The Avengers 10
The Coming of Wonder Man!
"At last!" Zemo exclaimed as he, the Enchantress and the Executioner stumbled back into the jungle temple that served as Zemo's base. It having been weeks since they had been banished from the Earth by the magic of Lady Thor's hammer, the temple was overrun with vines.
"I see your slaves deserted." Amora the Enchantress looked at the abandoned courtyard with some disdain. Everywhere she looked she saw signs of rot and decay.
"Weaklings!" Zemo swore. The older man wheezed under his mask. "My defeat at the hands of Captain America was a minor setback, nothing more! When we've regained our strength, we shall teach those jungle savages that Zemo is supreme!"
"We barely survived the fires of Muspelheim mortal," the Executioner spat, "tell me, what sorcery have you to restore us to glory?"
Zemo found himself staring down two rather annoyed Asgardians. In reply, Zemo tore away a group of vines, revealing a lever. Pulling it down, he stepped aside as a panel in the wall slid away. "Follow me."
Down a dusty staircase, Zemo flipped a series of levers. The chamber was flooded with light. "An impressive machine mortal. What does it do?"
"This? This is the key to our future. All we need is a test subject."
Simon Williams was by most standards a nice guy. His brother Eric would have called him a wimp, while his father Sanford would have called him a disappointment, providing the older man was still alive. As it was, Simon was thrust into the position of overseeing Williams Innovations when he was only a few years out of school.
Simon was a lot of things but a businessman wasn't one of them. He lacked his brother's ruthlessness and his father's mechanical genius. So, it came to no one's surprise save his that the company quickly lost its market share. Promises for new factories crashed and burned when various contracts were canceled, political favors dried up. In desperation Simon resorted to embezzlement to try and keep the company afloat. All this earned him was investigations and promises of jail time.
Sitting in the wreckage of his personal and professional life, Simon didn't even notice when a tall blond woman sauntered into his office. "Who are you?"
"Someone who can help you."
"Did Eric put you up to this?" Simon staggered to his feet. He gripped an empty whiskey bottle in one hand. "Well, you tell that little punk I've had it" he stopped when she put her fingers to his lips.
"Hush." He found himself complying, despite his best efforts. "Now listen. There is a plane leaving tonight. Be on it and all your troubles will vanish." She slipped a ticket into his hand and walked out the door.
Simon Williams didn't view himself as gambler but he had nothing left to lose at this point. He drove to the remote airfield and boarded the small plane. His eyes seemed extremely heavy. When he woke, he found himself in the jungle. The woman, accompanied by two men was waiting for him. "Welcome Mr. Williams."
"Who are you people?" Simon gasped. "The jungle? Where am I?"
"You are at my lab and headquarters." The man behind the woman spoke. Williams gasped at the purple hood affixed to his head.
"You're Baron Zemo!" Williams paled. "Where have you taken me? If it's a ransom you want, you'll be hard pressed to get anything."
"Nein, Mister Williams," Zemo held up his hands. "We aren't here to hurt you, rather we're here to help you."
"Help me? How?" Every instinct was screaming at him to run, but Williams looked around the airstrip. There was nothing but jungle for miles. Even if he could outrace the trio, where would he go?
"Simple. You will help us destroy Iron Man and his lackeys the Avengers."
Williams paused. Tony Stark and Stark Industries had destroyed Williams Innovations and him. He had nothing against the Avengers…but if he could ruin Stark in the process…
"I'm in."
Williams was strapped into a large metal cocoon. "What does this do again?"
Zemo loomed over him. "Simple. We are going to infuse your body, indeed your every cell, with ionic energy. You will be the first in a new breed of humanity."
"Well, I've nothing to live for now. Why not?" Williams bleakly reminded himself as the door was shut. The next thirty seconds would be the most painful of his life or any other humans.
When the light faded, Zemo had the Executioner haul the metal cocoon out of the machine. He tore open the door. All three Masters gasped. At length the Enchantress laughed. "Zemo, you old fool, all that work for this?"
Simon Williams looked perfectly normal. His body was the exact same as before, save his black hair now being gray. Zemo slowly approached the body. "Impossible! My calculations were perfect!" He approached Williams with a stethoscope when Williams' eyes snapped open and all three drew back.
