Earth's Mightiest Annotations
by Sean McQuaid

AVENGERS (volume 3) # 10
November, 1998
"Pomp & Pageantry"
By Kurt Busiek & George Perez
with Al Vey (inks), Tom Smith (colors),
Richard Starkings/Comicraft/Dave Lanphear (letters),
Tom Brevoort (editor) & Bob Harras (editor-in-chief).

Avengers Assembled:
Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Vision [II], Firestar & Justice (as active
members); Giant-Man & Wasp (as reserve members); Hawkeye & Scarlet Witch
(as active members on leave not appearing with the team); Hulk [II], Thing,
Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman & Spider-Man (as inactive/former members
not appearing as Avengers); and Captain Marvel, Swordsman, Hellcat,
Wonder Man, Mockingbird, Doctor Druid & Thunderstrike (as undead zombie
adversaries). The above twenty-two Avengers also appears in decorations
and/or flashbacks in this story, some of the more than once.

In addition to the above appearances, all the past and present Avengers
and honorary Avengers appear at least once in this story as decorations, 
or in flashbacks, or both. See the annotations below for who appears
where, and in what form. In addition to the Avengers who actually appear
in this story in person, Avengers featured in decorations and flashbacks
include Quicksilver, Hercules, Black Panther, Black Knight [III],
Black Widow [II], Mantis, Moondragon, Beast, Two-Gun Kid, Warbird,
Falcon [II], Tigra, She-Hulk, Photon, Jocasta, Starfox, War Machine,
Sub-Mariner, Moon Knight, Demolition Man, Gilgamesh, USAgent, Quasar [III],
Firebird, Human Torch, Sersi, Stingray, Rage, Sandman, Machine Man,
Spider-Woman [II], Living Lightning, Crystal, Darkhawk, Rick Jones,
Whizzer, Charlie-27, Martinex, Vance Astro, Yondu, Starhawk, Nikki,
Marrina, Yellowjacket [II], Swordsman [II], Magdalene, Deathcry &
Masque [II]. 

Other Characters:
Megan McLaren, Stuntmaster, Chili Storm, The X-Men (Nightcrawler,
Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Shadowcat, Rogue, Gambit & Marrow),
The Commission (behind the scenes), Ebony, Agatha Harkness,
Imus Champion, Ultron, Grim Reaper, Daredevil & The Fantastic Four
(Human Torch II, Invisible Woman, Mister Fantastic & Thing).

In addition to these characters, dozens of other characters appear in
decorations and/or flashbacks in this issue. See the annotations below
for who appears where, and in what form.


EXTERIOR COVER
This issue's cover illustration (drawn by George Perez and colored by Tom
Smith) features the Avengers (Justice, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor &
Firestar) posing before an adoring crowd during Avengers Day celebrations.
Note that Iron Man, Captain America and Thor are posed in a fashion similar
to the statue of the founding Avengers seen in the first issue of this
series (and partially reproduced on the interior cover of each issue to
the left of the main title). While the statue features fellow founders
Giant-Man and Wasp (as well as the Hulk), the live-action scene on this
cover features Justice and Firestar. In a way, young couple Justice &
Firestar have symbolically taken the place of longtime couple Giant-Man
and Wasp in the team, a transition underlined by the fact that Giant-Man
and Wasp fill the reserve slots recently vacated by Firestar & Justice
in this issue, as well as the fact that Justice spoke of Giant-Man as an
inspiring role model in the recent Avengers/Squadron Supreme annual. In a
way, Justice and Firestar are like a reversal of the early Giant-Man and
Wasp: the earlier couple consisted of a reluctantly heroic male (Giant-Man)
and an eagerly adventurous female (Wasp), while the newer couple consists
of a reluctantly heroic female (Firestar) and an eagerly adventurous male
(Justice). Firestar and Giant-Man have something else in common, too: both
have been reluctant adventurers due to health problems associated with
their powers, a subject touched on in this issue's story.

The Grim Reaper hovers menacingly above the heroes at the top of the cover.
Floating everywhere are balloons decorated with the faces of Avengers
members. Identifiable faces on the balloons include Firebird, Hercules,
Black Panther, Falcon [II], Vision [II], Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Rage,
Stingray, Warbird, Wonder Man, Ant-Man, Spider-Woman [II], Wasp &
Quicksilver. There is also an obscured balloon below the Ant-Man balloon
and to the right of the Spider-Woman balloon, but who appears on it is
unclear.

In the crowd behind the Avengers, a woman at left wears a T-shirt reading
"A JARVIS HEAD (and proud of it!)". This is a reference to the
"Jarvis-Heads", the principal contributors to Van Plexico's Avengers
Assemble web site (http://www.lads.com/~plexiva/avengers/index.html)
and its Avengers Mailing List. Known Jarvis Heads include Van Plexico,
Bobby Politte, Vincent Alvarez, Sean McQuaid, Ladd Everitt, Kent McCorkle,
John Warren, Michael McClelland, James Harrahy, David Medinnus,
Kevin Newburn, Paul Bourcier, Lonni Holland, Chris O'Gwynn, Mike Proctor,
Scott Harris , Bob Fronczak, Luke Smith, Brian Zavitz, Jeanne Burch,
Emmanuel Seyman, Christophe Darras, Danny Wall, Mark Beaulieu,
Steven R. Stahl, Jess Nevins, Nick Favorito & Kell Carpenter. Most of them
are current or former members of the Avengers Mailing List.

A man in front of and to the left of the "Jarvis Head" woman wears a
She-Hulk button. A man in front of and to the right of the "Jarvis Head"
woman wears a ballcap with an "A" emblem (for Avengers and/or Captain
America) and little Captain America-style wings. Behind Iron Man's leg we
can see a man whose T-shirt reads "FACE THE BUSIEK AND DANCE" (Kurt Busiek
being the current writer of Avengers). Behind and between Cap's feet we can
see a man wearing a Hawkeye-styled ballcap. To the left of Firestar's foot
we can see a man wearing a propellor beanie made to resemble Thor's helmet.

In the foreground we can see an outstretched hand wearing two distinctive
rings: one is a replica of the Beast's face, while the other is a variation
on the chest emblem from Wonder Man's second costume. The wearing of the
two rings may symbolize the longtime friendship between Beast and Wonder
Man, a friendship fondly remembered by many Avengers fans. To the right
of the hand we see a boy with an "A" (for Avengers) painted on his face
and a "T" or hammer shape emblematic of Thor shaved into his hair. To his
right we can see someone wearing a backwards "A" ballcap covered in
buttons; the slogans on the buttons are the titles of letter colums from
Avengers-related comic books: Single File (Solo Avengers/Avengers
Spotlight), Sock It To Shellhead! (Iron Man), Let's Rap With Cap (Captain
America), Avengers Assemble (Avengers) and The Hammer Strikes (Thor). At
the far right we can see a man with a camera wearing a shirt covered in
Iron Man faces, faces representing various incarnations of Iron Man's armor
seen over the years.


INTERIOR COVER

With this issue, the interior cover content is reduced to one page (with
the rest of the space being taken up by advertising). Featured characters
include Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Scarlet Witch, Vision [II],
Wonder Man, Justice, Firestar, Giant-Man & Wasp. Giant-Man is depicted in
a new costume which he adopts this issue. Wasp is depicted in her costume
from Avengers (v3) # 1. The illustration at the bottom of the page is a
reproduction of the wraparound cover illustration from Avengers (v3) # 1.


PAGE 1

Panels 1-2:
Reporter MEGAN McLAREN has been seen covering superhero stories before in
the pages of Thunderbolts and the current Avengers series. She first
appeared in Thunderbolts # 1.

Avengers Day was first celebrated years ago in Avengers (v1) # 22 as the
city's way of trying to make up for declaring the Avengers outlaws when
the heroes were framed for criminal acts by the Enchantress and Power Man.

McLaren's mention of the Avengers being lost "for months" refers to their
disappearance in the wake of the Onslaught disaster, after which they
were wrongly presumed dead for months. For more details, see Onslaught:
Marvel Universe, Avengers (v2) # 1-12, Heroes Reborn: The Return # 1-4 and
Avengers (v3) # 1-4.

Panel 3:
The marchers are wearing some of the costumes formerly worn by the Wasp
(Janet Van Dyne), an Avenger whose fashion sense and career as a clothing
designer has led her to adopt more new outfits over the years than any
other Avenger. For a fairly complete guide to the Wasp's many costumes
and when they were worn, see the Wasp costuming guide by Jason Rivera,
available on the Avengers Assemble web site. The blue-and-white costume most
prominent here, one of my favorites, comes from Avengers [v1] # 194-199.

Panel 4:
The crazed fan wearing the "A" cap and Scarlet Witch button says he'd be
satisfied to see any Avenger, even Deathcry. That's something of an in-joke
since Avengers fandom (including current Avengers writer Kurt Busiek)
generally considers Deathcry one of the least appealing characters in
Avengers history.

In the background at right we can see a fan wearing tiger-stiped make-up,
presumably in imitation of inactive Avengers member Tigra.

Panel 5:
A black man speaks of how he regards the Avengers as role models for his
son but wishes that some of the black Avengers could be present for the
parade (presumably so his son could see some black heroes as role models,
too). The parent specifically mentions the Black Panther, Photon and the
Falcon, all currently inactive members of the Avengers, and all black.
Interestingly, he does not mention the lesser-known and somewhat less
upstanding Rage, another black inactive Avengers member who also happens
to be one of the most vocal Avengers when it comes to racial issues.

The man's son wears a Black Panther costume and is eating a lollipop
decorated with a star design. The design could be meant to represent
Photon (formerly known as the second Captain Marvel) or the original
Captain Marvel, both of whom wore similar star emblems (though neither
of those emblems was colored white).

