The Avengers 11
A Mighty Tale Told in the Mighty Marvel Manner!
The Day the Avengers Broke Up!
The Masters, so unceremoniously driven off by the Avengers during their last battle, sat around Zemo's secret temple. Amora had been careful to erase any details from the mind of the late Simon Williams, so there was little danger of the authorities finding them. So it came as a great surprise when the intruder alarm went off.
Baron Zemo picked up his binoculars and scanned the surrounding jungle. "Skurge, Amora, be ready!"
The Asgardians readied themselves for combat. Minutes passed slowly. Skurge glanced at Zemo. "Perhaps your machine is not as finely tuned as you think, eh?"
In answer, an old man marched out of the dense foliage. His age was impossible to tell due to the tall helmet on his head and most of his body being covered in a thick purple robe over a green tunic and pants that ended in high cuffed purple boots. A large golden medallion was over his heart, with an eight pointed star etched in the center. His face was lined but his short beard was black specked with gray. His costume was far too pristine to have been walking through the jungle on his own.
Zemo approached him. "Halt! Identify yourself!"
The man stopped. "Names can give one power. Why don't you start?"
Zemo drew his sword. "If you came this far, you should know you stand before Zemo!"
The man looked around, looking more bored than anything. "Zemo, eh? Heinrich Zemo? Son of Herman? Descendant of Harbin, the first baron?"
Zemo paused and lowered his sword. "How…how did you know that? Who are you?"
The man walked up the stone steps. His hand slipped into his pocket. Amora and Skurge tensed but both relaxed when he withdrew it, a scrap of faded purple fabric in his hand. Zemo slowly took the cloth. "Impossible! This…this is from Harbin's banner, I saw it hanging in our castle when I was a boy, the end had been torn off in his last battle!"
"Actually, his son Hademar took the banner into the battle and dropped it while retreating. Harbin died from a stroke the night before." The man casually examined his fingernails.
Zemo's sword flashed but the man was unmoved. "Skurge, kill this interloper!"
The Executioner readied his axe. The man glanced at the towering warrior and smirked. "A physical contest then? Very well." He snapped his fingers. A deep shadow fell over Skurge.
"What?" The Executioner turned around to stare up into the eyes of a burly man wearing a red flannel shirt and blue jeans held up by massive suspenders. A massive two headed axe rested on his shoulder. "Ho little man, have you seen Babe?"
"What trickery is this?" Skurge swung at the giant's knees but the bigger man casually blocked the weapon.
"Now son that wasn't nice. Just 'cuz Paul Bunyan's the biggest lumberjack in this here camp doesn't give you the right to act a fool." He casually punted the confused Asgardian, sending the man screaming over the distant tops of the jungle trees. The legendary lumberjack vanished in the haze that summoned him.
"My name is Immortus. I have an offer for you Zemo. Allow me to join and I will vanquish the Avengers."
-A
So it was Immortus arrived in New York City. He refused to contact Zemo, only saying they would speak again when his mission was complete. He didn't say how he would accomplish this, but he did ask Amora and Skurge to stay out of his way.
-A
Rick Jones was bored. The Hulk had been locked away in the Southwest somewhere and not even General Ross could give him a straight answer. "I might have to handle this on my own!"
He had been training with Captain America, although Cap seemed to take it more as a break than anything real. He had been allowed to stay in the Avengers Mansion, so there was that. He wandered around the giant house until he noticed the current newspapers laying on a table by the front door. "Might as well see what's going down."
He read the sports, the comics, and even the main articles, but by the time he got to the classifieds his boredom was back with a vengeance. As he was about to toss the paper aside, he noticed one large ad above the fold. "'Adventure seekers wanted for great undertaking'?" He looked at the address. "That's not too far…"
-A
Rick arrived at the address. It was a small nondescript building, with only a single doorway on the ground floor and a fire escape by the only window. Rick looked around. "Ok, no lines, but that doesn't mean anything. I mean, what kind of kook advertises in the paper if he's looking for trouble?"
Rick opened the door and entered the room. The room took up the entire building and in fact seemed larger on the inside that the outside. "Hello?" his cry echoed.
