Earth's Mightiest Annotations
By Sean McQuaid

AVENGERS (volume 3) # 23
December, 1999
"Showdown"
By Kurt Busiek & George Perez with Al Vey (finishes), Tom Smith (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft/AD (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); Giant-Man & Wasp (as reserve members); Black Panther (as inactive member); and Wonder Man (as former member). In addition, Thor, Iron Man, Yellowjacket, Wasp, Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Vision [II], Beast, Jocasta, Wonder Man, Ms. Marvel and the original Human Torch appear in various flashbacks.

Other Characters:
Edwin Jarvis, Megan McLaren, Carnivore, Conquest, Decay, Stonecutter and various reporters & protestors. In addition, Ultron, Phineas Horton, Agatha Harkness, Sanford Williams, Baron Heinrich Zemo, Enchantress, Executioner, Grim Reaper, Johnny Carson and other characters appear in various flashbacks.

EXTERIOR COVER
This issue's cover illustration (drawn by George Perez and colored by Tom Smith) features Wonder Man and Vision arguing while the anxious face of Scarlet Witch floats in the background.

PAGE ONE
Captain America's classic shield, the shield he has wielded for most of his career, first appeared in CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS # 2. The shield is a one-of-kind object accidentally created by U.S. government scientist Myron MacLain during a metallurgical experiment in the early 1940s (it is disc-shaped since the test mold was disc-shaped, originally intended to serve as a tank hatchway lid since the alloy would have been used to produce tanks and other armament during the war if McLain had ever managed to replicate and mass-produce the material). In 1941, this indestructible disc was donated to the U.S. government super-agent Captain America, who has used it as his personal shield throughout most of his career since then. MacLain was never able to duplicate the unique admantium-vibranium alloy the shield is composed of, but he did manage to perfect the production of pure adamantium years later.

Under ordinary circumstances, Cap's shield is one of the most durable objects on Earth, even more durable than pure adamantium. No conventional force can damage it. It has also proven capable of absorbing or dispersing almost any impact or force directed against it, probably due to its vibranium content. The shield is 2.5 feet in diameter and weighs twelve pounds. It has unusual aerodynamic properties; when thrown, it cuts through the air with minimal wind resistance or path deflection, and it can ricochet back and forth between various surfaces with minimal loss of momentum. Virtually nothing can damage the shield, which is resistant to penetration, temperature extremes and all known forms of radiation. Short of alterations made at the molecular level, it is inalterable and utterly indestructible.

The shield was the subject of a long-running subplot in the current CAPTAIN AMERICA ongoing series (beginning with issue two) when it was first lost at sea, then mysteriously shattered, and then restored to its normal intact state. During its absence, Cap tried several substitute shields: first an imperfect duplicate shield created by Tony Stark, then a replica of his original badge-shaped shield (which he had retired from service after adopting his disc-shaped shield), then an energy shield supplied by Sharon Carter of SHIELD. The latter two shields have been seen in Cap's possession in AVENGERS since issue 4 of this series, until now.

For more on admantium and vibranium, see past editions of the EMA annotations.

PAGES TWO through SIX
Inactive member Black Panther assisted in the team's recent battles with Ultron and Alkhema for the past four issues, and has obviously remained in the group's company. The "vibranium plague" (a widespread destabilization of vibranium) was chronicled in recent issues of CAPTAIN AMERICA. Justice's "stage fright" and the tensions between Vision, Scarlet Witch & Wonder Man have been chonicled in recent issues of AVENGERS and covered in various EMA annotations.

PAGE SEVEN
The scarcity of visible minority members within the Avengers has been a recurring issue among both characters and readers for years. On one level, it's absurd since Avengers membership has traditionally been based on merit, not racial or cultural traits. On another level, it's absurd since superheroes themselves are a rare minority (as Iron Man pointed out in AVENGERS [v1] # 181 when the government forced the Avengers to reserve a slot in their membership for a member representing a visible minority). On the other hand, while membership based on race is irrational and black superheroes are scarce anyway, one can understand how some people might be irritated with the fact that the Avengers--at least superficially--seem to represent only the white American majority (most of the members) or the freakishly unique (members such as Vision). There are few members who represent conventional visible minorities (unless you count mutants), and none of the group's past visible minority members are active with the team at present. Black members of the Avengers to date include Black Panther (T'Challa), Falcon (Sam Wilson), Photon (Monica Rambeau a.k.a. Captain Marvel [II]), Jim Rhodes (a.k.a. Iron Man [V] or War Machine) & Rage (Elvin Halliday). Other members representing conventional visible minorites include Mantis, Firebird & Living Lightning.