Panel 6:
Fans dressed as Avengers members Black Knight, Black Widow and Hawkeye can
be seen in the crowd. One fan holds up a "Where's Wanda" sign indicating
that the Scarlet Witch's civilian identity as Wanda Maximoff, never
seriously kept secret, is known to the general public. The sign also
foreshadows the fact that Scarlet Witch is one of the Avengers absent from
the Avengers Day parade. The man dressed as Hawkeye may be meant to
represent Avengers writer and big Hawkeye fan Kurt Busiek.

Panels 7-11:
The STUNT-MASTER (George Smith) is a daredevil motorcycle stunt performer
and occasional adventurer who has worked alongside Daredevil and the fourth
Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), a fellow cyclist. The Stunt-Master first
appeared in Daredevil (v1) # 58. He started out as an embittered overage
stuntman who turned to crime, but he reformed and went on to star in his
own television series. Formerly a recurring guest star in 1970s
issues of the original Daredevil series and the second Ghost Rider series,
Stunt-Master has been languishing in obscurity for quite some time.

CHILI STORM was the longtime rival of Millie the Model, one of Marvel's
most popular humour/romance characters (Millie, who first appeared in 1944,
starred in several Marvel series over the decades before fading into
obscurity in the 1970s). An older Mille has since been introduced into
official Marvel continuity as the head of her own modelling agency. Chili
joins Millie in the mainstream MU here, and Busiek seems to be playing her
as a parody of real-life aging soap opera actress Susan Lucci, whose
decades-long role as Erica Kane on "All My Children" has consistently failed
to win her a Daytime Emmy Award despite numerous nominations. Chili even
had her own comic book for a time (1969-1973, with some interruptions).

Chili looks (and is) much older than she was during her comic book heyday
due to a Defenders story that placed Millie (Chili's contemporary) in
official Marvel continuity as an older woman in the present day. In
Defenders # 65, an older Millie was revealed to be the head of her own
modeling agency, Glamour Girls Incorporated.

Another of Marvel's most popular teen/humour genre characters, Patsy Walker
(who also first appeared in 1944), starred in several comic book series
before fading out in the 1970s. By then, however, she'd been introduced into
official mainstream MU continuity as of Fantastic Four Annual 3 (1965),
and went on to become an Avengers member as Hellcat in 1976.


PAGES 2-3 (two-page spread)
The Avengers (VISION, GIANT-MAN, IRON MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, THOR,
WASP, FIRESTAR & JUSTICE) roll into view on a parade float. The red-clad
women with tamborines following the float wear gypsy-style garb presumably
inspired by the costuming of the Scarlet Witch. Floating behind the
Avengers are a series of Avengers-related parade balloons depicting former
founding member The Hulk, Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis and inactive
Avengers member Black Panther. One fan in the crowd at left wears a
Captain America shirt, while another fan is dressed as Thor. A Captain
America imitator can be seen in the background at right, as can a fan
wielding an imitation of Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. The man with the "Avengers
Forever!" sign might be Avengers co-creator Jack Kirby (and Avengers Forever
is the title of an upcoming Marvel limited series).

Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers (mentioned in the captions
here) were the creators of the first issue of the original Avengers series
in 1963. Lee and Kirby co-plotted it (and co-created all of the characters),
Lee scripted it, Kirby drew it and Ayers inked it.

The Wasp is wearing an approximate re-creation of her original costume
(introduced in Tales to Astonish # 44 and seen in Avengers [v1] # 1-5),
presumably in honor of the team's founding. Giant-Man (Hank Pym) has
adopted a new costume, the design of which is based closely on his
original Goliath costume (Goliath being the third of several identities
used by Pym during his career as an Avenger). The original Goliath costume
was first worn in Avengers (v1) # 28-50. Perez presumably redesigned
Giant-Man's outfit in answer to concerns that Giant-Man's previous outfit
made him look too much like Ant-Man (Pym's original costumed identity,
since adopted by Scott Lang).

With the inclusion of Giant-Man and Wasp, all the founding members are
present except for the long-estranged Hulk. Giant-Man last worked with the
team in Avengers/Squadron Supreme '98, when he helped the Avengers defeat
Imus Champion. Wasp last appeared with the group in Avengers (v3) # 4, when
she and Giant-Man downgraded to inactive membership status; however, she was
present behind the scenes in Avengers (v3) # 8 as the creator of the
costumes currently worn by Firestar & Justice.

Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man and Wasp are all founding members of the
Avengers. Captain America joined in Avengers (v1) # 4 and was retroactively
declared a founder in place of the absent Hulk. Vision met the team in
Avengers (v1) # 57 (his first appearance) and joined in Avengers (v1) # 58.
Firestar and Justice (then known as Marvel Boy III) first met the Avengers
in New Warriors # 1, and were among the Warriors who teamed with the
Avengers against the Sons of the Serpent in Avengers (v1) # 341-342. More
recently, Firestar and Justice aided the Avengers against Morgan Le Fay and
Whirlwind in Avengers (v3) # 1-4. This resulted in an offer of reserve
Avengers membership, and the couple upgraded to active membership status in
Avengers (v3) # 7, replacing the departing Warbird and the ailing Vision.


PAGE 4

Panel 1:
SPIDER-MAN has been a recurring ally to the team since Avengers (v1) # 11,
but he either declined or was refused membership repeatedly due to various
extenuating circumstances over the years. More recently, he accepted the
group's latest membership offer in Avengers (v1) # 316 after aiding the
team against Nebula, but he resigned from the active roster almost
immediately afterward (in Avengers [v1] # 318) when a humbling encounter
with the Stranger shook his confidence. He consented to join the team's
reserve roster in Avengers (v1) # 329 but was an unreliable reservist at
best given his preoccupation with various personal concerns. He showed
up for the team's last general membership meeting in Avengers (v3) # 1,
but has declined further involvement with the team since then.

Panel 2:
"Capmania" refers to a storyline from Captain America (v3) # 1-7 during
which Captain America's celebrity status escalated to near-religious levels
in the wake of the Avengers' return from Onslaught. Cap was uncomfortable
with the resultant public adoration, and the situation became disastrous
when a Skrull subversive posing as Cap used Cap's identity to spark
widespread civil unrest.

Iron Man's recent injuries occurred in Iron Man (v3) # 8-10, when he was
beaten nearly to death by Spymaster's Espionage Elite but insisted on
battling the Mandarin anyway.

Panel 3:
Reflected in Iron Man's helmet we can see children dressed as Hawkeye,
Thor, Scarlet Witch and Iron Man.

Panels 4-5:
As Vision notes, Giant-Man has adopted a new outfit that closely resembles
his original Goliath uniform, just as his previous costume closely
resembled his original Ant-Man uniform. As Vision observes, the only past
identity that Pym doesn't use as a basis for his recent costuming is his
fourth costumed identity, his Yellowjacket guise. It's understandable that
Giant-Man wants to put his former Yellowjacket identity behind him since
that's the guise in which he experienced his worst mental problems and
personal failures, including three nervous breakdowns (the first of which
prompted him to create his Yellowjacket identity and the last of which
prompted him to abuse the Wasp); his divorce from the Wasp; his expulsion
from the Avengers for dishonorable conduct; the seemingly permanent loss
of his size-changing powers; and a period during which he was framed for
treason by his old foe Egghead.

Hank Pym was a founder of the Avengers as Ant-Man, but had switched to a
new costumed identity as Giant-Man as of Avengers (v1) # 2. He adopted a
new identity as Goliath in Avengers (v1) # 28, then became Yellowjacket
in Avengers (v1) # 59-60. He permanently renounced his Yellowjacket
identity in Avengers (v1) # 230 and retired from costumed adventuring, but
joined the western Avengers' staff as their resident scientist and major
domo in West Coast Avengers (v2) # 1-3. When sometime Avengers member
Firebird convinced Pym that he still had potential as a hero, Pym rejoined
the Avengers as the plainclothes Doctor Pym in West Coast Avengers (v2) #
21-24. He resumed his Giant-Man identity in Avengers (v1) # 366 for reasons
unknown after somehow regaining his ability to alter his physical size.
Pym's return to costumed heroics and his renewed romance with the Wasp
have both gone largely unexplained to date.

Panel 7:
As noted in previous issues, Firestar & Justice were founding members of
the New Warriors group before joining the Avengers. The New Warriors first
appeared in Thor (v1) # 411-412 and went on to star in 75 issues of their
own series, most of which featured Justice and Firestar.

An Iron Man balloon is visible at right.


PAGE 5

Panels 1-2:
As noted in previous issues of New Warriors and the current Avengers
series, Firestar's microwave powers endanger her physical health when
she uses them at high levels. As the world's foremost biochemist and a
scientist who has studied superhumans extensively, Giant-Man is ideally
qualified to help Firestar with her health problems. He even solved the
life-threatening complications of his own super-powers (though just how
he did this remains unrevealed), so he understands Firestar's position
better than most people would--and having solved his own health problems,
he isn't all that daunted by Firestar's. If he seems cavalier about
Firestar's situation, it's because he's successfully handled problems like
this before.

Panels 2-3:
Thor muses on his new mortal double identity as paramedic Jake Olson,
adopted in recent issues of his current ongoing series.

Panel 4:
A Perez reinterpretation of the Avengers' first adventure, as the team's
founding members battle Loki (Thor's evil brother). Seen here battling
Loki are Iron Man (in the second version of his armor), Hulk, Thor, Wasp
and Ant-Man, the latter four in their original costumes. This scene seems
to reproduce the climactic battle from Avengers (v1) # 1, when Loki made a
last-ditch attempt to ward off the assembled heroes with a barrage of
radioactive energy.