"Ah, Rick Jones in the flesh!" An older man stepped out of the shadows. "I must say, you've aged well."
"Have we met?" Rick suddenly regretted not telling the Avengers where he went.
"You could say we met in passing some time ago, although it was longer on my end." The man smiled and gestured towards a table that Rick could have sworn wasn't there before. "Please, eat first and I'll talk about my undertaking."
"Aren't there any other people wanting the job?"
The man's smile never wavered. "Oh yes, but you see Rick, they weren't you." The man walked to the table and sat down. There were two covered serving trays. The man lifted the tops off. Rick was aware he skipped lunch.
Rick sat down and eyed the lunch. It looked like a normal hamburger and French fries, although the Coke can next to it seemed off, as it had the word 'new' written over the logo. The man seemed to enjoy a large pastrami on rye. The two ate in silence until the man finished first. "Pardon, but it was been ages since I've had a meal like that." He gestured to Rick's tray. "Please, continue and I'll talk."
The man walked over to a blackboard. "My name, or what you can call me, is Immortus. A bit theatrical I admit, but I've always had a flair for it and when you're my age you tend to do things in a different way. Rick, I've called you here for a special purpose. Before you start, yes, I know about the Avengers."
Rick finished his meal. "Ok, well, if you know about them, then you have to know I'm kinda important to them!"
"Of course Rick, that's the whole keystone of my plan." Rick didn't have time to question as a shadow fell over him and he vanished. A purple skinned humanoid stepped out of the darkness and assumed Rick's form.
"What is your bidding Master?"
"Space Phantom, I need you to go to the Avengers and bring Captain America here. Tell him you found Zemo."
-A
Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America, was putting Tony Stark's new workout equipment through its paces when Rick burst into the gym. "Cap! It's Zemo! He's here in New York!"
"What?" He froze. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! I saw him and the rest of the Masters a few blocks from here!"
"Stay here." He walked over to the corner and picked up his belt. Pressing a stud on the belt buckle, he turned back to Rick. "When the rest of the team gets here, tell them where to go."
"Will do!"
-A
Captain America paced around on the rooftop overlooking the small alleyway. "Zemo's hiding in there?" He turned in time to see Iron Man, Thunderstrike, and Giant Girl arrive, the latter being carried by the former.
"I see you got Rick's message."
"What's the plan Cap?" Iron Man scanned the area. "Odd, not seeing anything out of the ordinary…"
"We go in, but careful. Iron Man, you and Thunderstrike take the front and rear. Giant Girl, you're with me on the roof."
-A
Captain America picked the lock to the roof's door and entered first. After a few seconds of silence, Giant Girl carefully stepped into the doorway. She found herself in a wooded area. "Is this some kind of trick?"
She heard the clanking of armor. Spinning around, she gasped as a massive man in ancient armor, towering over his fellows, marched towards her. "Ho! The man held up a spear over twelve feet in length. "What jest is this? Does Saul think so little of us he sends a mere dancer to defend his land?"
Janet was puzzled, mostly by the accented English, but the man's height told her something. "Goliath?"
The man looked down at her. "Aye, it seems my name be as long as my shadow if a mere wisp of woman knows it."
Janet smiled and popped a pill. Within seconds she towered over the man. "What magic is this?"
"Science actually." Janet reared back with her leg and kicked him, sending him flying back into the men. To her shock, he stood up. His armor was barely dented.
"A battle then?" He hefted his spear. "Have at thee!" The missile barely missed her. Giant Girl lunged as she popped another pill. As Goliath drew his sword, she shrank to nothing. Goliath's sword swung, its arc taking it to a nearby tree. The blade was lodged there.
"Zounds, she vanished!"
Unseen by the tall man, Giant Girl had shrunk to nearly Wasp size. "I hope this works!" She slowly crawled up his armor until she slipped under his helmet and crawled into his ear. Taking half a pill, she steadied herself as she slowly started grow.
