original Red Skull, Johann Schmidt, dead. At the time of this story, the Red Skull appeared to have died of old age in Captain America #300. In reality, he cheated death by having his mind transferred into a clone of Steve Rogers, as we’ll learn in Captain America #350.
The second Red Skull was a communist named Albert Malik who first appeared in Young Men #24. As explained in Captain America Annual #13, Malik was selected by the Russian government to give the Soviet people a legend to rally behind following the death of Joseph Stalin. Why they would chose the identity of a former Nazi is beyond me, but that’s how it went.
There are some issues that arise with Malek still being alive in the Modern Age. See below.
Here, Hawkeye makes a passing mention how the Sandman had gone straight. Flint Marko gave up his life of crime in Marvel Two-In-One #86. He started working for Sable in Amazing Spider-Man #281.
Topical References
Hawkeye makes a quip asking Silver Sable if she has the that month’s issue of Bullwinkle & Rocky. At the time of this story, Marvel Comics published a licensed comic about the two titular cartoon characters. The reference here should be considered topical since that series stopped publication in November, 1988.
Scattered Lives
While on patrol, the Falcon and his trusty falcon Redwing pass by the former site of Avengers Mansion. The site is long gone and will be the spot for a memorial arboretum.[1] Falcon can hardly believe the mansion is gone, but puts those thoughts aside as he heads back into his home neighborhood of Harlem.
When he arrives he sees an angry mob has formed out front of his father’s old church. The current property owner is intending to demolish the building in order to build new shops. This hasn’t been received well by the community who are slowly being pushed out of Harlem by gentrification. They are particularly upset since the buyer is a local crime boss named Victor Meachum. The Falcon prevents violence from breaking out, telling the mob that he doesn’t want to see his family church torn down any more than they do and encourages them to engage in peaceful protest to wear down the developers.
That’s when a local schizophrenic named Scatterbrain appears on the scene and begins spouting nonsense. His mental illness is known to the locals and they whisper jokes about him. However, there is more to Scatterbrain than meets the eye. When he starts making threats, a police officer tries to escort him from the property. Somehow, Scatterbrain has the power to drive the cop crazy and he starts hassling the property owner, telling him he needs top secret clearance from the CIA to develop the land. Scatterbrain then uses his power to transform two of the protestors into hideous monsters. When Falcon and Redwing swoop in to stop them, the monsters revert back to human form when struck.
Seeing Scatterbrain as the real threat, Falcon tries to stop him but the madman uses his reality warping powers to transform two passing cars into flying saucers. Falcon chases after the two UFOs and tries to stop them from harming people. However, once they get far enough away they revert back to normal, tipping Falcon off to the fact that Scatterbrain’s powers have a limited range. When he goes back to the church, Scatterbrain transforms more protestors into monsters to swarm the hero. However, he doesn’t anticipate that Falcon has a mental link with Redwing. On command, Redwing swoops down and distracts Scatterbrain long enough for Falcon to knock him out.
As the police arrive on the scene, Victor Meachum arrives and offers to preserve the church so the community can still worship there. However, Falcon turns down this offer flat, saying that his people will not sell their souls to a mobster like him, even if it means saving the community church. As he walks away, Sam vows to build a new church for the community so people are not beholden to a scumbag like him.
Recurring Characters
Falcon, Redwing
Continuity Notes
Avengers Mansion was heavily damaged during a siege of the property by the Masters of Evil that happened in Avengers #273-277. The structure was relocated to Hydrobase in issue #294. The property is converted into a park, as seen in X-Factor #23. It will remain like this until a new headquarters for the Avengers is constructed in Avengers #329.
Albert Malek in the Modern Age
As the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age forward, it becomes increasingly impossible to explain how Malek could still be alive without some method of prolonging his life through artificial means. As of this writing (March, 2022) Marvel has yet to offer an explanation. Since Malek was a spy in his own right, it doesn’t seem outlandish that he could have stolen some means of prolonging his life or putting himself in suspended animation.