It was Loki who unwittingly caused the formation of the Avengers when he
framed the Hulk for criminal acts as part of a scheme to lure Thor into
battle, unwittingly attracting the attention of Iron Man, Ant-Man & the
Wasp as well. After Thor exposed Loki as the real menace, the five heroes
joined forces to defeat him and remained together thereafter as the
Avengers.

Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man (Hank Pym) and Wasp all went on to long careers
as Avengers members and remain active with the group today (though Pym and
Wasp are reservists), and all four have had stints as the team's chairman.
Hulk quit the group in a fit of anger in Avengers (v1) # 2 and has been
estranged from the team for most of the years since then, never serving
another active membership stint. He has worked alongside the group very
briefly and very reluctantly on occasion, though, notably in Avengers
Annual 17 & 18. He has also teamed with the Avengers in crossover stories
such as the recent Onslaught storyline. He remains on bad terms with the
Avengers at present, and declined further involvement with the
team as recently as Avengers (v3) # 1.

This issue is structurally similar to Avengers (v1) # 150-151, another
Avengers retrospective told largely through television coverage.

Panel 6:
A Perez reinterpretation of the last panel of Avengers (v1) # 4, when the
Avengers welcomed Captain America into their ranks. Rick Jones, the team's
first honorary member, observes the moment over Cap's shoulder as Iron Man
(in the third version of his armor), Cap, Wasp, Thor and Giant-Man join
hands. It was the Avengers who rescued Captain America from the state of
suspended animation he'd languished in since World War II, and he joined
the group after aiding them against his old wartime ally Namor the
Sub-Mariner, who had unwittingly participated in Cap's revival as well
(Namor had thrown the ice-encased Captain America into the sea in a fit of
rage, not knowing who was inside the ice, and the Avengers came upon
Captain America as he thawed out shortly thereafter).

Panel 7:
Captain America is seen here with Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Hawkeye
(all in their original costumes) shortly after the latter three joined the
team during the group's first membership drive in Avengers (v1) # 16. This
is presumably a Perez reinterpretation of the closing scene from Avengers
(v1) # 16, when the new Avengers roster made its debut before a cheering
public. This incarnation of the group was affectionately nicknamed Cap's
Kooky Quartet.

The Kooky Quartet have all had long careers as key Avengers, though
Quicksilver has served more infrequently than the other three. Captain
America has put in more time as an Avenger than anyone else, and has also
logged more time as Avengers chairman than any other member. HAWKEYE has
the second-longest record as an Avengers chairman due to his longtime
leadership of the western Avengers roster, to which he transferred after
years as a mainstay of the original eastern roster. When the Avengers
disbanded their western division, Hawkeye (who was then on leave mourning
the death of his wife Mockingbird) soon returned to the eastern squad. He
is part of the current active roster, though he is now on indefinite leave
as of last issue (and is rumored to be defecting to the Thunderbolts).

SCARLET WITCH, like Hawkeye, is an Avengers mainstay who transferred to
the team's western roster and became a staple of that team. She even
became the western roster's chairwoman, but her term was very brief since
the Avengers shut down their western division shortly thereafter. Scarlet
Witch resigned in protest and helped found a new team called Force
Works with other disgruntled ex-western Avengers, but the new group soon
broke up and Scarlet Witch rejoined the Avengers.

QUICKSILVER quit the group in anger in Avengers (v1) # 103-104, and did
not return to active duty even after reconciling with the team since he
had married into the Royal Family of the Inhumans and took up residence in
their hidden homeland of Attilan (his wedding to Inhuman princess Crystal
took place in Fantastic Four [v1] # 150). He was an infrequently active
reserve member of the group for years thereafter, but went on to serve two
more stints with the team (circa Avengers West Coast # 56-70 and Avengers
[v1] # 369-402). He was one of the few remaining active members when the
team disbanded during Onslaught, but declined to resume active membership
when the team regrouped shortly thereafter. He last worked with the group
in Avengers (v3) # 7, when he aided the Avengers against the Kree Lunatic
Legion. He is currently an inactive member of the team.


PAGE 6
The peerless power of Perez at its peak! This full-page
illustration is a montage of all the Avengers members to date other than
the founders and the kooky quartet, as well as all the team's honorary
members. Pictured here are Sandman, Falcon [II], Living Lightning,
Spider-Man, Machine Man, Yellowjacket [II], Human Torch,
Black Knight [III], Thunderstrike, Mister Fantastic, Sersi, Firebird,
Mockingbird, Martinex, Photon, Vance Astro, Warbird, Nikki, Captain Marvel,
Black Widow [II], Starhawk, Charlie-27, Yondu, Whizzer, Wonder Man,
Firestar, Spider-Woman [II], War Machine, Masque [II], Beast, Justice,
Swordsman [II], Hellcat, Quasar [III], Rage (obscured behind the third word
balloon), Two-Gun Kid, Swordsman, Sub-Mariner, Moon Knight, Doctor Druid,
Thing, Stingray, Magdalene, Hercules, Mantis, Tigra, Crystal,
Demolition Man, She-Hulk, Deathcry, USAgent, Black Panther, Gilgamesh,
Darkhawk, Vision [II], Moondragon, Starfox, Jocasta, Marrina, Rick Jones &
Invisible Woman. All of them are in their current costumes unless otherwise
noted below. In the case of dead Avengers, all are depicted in the costuming
they wore before dying unless otherwise noted.

The commentators' "girl next door" remark could apply to either Hellcat or
Firestar, both of whom fit the description and are close to the word balloon
in question. "Monarchs of other lands" refers to Namor (also close to the
word balloon in question), former ruler of Atlantis, and the Black Panther,
current ruler of Wakanda. "Stalwarts from the future" refers to the
Guardians of the Galaxy (Martinex, Vance Astro, Nikki, Starhawk, Charlie-27
and Yondu), who are close to the relevant word balloon. Avengers "from outer
space" include Captain Marvel (of the alien Kree race), Martinex (from 31st
century Pluto), Nikki (from 31st century Mercury), Starhawk (who grew up off
Earth despite his terrestrial heritage), Charlie-27 (of 31st century
Jupiter), Yondu (of 31st century Centauri IV), Deathcry (of the alien Shi'ar
race), Moondragon (an Earth woman raised on Titan), Starfox (an Eternal of
Titan) and perhaps Quasar, who was born and raised on Earth but now spends
most of his time in outer space. Apart from the Guardians, Quasar is closest
to the relevant word balloon.

Reformed super-criminal SANDMAN joined the Avengers as a probationary
reservist in Avengers (v1) # 329 but resigned in anger during a procedural
dispute with team leader Captain America shortly thereafter (in Amazing
Spider-Man [v1] # 349). He has only worked with the Avengers twice since
then, when he aided the team against Morgan Le Fay and Whirlwind in
Avengers (v3) # 1-4. He is currently among the Avengers' inactive
membership ranks.

As a sometime partner of Captain America, the FALCON worked alongside the
Avengers as early as Avengers (v1) # 88, but did not officially join the
team until Avengers (v1) # 183, when he was drafted into the group at the
US government's insistence to fulfill a racial minority quota imposed on
the team's membership. Uncomfortable with the circumstances of his
membership and feeling out of place with the group, Falcon resigned in
Avengers (v1) # 194; however, he has been a reliable reserve member of the
group since then, serving on many subsequent cases. He last worked with
the Avengers in Avengers (v3) # 1-4, when he aided the team against Morgan
Le Fay and Whirlwind. He is among the team's inactive membership.

The LIVING LIGHTNING first encountered the Avengers as an adversary in
Avengers West Coast # 63, but joined the team in Avengers West Coast (AWC)
# 74 after aiding the team against the Pacific Overlords. He downgraded to
reserve status in AWC # 87-88 to pursue a college education full-time. He
last worked with the Avengers in Avengers (v3) # 1-3, when he aided the
team against Morgan Le Fay. He is among the team's inactive membership.

MACHINE MAN first met the Avengers in Avengers [v1] # 287-290 when he was
involved in their conflict with the Super-Adaptoid, after which he aided
them against Terminus in AWC Annual # 5 and Avengers Annual # 19. He was
elected to reserve membership in the Avengers' western roster in AWC # 69,
but only served on one case (in AWC # 83) before the Avengers disbanded
their western division. He last worked with the Avengers in Avengers (v3)
# 1-4, when he aided the team against Morgan Le Fay and Whirlwind. He is
among the team's inactive membership.

The second YELLOWJACKET (Rita DeMara) was a petty criminal who stole Hank
Pym's Yellowjacket costuming and equipment for her own use in Avengers (v1)
# 264. She went on to battle the Avengers as a reluctant member of Baron
Helmut Zemo's Masters of Evil, but reformed and became an ally to the
Avengers as of Solo Avengers # 12, even accompanying them on a mission
that earned her honorary Avengers membership in Avengers Annual 17. Her
association with the Avengers came to an abrupt and tragic end, though,
when she was seemingly murdered by a person who appeared to be Iron Man
in Avengers: The Crossing # 1. The story behind her death remains largely
unrevealed, though it was apparently part of a scheme engineered by Kang
and Mantis. Yellowjacket appears here in her original costume.

The original HUMAN TORCH joined the Avengers in AWC # 50 after the team
revived him from the state of suspended animation he'd been left in by the
Mad Thinker years earlier. He took a leave of absence as of AWC # 65 to
investigate the fate of his late partner Toro, and downgraded to reserve
status after losing his superhuman powers. He is mostly retired from
adventuring now, working as the manager of the corporate-sponsored
super-team Heroes For Hire in his civilian identity as Jim Hammond. He
last worked with the Avengers in Avengers West Coast # 83. The Torch is
depicted aflame here, a state he can no longer safely achieve given the
current state of his powers.