Goliath, his blade still wedged into the tree, scratched at his ear until he was overcome with the worst agony he ever felt. Tearing his helm free, he staggered drunkenly, waving his fists in the air. "I'm cursed!" he roared until he tripped over a branch and fell face first to the ground. Giant Girl crawled out of his ear.
-A
Iron Man stepped into the darkened room. "Odd and I don't like odd." Lights filled the room.
"Who dares disturb Merlin?" the voice boomed. Iron Man saw an old man sitting at a rough-hewed table. Thousands of scrolls littered the area.
"Cute trick." He noticed the walls were dozens of feet taller than the walls outside could have been. "How did you make it bigger on the inside?"
Merlin chuckled. "Simple, just put something large inside something smaller."
"That…makes no sense. Ok, doing something different." Iron Man looked at the narrow windows. Outside he saw distant villages and a countryside he knew couldn't have existed. He scanned the area and picked up nothing. "How are you doing this?"
"You barge into my home and dare command Merlin?" The old man flexed his fingers. Nothing happened. "Your armor, is it cold iron?"
"Something like that." He pushed a button on his chest plate, flooding the room with light from his reactor. Merlin swore and stumbled back.
-A
Thunderstrike found herself surrounded by marble arches and statues. Wall high murals depicting a bearded man fighting various monsters were painted across every surface. "Forsooth, has mine father sent me another opponent?" She heard a booming voice echo across the temple.
Before she could act, a massively muscled man (the same as the one painted) rushed across the temple floor and crashed into her, sending them both outside. She scrambled to her feet, losing her cape in the process.
"Who are you?"
The man roared with laughter. "Surely thou jest? Does thou not recognize the Mighty Hercules?" He was tall, muscled more than your average football team combined, and sporting a small toga. "Come, let us wrestle as proper gods!"
"I say thee nay." She unhooked Storm Bringer. "How comes it hence I was brought here?"
"If thou can defeat me, I shall answer thy every question! But be warned, I have never known defeat!"
"Then be prepared!" He lunged and grabbed her hands, causing her to drop the hammer. "His hands…like steel!" Despite the strangeness of the situation she actually found herself enjoying the fight. The two didn't move until she slipped forward and used a judo toss to flip the demigod to the ground.
"Zounds! Never has the Mighty Hercules been thrown as that of a child!" He laughed louder. "I see you Norse are every bit our equals." He unhooked a mace from his belt. "Now, have at thee!"
She casually summoned her hammer and threw it. The enchanted uru metal exploded the mace on impact and carried Hercules away. "Now, where are the rest of the team?"
-A
In a flash, all the Avengers appeared in a large room. They hardly had time to react as the Masters appeared before them. "Our ally was correct! Attack!" Zemo drew a large gun from his holster as the Executioner charged towards Iron Man.
Giant Girl started to grow, but found herself sinking into the concrete as the Enchantress weaved a spell.
Unseen by all, Captain America watched helplessly. The moment he entered the building he found himself trapped in an invisible cell. Immortus casually watched the fight in front of them. "I have to say, Zemo seems to be taking my suggestions to heart. Look, he's having the members of his little band fight people different."
Cap paled under his mask. "Of course. We'd be used to fighting our standard partners, we wouldn't know how to react!"
Immortus smiled. "I'm glad you figured it out Captain, I really am."
"What do you want?" Captain America clenched his fists as Thunderstrike was struck by a beam, causing her to slowly turn to stone.
"Believe it or not my goals are similar to yours. I've gone the long way captain, but I've seen the future and the past."
"You mean like Kang?"
"Clever man, clever. Yes, you could say Kang and I are similar but while he was interested in conquest you could say I'm more of a big picture sort of fellow."
"So that's your plan? Just sit by and let those monsters roam free?"
"I never said I was going to sit idly by, and as for those monsters" A red and black figure suddenly appeared before the Enchantress and shrank. The Asgardian witch screamed and clutched her head. Skurge, his axe mid-swing over Iron Man's chest, stopped and turned to her.
"Amora!" He turned and rushed to her, leaving his back exposed. Iron Man channeled his full power to his repulsor rays and blasted the Executioner through the building.
