Earth's Mightiest Annotations
by Sean McQuaid

AVENGERS (volume 3) # 15
April, 1999
"The Threefold Path"
By Kurt Busiek & George Perez
with Al Vey & Scott Koblish (finishes), Tom Smith (colors), Richard
Starkings/Comicraft/WA (letters), Tom Brevoort (editor) & Bob Harras
(editor-in-chief).

Avengers Assembled:
Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Vision [II], Firestar &
Justice (as active members); and Wonder Man (as former member). In
addition, reserve member Hank Pym (Giant-Man) is present behind the scenes,
unwittingly working on Ultron's secret project.

Other Characters:
Triathlon, Jorge Teodor (a Triune orator), Triune Understanding followers
(including Violetta), Jonathan Tremont, Pagan, The Wrecking Crew (Bulldozer
[II], Piledriver [II], Thunderball & Wrecker), Muscatine police officers,
Lord Templar, Ultron and one of Ultron's minons. In addition, Graviton and
Apocalypse appear as images on the Avengers' monitors.


EXTERIOR COVER
This issue's cover illustration (drawn by George Perez and colored by Tom
Smith) features Lord Templar, Pagan and Triathlon battling each other
against a triangular backdrop containing the faces of the Avengers (Vision,
Captain America, Thor, Justice, Firestar, Iron Man & Scarlet Witch), who
regard the conflict with shock and distress. The golden triangle echoes the
symbol of the Triune Understanding (the same symbol featured prominently in
Triathlon's uniform). Triathlon is wearing a new costume that he adopts as
of this issue.


PAGE ONE
TRIATHLON (Delroy Garrett Junior) was a celebrated track & field athlete
who won three Olympic gold medals before his use of banned
performance-enhancing drugs ruined his career. Exposed as a steroid user
and stripped of his medals, Garrett was a lost soul in search of a new
livelihood and new purpose when he became involved with the Triune
Understanding, a pseudo-religious pop psychology movement that preaches the
fulfillment of one's innate potential through a philosophy of physical,
mental, spiritual, social and environmental balance. Garrett claims (and
apparently believes) that the Triune teachings helped him unlock his latent
superhuman potential, making him three times as physically formidable as
any ordinary human. Garrett has used his newfound powers to become the
costumed adventurer Triathlon, and also uses his restored celebrity status
as a spokesman for the Triune Understanding.
Triathlon first appeared in Avengers [v3] # 8-9, when he aided the
Avengers against their mutual foe, Moses Magnum. Triathlon worked very well
with the team, and told them he would gladly help them again if they ever
needed him. Oddly, Triathlon seems to have unexplained inside knowledge of
Avengers business, as demonstrated when he contacted the Avengers on their
private communications waveband in Avengers [v3] # 9. This inside knowledge
might be explained by the fact that Duane Jerome Freeman, the Avengers'
current government liaison, seems to be a Triune Understanding follower
(Freeman has been seen wearing the Triune symbol more than once, though the
Avengers themselves have not noticed it).
Triathlon is obviously somehow related to an obscure Marvel hero known as
The 3-D Man. The 3-D MAN was a 1950s hero (published in the 1970s) who came
about through the unique merger of two brothers, Hal and Chuck Chandler.
Chuck was a test pilot who was abducted by alien Skrulls during an
important test flight. Earth is a strategic location in the ongoing
conflict between the alien Kree and Skrull empires, so the Skrulls were
seeking information on Earth's space program and had captured Chuck to
interrogate him. Chuck resisted and escaped, accidentally causing the
explosion of the Skrull spacecraft in the process. While his brother Hal
watched, the radiation from the explosion seemingly disintegrated Chuck,
who disappeared in a burst of light. Hal later discovered, however, that
the light burst had imprinted an image of Chuck on each lens of Hal's
eyeglasses. Through concentration, Hal could merge the images and cause
Chuck to reappear as a three-dimensional man, clad in an altered version of
his experimental flight suit and endowed with physical abilities roughly
three times greater than those of an ordinary human. Hal would fall into a
trance-like state when Chuck appeared, and Chuck could only exist in the
three-dimensional world for three hours at a time, after which Hal had to
revive. Chuck used his limited time well, though, becoming the costumed
adventurer known as the 3-D Man and single-handedly subverting the Skrulls'
early attempts to undermine Earthly civilization.
Hal would remain comatose whenever the 3-D Man was active, but was aware
of the 3-D Man's activities through a sort of mental link. Later, a
Skrull's ray weapon altered the transformation so that Hal was the 3-D
Man's dominant consciousness for some time. Both brothers' minds seemed to
be present in the 3-D Man at all times, but only one of them (usually
Chuck) would be in conscious control of the 3-D Man's form on any given
occasion.
After a brief career as a costumed adventurer, Hal decided to retire the
3-D Man--partly because he was thinking about starting a family, and partly
because he was afraid his
brother's consciousness might somehow be lost during periods when Hal was
the 3-D Man's dominant consciousness. Hal settled down into a career as a
research scientist, got married and raised two sons. He has only activated
the 3-D Man twice in recent years, and Chuck seemed to be its dominant
consciousness again.
What ultimately became of 3-D Man remains unknown, as does the nature of
his connection to Triathlon. Regardless, there must be a connection of some
sort. They have the same super-powers; they share the triple motif; and
Triathlon's original costume was very similar to the 3-D Man's outfit,
albeit with large amounts of black and white added to moderate the garish
red-green color scheme. The yellow, triangular chest emblem of 3-D Man's
costume (a design element present in Triathlon's costume) has somehow
become the symbol of the Triune Understanding, too.
It's somewhat surprising that Cap, Iron Man and Vision have all failed to
note Triathlon's similarity to the 3-D Man since they all saw a detailed
audio-video account of the founding of the 1950s Avengers in What If? [v1]
# 9. Cap even regarded 3-D Man as his counterpart in the earlier group;
however, it may be that the Avengers never saw that audio-video account in
current continuity, for reasons detailed below.
In at least one timeline, a team of adventurers known as the Avengers
briefly formed in the 1950s before disbanding at the request of the
President, who felt the public wasn't ready to learn of them and their
exploits. The 3-D Man was part of that short-lived Avengers team, and their
rescue of the President from the Yellow Claw helped dispel the 3-D Man's
reputation as a dangerous outlaw thanks to the President's influence. The
1950s Avengers first appeared in What If? [v1] # 9, when Iron Man
accidentally received a broadcast of their origins using an experimental
space-time viewer; however, Iron Man said he could not tell if the 1950s
Avengers originated in the past of his own timeline, or of some alternate
timeline.
Avengers editor Tom Brevoort has said the 1950s Avengers may have existed
strictly in one or more alternate timelines since we never saw proof of
their existence in "mainstream" Marvel continuity, but it is possible that
they existed in "mainstream" reality and were simply unknown to the general
public because their existence was kept secret. It seems to be a moot point
now, though, since Immortus wiped out a 1950s Avengers timeline in Avengers
Forever # 4-6; and since he did so using the Forever Crystal, Brevoort has
said this means the 1950s Avengers were erased from all possible timelines.
The individual characters still exist in Marvel's continuity, but not as a
group.
Triathlon seems to have the same powers as the 3-D Man: roughly three
times the physical abilities and sensory acuity of an ordinary human in
peak condition. According to OHOTMU estimates of 3-D Man's power, Triathlon
would be capable of slightly superhuman ("enhanced human") strength and
speed. His stamina, durability, agility and reflexes are estimated to be
peak human, on a par with Captain America.
Triathlon is a new Busiek-Perez creation who's been getting some advance
publicity as a prospective addition to the Avengers--a possibility
foreshadowed by his smooth, friendly interaction with the Avengers to date.
This story marks the first real appearance of the Triune Understanding
group, though they had a cameo of sorts in Triathlon's origin flashback in
Avengers [v3] # 9, which seems to be the first mention of the group. Duane
Jerome Freeman was first seen wearing the Triune symbol in Avengers [v3] #
4, which is also his first appearance. Other Triune Understanding followers
were observed in a recent X-Force story.