The third BLACK KNIGHT (Dane Whitman) first appeared in Avengers
(v1) # 47-48, and became a recurring ally to the group thereafter. He was
awarded official Avengers membership in Avengers (v1) # 71. He has been an
inactive or reserve member for most of the years since then, though he has
served two significant active membership stints with the group (Avengers
[v1] # 255-297 & Avengers [v1] # 336-375), serving as the team's de facto
field leader under chairwoman Black Widow during his second stint. He last
worked with the Avengers in Avengers (v3) # 1-4, when he aided the team
against Morgan Le Fay. This illustration depicts Black Knight in the second
version of his original costume (adopted in Marvel Super Heroes [v1] # 17).
He is riding his original winged steed, Aragorn, which is now in the care of
the Valkyrie. The sword he carries is probably his ebony blade, but if so it
is miscolored here (the blade should be black).

Eric Masterson, a mortal friend of Avengers founder Thor, was imbued with
Thor-like powers by the Asgardian gods to act as Thor's substitute on
Earth while Thor was incapacitated. At first, he posed as a new Thor, and in
that guise he took the original Thor's place in the Avengers as of Avengers
(v1) # 343. Later, he was given slightly altered powers and adopted an
identity uniquely his own as THUNDERSTRIKE after the original Thor returned
to action, and he began to serve with the Avengers more infrequently. He
died in the final issue of his own ongoing series when he was possessed by
the Bloodaxe and sacrificed his life so that the Bloodaxe could not use him
to threaten others.

As founding members of the Fantastic Four, MISTER FANTASTIC, INVISIBLE WOMAN
and the THING have been allies to the Avengers since the latter
team's founding. The Thing became a recurring ally to the Avengers' western
roster in West Coast Avengers (WCA) v2 # 3-8 during a leave of absence from
the Fantastic Four and joined the western Avengers in WCA v2 # 9, but he was
forced to leave the group for personal reasons almost immediately, in WCA v2
# 10. He eventually rejoined the Fantastic Four. Mister Fantastic and
Invisible Woman joined the eastern Avengers roster during a leave of
absence from the Fantastic Four at the request of Captain America in
Avengers (v1) # 299-300, when they joined the group to fill vacancies
left by a mass walkout of the eastern Avengers membership. They were unused
to serving in a larger group, though, and soon resigned from active duty
as of Avengers (v1) # 305, returning to the Fantastic Four. Since resigning
from the active Avengers roster, the three FF members have very seldom
served with the Avengers, though the Avengers and the Fantastic Four remain
close allies. The three FF members declined further participation in the
Avengers as recently as Avengers (v3) # 1, saying they wish to concentrate
on the affairs of the Fantastic Four. Mister Fantastic is not wearing the
currently standard version of the FF's costuming here, and is instead
wearing an earlier version of the FF uniform.

A recurring ally to the Avengers as of Avengers (v1) # 246-248, SERSI
accepted an offer of membership in Avengers (v1) # 314, serving a lengthy
membership stint until personal problems forced her to leave in Avengers
(v1) # 375. She last worked with the Avengers in Avengers (v3) # 1-4, when
she aided the team against Morgan Le Fay. She is among the team's inactive
membership.

FIREBIRD became a recurring ally to the Avengers in WCA v2 # 4 and had
two informal membership stints with the group, one as Firebird (WCA v2
# 4-10) and one in her short-lived alternate guise as Espirita (WCA v2
# 17-25). She became an official Avengers reservist circa Avengers (v1)
# 305 and has served infrequently with the group since then. She last
worked with the Avengers in Avengers (v3) # 1-3, when she aided the team
against Morgan Le Fay. She is among the team's inactive membership.

CHARLIE-27, MARTINEX, VANCE ASTRO, YONDU, STARHAWK and NIKKI are all members
of the Guardians of the Galaxy, a team of heroic adventurers from the 31st
century of an alternate future timeline. The Guardians visited the 20th
century for the second time in pursuit of their adversary Korvac, and
during this visit they forged an ongoing alliance with the Avengers. For
the duration of their stay, the Guardians were granted honorary Avengers
membership to facilitate their activities in the 20th century. Shortly
after Korvac's defeat, the Guardians returned to their own time period
(though they later helped defend Avengers Mansion from the fifth Masters of
Evil during another visit to the 20th century). They are depicted here as
they looked during their association with the Avengers (in Avengers [v1]
# 167-181), though the coloring makes Starhawk and Martinex look a bit
more like they did later in the Guardians of the Galaxy ongoing series
(Starhawk's coloring is more pale, and Martinex's crystalline body is more
monochromatic than it was in his early years). Vance Astro is an alternate
future incarnation of the present-day Vance Astrovik, who has become a
member of the Avengers as Justice. This cameo marks Nikki's and Starhawk's
first appearances in the current Avengers series.

Former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and freelance intelligence operative MOCKINGBIRD
began working alongside the Avengers in Avengers (v1) # 239, shortly after
marrying longtime Avengers member Hawkeye. She became a founding member of
the team's new western roster in WCA (v1) # 1, serving until an ideological
dispute estranged her from Hawkeye, prompting her to take an indefinite
leave of absence in WCA (v1) # 37. She continued to associate with the
Avengers on a reserve basis, though, and also served as a mentor to the
novice adventurers known as the Great Lakes Avengers for a time. She took on
active reserve status in AWC # 69, and rejoined the active ranks in
AWC # 87-88, finally reconciling with Hawkeye in AWC # 89-91. She was
planning to retire and raise a family shortly thereafter, but she sacrificed
her life to save Hawkeye & Scarlet Witch during a battle with Mephisto in
Avengers West Coast # 100. She is pictured here in her second Mockingbird
costume, the one she was wearing at the time of her death.

PHOTON joined the team in Avengers (v1) # 227, serving a lengthy membership
stint during which she eventually became the team's chairman (in Avengers
[v1] # 279). She was forced by injuries to leave the active roster in
Avengers (v1) # 294, but became one of the team's more reliable reservists
after recovering. She last worked with the Avengers in Avengers (v3) # 1-3,
when she aided the team against Morgan Le Fay. She is among the team's
inactive membership. She was originally known as Captain Marvel (the second
Avenger by that alias) and was known by that name for most of her Avengers
career, but she recently changed her alias to Photon in Avengers Unplugged
# 5, conceding the Captain Marvel title to the son of the original Captain
Marvel out of respect for the family.

The original Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) aided the Avengers against menaces
such as Ultron, Attuma, Korvac and Doctor Spectrum in Avengers (v1) #
171-172, 175-177 & Avengers Annual 8, officially joining the team in
Avengers (v1) # 183. She served capably until Avengers # 200, when her
abduction and physical & mental violation by Marcus Immortus led to her
resignation. Blaming the Avengers for allowing Marcus to victimize her,
Carol declined to associate with the team for some time thereafter. This
separation continued for quite some time after Carol gained new cosmic
powers and became the spacefaring adventurer known as Binary. More recently,
Binary helped the Avengers save Earth's sun during Galactic Storm and was
reconciled with the team in Avengers (v1) # 350-351. She formally rejoined
the team in a new guise as WARBIRD in Avengers (v3) # 4, but angrily
resigned in Avengers (v3) # 7 when she was disciplined for reckless and
deceitful conduct stemming from her recent drinking problem.

CAPTAIN MARVEL (Mar-Vell), a legendary spacefaring alien hero who served
as the Protector of the Universe, was a recurring ally to the Avengers. He
aided the team against menaces such as Zodiac (Avengers [v1] # 72), the
Kree-Skrull War (Avengers [v1] # 89-97), Space Phantom & Grim Reaper
(Avengers [v1] # 106-108), Thanos (Avengers [v1] # 125 and Avengers Annual
# 7) and Korvac (Avengers [v1] # 173-177). When Mar-Vell died of cancer (in
Marvel Graphic Novel # 1), the Avengers were among his many mourners and
posthumously declared him an honorary member of their team. He is pictured
here in the later version of his second costume, the uniform he was wearing
at the time of his death.

THE BLACK WIDOW has a long but not especially impressive record with the
Avengers: she was their adversary (Avengers [v1] # 29-30) while serving as
a brainwashed communist agent, became a recurring ally to the group
(Avengers [v1] # 32-33 and up) through her now-defunct romance with Hawkeye,
joined the group herself in Avengers (v1) # 111, resigned for personal
reasons after one case in Avengers (v1) # 112, served infrequently as a
reservist for years thereafter, and rejoined the active roster for a long
but largely undistinguished membership stint (Avengers [v1] # 329-402)
during which she served a lengthy but otherwise unimpressive stint as team
leader (Avengers [v1] # 348-402), a leadership stint that ended with the
group's disbanding. Now believing herself unsuited for superheroics, she has
since returned to freelance espionage. She has been an inactive member of
the Avengers since they regrouped, though she aided the team against Morgan
Le Fay in Avengers (v3) # 1-3 and fought the Mandarin's forces alongside
them in Iron Man (v3) # 10.

The original WHIZZER was a 1940s costumed crimefighter who served as
a member of the Liberty Legion, the Invaders and the All-Winners Squad
during and after World War II alongside heroes such as Captain America,
Namor and the Human Torch. In recent years, the long-retired Whizzer became
a recurring ally of the Avengers after they helped him subdue his monstrous
son Nuklo in Giant-Size Avengers # 1. The Whizzer repeatedly assisted the
team in their adventures thereafter, due in part to the fact that he was
mistakenly believed to be the long-lost father of Quicksilver and the
Scarlet Witch for some time. A humiliating defeat at the hands of Count
Nefaria in Avengers [v1] # 165 finally convinced the Whizzer to retire as
of Avengers [v1] # 173. Later, he went into action one last time to save
Nuklo and Scarlet Witch from his old foe Isbisa. The Whizzer died in that
battle, but Nuklo was cured of his dangerous radioactive properties in the
process, freeing him to lead a normal life at last (Vision & Scarlet Witch
[v1] # 2).