"I see the battle is finally going towards your side." Immortus stepped back and with a wave, freed Captain America. "I didn't foresee the Wasp arriving."
"She must have followed us." Captain America picked up his shield. "Now how is this going to go?"
Immortus stepped aside, leaving the path to Zemo clear. Captain America narrowed his eyes. "We'll talk later."
"I look forward to it."
The red and white shield streaked through the air and neatly crushed Zemo's pistol. Thunderstrike fell to the ground, flesh once more and gasping for air.
Zemo, seeing the Executioner gone and the Enchantress passed out, raised his hands and backed himself into a corner. "Immortus, help me!" He gasped. "You promised to aide us!"
"Hmm, no. I asked to join you and I said I would vanquish the Avengers. I never said I would actually help you. Your failure is yours." Immortus pressed a button, causing the Avengers to freeze.
"What…what did you do?" Zemo marveled at the frozen figures.
"A small manipulation of time. Time is always moving, but if one is careful you can reverse it sometimes. I could do that and make it as if this day never happened. Do you want that?"
"Yes, anything!" Zemo whined.
Immortus shrugged. "Very well. You won't remember this encounter, but there is one thing I'd be remiss if I failed to do."
Immortus, with a speed that belittled his age, turned and punched Zemo full in the nose. The scientist dropped in shock. "I've been wanting to do that since I met you. Good-bye Zemo and know that your fate is coming."
Immortus pressed a few buttons on his belt and the room swam.
-A
"Verily Captain, does this day seem odd to you?" Thor watched Thunderstrike fly above the mansion with Captain America.
"Now that you mention it, I've had the strangest feeling of déjà vu all day."
"Indeed, like we've lived through this before." Thor unhooked Mjolnir from his belt and headed inside. "Perhaps tis the weight of time upon us both Captain."
-A
Immortus sat on his throne once more. The Space Phantom crouched low at his feet. "Master, was that wise disrupting time like that?"
Immortus poured himself a drink. "Ah, 1971 was a decent year, eh? Oh, yes, I think so. The Avengers proved they could handle the Masters well enough. Zemo's brief victory was removed. Yes, I think it wise, plus the Avengers are still unaware of my presence as of yet. We'll reveal ourselves properly in time my servant. The Avengers will be challenged by far greater threats than Zemo's outdated methods and we must have them be prepared for the sake of creation and time itself!"
The end
Next issue, the Mighty Avengers Meet the Amazing Spider-Man!
Based on "The Avengers Break Up!" with credits to Stan Lee (script), Don Heck (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks), Stan Goldberg (colors), and Sam Rosen (letters)
Avengers Assemble!
From rmarcano321
Nice welcoming dudes!
From Darci
According to the Marvel Chronology Project, the Masters of Evil appeared in Avengers Classic#7 (Feb 2008) between Avenger#s 7 and 9, so this mention of Muspelheim seems to be an untold tale?
Plotting gets a lot more exciting when the books start to cross over. This one continues from Journey into Mystery's Thor stories. Based in the Giant-Size JIM#1, I was expecting Johanna to show up. Instead we get Thunderstrike. I looked it up, and Jane was Thunderstrike in Earth-12041 so is that what's going on here?
Like They Call Me Bruce, I was anticipating a story about Simone Williams. That is a bit of a problem about her code name (See What If#43) John Bryne worked around it by naming his creation Wonderous Woman.
I enjoyed this version of the story. I also agree with Cambot that Jan's throwing herself at all the male Avengers is best omitted.
To answer the Asgardian question, Jane Foster is Thunderstrike when on Midgard and Johanna when on Asgard. The name will get more use in upcoming Journey into Mystery yarns. Regarding Wonder Man, yeah, I should have caught that and made her Wonderous Woman, but I didn't.
Be sure to keep an eye out for these upcoming marvelous tales!
Tales to Astonish#23-The Coming of the Magician
Journey into Mystery#25-The Vengeance of Loki!
Amazing Fantasy#16-Origin of Devilina
Giant-Size Avengers#1-The Exiles Strike!
Sensational Comics#25-Horde of the Humanoids!