PAGE FOUR
Triathlon's background was first revealed in Avengers [v3] # 9.
This is the first appearance of Jonathan Tremont--though as we learn
later, we may have seen him before in other guises.


PAGE FIVE
Note how Justice refers to Iron Man as "sir", an indication that Vance is
still having difficulty relating to his fellow Avengers as peers. Note,
too, that Iron Man has returned to active duty after his recent
health-related leave of absence.


PAGE SIX
It's significant that Wanda includes herself in the list of Avengers
preoccupied by their personal concerns, since she did not do so in her
earlier, private musings on this subject (leading some readers to suggest
that Wanda was lacking in objectivity or perspective, but her conduct in
this scene seems to answer that concern).
The team's occasional lack of attention to the morale, personal well-being
and healthy interaction of its members has been a source of criticism on
occasion for years, and Busiek seems to have answered that criticism with a
subplot that plays up the group's inadequacy in dealing with its members as
people, while simultaneously trying to address and remedy that inadequacy.
Yet again, Busiek proves how well he knows the Avengers while surprising
readers by taking familiar characters and themes in new directions.
The Avengers have had divided leadership systems before, such as the
Harras run's status quo of Black Widow serving as chairperson while Black
Knight served as de facto field leader; however, since abandoning the
rotating leadership system of their early years, the Avengers have tended
to concentrate most or all of the leadership responsibilities in a single
full-time chair. Some leaders have been strong field commanders, some have
excelled at interpersonal relations, and some have combined both of those
qualities; but this is the first time the team has designated a
supplementary leader (Wanda) as being specifically responsible for morale
and team unity.


A brief overview of chairmanship records:

1) Hulk, Quicksilver, Swordsman, Hercules, Black Panther and Black Knight
have never served as full-time chairs, but they may have served as chair at
one time or another since they were members during periods in which the
team had a rotating chairmanship. Black Panther was referred to as acting
chair in issues 63-65, and Quicksilver has almost certainly acted as
chairman at some point given all the time he logged during rotating
chairmanship periods. Hulk, Swordsman, Hercules and Black Knight are less
likely to have served as chairs since they spent so little time as active
members during the rotating chairmanship days. Black Knight did, however,
serve as de facto field leader under chairman Black Widow for an extended
period.