NOTE: This cameo marks not only the Whizzer's first appearance in this
series, but also the first time he has been featured in any Avengers
illustration for many years. Kudos to Busiek & Perez for including this
oft-forgotten Avenger.

WONDER MAN was given superhuman power by Baron Heinrich Zemo and plotted
against the Avengers with Zemo’s Masters of Evil, only to seemingly die when
he repented by turning against Zemo and saving the Avengers (all this
happened in Avengers [v1] # 9). Years later, Wonder Man returned from his
seeming death (in Avengers [v1] # 151-152) and learned that Zemo’s
superhuman empowerment process had actually sent him into a deathlike coma,
from which he emerged as a super-strong, physically invulnerable, seemingly
immortal being of coherent ionic energy. Having nowhere else to go, Wonder
Man informally joined the Avengers (as of Avengers Annual # 6), aiding them
in their battles, and was awarded official membership circa Avengers (v1)
# 181 after a lengthy probationary association with the group. He later
helped found the AWC and served until the shutdown of the team’s western
base prompted him and several other western-based Avengers to resign and
form the rival team Force Works. Wonder Man seemingly died in the course of
this new team’s first mission when he disappeared in a massive explosion
during a battle with hostile aliens, the Kree and the Scatter (Force Works
# 1). He has since returned as a ghostly energy being that repeatedly
manifests in the vicinity of the Scarlet Witch, the fellow Avenger for whom
he had a largely unrequited romantic passion. This new incarnation of Wonder
Man has appeared in Avengers (v3) # 2-9, battling alongside the Avengers at
the Scarlet Witch's behest. He is pictured here in his original costume, as
he looked when he first became Wonder Man.

Firestar appears here in her second costume, the one she wore when she
joined the team in Avengers (v3) # 4.

SPIDER-WOMAN (Julia Carpenter) first encountered the Avengers during the
Secret Wars and later helped them escape the Vault in Avengers Annual 15.
She joined the Avengers in AWC # 74 after aiding the team against the
Pacific Overlords (AWC # 70-73) and served until the group’s western
division shut down in AWC # 102. She then resigned and joined the
short-lived rival super-team Force Works, which has since disbanded. She
is currently an inactive member of the Avengers, having last worked with
the team when she aided them against Morgan Le Fay and Whirlwind in
Avengers (v3) # 1-4.

WAR MACHINE (Jim Rhodes) was a longtime friend, employee and confidant of
Tony Stark, who entrusted his Iron Man armor and identity to Rhodes after
succumbing to alcoholism. As Iron Man, Rhodes helped found the Avengers’
western roster (in WCA limited series # 1-4) and served until he was
sidelined by injuries in Iron Man # 199-200, allowing the newly sober Stark
to reclaim the Iron Man guise. Rhodes continued to act occasionally as a
substitute Iron Man thereafter, sometimes with the Avengers (as in WCA
Annual # 1), and eventually became Iron Man full-time again when Stark
faked his own death. Upon learning of Stark’s survival, Rhodes severed
their friendship and struck out on his own, using a variation of the Iron
Man armor as War Machine. In this guise, he rejoined the Avengers (AWC # 94)
and served until the dissolution of the group’s western roster and a
related argument with Iron Man prompted him to quit the team in AWC # 102.
Shortly afterward, Rhodes lost his War Machine suit but gained a new suit
of alien armor, which has since been destroyed as well (in Tales of the
Marvel Universe # 1). Rhodes is currently on good terms with both Stark and
the Avengers but has decided to retire from adventuring, concentrating on
his new salvage business (as mentioned in Iron Man [v3] # 1). He last
worked with the Avengers during The Crossing. He is pictured here in the
original War Machine armor.

MASQUE (true name unknown) was a mysterious adventurer who aided the
Avengers against Kang and the rogue versions of Iron Man and Mantis during
The Crossing (Avengers [v1] # 393-395). Her name and costuming are derived
from Iron Man’s old foe Madame Masque (Whitney Frost), who was seemingly
slain and replaced by a new Madame Masque some time ago. Whether either of
the Madame Masques was the Masque known to the Avengers remains unknown, as
do Masque’s origins and motivations. One incident suggested that she might
be Iron Man’s old girlfriend Bethany Cabe, but that remains unconfirmed.
After aiding the Avengers against Kang, Masque briefly resided at Avengers
Mansion as an honorary member of sorts, assisting in the team’s missions
(Avengers [v1] # 397-398), but disappeared after she was abducted by a
cyborg named Benedict in Avengers (v1) # 399.

Note: while several comics (including this one) suggest an Avengers status
of some sort for Masque II, current Avengers editor Tom Brevoort has said he
prefers to regard Masque as a non-member until she is explicitly designated
otherwise in the comics themselves. Current Avengers writer Kurt Busiek, on
the other hand, has referred to her as an honorary member in the past.

A founding member of the X-Men, The BEAST left that group to pursue a
scientific career before applying for Avengers membership during one of the
team's earlier membership drives (Avengers [v1] # 137). Following a
probationary period of unofficial membership,  Beast won full official
membership in Avengers (v1) # 151. After a fairly lengthy active membership
stint, he retired to reserve status in Avengers (v1) # 211. Though he has
gone on to membership in other groups, including the Defenders, X-Factor and
the X-Men, the Beast has remained affiliated with the Avengers and works
with them on occasion, most recently in Avengers(v3) # 1-4 when he aided
the team against Morgan Le Fay and helped Warbird evaluate the state of her
physical powers. He is currently among the team's inactive members.

Justice appears here in his second Justice costume, the one he was wearing
when he joined the Avengers in the fourth issue of this series.

The second SWORDSMAN (Philip Jarvert) and his lover MAGDALENE are
adventurers from an alternate universe who encountered the Avengers as
adversaries in Avengers (v1) # 343-344 but later became in-house allies and
honorary members of the team. More recently, the couple left Earth in search
of a new world to call home (in Avengers/Squadron Supreme '98), declining
an offer to become reserve Avengers. The second Swordsman is the
alternate-Earth counterpart of the deceased Avengers member who first used
that alias (Jacques Duquesne).

Note: while several comics (including this one) suggest an Avengers status
of some sort for Swordsman II and Magdalene, current Avengers editor Tom
Brevoort has said he prefers to regard Magdalene as a non-member until she
is explicitly designated otherwise. Current Avengers writer Kurt Busiek, on
the other hand, has referred to her as an honorary member in the past.

HELLCAT (Patsy Walker) was a child celebrity and model whose mother
immortalized her in a popular series of teen humour comics. As a young
adult, Patsy married her real-life and comic book high school sweetheart,
Buzz Baxter, but found the life of a housewife deadly dull; worse yet, Buzz
became cold and withdrawn over time, even abusive, and Patsy longed for
some form of escape. When Patsy aided the adventurer known as the Beast, she
made him promise he would help her become a super-hero. After divorcing
Buzz, she held Beast to his promise and started out by accompanying him and
his fellow Avengers on a mission that brought them into conflict with Buzz’s
employers, the corrupt Brand Corporation. During this mission, Patsy
stumbled upon the discarded costume of the adventurer called the Cat (now
known as Tigra), donning it and dubbing herself the Hellcat (Avengers
[v1] # 144). As Hellcat, Patsy helped the Avengers defeat the Serpent Crown
and its pawns, the Squadron Supreme and the Brand Corporation, including
Buzz (Avengers [v1] # 147-149). The Avengers then offered Hellcat
membership, but she only accepted reserve status since she decided to
receive further training from fellow reservist Moondragon (Avengers
[v1] # 151).
Shortly afterward, Patsy became affiliated with the Defenders (in
Defenders # 44) and was a mainstay of that group for years, serving only
occasionally with the Avengers (her last case with the team was during Acts
of Vengeance, in Avengers Spotlight # 27 and Avengers [v1] # 313). She
retired from active Defenders membership in Defenders # 125 when she married
teammate Daimon Hellstrom (formerly the Son of Satan) after he was cleansed
of his darksoul. The two set up an occult investigations business together
and Patsy continued to act occasionally as Hellcat, both alone and as a
sometime member of the Avengers, but that came to an end when Daimon’s
darksoul reasserted itself and Patsy was driven mad at the sight of it. She
languished in a near-vegetable state for months afterward until the
mercy-killing entity Deathurge sensed her despair and freed her spirit from
her body. She has since contacted Earth from a spirit plane and announced
her intention to return in the near future, though how and when this may
happen is as yet unrevealed. Until then, Hellcat is considered dead.

QUASAR (Wendell Vaughn) is a former SHIELD agent who was entrusted to wear
the immensely powerful, energy-manipulating quantum bands by the ancient,
all-knowing alien Eon, who appointed Quasar as Protector of the Universe
(replacing Eon's previous agent, the late Captain Marvel). Though Eon
eventually died in the course of its duties as Quasar’s mentor (and was
replaced by its offspring Epoch), Quasar has continued to serve as Protector
of the Universe, striving to maintain order in the universe while battling
cosmic or paranormal threats to the security of Earth and the rest of the
cosmos. Quasar first worked with the Avengers when he aided them against
Supernova (in Avengers [v1] # 302-303) and was invited to join the group,
an offer he eagerly accepted. Quasar served very effectively as an active
member for some time thereafter (Avengers [v1] # 305-347), but he left the
active roster indefinitely after the genocidal massacre of the alien Kree
during Galactic Storm convinced him that he could better perform his
Protector of the Universe duties by spending more time off Earth (in Captain
America [v1] # 401). He last worked with the team in Avengers (v3) # 1-4,
when he aided the team against Morgan Le Fay and declined an offer to rejoin
the active roster. He is currently among the group's inactive members.