Less visible or less conventional minorites within the existing Avengers membership include...

-Mutants (Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Beast, Vance Astro, Starhawk, Sub-Mariner, Firestar & Justice)

-Beings from non-human humanoid races connected to Earth (Thor, Hercules, Charlie-27, Martinex, Nikki, Starfox, Sub-Mariner, Gilgamesh, Sersi, Crystal)

-Aliens from other worlds (Captain Marvel, Charlie-27, Martinex, Yondu, Starhawk, Nikki, Aleta, Starfox, Marrina & Deathcry)

-People from parallel Earths (Swordsman II & Magdalene)

-People from other time periods (Two-Gun Kid, Charlie-27, Martinex, Vance Astro, Yondu, Starhawk, Nikki & Aleta)

-Artificial beings (Vision, Jocasta, Jim Hammond & Machine Man)

-Visibly anomalous beings (Hulk, Vision, Jocasta, Martinex, Yondu, Nikki, Tigra, She-Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Marrina, Thing, Machine Man & Deathcry)

-Foreigners (Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Swordsman, Black Panther, Black Widow & Mantis)

The race issue is first raised in the current AVENGERS series in AVENGERS [v3] # 10, when a black man attending the Avengers Day parade 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. As noted above, other Avengers members drawn from conventional visible minorities include Firebird, Living Lightning and Mantis.

The BLACK PANTHER (T'Challa) 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 Alkema & Ultron in AVENGERS [v3] # 19-22. Black Panther first appeared in FANTASTIC FOUR [v1] # 52.

The FALCON (Samuel Wilson) is a native of Harlem who serves his community as both a social worker and a costumed crimefighter. His true identity is public knowledge. He wears a winged costume (a gift from the Black Panther) that grants him the power of flight, and is accompanied by his pet falcon Redwing, with whom shares a mental rapport. As a close friend and 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 U.S. government's insistence to fulfill a racial minority quota then imposed on the team's membership. Uncomfortable with the circumstances of his membership and feeling out of place with the group since he prefers to act as a street-level superhero, 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 currently part of the team's inactive membership. The Falcon first appeared in CAPTAIN AMERICA [v1] # 117.

FIREBIRD (Bonita Juarez) is a young Mexican-American woman who, like the Falcon, leads a double life as a social worker and a costumed superhero. While she has not taken pains to conceal her true identity, whether it has become public knowledge is unclear. A devoutly religious Catholic, Bonita gained miraculous powers over heat and flame after a fiery meteor impacted near her in the desert, and she regards these powers as a gift from God to be used for good. Her faith was momentarily shaken when she learned, much later, that the meteor was discarded waste material from an alien's failed scientific experiment, but it has not diminished her faith in her God or her mission since she still sees her empowerment as God's will, however indirectly it was exercised. Firebird became a recurring ally to the Avengers in WEST COAST AVENGERS [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] # 12, when she aided the Avengers and the Thunderbolts against the killer robot Dominex. She is currently an inactive Avengers member. Firebird first appeared in INCREDIBLE HULK # 265.

The LIVING LIGHTNING (Miguel Santos) is a young Mexican-American man whose father died while serving as a member of the subversive group known as The Legion of the Living Lightning, a group that was defeated and destroyed in battle with the Hulk. Years later, while trying to salvage some of the Legion's equipment, Miguel accidentally subjected himself to an energy discharge that transformed him into a being of living electrical energy. Initially drunk with his newfound power, Miguel first encountered the Avengers as an adversary in AVENGERS WEST COAST # 63, but joined the team in 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, and is currently an inactive member of the team. He last worked with the Avengers in AVENGERS [v3] # 1-3, when he aided the team against Morgan Le Fay. He has also appeared in AVENGERS FOREVER # 4-6 as a member of the 21st century Avengers of an alternate timeline. Living Lightning first appeared in AVENGERS WEST COAST # 63.