In the early days of the Avengers, chairmanship and field leadership
sometimes seemed to be two different positions; the chair would preside
over meetings, manage the team's business and make team decisions, but
another Avenger might serve as the group's field leader at the same time.
Captain America, for instance, is referred to or treated as the team's
field leader for most of his first hundred issues or so even when he isn't
necessarily acting chairman; in his absence, senior members such as Hank
Pym usually acted as leader, and Hawkeye once remarked on the leadership
being based on seniority. Later, field leadership and chairmanship were
officially integrated sometime in the early 100s, when Thor is depicted as
the group's full-time chair and field leader, a position he says he
inherited from Captain America. So Cap was the first full-time chair
(sometime after Avengers 112), followed by Thor (probably after Avengers
126 or GSA 1 when Cap took his Nomad leave of absence), Iron Man (Avengers
150), Wasp (Avengers 217), Vision (Avengers 243), Hawkeye (Avengers 243),
Photon (Avengers 279), Doctor Druid (Avengers 294), Doctor Pym (AWC 69),
Black Widow (Avengers 348) and Scarlet Witch (AWC 98).

First Chair:
CAPTAIN AMERICA
Like all the early members, Cap served occasionally as chairman under the
group's rotating chairmanship system. Specifically, he is identified as
chairman in issues 43-44, 72, 79-80 and Avengers Annual 1. In addition,
Captain America has probably served as the group's overall leader longer
than anyone else. When the founding members all retired, he was appointed
group leader as the most senior active member and held that post for years
to come, even after the founders began participating in Avengers business
again; during his absences from the group, his leadership role would be
assumed by a founding member or whoever was serving as acting chairman at
the time. As the team's finest combat tactician, Cap often assumes field
leadership of the group regardless of who is serving as chairman, though he
has done this less often since the chairmanship became a full-time
leadership role since he does not want to undermine the leadership of
whoever is chairman at the time.
At some point after Avengers 112, full leadership authority was
incorporated into the chairmanship and Captain America was declared the
group's first full-time chairman. When Cap took a leave of absence after
Avengers 126, he appointed Thor to replace him as chair. Iron Man later
replaced Thor as chair, and Cap sometimes served as acting chairman during
Iron Man's absences. Cap was later elected to a second term as chairman,
replacing Iron Man, and served effectively until Wasp was elected as his
replacement. When the Wasp resigned after a lengthy chairmanship, Cap
briefly served as acting chair until Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) was
elected as Wasp's replacement. She served for only a short time before she
was forcibly retired due to serious inuries suffered in action. Doctor
Druid replaced her as chairman and served a brief, disastrous stint that
led to the complete disbanding of the team's eastern roster. During
Marvel's and Druid's chairmanships, Cap was largely absent from the
Avengers since the government had temporarily stripped him of the Captain
America identity when he refused to act as their exclusive agent.
Captain America rejoined to rebuild the eastern roster from scratch, and
went on to serve a lengthy unbroken stint as the eastern roster's chairman
and team leader; however, he took a leave of absence in protest of the
team's unethical conduct during Galactic Storm and was replaced by Black
Widow, whom he had appointed as his deputy leader. Cap soon returned to the
group, but allowed Black Widow to continue serving as chairman. When Cap
and most of the other core Avengers members were lost in battle with
Onslaught and presumed dead, Black Widow disbanded the team. When the
supposedly deceased Avengers returned, Captain America led the reformation
of the Avengers and was elected chairman of the revived team; however, his
preoccupation with personal concerns has led him to delegate some of his
duties to his latest deputy leader, Scarlet Witch, who serves as the team's
morale officer and supervises group interaction on a more full-time basis
than Cap, who still retains his authority as overall leader and field
commander.

Note: Since Avengers [v1] # 112 is the last issue to depict a temporary
chairman (Iron Man) under the group's revolving chairmanship system, this
text considers Avengers [v1] # 113 to be the point at which Captain America
became full-time chairman even though there is no explicit statement to
that effect.

Captain America is designated chairman in Avengers [v1] # 43-44, 72, 79,
80, 113-119, 125-126, 186-188, 192-208, 210-216, 279 and 298-347; Avengers
Annual # 1, 10 and 17-20; Giant-Size Avengers # 1; Avengers West Coast #
80; Avengers West Coast Annual # 4-6; Avengers [v3] # 1-12 & 14-16;
Avengers/Squadron Supreme '98 and Avengers: Death Trap, The Vault graphic
novel, in addition to many missions in which he serves as informal group
leader.
Total: 113 issues as chairman.

Second Chair:
THOR
Like all the early members, Thor served occasionally as chairman under the
group's rotating chairmanship system. Specifically, he is identified as
chairman in issues 10 (when Thor was the first to use the "Avengers
Assemble!" battle cry), 11, 15 and 58. After a long period of inactive
membership (issues 16-92), Thor rejoined the active roster circa Avengers
93. At some point thereafter, full-time chair Captain America left the
group and appointed Thor as his replacement (this presumably happens
between Avengers 126/GSA1 and Avengers 127 when Cap takes a long leave of
absence; Thor refers to his appointment as chairman by Cap in GSA 4).
Eventually, Thor decided to leave the active membership again and appointed
Iron Man to replace him as chairman.