RAGE is a young teen mutated by toxic waste into a superhumanly strong
adult, and was briefly a reserve member of the Avengers before they expelled
him after learning he was underage. Rage first appeared in Avengers (v1) #
326 and joined the Avengers in Avengers (v1) # 329; they bounced him from
their active roster in Avengers (v1) # 341-342. He last worked with the
group in Avengers (v3) # 1-4, when he aided the team against Morgan Le Fay
and Whirlwind. He is an active member of the New Warriors.

The TWO-GUN KID (Matthew J. Hawk, born Matthew Liebowicz) was a legendary
gunfighter of the late 19th century who led a double life as lawyer Matt
Hawk and a masked lawman known as the Two-Gun Kid. A clever thinker, a
skilled fighter and a phenomenally accurate sharpshooter, the Kid became one
of the most celebrated of the old western heroes. When the Avengers battled
Kang in the 1870s, Two-Gun was intrigued by the team, struck up a fast
friendship with longtime Avengers member Hawkeye (Avengers [v1] # 142) and
allied himself with the Avengers against Kang (Avengers [v1] # 142-143),
accompanying them back to the 20th century once their battle was won
(Avengers [v1] # 144, 147). Two-Gun offered his services to the Avengers and
was awarded membership in absentia (sometime during or after Avengers [v1]
# 151) while he explored 20th century America with Hawkeye as his guide.
Two-Gun became increasingly homesick, though, and returned to his own era in
Avengers (v1) # 174-175.
Since then, the Avengers made a second visit to Two-Gun’s time
period (WCA # 18-23), during which he helped rescue Mockingbird from the
Phantom Rider but declined returning to the 20th century and the Avengers,
though he didn’t rule it out as a future possibility.  The Two Gun Kid:
Sunset Riders limited series has since told a story in which Two-Gun, late
in life, faked his death in both his identities and embarked on a new life
as the anonymous leader of a band of adventurers called the Sunset Riders.
Whether that is Two-Gun’s true future remains to be seen. Two-Gun appears
here in his conventional costuming, as opposed to the less distinctive look
he sported come the conclusion of the Sunset Riders story.

The original SWORDSMAN (Jacques Duquesne) was a European nobleman who
betrayed his own people to liberate an oppressed Asian populace as a
costumed revolutionary, but when the Asians turned on him, too, he was
tragically disillusioned (see Avengers Spotlight # 22). The demoralized
Swordsman drifted into a life of mercenary work and odd jobs, some of them
criminal. For a while he worked as a carnival performer, during which time
he became a mentor and father figure to the young archer Clint Barton--but
gambling debts prompted the Swordsman to steal from the carnival. When
Barton refused to go along with it, the Swordsman knocked him from the
trapeze and fled, leaving Barton for dead.
Years later, Barton had become a member of the Avengers as Hawkeye
and Duquesne had become notorious as the Swordsman, prompting him to seek
Avengers membership himself in hopes that this would end his conflicts with
legal authorities (Avengers [v1] # 19). The Avengers turned him down because
of his shady past, but the Mandarin then recruited Swordsman into a plot
against the Avengers, arming him with a special weapon-laden blade and
hoaxing the Avengers into accepting the Swordsman as a member (Avengers
[v1] # 20). The Swordsman served capably for a brief time and came to
genuinely admire the group, deciding to turn against the Mandarin, but the
Avengers exposed him as an infiltrator first and he was forced to flee the
team, encountering them repeatedly in an adversarial role thereafter, and
once as an ally (in Avengers [v1] # 100).
When the Swordsman fell in love with the mysterious Mantis, she
convinced him to reform and rejoin the Avengers. He did so in Avengers
[v1] # 114 and served honorably with the group for a time until dying
heroically in battle with Kang (Giant-Size Avengers # 2). The Avengers have
mourned him since then as the team’s first fatality.

The SUB-MARINER (Namor McKenzie) is the mutant hybrid offspring of an
Atlantean woman and a human male; a volatile adventurer who has been both an
enemy and an ally to the human race over the decades, Namor first appeared
in the late 1930s and joined the Avengers only in recent years after mending
his ways to some extent. After encountering the Avengers as an ally or
adversary several times (beginning with Avengers [v1] # 3), Namor accepted
an offer of membership from his old friend Captain America in Avengers
(v1) # 262. He has not been an active member since leaving the team to mourn
the death of his wife Marrina in Avengers (v1) # 291-293. He was a longtime
founding member of the Defenders and has recently become the patron of the
Heroes for Hire. He is an inactive member of the Avengers, having last
worked with the team when he aided them against Morgan Le Fay and Whirlwind
in Avengers (v3) # 1-4.

MOON KNIGHT was a mercenary who embarked on a new life as a costumed
crimefighter in honour of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, who once saved him
from death. A loner by inclination, Moon Knight turned down Avengers
membership during a membership drive in Avengers [v1] # 211; however,
Khonshu convinced him to come to the Avengers’ aid when they were lost in
time, since Khonshu owed them a favour (WCA v2 # 21-23), and after a
probationary period (WCA v2 # 24-32) Moon Knight was invited to join their
ranks. He accepted this time (WCA v2 # 33), partly because Khonshu was
fascinated by the Avengers and wanted to observe them through Moon Knight,
exerting ever greater control over his disciple until he eventually
subjugated Moon Knight’s mind altogether. When Khonshu left the Earthly
plane to attend another matter (battling the forces of rival god Seth),
Moon Knight’s mind became wholly his own again and he left the Avengers in
WCA v2 # 41, having been on an indefinite leave due to an ethical dispute
since WCA v2 # 37 anyway. He later resigned his Avengers membership
altogether on bad terms in Moon Knight (v3) # 50, when the group called him
in to question his sometimes extreme crimefighting methods. Moon Knight
responded to the team's last general membership summons in Avengers (v3) # 1
but has declined further association with the group.

DOCTOR DRUID (Doctor Anthony Ludgate) was an obscure Celtic mystic and
mentalist imbued with a great deal of magical potential by the Ancient One
as a trial run for the empowerment of Earth’s sorcerer supreme, Doctor
Strange. Druid battled occult evil mostly alone for years until he became
an ally of the Avengers, aiding them against the Fomor (Avengers [v1] #
225-226) and the Masters of Evil (Avengers [v1] # 276-277), after which he
joined the team in Avengers [v1] # 279. The haughtily arrogant Druid proved
a disruptive force within the team, though, and soon became an outright
destructive force when he fell under the mental sway of the Terminatrix,
who in turn dominated the Avengers through Druid’s mental powers; this
situation led to Druid and Terminatrix being cast adrift in limbo and the
team’s eastern roster being disbanded altogether for a while in the wake of
Druid’s ruinous leadership. Druid eventually regained his free will, spurned
the Terminatrix and returned to sorcerous adventuring (Avengers Spotlight
# 37), occasionally assisting the Avengers in an effort to atone for his
past failures (he last worked with the group in Avengers Annual # 21 when
the Avengers faced Kang and Terminatrix). He also briefly led the Shock
Troop and the Secret Defenders, though he soon deserted both groups.
Eventually, Druid grew tired of perceiving himself as a failure and
performed rituals that greatly increased his powers while turning him into
an amoral monster and a threat to the Earth (Druid # 1-3), a threat snuffed
out when Hellstorm and Nekra murdered him in Druid # 4. Druid is pictured
here as he looked when he was an active Avengers member. He later had a full
head of hair after a mystical rejuvenation experience, and still later
became a shaggy-haired, gauntly slender man after his final empowering
transformation.

Walter Newell is an oceanographer and occasional adventurer who
designed and constructed the submersible armor he wears as STINGRAY. A
longtime friend and ally of Namor the Sub-Mariner, Newell became custodian
of the artificial island Hydrobase as a platform for his research, and Namor
was their frequent guest there. When the Newells offered to let the Avengers
use Hydrobase as an airport for their quinjets (in Avengers [v1] # 262), the
Avengers accepted and invited Namor to join their ranks. Stingray went on to
participate in various Avengers cases, too, an activity which became more
frequent when the Avengers moved their entire headquarters to Hydrobase
following the destruction of the original Avengers Mansion. As caretaker of
Hydrobase (later also known as Avengers Island), Stingray was an ongoing
associate of the team and eventually came to be regarded as a member of the
Avengers, a status apparently made official sometime during or after his
role in the "Crossing Line" mission (Avengers [v1] # 319-324). Hydrobase
had sunk by that time, but Stingray remained affiliated with the Avengers.
He was alternately referred to as an honorary member or a reservist in
various texts thereafter, and was once referred to as an "honorary
reservist" (whatever that means), but in practice he seemed to function as
an ordinary reservist. He is currently an inactive member of the Avengers,
and last worked with the team when he aided them against Morgan Le Fay and
Whirlwind in Avengers (v3) # 1-4.

HERCULES (AKA Heracles) is the legendary warrior son of the Olympian monarch
Zeus and a mortal woman, and as such he is a super-strong demigod (though he
was recently stripped of his immortality and much of his strength in a
dispute with his father). An early Avengers member, Hercules took up
residence at Avengers Mansion in Avengers (v1) # 38 after Zeus temporarily
exiled him to Earth, and he formally joined the group in Avengers (v1) # 45;
that membership stint proved brief (ending in Avengers [v1] # 50), but he
later served for two much longer membership stints (Avengers (v1) # 249-274
and 334-402), the second of which ended only recently when the team
temporarily disbanded following the Onslaught disaster. Currently an
inactive Avengers member, he last worked with the team when he aided them
against Morgan Le Fay and Whirlwind in Avengers (v3) # 1-4. He is pictured
here in his original costuming and with his usual full beard, a markedly
different look than the less majestic outfits and semi-clean-shaven look he
has sported of late.