MANTIS (true name unknown) is the daughter of Gustav Brandt and Lua Khruul. Brandt was a German mercenary soldier working in Indochina when he fell in love with Lua, whose brother, the infamous crimelord Monsieur Khruul, hated Europeans and vowed to kill the couple after their wedding. The Brandts lived on the run for some time, but they eventually settled down long enough for Lua to give birth to a daughter. Shortly thereafter, Khruul's men found the couple and torched their home. Lua was killed and Gustav was blinded, but he managed to escape with their child and found shelter with the Priests of Pama, a pacifistic sect of the alien Kree race who had taken up secret residence on Earth. Brandt stayed long enough to learn the priests' martial arts, including a mental technique that allowed him to perceive the world around him despite his blindness; but Brandt's violent nature made him incompatible with the priests' community and he soon departed, leaving his daughter in their care. Brandt went on to become a founding leader of the Zodiac crime cartel as Libra, battling the Avengers and other heroes in this guise. More recently, he retired from crime to devote himself to studying philosophies of balance, and he aided the Avengers during the "Destiny War" in the AVENGERS FOREVER limited series.

The Priests of Pama knew Brandt’s child might grow up to be the Celestial Madonna (a woman fated to bear a child of immense importance to the universe), so they educated her, honing her mind and body to perfection. She proved especially proficient at martial arts, defeating all her male opponents, and took her name, Mantis, from the insects whose females kill the males. She also developed undefined psychic and empathic powers through her mental rapport with the Cotati, an alien race of sentient plants beings cared for by the priests (the eldest Cotati was fated to father the Celestial Madonna’s child). When Mantis turned eighteen, the priests stripped her of her memory and left her in Ho Chi Minh City so that she could live among humans and learn what it was to be human. She became a barmaid and prostitute in the employ of her uncle, Khruul, neither realizing who the other was. The failed super-criminal known as the Swordsman had become Khruul’s enforcer and Mantis saw a buried nobility within him, falling in love with him and persuading him to renounce crime and rejoin the Avengers. When he did so, she came with him, acting as a provisional or honorary member of the group, a role she continued to play after the Swordsman died in action defending Mantis from Kang, who had discovered that she was the Celestial Madonna and attempted to take her for himself. Eventually, the Avengers helped Mantis learn her true origins, after which she married the eldest Cotati and left Earth to mate with him. The Avengers made her membership in their team official at her wedding as a mark of respect.

Years later, Mantis returned to Earth after raising her child to self-sufficiency, and shared some adventures with the Avengers. She disappeared again, though, when Kang pursued her anew in search of her child. To protect her child and her friends from future attacks, Mantis willed her spirit to leave her body (something she had done for extended periods in the past). She has appeared in physical form on occasion since then, though the malevolent "Mantis" who menaced the Avengers during The Crossing has since been exposed as a Space Phantom, who was posing as Mantis as part of a larger scheme to disorient and demoralize the Avengers on behalf of Immortus, as explained in AVENGERS FOREVER # 8.

Mantis first appeared in AVENGERS [v1] # 112 and began working alongside the Avengers on an unofficial basis in AVENGERS [v1] # 114. Her membership was made official on the same day she quit the team, in GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS # 4. She last worked with the group during her brief affiliation with the western Avengers roster, chronicled in WEST COAST AVENGERS [v2] # 37-39 and WCA ANNUAL # 3.

PHOTON (Monica Rambeau) is a costumed adventurer who can transform herself into any form of energy in the electromagnetic spectrum. Formerly a New Orleans harbor patrol officer, she gained her superhuman powers after she was exposed to an experimental device in the line of duty. Dubbed Captain Marvel by the media shortly after her debut, Rambeau sought out the Avengers for help in mastering her new powers and became a member-in-training of their group. She soon graduated to full membership, serving a lengthy stint that culminated in her election as the team's seventh full-time chairperson; however, her active membership came to an abrupt and unfortunate end when she suffered injuries in the line of duty that reduced her to an invalid and stripped her of her superhuman powers.