Thor is designated chairman in Avengers [v1] # 10-11, 15, 58, 128-135 &
137-150; and Giant-Size Avengers # 2-4.
Total: 29 issues as chairman.

Third Chair:
IRON MAN
Like all the early members, Tony served occasionally as chairman under the
group's rotating chairmanship system. Specifically, he is identified as
chairman in issues 16 (in which he presided over the team's first major
membership turnover), 103 and 112. Later, when full-time chairman Thor
decided to leave the team, he appointed Iron Man as his replacement.
Despite some early rough going and conflicts with his personal life, Iron
Man served capably as chairman for quite some time before he was replaced
by Captain America. Much later, Iron Man was elected chair of the team's
western roster and served briefly in that capacity before he faked his own
death for personal reasons and estranged himself from the group. He has
recently reconciled with the team after helping the group rebuild its
operations since Onslaught. For a time, he served as deputy leader under
chairman Captain America, but stepped down from the position after health
problems led to his extended absence. He was replaced as deputy leader by
the Scarlet Witch.

Iron Man is designated chairman in Avengers [v1] # 16, 103, 112, 150-163,
165-177, 179-185 and 189-191; Avengers Annual # 6-9; Avengers West Coast #
76-80 and 84-86; and Avengers West Coast Annual # 6-7.
Total: 54 issues as chairman.

Fourth Chair:
WASP
Like all the early members, Wasp served occasionally as chairman under the
group's rotating chairmanship system. Specifically, she is identified as
chairman in issues 12 and 38. Years later, after she began devoting more of
her time to the team following her divorce from Hank Pym, Wasp nominated
herself for the full-time chairmanship and was elected as Captain America's
replacement. After serving effectively for some time, Wasp took a
stress-related leave from the chairmanship following her near-death
experience in the Secret Wars; during this leave of absence, Vision
replaced Wasp as Avengers chair, but she took the chairmanship back from
him when the team learned that Vision was mentally ill and plotting to use
the group as a means to global conquest.
Before and after her leave of absence, Wasp proved to be one of the team's
most capable and devoted leaders, guiding the group through major crises
such as the capture of Avengers Mansion by Baron Helmut Zemo's Masters of
Evil. After that traumatic episode, Wasp retired from the active roster,
resigned her chairmanship and was replaced by Captain Marvel (Monica
Rambeau), whom Wasp had nominated as her own replacement. Switching over to
the group's western roster, Wasp was eventually elected co-chair of the
western Avengers along with Doctor Pym; however, she and Pym soon stepped
down to become reserve members and dedicate more time to their personal
lives. Iron Man took their place as AWC chairman.
Wasp is designated chair in Avengers [v1] # 12, 38, 217-238, 240-243,
256-264 and 266-278; Avengers Annual # 11-12 and 14-15; Avengers West Coast
# 69-74; West Coast Avengers Annual # 1; Avengers Forever # 2-6; and the
Avengers: Emperor Doom graphic novel.
Total: 77 issues as chair.

Fifth Chair:
VISION
Like all the early members, Vision served occasionally as chairman under
the group's rotating chairmanship system. Specifically, he is identified as
chairman in issue 98. Years later, Vision fell under the influence of the
alien computer intelligence ISAAC and embarked on a quest for benevolent
world domination. To this end, Vision manipulated the ailing Wasp into
turning her chairmanship over to him, and he served a brief stint as chair
during which he plotted world conquest with the Avengers as his unwitting
confederates. The Avengers managed to free Vision from ISAAC's influence,
though, after which he abandoned his world domination scheme and resigned
the chairmanship. The Wasp resumed the chairmanship as Vision's
replacement.

Vision is designated chairman in Avengers [v1] # 98 and 243-255; West Coast
Avengers [v1] # 1; and Avengers Annual # 13.
Total: 16 issues as chairman.

Sixth Chair:
HAWKEYE
Like all the early members, Hawkeye served occasionally as chairman under
the group's rotating chairmanship system. Specifically, he is identified as
chairman in issue 40. Years later, he was appointed founding chairman of
the team's new western roster by the Vision. After establishing the team's
western headquarters, assembling recruits and training them, Hawkeye served
a lengthy stint as the western Avengers chairman and proved to be a very
effective leader. He resigned the chairmanship in protest when the federal
government appointed USAgent to serve as the western roster's new leader on
behalf of the US government. Later, when then-chairman Iron Man faked his
own death and dropped out of sight, Hawkeye stepped in to serve as acting
chairman of the western roster. After a brief stint, though, he decided to
resign the chairmanship again so he could devote more time to his marriage
to Mockingbird. He nominated longtime teammate Scarlet Witch as his
replacement, and she was elected as the western roster's new chair.
Ironically, Mockingbird died in action shortly thereafter while rescuing
Scarlet Witch from Mephisto.

Hawkeye is designated chairman in Avengers [v1] # 40, 243-246 (prior to
assembling the western roster), 249-250, 253-254 and 302-303; Avengers
Annual # 15-16; West Coast Avengers [v1] # 1-4; West Coast Avengers 1-45;
Avengers West Coast 87-98; West Coast Avengers Annual # 1-3; Avengers West
Coast Annual # 8; and the Avengers: Emperor Doom graphic novel.
Total: 79 issues as chairman.