MANTIS first appeared in Avengers (v1) # 112 and began working alongside the
Avengers on an unofficial basis in Avengers (v1) # 114 when her loever, the
original Swordsman, returned to active duty with the Avengers. Having
nowhere else to go, Mantis remained with the Avengers after the Swordsman
died in action. She eventually departed for outer space with an alien Cotati
as her mate, though, when she learned she was fated to be the Celestial
Madonna, a woman who would bear a child of immense importance to the
universe. Just before her departure, the Avengers granted Mantis official
Avengers membership as a mark of respect (Giant-Size Avengers # 4). Years
later, after conceiving and bearing her mysterious child, Mantis returned to
Earth for a second, much shorter stint with the Avengers (WCA v2 # 37-39 &
Annual 3). When the team next encountered her during The Crossing
(Avengers [v1] # 390-395 and related titles), Mantis had somehow become an
embittered enemy of their group, conspiring against the Avengers with her
new husband Kang and a corrupt incarnation of Iron Man. Whether that was
the true Mantis remains to be seen, as do the motivations behind this attack
on the Avengers. She is pictured here in her original costume, which she wore
while active with the Avengers.

TIGRA (Greer Grant Nelson) was the costumed crimefighter known as The Cat
until fatal wounds left her in the care of the otherworldly Cat People, one
of whom had created her physique-enhancing Cat costume. The Cat People saved
Greer’s life by transforming her into a sort of superhuman cat-woman called
a Tigra, in which guise Greer joined the Avengers during an impromptu
membership drive staged by Moondragon (Avengers [v1] # 211). Convinced that
she was inferior to her fellow Avengers, Tigra left after only a brief stint
(in Avengers [v1] # 216). She was later convinced to rejoin as a member of
the team’s new west coast division (WCA [v1] # 1-4), and quickly became a
mainstay of the Avengers’ western roster. Apart from a leave of absence
during an ethical dispute with the team (WCA # 37-41), Tigra remained with
the AWC until she briefly reverted to a feral state in AWC # 49, a condition
cured by Agatha Harkness in Avengers Spotlight # 38. Tigra returned to
active duty with the Avengers in AWC # 66, serving until she downgraded to
reserve status in AWC # 74 for personal reasons. Though she spent some time
in Australia after leaving the active roster, Tigra has been a reliable
reservist, helping to capture the Hyena during Galactic Storm (AWC # 83) and
battling Ultron in AWC Annual # 8. She last worked with the team in Avengers
(v3) # 1-4, when she aided the group against Morgan Le Fay. She is currently
an inactive member of the Avengers.

The Inhuman adventurer CRYSTAL joined the team relatively recently in
Avengers (v1) # 334-339, partly as an attempt to atone for misdeeds in her
personal life (including a period during which she deserted her husband
Quicksilver and their daughter Luna). Signing on officially in Avengers (v1)
# 343, Crystal found her membership complicated by a romance with a
teammate, the Black Knight, a situation that became more complicated when
Quicksilver rejoined the tean in hopes of winning Crystal back. Impressed
by the love between Pietro and Crystal and feeling guilty about his own
competing romantic relationship with teammate Sersi, the Black Knight left
the Avengers so that Crystal and Quicksilver could be happy together
(in Avengers [v1] # 375). Quicksilver and Crystal continued to serve with
the group until shortly after Avengers (v1) # 402, when the team disbanded
in the wake of the Onslaught disaster. They have since declined to rejoin
the active roster, remaining inactive members, but they did aid the
Avengers against Morgan Le Fay and Whirlwind in Avengers (v3) # 1-4.

DEMOLITION MAN (Dennis Dunphy), also known simply as D-Man, was a pro
wrestler who gained superhuman strength through treatments purchased from
the Power Broker. As Demolition Dunphy, he competed in the Unlimited Class
Wrestling Federation, befriending the Thing, and later became a costumed
crimefighter as Demolition Man, becoming an apprentice partner to Captain
America. When the Avengers’ eastern roster temporarily disbanded circa
Avengers (v1) # 297-298, Captain America returned to reconstruct the team
and began gathering new recruits. The first such recruit was Demolition Man
(in Captain America [v1] # 349), but D-Man was lost in action and presumed
dead during an Antarctic mission immediately afterward, so he never really
got a chance to serve with the Avengers. He was eventually rescued by Falcon
and USAgent but had suffered slight brain damage, leaving him a bit punchy
and slow-witted; rather than joining the Avengers, he went underground as
the champion of the subterranean community called Zerotown and has lived
there as its protector since then. He remains an inactive member of the
Avengers, though, and aided the team against Morgan Le Fay in Avengers (v3)
# 1-4.

SHE-HULK is the cousin and close friend of the Hulk, and gained superhuman
strength and durability similar to his after he was forced to give her an
emergency blood transfusion. She joined the Avengers during a membership
drive in Avengers (v1) # 221 and went on to serve several stints with the
group before drifting away from the team for reasons never fully explained.
She is currently an inactive Avengers member and last worked with the team
in Avengers (v3) # 1-4.

DEATHCRY was a young alien warrior entrusted to the care of the Avengers by
Empress Lilandra of the Shi’ar, ostensibly as a protector of the team
against the Kree. She resided with the Avengers as their ward for some
months (joining them in Avengers [v1] # 363-364) and served as an honorary
member of the team until her recent return to her home galaxy (as of
Avengers [v1] # 399). The full story behind her origins, her motivations and
her departure is as yet unrevealed.

Note: while several comics (including this one) suggest an Avengers status
of some sort for Deathcry, current Avengers editor Tom Brevoort has said he
prefers to regard her as a non-member until she is explicitly designated
otherwise. Current Avengers writer Kurt Busiek, on the other hand, has
referred to her as an honorary member in the past.

USAGENT (John Walker) is a soldier who sought personal glory and a sense of
purpose as the nationalistic adventurer called Super-Patriot, eventually
landing a government assignment as the new Captain America when the original
Captain was temporarily stripped of the role for refusing to unquestioningly
serve the US government. Though a loyal soldier, the egotistical and
sometimes sadistic Walker proved to be erratic, unpredictable and
murderously violent under the pressures of his Captain America guise,
eventually resigning from the role in disgrace. The government decided he
could still be useful, though, so they faked his death and gave him a new
identity as Jack Daniels, alias USAgent.
As USAgent, Walker was assigned to join the Avengers' western roster
(WCA v2 # 44-45) so that he could monitor the Avengers’ activities on the
government’s behalf. Since he was violent and disruptive, the Avengers
expelled him in AWC # 69 after the government order making him a member was
rescinded--but the team gave him a second chance and readmitted him in
AWC # 74 after he assisted them against the Pacific Overlords. He remained
an active member of the AWC until the Avengers disbanded their western
division, prompting him to quit and join the new rival super-team Force
Works until it disbanded. He is currently an inactive member of the
Avengers, and last worked with the team when he aided them against Morgan
Le Fay in Avengers (v3) # 1-3.

The BLACK PANTHER is the warrior king of the African nation Wakanda and an
occasional member of the Avengers during leaves of absence from his royal
duties. He joined the team as Captain America’s hand-picked replacement in
Avengers (v1) # 51-52 and served with the group for quite some time, but he
has been an infrequent participant in Avengers business in recent years due
to his conflicting royal responsibilities. An inactive Avengers member, he
last worked with the team when he aided them against Morgan Le Fay and the
Whirlwind in Avengers (v3) # 1-4. 

The ancient Eternal warrior GILGAMESH, seeking new adventures, joined the
Avengers in Avengers [v1] # 299-300 after assisting the team against Nanny,
the Orphan-Maker and the demons of N’astirh; however, his stint as an
Avenger was soon cut short when he suffered debilitating injuries in battle
with the Lava Men (Avengers [v1] # 307) and left the active roster, though
he later served the group in a reserve capacity on missions such as Galactic
Storm (Avengers [v1] # 345 & AWC # 81). He last encountered the team
during The Crossing, when he was mysteriously aged into a feeble state and
apparently murdered by Kang's minion, Neut (Avengers: The Crossing # 1 and
Avengers [v1] # 391).

DARKHAWK is a teenage adventurer whose alien amulet allows him to assume a
superhuman armored form capable of flight, enhanced strength, fast healing,
energy blasts and energy constructs. He first joined forces with the
Avengers against Professor Power in AWC Annual # 7 and was later made a
reserve member of the team in AWC # 94 while aiding the group against the
Pacific Overlords (AWC # 93-95). He is currently an inactive Avengers member
and last worked with the team in Avengers (v3) # 1-4, when he aided them
against Morgan Le Fay and Whirlwind. Perez mistakenly drew Darkhawk in his
original armor in those issues but corrects that mistake here, depicting
Darkhawk in the second-generation armor he has worn more recently. He is a
reserve member of the New Warriors.

Vision appears here in his original physical body and costume, first seen in
Avengers (v1) # 57. His appearance here is the basis for the design of his
current holographic form.

MOONDRAGON developed superhuman mental powers and peak human physical skills
under the tutelage of Titan’s Eternals and has come to regard herself as a
sort of benevolent goddess striving to better the lot of lesser beings.
Though she is well-intentioned, her sometimes extreme and often
self-righteous conduct has brought her into occasional conflict with her
fellow heroes, including her Avengers associates, though she has reformed
her ways to some extent since shedding the corrupt influence of the Dragon
of the Moon (see Defenders # 152 and Solo Avengers # 16, 18 and 20).
Moondragon met the Avengers during a conflict with Thanos (circa Avengers
[v1] # 125) and later encountered them during the Celestial Madonna affair
(see Avengers [v1] # 133-135 and Giant-Size Avengers # 4). She joined the
Avengers on a probationary basis during a membership drive in Avengers (v1)
# 137 and made her membership official as a reservist in Avengers (v1) #
151. She has been an infrequent reserve member since her initial
probationary membership stint, last serving with the group in Avengers (v3)
# 1-4, when she aided the team against Morgan Le Fay. She is currently an
inactive member.