She eventually recovered her health and regained her powers but never returned to full-time membership in the Avengers, though she has been one of the team's more reliable reservists in the past. She is currently an inactive member, devoting most of her time to a charter fishing business she started with her father. She recently changed her costumed alias to Photon out of respect for the legend of the original Captain Marvel, the alien warrior Mar-Vell, who had been an honorary member of the Avengers before his death. Rambeau had always felt awkward about inheriting his title after she learned there had been a previous Captain Marvel, but she retained the name since the Avengers and others accepted her as a worthy heir to Mar-Vell's heroic legacy; however, when Mar-Vell's son Genis became active as an adventurer and also became known as Captain Marvel, she decided the Captain Marvel title should be his and opted to rechristen herself Photon.
As Captain Marvel, Monica joined the team in AVENGERS [v1] # 227, became the team's chairperson in AVENGERS [v1] # 279 and retired from the active roster in AVENGERS [v1] # 294. She changed her name to Photon in AVENGERS UNPLUGGED # 5. She last worked with the team in AVENGERS [v3] # 16-18, when she helped the Avengers defeat the Wrecking Crew. She first appeared (as Captain Marvel) in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL # 16.

RAGE (Elvin Halliday) 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, after which he became affiliated with the New Warriors superteam. He last worked with the Avengers in AVENGERS [v3] # 13, when the Warriors and the Avengers teamed up to shut down an AIM weapons warehouse and battled the interfering Lord Templar. Rage has recently semi-retired from superheroics to concentrate on his studies, as revealed in NEW WARRIORS # 0 & NEW WARRIORS [v2] # 1.

JAMES RHODES is a longtime friend, confidant and former employee of Tony Stark, who entrusted his Iron Man armor and identity to Rhodes after succumbing to alcoholism. As the new Iron Man, Rhodes helped found the Avengers’ western roster (in WEST COAST AVENGERS [v1] # 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 WEST COAST AVENGERS 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 (AVENGERS WEST COAST # 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. The original War Machine armor has since been salvaged and adopted by a new, criminal War Machine in IRON MAN [v3] # 11. Jim Rhodes first appeared in IRON MAN [v1] # 118. He first became Iron Man in IRON MAN [v1] # 169, and first became War Machine in AVENGERS WEST COAST # 94.

The "OF COLOR DOESN'T MEAN RED PLASTIC" sign is an obvious reference to the Vision, whose synthetic skin is bright red.

The television reporter on Wasp's miniature TV seems to be Megan McLaren, who first appeared in THUNDERBOLTS # 1 and most recently appeared in AVENGERS [v3] # 19.

Alkhema, Grim Reaper and Ultron all appeared in the "Ultron Unlimited" storyline that ran through AVENGERS [v3] # 19-22, and are described in detail in past editions of the EMA annotations. The mad killer robot Ultron, created by Avengers founder Hank Pym years ago, conquered the country of Slorenia and slaughtered its population in AVENGERS [v3] # 19-20. He was defeated and destroyed by Pym and the other Avengers in AVENGERS [v3] # 22. Alkhema, the female killer robot created by Ultron as his intended bride, was captured by the Avengers in AVENGERS [v3] # 19 but escaped military custody in AVENGERS [v3] # 21-22, secretly salvaging the brain pattern recordings that Ultron had copied from the Avengers and the Grim Reaper in hopes of using them to create a new robotic master race. The Grim Reaper (Eric Williams), mad criminal brother of Wonder Man, was captured by the Avengers in AVENGERS [v3] # 10-11 and placed in psychiatric care, was kidnapped away from his mental hospital by Ultron in AVENGERS # 0, and escaped during the Avengers' battle with Ultron in AVENGERS [v3] # 22.

PAGE EIGHT
Iron Man's appearance in this scene unmasked indicates that Black Panther is among the few veteran Avengers who have been re-informed of Iron Man's secret identity as Tony Stark since IRON MAN/CAPTAIN AMERICA '98, when Tony wiped the then-widespread knowledge of his dual identity from the minds of everyone on Earth.