Seventh Chair:
PHOTON
When Wasp resigned her chairmanship, Photon (then known as Captain Marvel)
was nominated for chairmanship by Wasp and elected as Wasp's replacement;
however, Photon served for only a relatively brief period before she was
retired from the active roster by near-fatal injuries. Since recovering,
she has served reliably as an inactive reservist and acted as team leader
on two occasions.

Photon is designated chairman in Avengers [v1] # 279 and 281-294; West
Coast Avengers Annual # 2; and X-Men vs. Avengers # 1-4.
Total: 20 issues as chairman.

Eighth Chair:
DOCTOR DRUID
During his one active membership stint with the Avengers, Druid fell under
the mental influence of Ravonna, the villainess also known as Nebula and
later known as the Terminatrix. When chairman Captain Marvel (later known
as Photon) was retired by injuries, Doctor Druid used his own mental powers
to influence the Avengers into electing him chairman. Druid and Terminatrix
then enlisted the Avengers in a scheme to secure a doomsday weapon for
Ravonna, but this adventure ended with Druid and Ravonna being stranded in
the timestream. Traumatized by the Druid regime, the eastern Avengers
roster broke up but soon reformed under the leadership of Captain America.
Druid later reconciled with the Avengers to some extent and aided them on
occasion in a reserve capacity, but he later died in a self-destructive
quest to amass greater mystical powers.

Druid is designated chairman in Avengers [v1] # 294-297.
Total: 4 issues as chairman.

Ninth Chair:
HANK PYM
Like all the early members, Hank served occasionally as chairman under the
group's rotating chairmanship system. Specifically, he is identified as
chairman in issues 35, 47, 49-50, 57 and 68. Years later, when Hawkeye
resigned the western Avengers chairmanship, Pym took on an unofficial
leadership role within the western roster for some time, a role which led
to himself and the Wasp being elected co-chairs of the western roster. They
only served briefly in that capacity, though, before stepping down to
become reservists so they could concentrate on their personal lives. Iron
Man succeeded them as AWC chairman.

Hank Pym is designated chairman in Avengers [v1] # 35 (as Goliath), 47 (as
Goliath), 49-50 (as Goliath), 57 (as Goliath) and 68 (as Yellowjacket); and
Avengers West Coast # 69-74 (as Doctor Pym).
Total: 12 issues as chairman.

Tenth Chair:
10) BLACK WIDOW
Captain America appointed Black Widow as his deputy leader during her
second and longest active membership stint with the group. In that role,
she handled much of the team's administrative workload and other in-house
duties. When Captain America went on indefinite leave following the
Galactic Storm mission, Black Widow became the group's leader by default.
She served a lengthy albeit largely undistinguished term as chairman
thereafter, a term that ended when most of the team's longtime core members
were seemingly killed in battle with Onslaught. Black Widow disbanded the
Avengers shortly thereafter, though they later reformed under the
leadership of Captain America.

Black Widow is designated chairman in Avengers [v1] # 348-351, 355-375,
378-380, 382, 384-389, 391, 393-395 and 397-402; Avengers Annual # 22;
Avengers West Coast # 101-102; Avengers Unplugged # 1, 3 and 4; Avengers:
The Crossing, Avengers: Timeslide, Avengers/Ultraforce and
Ultraforce/Avengers.
Total: 55 issues as chairman.

Eleventh Chair:
SCARLET WITCH
Like all the early members, Wanda served occasionally as chairman under
the group's rotating chairmanship system. Years later, she was elected
full-time chairman of the team's western roster but served for only a very
brief period before the Avengers disbanded their western division on the
grounds that it had become a superfluous waste of resources. Infuriated by
this snub and incensed at the prospect of being demoted to reserve status
with the eastern roster, Scarlet Witch resigned to become the leader
of a rival super-team, Force Works. That group soon broke up, though, and
Scarlet Witch rejoined the Avengers after reconciling with her old
teammates. More recently, she accepted an offer to replace Iron Man as
deputy leader under chairman Captain America, who has since delegated some
of his responsibilities to Scarlet Witch. More specifically, Wanda is now
responsible for team morale, and for supervising the group's teamwork,
personal and social relations.

Scarlet Witch is designated chairman in Avengers West Coast 98-102 and
Avengers 368-369.
Total: 7 issues as chairman.



PAGE SEVEN

Panel 2:
As noted earlier, the Avengers chairmanship used to be a rotating post,
beginning in Avengers [v1] # 2 and ending circa Avengers [v1] # 113.

Panel 4:
Firestar feels awkward being asked to chair a meeting since she knows her
fiancee, Justice, has been more eager to participate in the team than her
in the past.

Panel 6:
The "multi-screen" has been seen before in this series (as early as
Avengers [v3] # 5), but this may be the first time it is referred to by name.

Panel 7:
New character Lord Templar fought the Avengers and the New Warriors in
Avengers [v3] # 13.

Panel 8:
Pagan fought the Avengers while on a destructive rampage last issue.