STARFOX is one of the Eternals of Titan, an adventurer who first encountered
the Avengers as allies against his mad brother, Thanos. Eros was a close
friend of the longtime Avengers associate Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), and
after Mar-Vell’s death he decided to emulate his late friend and seek new
adventures by joining the Avengers as Starfox. He successfully sought
membership in Avengers (v1) #231-232 after aiding the team against the
Plantman, but served for only a relatively brief time before joining the
outer space manhunt for his grandniece Nebula, a space pirate guilty of
horrible genocidal crimes. Starfox left the team in Avengers (v1) # 261.
Nebula was eventually brought to justice, but Starfox never rejoined the
Avengers, preferring to wander space in search of romance and adventure. He
has been fairly reliable as an occasional reservist, though, serving during
such cases as the Terminus crisis (Avengers Annual # 19), the Galactic Storm
mission (Avengers # 345/347 and AWC # 82), the Nemesis case
(Avengers/Ultraforce # 1 and Ultraforce/Avengers # 1) and a conflict with
the Controller (Avengers Unplugged # 5). Most recently, he aided the team
against Morgan Le Fay and Whirlwind in Avengers (v3) # 1-4. He is currently
part of the team's inactive ranks.

JOCASTA was a sentient robot created by the evil robot Ultron as his bride
(in Avengers [v1] # 162), but she turned against him and joined his mortal
enemies, the Avengers, instead (Avengers [v1] # 162 and 170-171). Jocasta
resided at Avengers Mansion as an ally to the team for quite some time
thereafter, having nowhere else to go, but eventually tired of being passed
over for full membership and left (in Avengers [v1] # 211--just as,
unbeknownst to her, the Avengers were about to offer her formal membership).
Shortly after her departure, she became romantically involved with fellow
sentient robot Machine Man, but she was destroyed in their resultant battle
with Ultron. Jocasta was presumed dead and mourned by the Avengers after
that, but the High Evolutionary salvaged her parts and reactivated her in an
unsuccessful attempt to use her against the Avengers. She instead joined the
Avengers in defeating the Evolutionary, though the battle ended in an
explosion that seemingly destroyed her once more (Avengers Annual # 17). Her
head survived intact, however, and was stolen by criminal arms dealer Madame
Menace; what Menace will do with it remains unclear, as does whether or not
the Avengers or Machine Man will learn of this and attempt to rescue and
reactivate her. Jocasta’s human personality was based on the brain patterns
of the Wasp. Kurt Busiek has said he has plans for Jocasta in an upcoming
Iron Man story.

MARRINA Smallwood is an aquatic alien adventurer who married Namor the
Sub-Mariner and fought alongside the Avengers during his second active
membership stint, which ended when Marrina mutated into a gigantic murderous
Leviathan and was slain by Namor in combat (Avengers [v1] # 291-293). Prior
to her death, Marrina had served as an honorary or provisional member of the
Avengers. She was previously a member of the Canadian super-team Alpha
Flight.

RICK JONES first came to prominence as the friend and confidant of the
Incredible Hulk, and later served as a sidekick to the adventurers
Captain America, Captain Mar-Vell and Rom at one time or another; though a
lover of adventure, Rick has never really established a super-heroic name
for himself (despite briefly adopting the costume of Captain America’s old
partner Bucky) and has instead become jokingly known as a professional
sidekick, a heroic hanger-on.
Rick was partially responsible for the creation of the Avengers
since it was his radio summons for aid that first brought together Thor,
Iron Man, Ant-Man and Wasp when the Hulk was being framed as a menace by
Loki; the five heroes exposed and defeated Loki and decided to remain
together as the Avengers, though the Hulk soon quit. Rick was considered an
honorary member of the Avengers, assisting in their missions and training
under Captain America, but the Captain was wary of endangering another young
adventurer after the death of his original sidekick Bucky, and he opposed
the idea of Rick becoming a full member of the Avengers, despite the fact
that the other Avengers were ready to vote him in as early as Avengers
(v1) # 10. When Rick was passed over for membership during the group’s first
major membership reshuffling (Avengers [v1] # 16), Jones decided the
Avengers would never fully accept him and drifted away from the group, soon
severing his ties with Captain America as well. In the years since then,
Rick has continued to seek adventure while making his living as a musician,
a writer and a talk show host, profiting by his pseudo-super-heroic
celebrity status. Jones rarely works with the Avengers these days, though he
did turn up to help the team during their conflict with Morgan Le Fay in
Avengers (v3) # 1. Rick is pictured here with the short haircut he wore
during his early adventures with the Avengers, but has since grown his hair
longer.


PAGE 7

Panel 1:
Giant-Man and Wasp are revealed to have filled the reserve slots vacated by
Firestar & Justice in Avengers (v3) # 7. Swordsman II and Magdalene declined
the same two reserve slots in Avengers/Squadron Supreme '98. Whether the
Avengers intend to expand their reserves beyond two members is unclear, but
they have had substantially larger reserves in the past.

Panels 2-6:
The mutant adventurers known as the X-MEN watch the Avengers Day
celebrations on television. X-Men members COLOSSUS, GAMBIT, NIGHTCRAWLER,
WOLVERINE, STORM & SHADOWCAT are visible in panel 2. X-Men members MARROW
and ROGUE can be seen to the right of Gambit in panel 4. Since mutants are
often regarded as social outcasts and the X-Men are sometimes regarded
as outlaws, the X-Men do not enjoy the same level of public acceptance or
popular acclaim generated by the Avengers.

As Shadowcat observes, the X-Men debuted around the same time as the
Avengers. In fact, their first appearances (Avengers [v1] # 1 and X-Men [v1]
# 1) were published in the same month: September, 1963. Mind you, all of
the current X-Men debuted much later. None of the founding X-Men are
active with the team at present.

"Katya" refers to Shadowcat, whose real name is Katherine "Kitty" Pryde.

Panels 5-6 are an in-joke of sorts. Beast was an Avengers mainstay for a
long time (most of Avengers [v1] # 137-211) and is fondly remembered by
many Avengers fans, but he was a founding member of the X-Men first and has
been largely monopolized by the X-Men comics in recent years. Some longtime
Avengers fans resent this and insist that Beast belongs with the Avengers,
but the Avengers and X-Men creative teams have yet to leak any word on
Avengers plans for the Beast despite the fact that he's not currently a
regular in the X-Men comics.

Panels 7-8:
Robert Bruce Banner, formerly a founding member of the Avengers in his
alternate guise as THE HULK, watches the Avengers Day parade on television
(fittingly, he is looking at a parade balloon made to resemble the Hulk).
His wife Betty Banner, mentioned here, died recently in the Incredible Hulk
series.

Panels 9-10:
Hawkeye is visiting the Commission, a government body that monitors and
regulates the activities of superhumans and costumed adventurers. This
presumably has something to do with the secret mission for which Hawkeye 
left the Avengers, a mission that brought him into contact with the
fugitive adventurers known as the Thunderbolts in Thunderbolts # 20. What
Hawkeye's intentions are regarding the Thunderbolts remains to be seen, but
the Commission's involvement suggests that he's either trying to force the
Thunderbolts to face justice for their crimes or is seeking some sort of
amnesty for the team. The Commission first appeared in Captain America (v1)
# 331. USAgent sometimes freelances for them, and the second Spider-Woman is
a former Commission agent who left the organization after joining the
Avengers.


PAGE 8
Scarlet Witch visits AGATHA HARKNESS, her former withcraft tutor. Harkness
first appeared in Fantastic Four (v1) # 94, met the Avengers at Quicksilver
& Crystal's wedding in Avengers (v1) # 127, became Wanda's withcraft tutor
in Avengers (v1) # 128 and appeared in Avengers (v1) # 129, Giant-Size
Avengers # 2, Avengers (v1) # 130 & 133-134, Giant-Size Avengers # 4 and
Avengers (v1) # 137, leaving once Wanda's studies were complete. She was
seemingly killed in Vision & Scarlet Witch (v2) # 3, though Wanda did not
witness that event in person despite what she says here. Harkness turned
up alive without explanation in Avengers West Coast # 51 and took up
residence with the Avengers to help protect Wanda from Magneto and Immortus
and aid in her subsequent recovery (AWC # 51-52, Avengers [v1] # 313,
AWC # 55-57 & AWC # 61-63). Before leaving, she also helped restore the
then-feral Tigra to her normal physical and mental state (in Avengers
Spotlight # 38). Agatha's familiar, the cat named EBONY, has also aided the
Avengers on occasion, notably in AWC # 52 when he battled Mephisto on their
behalf.   


PAGE 9
As the footnote indicates, these flashbacks come from Avengers (v3) # 1-2,
6 & 9. Characters seen in the flashbacks include the Squadron Supreme
(Moonglow [II], Whizzer [II], Doctor Spectrum, Shape, Skylark, Hyperion &
Power Princess) and Moses Magnum.


PAGE 10
As Wanda recounts, Simon seemingly died in battle with the Kree in Force
Works # 1. She brought him back to life in Avengers (v3) # 2, and he has
continued to manifest on the earthly plane in every issue of this series
since then. The tests conducted by Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Hank Pym
(Giant-Man) apparently happened behind the scenes between Avengers (v3)
# 3 and Avengers (v3) # 4, and are mentioned here for the first time.

Click here for Part Two!