The pseudo-religious popular movement known as the Triune Understanding has been a recurring presence in the current Avengers series for some time. There are indications that the Avengers' government liaison, Duane Jerome Freeman, is a Triune follower, though the Avengers seem unaware of this to date (Freeman has been depicted with Triune symbols on his clothing more than once).

The costumed adventurer known as Triathlon, who first met the team in AVENGERS [v3] # 8-9 when he aided them against Moses Magnum, is a Triune believer who credits the Triune Understanding with unlocking his previously latent superhuman powers. Triathlon and the Avengers parted on friendly terms after their first meeting, but circumstances changed in AVENGERS [v3] # 15 when the Avengers tracked the mysterious menace known as Lord Templar to the Triune Understanding's headquarters, which the Triunes refused to allow the Avengers to search. When another mystery menace at large, the monstrous Pagan, suddenly appeared and engaged the Avengers & Triathlon in battle, Lord Templar appeared minutes later and seemingly defeated Pagan, spiriting him away. In the wake of the conflict, Triune Understanding leader Jonathan Tremont denounced the Avengers in the media, painting the Avengers as religiously intolerant and suggesting that the Avengers had implicated the Triunes in their search for Templar to dodge the blame for allowing both Templar and Pagan to repeatedly escape. Believing his leader's interpretation of the events, Triathlon now regards the Avengers with hostility; however, unknown to Triathlon and the most of the other Triune believers, Tremont is somehow secretly connected to Templar (and perhaps to Pagan as well), and Tremont is using his influence in a media campaign designed to discredit the Avengers and win public sympathy for the Triunes at the Avengers' expense. The Avengers have been suffering through Triune-inspired bad press for weeks now, as seen in AVENGERS [v3] # 15 & 19 and AVENGERS # 0.

Though it seems unlikely now, Busiek-Perez creation Triathlon was created as a prospective Avenger, a character who would be considered for Avengers membership. It could still happen, despite the current Avengers-Triune hostilities. Triathlon admired and respected the Avengers prior to their conflict with the Triunes, and he worked well with the group when they teamed up against Moses Magnum. Also, if Triathlon did somehow join the Avengers, the recruitment of a black Triune believer would probably help deflect accusations of religious intolerance and racism aimed at the Avengers.

PAGE NINE
While the Avengers themselves have never set racial quotas for their membership, the government did force them to conform to an equal opportunity racial quota in AVENGERS [v1] # 181, when the Falcon's membership was imposed on the team. This particular period of government interference was suspended in AVENGERS [v1] # 190-191 when a Senate hearing concluded that the federal authorites should restrict their interference in Avengers affairs to a minimum. Shortly afterward, the Falcon--who had been uncomfortable with the circumstances of his recruitment--resigned in AVENGERS [v1] # 194.

Interestingly, Rage is the only black former Avenger not mentioned as a potential recruit in this scene--probably because he's still too young to serve as an active member, but it's also true that he has the least distinguished service record among the various black Avengers. Which is ironic, since Rage is the one black Avenger to date who regarded himself and conducted himself as a vocal black activist during his time with the team.

PAGE TEN
WALT KELLY (1913-1973) was an artist and storyteller best known for his creation and ongoing execution of the long-running syndicated newspaper comic strip POGO. After jobs with the Bridgeport POST and Walt Disney Studios (where he animated portions of FANTASIA and DUMBO), Kelly began working for the Dell comic book company, drawing stories for publications such as ANIMAL COMICS and OUR GANG. Beginning with ANIMAL COMICS # 1, Kelly drew a series of stories in 1942-1947 ANIMAL COMICS about the anthropomorphic inhabitants of a swamp, and their various comic interactions and misadventures. The initial central characters were the comic villain Albert Alligator and a human child, Bumbazine. Over time, Albert became much more benign and Bumbazine became much less prominent, to the point where he was eventually phased out of the feature altogether. Taking his place as a lead character was supporting character Pogo Possum, who had small roles in the stories at first but became more prominent over time. When Kelly became art editor for the New York STAR in 1949, he revived his swamp tales as an ongoing POGO comic strip. When the STAR folded, POGO was picked up by the New York POST and its Post-Hall Syndicate, then by Field Enterprises. The gentle but cleverly satirical POGO strip became a huge success in newspaper syndication, and was also collected into a series of popular compilation books. Kelly continued to produce POGO until his death in 1973. During the strip's run, Kelly also produced sixteen issues of a POGO POSSUM comic book (1949-1954).