Simon Williams's eyes were red. Not simply reddish or bloody; a pure blazing red. The light cast a grisly glow over everything. Williams slowly raised his hand to his face. "What did you do to me?"
"Calm yourself, I can…" Zemo backed up, but Williams grasped the older man by the front of his lab coat and tossed him a ragdoll.
Williams screamed in agony as he clawed his way free of the cocoon. With one backhand he knocked the Executioner to the ground.
"Calm!" the Enchantress placed both hands on his face. He grew docile. Zemo slowly climbed to his feet.
"As I said before, your body is now almost pure energy. You are stronger than Lady Thor, mightier than the Hulk, indeed you might very well be the strongest mortal on the planet."
"I feel, odd, sick, like something's buzzing inside my head." Williams slowly walked to a nearby chair.
"That would your body adjusting to the power. We'll make adjustments. Now, are you ready for your mission?"
Two weeks later, after a crash course in fighting from Skurge the Executioner, Simon Williams was teleported back to New York City. "According to the Baron, all I have to stage a fight." He checked his knapsack and saw the green and red costume folded inside. "I'll look like a glorified Christmas tree, but it beats prison."
The Executioner and Amora gazed back at the city from the rooftops. "Amora, are we so desperate to work with that fool mortal?"
"Is your precious honor wounded now?" Amora shot a glance at him. "Be at peace. We'll string that fool Zemo along for a little while more. Come, let us ready our positions for our performance."
The sight of a giant man wielding a massive battle ax and a gorgeous blonde woman was enough to make even the most jaded New Yorker pause. When they smashed into an armored truck, the crowd scattered. The alarm went out, was picked up by Iron Man's police scanner, and was answered in seconds by Iron Man and Thor, who happened to be visiting the mansion.
"Remember, we are to play the villains until Williams arrives…" Amora's thoughts drifted away when she caught sight of Thor. "Odinson! Here? And a man?"
"What about playing our parts?" Skurge grumbled. He tossed a car at the arriving Avengers. "Ho thunderer! I see thou art a man again. Or are thou another mortal who took that which doesn't belong to him?"
"I am Thor, son of Odin! Skurge, 'tis been too long since we've battled. Have at thee!" Mjolnir streaked through the sky and sent the Executioner flying over Central Park.
"Halt evil doers!" A green figure dropped off the nearest building a did a perfect three-point landing to the street. "Wonder Man is here!"
Amora stammered as her attention was on Thor the entire time. "Curses!" She tossed a money bag at them before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
"Wonder Man?" Iron Man landed near the newcomer. "Thanks for the assist. What's your deal?"
Simon took a breath before pulling his mask back. "I'm Simon Williams. I was trying to create…well, never mind what I was trying to do. I was exposed to ionic energy and developed powers."
"So you want to join the Avengers?" Thor waved to the gathering crowds.
"Not quite. Is there someplace we can talk?"
"Sure, follow us." Iron Man took off, with Thor behind. Wonder Man pressed a stud on his belt, activating the twin jet packs at his hips and flew off behind them.
They arrived at the Stark Mansion in short order. The Wasp greeted them as the trio touched down on the roof. "New member?" She eyed him carefully.
"No, just visiting."
Inside, Simon sat down at the table. Iron Man, Thor, the Wasp, and Giant Girl were seated before him. Simon inwardly sighed and removed his mask. "I'm dying and I need your help."
"Dying? Because of your powers?" Iron Man sounded concerned.
"I think so." Simon remembered what Zemo had told him. His powers granted him strength but they were poisoning his cells. He'd be dead within weeks if Zemo didn't give him the antidote. "I've run every test I can think of and nothing's good. Iron Man, you know Tony Stark. Surely his genius could help me."
Iron Man's face mask reveled nothing but he could tell the man inside was questioning. "I can't promise anything. I mean Mr. Stark is a smart guy but ionic energy isn't his bag. Look, stay here for a while. I'll make some calls."
So it went; Simon stayed at the Avenger's Mansion. Tony Stark kept him in the lab and did every test he could think of. Mister Fantastic and Dr. Banner were on hand too. Even Thor helped, but all their magic and science combined told them the same thing. He was dying.
Simon replayed the last meeting with Zemo over in his mind. "He said he could make adjustments. What if he's lying? He has no reason to keep me alive. If I betray the Avengers to him, I'd be doing his dirty work…but if I tell them the truth, they'd hate me."