Panel 9:
GRAVITON (Franklin Hall) is a scientist who became a megalomaniacal criminal
after an accident gave him the ability to control the force of gravity.
His first foes were the Avengers, and he has fought them several more times
over the years. He first appeared in Avengers [v1] # 158-159. Prior to this
story, he appeared most recently in Thunderbolts # 17 when he battled the
Thunderbolts until Moonstone convinced him that his lack of clear direction
and goals made his struggles pointless, prompting Graviton to depart and
ponder his future. More recently, Graviton has returned in Thunderbolts #
27-29, trying to establish his own self-made outlaw kingdom Sky Island, a
levitating landmass whose inhabitants swear allegiance to Graviton. Since
Graviton and his subjects were committing criminal acts in the process, his
new project was opposed by the Thunderbolts and their ally, Archangel.

His Avengers appearances include...

Avengers [v1] # 158-159
(gained superhuman powers, abducted Judy Parks as his consort and embarked
on campaign of world conquest; battled and defeated Avengers; seemingly
destroyed by own out-of-control power after Judy tried to kill herself
rather than remain with him)

West Coast Avengers [v1] # 2-4
(accidentally freed from another dimension by the Blank; established
himself as a west coast crime lord using the Blank as his lieutenant and
front man; disposed of Blank when he became annoyed with him; tried to kill
Shroud and Tigra; imprisoned Wonder Man; defeated and subdued by the
Avengers)

West Coast Avengers [v2] # 12-13
(with Zzzax, Quantum & Halflife, attacked and defeated Avengers; abducted
Tigra to serve as his consort; betrayed by Tigra, who freed the Avengers
and sparked a quarrel between Quantum and Halflife that ended with Graviton
being hurled into space)

Avengers Unplugged # 2
(feigned out-of-control powers to lure the Avengers into confronting him so
that Giant-Man would expose him to Pym particles that would augment his
powers; lost control of his power and collapse in on himself)

Panel 10:
APOCALYPSE is a longtime recurring foe of the X-Men, a centuries-old
geneticist, sometime tyrant, would-be world conqueror and mutant
shapeshifter who is obsessed with natural selection and the survival of the
strong. As such, he has instigated or participated in a variety of crises
and disasters designed to inflict mass fatalities in hopes that only "the
strong" will survive in the world that he hopes to rule. The Avengers
fought one of his pawns, Moses Magnum, in Avengers [v3] # 8-9. Apocalypse
first appeared in X-Factor # 5-6.

MOSES MAGNUM is the former president of the Deterrence Research
Corporation, one of the world's most successful and least scrupulous
weapons manufacturing firms. His illegal schemes brought him into conflict
with the Punisher and Spider-Man before a battle with Power Man (Luke Cage)
hurled him into an active volcano (in Power Man Annual 1). Magnum survived
and emerged with superhuman powers (secretly given to him by Apocalypse, as
seen in Classic X-Men # 25). Using his new powers, Magnum became a sort of
eco-terrorist who would threaten to cause enviromental disasters if the
authorities did not meet his blackmail demands. His first such scheme was
thwarted by the X-Men--one of whom, Banshee, single-handedly prevented
Magnum's attempted destruction of Japan (in X-Men [v1] # 118-119). Magnum
later returned to his original profession as an international arms dealer,
leading him into conflict with the Avengers, Triathlon and Silverclaw, a
conflict that ended with Magnum's seeming death when his
disaster-generating powers caused an earthquake that swallowed him up. He
first appeared in Giant-Size Spider-Man # 4.