PAGE TWELVE
Sky-Skimmers appear to have replaced Sky Cycles as the Avengers' small personal aircraft of choice (the first such vehicle in use by the Avengers being the Stark-designed jet scooters, first seen in AVENGERS [v1] # 30). Interestingly, Sky-Skimmer was the name given to the Justice Society of America's specialized aircraft in the 1970s run of ALL-STAR COMICS.

PAGE THIRTEEN
The affection, respect and concern that Simon has shown for Vison in the current AVENGERS series remains somewhat surprising and puzzling. The two men did have an affectionate relationship years ago as of VISION & SCARLET WITCH [v2] # 2, when the realization that they shared different versions of the same mind made them see each other as brothers, even twins; but when Vision was dismantled, mind-wiped and reduced to an emotionless humanoid machine in WEST COAST AVENGERS [v2] # 42-45, Simon revealed that he'd always secretly resented the use of his brain patterns in Vision's programming and felt violated by the invasion and duplication of his mind (Vision was created while Simon was in a death-like coma that lasted for years). Because of this, and because Simon was secretly in love with Vision's wife Scarlet Witch, Simon initially refused to assist in efforts to restore the Vision's mind after his dismantling. Simon only broke down and agreed to help months later in AVENGERS WEST COAST # 53 when Scarlet Witch had become so emotionally distraught that she lapsed into a catatonic state; ironically, though, Vision himself explained that Simon's brain patterns could not truly repair the damage done to his mind, so Simon's belated offer of assistance was refused.

In the years that followed, Wonder Man generally regarded the more "robotic", seemingly emotionless Vision with varying degrees of scorn, indifference, resentment and outright contempt, though he occasionally expressed regrets about the seeming demise of Vision's original Simon-based personality. Regardless, they have not been close or remotely friendly for years, so Simon's affectionate attitude toward Vision in the current series has seemed odd--especially since Simon wasn't aware, at first, of Vision having recently regained his original personality and his full capacity for human-like emotion. Simon has since become aware of the restoration of Vision's mind, though, which probably strengthens any brotherly bond he feels with his estranged twin. As well, Wonder Man's latest return from the dead and Vision's own near-fatal injuries (suffered at the hands of Morgan Le Fay in issue 3) may have encouraged Simon to mend fences while he still can, since they're both alive and well and together again for the first time in some time.

PAGE FOURTEEN
Simon explicitly states what's been implied since AVENGERS [v3] # 8, that he's sleeping with Wanda; however, while Vision may not be ecstatic about this, Simon's relationship with Wanda is apparently not the worst of Vision's worries. More specifically, Vision has come to feel that Simon's very existence makes a mockery of his own existence since Vision's mind was created from a duplication of Simon's brain patterns. In effect, Simon's return from the dead makes Vision feel like a mere copy of another person, a superfluous imitation. Vision went through these feelings of inadequacy once before, circa AVENGERS [v1] # 151-160, when Wonder Man returned from the dead for the first time; however, Vision ultimately concluded (in AVENGERS [v1] # 160) that he was a unique person distinct from Simon Williams, and seemed to be at peace with Simon's existence for years thereafter. Why Vision's long-dormant feelings of inadequacy have recently resurfaced is unclear at first but is made clear later in this exchange, when Vision explains that Simon's romance with Wanda seemed to rob Vision of the last thing in his life that was uniquely his own, even if Vision's romance with her was already long over. Everything Vision feels and thinks and loves, even the greatest love of his life--in Vision's eyes, it all seems like hollow echoes of Simon.

PAGE FIFTEEN
In panel one, we see Phineas Horton reluctantly reconstructing the original Human Torch under the supervision of Ultron-5. In panel 2, we see Ultron-5 copying Wonder Man's brain patterns into the mind of the Vision (the image above Vision's head is that of Wonder Man in his original costume). In panels three through five, we see Vision enjoying jazz, chess and satire. The chess scene shows Vision playing with his former brother-in-law Pietro Maximoff, alias Quicksilver.