Some time later, Wonder Man saw the Enchantress on a rooftop while he was flying over the city. He dropped down and landed in front of her. "Hey!"
"So, the errant knight returns. Tell me, are the Avengers prepared? Have they accepted you as one of their own?"
"Yeah, they accepted me. A guy they didn't know…and I'm going to sell them out to the scum of the Earth."
She glared at him. "I'd choose my next words carefully mortal. Remember, only we can cure you."
She vanished in a flash of smoke. Dejected, he headed back to the mansion. There he found pandemonium. "What's wrong?"
"Giant Girl's been kidnapped!" Ant-Man groused as he paced back and forth. The rest of the Avengers were all busy. Captain America was pouring over maps of the city and surrounding areas. Iron Man, Thor, and Thunderstrike were all on phones while the Wasp coordinated with other heroes.
"All we know is Zemo has her. He said to meet at Belvedere Castle in Central Park within the hour. The police and city are clearing the area out."
"Do you need a hand?" Wonder Man slowly asked. Ant-Man stepped forward.
"Thanks, but Dr. Pym told me of your condition. It's too much to ask."
"I'm not dead yet, and if I am going to die, well, I'd like to make my time count. Just once I want to do something decent."
"He has my vote." Captain America chimed in. The rest agreed.
The trip was short. Iron Man, Thunderstike, Captain America, the Wasp, and Wonder Man all moved towards the castle. Thor and Ant-Man stayed back. The castle was dark. Wonder Man stayed behind, letting them walk in front.
Light suddenly flooded the main hall. Zemo's mocking laugh filled the air. "Greetings Avengers! Or should I say goodbye?"
Wonder Man struck fast. He punched Iron Man's chest, denting it and driving him to the floor. Captain America he backhanded, sending the living legend sailing across the hall. He blasted Thunderstrike in the face with ionic energy from his hands.
The Wasp shrunk. He didn't try to look for her. Zemo walked down the staircase, surveying the scene. "Wonderful! Simply wonderful!"
"The cure, now!"
"Ah, about that. I lied." Zemo shook his head. "You really shouldn't be so trusting."
"Neither should you!" The Wasp appeared behind him. She jabbed her stinger into his back, sending the older man crashing down with several hundred volts of electricity. The rest of the Avengers stood up, seemingly none the worse for wear.
"What? How?" Zemo gasped.
"I told them." Wonder Man gasped. His head started to feel fuzzy. "Told them…everything." The room was spinning. Why couldn't he focus?"
"Wonder Man!" Iron Man rushed to the man's side as he collapsed. Zemo teleported away as Giant Girl walked out of a room.
"The Executioner just vanished, any idea on what's…who's that?"
Wonder Man looked with eyes that no longer saw. "Just a guy trying to do something right for once." He closed his eyes.
"With all our power, we couldn't save him." The Wasp looked down at his still form.
"Aye, he was a strange mortal, both good and evil at once." Thunderstrike checked his vitals before shaking her head.
"Sometimes power alone can't save someone. I know that all too well." Captain America found himself back in the war, alongside comrades long fallen.
"He may have come to us as a spy, but he'll be buried as an Avenger." Iron Man swore.
The end
Based on "The Coming of Wonder Man" which was first published in the Avengers I#9 (October 1964) with credits to Stan Lee (script), Don Heck (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks), Stan Goldberg (colors), and Artie Simek (letters)
Next issue, "the Avengers Break Up!"
Avengers Assemble!
From rmarcano321
Kang, along with Doom and Thanos, is one of the few villains capable of defeating the Avengers!
True, and don't count Kang out just yet.
From They Call Me Bruce
Surprised you're not going to have Wonder Man be Wonder Woman
True, and I was tempted myself but then there might be some confusion with another character from the Distinguished Competition.
From Darci (and a million thanks for the proofreading)
Yes, I did make some changes. The Jan fawning over the possible hunkiness of Kang annoyed me a bit, so I changed that. I didn't know that Rama Tut may have been inspired by Doctor Doom and an extra million thanks for that suggestion. You might a see a reference to that sooner than you think.
Be on the lookout for the next issues.
Amazing Fantasy#15-Reader's Choice
Sensational Comics#24-A Titian Takes the Train!
Tales to Astonish#23-The Coming of the Magician!
Journey into Mystery#25-The Vengeance of Loki!