Panel 11:
The WRECKING CREW (Wrecker, Thunderball, Piledriver and Bulldozer) are a
criminal quartet who gained superhuman strength and durability by absorbing
Asgardian magical energy. This energy has proven to be unstable, as have
the Crew's powers, but genetic alterations performed on the Crew by Arnim
Zola have since enabled them to replenish their superhuman powers when
necessary by draining any outside energy source. They first appeared as a
team in Defenders # 17, which is also the first appearance of Thunderball,
Piledriver & Bulldozer. The Wrecker first appeared in Thor [v1] # 148.
The leader and founder of the Wrecking Crew is Dirk Garthwaite, alias THE
WRECKER. Originally a manual labourer, Garthwaite was fired from a
demolitions company because of his violent, antisocial behaviour. Deciding
to exploit his destructive streak for criminal gain, Garthwaite donned a
crude costume and embarked on a crime spree as the Wrecker, so called
because he used his trademark crowbar to wreck the scene of his crimes.
During yet another attempted smash-and-grab theft, the Wrecker stumbled
onto a hotel room occupied by the Asgardian god Loki, who was summoning the
Asgardian sorceress Karnilla to help augment his own then-diminished
powers. The Wrecker overcame the weakened Loki and tried on Loki's helmet,
prompting the arriving Karnilla to mistake the Wrecker for Loki and grant
him the magical might Loki desired. Superhumanly powerful, the Wrecker went
on a spectacularly destructive rampage and even defeated Thor (who was also
partially depowered at the time), but was finally defeated by the Destroyer
robot (which was then animated by the Asgardian goddess Sif). Later, he was
defeated in a second battle with Thor, who used his mystical hammer to
expel the Asgardian power from the Wrecker's body.
Garthwaite went to jail, where he paid people to keep track of his crowbar
since he was convinced that his lost power was now contained in his weapon.
He escaped Ryker's Island prison with the aid of three fellow
inmates--genius scientist Dr. Eliot Franklin, former farmhand Brian Philip
Calusky and former army sergeant Henry Camp. In exchange for their help, he
promised to share his mystical power with them if and when they recovered
the crowbar. Once they recovered the crowbar, the four held it during an
electrical storm until they were struck by lightning, which released the
crowbar's power and transferred it to the four criminals. The foursome
decided to become a new super-criminal team as the Wrecking Crew, with
Franklin, Calusky and Camp adopting the costumed aliases Thunderball,
Piledriver and Bulldozer. As THUNDERBALL, Franklin wields a wrecking ball
attached to a chain. As PILEDRIVER, Calusky relies on his massive hands to
pummel his opponents. As BULLDOZER, Camp wears an armored helmet and
harness which makes it easier for him to employ his favorite tactic,
charging into his targets headfirst. Piledriver should not be confused with
the earlier costumed criminal known as Piledriver a minion of the Mad
Thinker who first appeared in Avengers [v1] # 39. Bulldozer should not be
confused with the original Bulldozer, an artificial being created by MODOK
in Captain America [v1] # 133.
The Crew have broken up on occasion for various reasons over the years,
but they always reunite in pursuit of criminal gain eventually. During
times when the group is split up, only Wrecker and Thunderball are usually
inclined to solo criminal activity. All four of them have also served as
members of the Masters of Evil. The Wrecking Crew have battled various
members of the Avengers many times over the years, most frequently
Wrecker's old foe Thor. The first foes they battled as a team were the
Defenders (Doctor Strange, the Hulk, Nighthawk & Luke Cage). Since then,
their adversaries have included Iron Fist, Captain America, Thor, the
Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman (Julia
Carpenter), Iron Man, Hercules, Excalibur, Code: Blue, Ghost Rider (Daniel
Ketch), the Thunderbolts, the Sub-Mariner and various other heroes.
The Wrecking Crew had their first near-brush with the assembled Avengers
when they invaded Avengers Mansion in Iron Fist # 11-12, trying to lure
Thor into battle; instead, they were defeated by Captain America and Iron
Fist. Later, in the Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars limited series, they
were among the super-criminals teleported to the Beyonder's Battleworld,
where they were manipulated into battling the Avengers and other
superheroes for the Beyonder's amusement. During those battles, the
Wrecking Crew inflicted fatal injuries on the Wasp (who was revived using
alien science) and Piledriver was seriously wounded by Hawkeye.

Their Avengers appearances include...

Avengers [v1] # 273-277
(all four joined Baron Helmut Zemo's Masters of Evil; alongside Masters,
invaded and occupied Avengers Mansion and battled Avengers; alongside
Masters, wrecked Avengers Mansion and beat Hercules nearly to death;
Bulldozer, Piledriver & Thunderball stripped of their power by Thor;
Wrecker accidentally endowed with the power of all four Crew members and
escaped during the battle; Bulldozer, Piledriver & Thunderball captured and
imprisoned)

Avengers Spotlight # 27
(Wrecker battled Iron Man during Acts of Vengeance conspiracy)

Avengers Annual # 19
(Wrecker threatened new Avengers headquarters while it was under
construction but was subdued by construction workers)

Avengers: Death Trap, the Vault [graphic novel]
(Wrecker, Thunderball and Piledriver among the super-criminals who
participated in a mass escape attempt at the Vault led by Venom and opposed
by the Avengers & Freedom Force; Piledriver battled Wonder Man alongside
Titania [II]; Wrecker battled and subdued Freedom Force alongside Hydro
Man, Grey Gargoyle and X-Ray, with whom Wrecker was in turn subdued by the
Avengers; Thunderball played key role in coordinating the mass escape
attempt and challenged Venom for leadership of the prisoners; alongside
Electro and Ironclad, Thunderball defeated by She-Hulk & Captain America
while investigating an alternate escape route; Thunderball helped Iron Man
and Doctor Pym defuse a massive bomb installed within the Vault by insane
warden Truman Marsh, who was willing to destroy the Vault and everyone
inside it to prevent any escape; Thunderball acclaimed as leader by the
inmates and attacked by Venom; alongside other inmates, Thunderball battled
and was subdued by the Avengers & Freedom Force)

Avengers Unplugged # 4 (all four in attendance at the wedding of
super-criminals Asborbing Man and Titania, which was attacked by the
Avengers until the heroes realized a wedding was in process and departed;
Wrecker served as best man; Thunderball's wrecking ball taken by Absorbing
Man to replace Creel's wrecking ball, which was destroyed in battle with
the Vision)


PAGE EIGHT

Panels 1-4:
Wonder Man resigned from the Avengers in Force Works # 1 and was seemingly
killed in battle with the Kree and the Scatter shortly thereafter. He began
to periodically reappear as a ghostly energy being in Avengers [v3] # 2 and
returned fully to life in Avengers [v3] # 11. Since then, he has stayed in
the Mansion to pursue his new romance with the Scarlet Witch and has
assisted the Avengers in their adventures, but he is reluctant to resume
active membership since he is no longer certain he is worthy of active
Avengers membership. For details regarding that, see last issue's
annotations.