The original HUMAN TORCH (now known as James Hammond) was an android created by Phineas Horton in 1939, but marred by a bizarre flaw that caused his body to burst into flame on contact with air. Escaping confinement and honing his power into a mental mastery of heat and flame, the Torch became a policeman and a costumed adventurer, using his power for good in the 1940s and 1950s until he disappeared and was presumed dead. In recent years, beginning with AVENGERS [v1] # 133-135, the Vision was revealed to be a reconstructed Human Torch. This information came from the Avengers' mysterious longtime adversary and occasional ally, Immortus. Later, during John Byrne's Avengers run (including WEST COAST AVENGERS [v2] # 42-46 & AVENGERS WEST COAST # 47-57), Immortus led the Avengers to believe that Vision's Human Torch origins were a hoax, and this revised version of Vision's history was seemingly proven when the Torch was unearthed and reactivated, having been placed in suspended animation by the criminal Mad Thinker years earlier. Doctor Pym theorized that the structurally similar Vision and Torch were two different constructs who had been built using the same parts and equipment, that Ultron had simply pilfered Horton's spare parts and surviving equipment to create the Vision.

More recently, the Avengers learned that Vision was indeed a reconstructed Human Torch, and that Immortus had made this possible by creating an identical temporal duplicate of the Torch that was rebuilt into Vision by Ultron while the remaining Torch was buried by the Mad Thinker for the Avengers to find years later. Immortus had duplicated the Torch and manipulated the Avengers for the sake of his long-term plots against Avengers member Scarlet Witch. Immortus was determined to prevent Scarlet Witch from bearing children since her offspring were destined to be immensely powerful, so he revealed the Vision's Torch origins to give Vision a sense of personal history and humanity that in turn gave him the confidence to propose marriage to the Scarlet Witch, forming a union that Immortus assumed would leave the Witch childless; but when the Scarlet Witch used her magic to help herself and the Vision conceive twin children, Immortus went back in time to create the duplicate Torch and then allowed the Avengers to discover this second Torch's existence, revealing that Vision's Torch origins were seemingly a lie. This revelation was part of a larger scheme by Immortus to dissolve the Vision-Witch union and weaken the Witch's mystical-emotional bond with her children, a scheme that ultimately succeeded in destroying the Scarlet Witch's children. Immortus's schemes regarding the Vision's origins were recently revisited and finally fully explained in AVENGERS FOREVER # 8.

The Avengers invited the revived Human Torch to join their team, and he gratefully accepted in AWC # 50; however, he served for only a short time before taking a personal leave of absence (as of AWC # 65), during which time he lost his powers in NAMOR THE SUB-MARINER # 12. He has since retired from adventuring (though he maintained his reserve Avengers membership for a time even after his depowering, last serving with the group in AWC # 83). For a time, he accepted an executive position within Namor’s Oracle Incorporated company, in which capacity he managed the Heroes for Hire super-team funded by Oracle. When the unscrupulous Stark-Fujikawa corporation bought Oracle and began restructuring Heroes for Hire, Hammond resigned. Hammond's fire power has regenerated to a limited extent, allowing him to generate and manipulate small quantities of flame, but he can no longer use his full powers without risking physical collapse.

The mutant speedster QUICKSILVER (Pietro Maximoff) is a longtime Avengers member who joined alongside his sister, the Scarlet Witch, in AVENGERS [v1] # 16. He is curently an inactive member of the group, and last worked with them in AVENGERS [v3] # 7 when he fought the Kree Lunatic Legion alongside them. He is currently serving in the political cabinet of Genosha, the mutant-dominated island nation recently taken over by his infamous mutant terrorist father, Magneto. Pietro hopes he will be able to influence Magneto's rule in a positive way, but Magneto's goal is to either make his son as ruthless as himself or destroy him. How their conflict will play out remains to be seen. In this miscolored picture, Quicksilver's gloves are green, his shirt is light blue and its lightning bolt pattern is light blue. If this is meant to be the original version of Quicksilver's classic outfit, his gloves should be light green, his shirt should be a darker green, and the lightning bolt pattern should be white. If this is meant to be the second version of Quicksilver's classic outfit, his gloves should be white, his shirt should be a light blue, and the lightning bolt pattern should be white.