Panel 8:
Tony Stark was recently forced to cut back his time as Iron Man after
learning (in his ongoing series) that long-term exposure to his armor's
energy fields was doing long-term damage to his physical health. As a
result, Iron Man was off active duty in Avengers [v3] # 12-14. Since then,
he has reconstructed his armor into a slightly bulkier but less potentially
hazardous configuration.


PAGE TEN
Why the Triune Understanding's weapons are familiar to Justice is unclear,
but they might be manufactured by either AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) or
Moses Magnum, both weapons manufacturers whose wares Justice has
encountered recently. Vance has encountered AIM and their products on
several occasions in the past, most recently in Avengers [v3] # 13, during
a battle that led to a conflict with Lord Templar (who appears to have
Triune connections). Justice and the other Avengers battled Moses Magnum's
mercenaries (armed with Magnum's high-tech weapons) in Avengers [v3] # 8-9;
at the same time, Magnum was being pursued (for reasons unknown) by
Triathlon, the Triune's resident superhero, indicating another Triune
connection with a manufacturer of high-tech weaponry.


PAGE THIRTEEN
Until recently, Firestar had been very restrained in the use of her
microwave powers since they posed an ongoing threat to her physical health;
however, reserve Avengers member Giant-Man cured this condition in Avengers
[v3] # 12. As such, Firestar is more inclined to cut loose with her powers
than before.


PAGE TWENTY-TWO
As previously hinted, Ultron is revealed to be Hank Pym's latest employer.

ULTRON is a rogue robot created years ago by Avengers founder Henry Pym.
The robot somehow developed a brilliant but malevolent consciousness
defined by a hatred of Pym and, by extension, hatred of the Avengers and
all humanity, whom Ultron regards as inferior. As such, Ultron has
repeatedly attempted to destroy Pym, the Avengers and the entire human
race, sometimes in concert with human villains such as the Masters of Evil.
Ironically, UltronĘs own creations--his robotic mates Jocasta and Alkhema,
and his android servant the Vision--have all turned against him over the
years; Jocasta and Vision even joined the Avengers. The Avengers and other
heroes have repeatedly destroyed Ultron, but he inevitably reconstructs
himself in a more advanced form and returns to menace the world anew.
Ultron first appeared in Avengers (v1) # 54. His appearances include:
Avengers (v1) # 54-55 (as Ultron-5, alias Crimson Cowl, formed second
Masters of Evil in unsuccessful attempt to destroy Avengers); Avengers (v1)
# 57-58 (as Ultron-5, created Vision II as a weapon to use against
Avengers; destroyed by Vision II; revealed to be a rogue creation of Henry
Pym obsessed with destroying humanity in general and Pym in particular);
Avengers (v1) # 66-68 (reactivated as Ultron-6; incorporated the
super-metal adamantium into his robotic body; destroyed by Avengers);
Avengers (v1) # 127 (reactivated as Ultron-7; disrupted wedding of
Quicksilver and Crystal in Attilan); Avengers (v1) # 134-135 (Ultron-5
depicted in flashbacks to the VisionĘs origins); Avengers (v1) # 161-162
(reactivated as Ultron-8; created robotic mate, Jocasta, who turned against
him; defeated by Avengers); Avengers (v1) # 170 (behind the scenes);
Avengers (v1) # 171 (battled and deactivated by Avengers; rejected by
Jocasta); Avengers (v1) # 201-202 (reactivated as Ultron-9, deactivated by
Avengers); Avengers: Emperor Doom (temporarily brainwashed by Sub-Mariner
and Purple Man into serving Doctor Doom); West Coast Avengers (v2) # 1-2
(as Ultron-12, with Grim ReaperĘs Lethal Legion, abducted Hank Pym and
Wonder Man; defeated by Avengers); West Coast Avengers (v2) # 6-7
(Ultron-12 evolved beyond its hatred of Pym and humanity, reconciling with
Pym; Ultron-12 destroyed by reactivated Ultron-11; Ultron-11 destroyed by
Wonder Man); Avengers (v1) # 280 (revealed to have mind-controlled Edwin
Jarvis into working with Masters of Evil); Avengers West Coast # 65-68 (as
Ultron-13, conspired to "robotize" humanity into his "androne" slaves; with
Grim Reaper, defeated by Avengers); Avengers West Coast # 89-91 (evolved
into "ultimate" Ultron, escaped Vault, created robotic bride Alkhema and
conspired with her to slaughter humanity; with Alkhema, defeated by
Avengers and hurled into outer space); Avengers West Coast Annual 8
(conspired to wipe out humanity; plans thwarted by Alkhema and Avengers;
captured by Avengers).
Prior to the publication of the current Avengers series, Ultron appeared
most recently in the Vision limited series, when he was one of several
sentient robots infected by a disease that caused mental delusions. Ultron
then believed himself to be an aging drunkard, and was last seen in the
custody of his estranged "son", the Vision.