PAGE SIXTEEN
Panel two is a flashback to Vision & Scarlet Witch honeymooning on the beaches of Rurutu. When Vision and Scarlet Witch first married in GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS # 4, they honeymooned on the Polynesian island of Rurutu for months, as seen in AVENGERS [v1] # 137-139. Panel 3 is a flashback to Wanda arriving too late in her attempt to rescue Vision from the international coalition of intelligence agencies who abducted and deconstructed him, finding his dismantled body instead (in WEST COAST AVENGERS [v2] # 45). Panel 4 is a flashback to the disappearance of Vision & Wanda's children in AVENGERS WEST COAST # 51. Wanda's flesh tones from the neck down should be pink in panels 3 & 4 since she wore a pink body stocking under her costume at this time. Vision became pale-skinned and adopted a white, spectral costume in WEST COAST AVENGERS [v2] # 45 after his dismantling and reconstruction. He returned to a reasonable facsimile of his original appearance in AVENGERS [v1] # 360-363 when his brain was transferred into the body of a Vision from an alternate reality.

Vision & Scarlet Witch first met in AVENGERS [v1] # 76 and married in GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS # 4. They were a happy, loving couple for years until an apparently Immortus-directed government conspiracy resulted in the dismantling of the Vision and the seeming erasure of his original personality (WEST COAST AVENGERS [v2] # 42-45). This effectively ended their marriage since Vision was now an emotionless machine, though a devastated Scarlet Witch didn't fully accept this until AVENGERS WEST COAST # 91. Later, Vision regained a semblance of his original personality in the VISION limited series and began courting Wanda anew as of AVENGERS: THE CROSSING # 1, but she was reluctant to become involved with him again and rejected his overtures. Later, once Vision's original personality had completely returned (circa AVENGERS [v3] # 1), Wanda began to express interest in him again (as of AVENGERS [v3] # 4) but he rebuffed her attentions, pretending that he was still emotionless, since he now believed Wanda would be better off without him. Shortly thereafter, Wonder Man began a romance with the Scarlet Witch (as of AVENGERS [v3] # 8), a romance that became an ongoing relationship in AVENGERS [v3] # 11 when Wonder Man fully returned to the realm of the living. Wanda eventually learned of Vision's actual state of mind and his true feelings (she forced him to admit it in AVENGERS [v3] # 12), but she has continued her love affair with Wonder Man regardless.

As Vision says, his romance with Wanda was fraught with tragedy, including the demise of their mystically conceived children (in AVENGERS WEST COAST # 51-52), his own disassembly & reconstruction into an altered form (WEST COAST AVENGERS [v2] # 42-45), and the emotionless, robotic state this reconstruction left the Vision in for years thereafter, bringing their marriage to an end. This caused Wanda no end of anguish for a long time, even provoking a complete mental breakdown in AWC # 53-62, so it's no wonder Vision can't bear to hurt Wanda any further now that he has feelings again. When Wanda tried to reach out to him in AVENGERS [v3] # 4 just after his lower body had been blown off and he was beginning the long reconstruction process, he apparently couldn't bear to put her through any further anxiety and encouraged her to leave him, which she did.

PAGE SEVENTEEN
Panel one depicts the closing moments of AVENGERS [v3] # 11, when Simon (newly back from the dead) and Wanda settle down in front of a fire after finally beginning their romance in earnest, while Vision watches bitterly.

As various readers and characters have said (most notably Ultron in the previous issue), Vision and Simon are similar but unique beings. They started out with the same basic mental material (which means they have similar personality traits, tastes and values), but their vastly different life experiences have led them to evolve into two completely different people. Ultron even scientifically confirmed it in issue 22, when his recent recordings of Vision's & Wonder Man's brain patterns proved to be significantly different from each other.

PAGE EIGHTEEN
Simon has said before that he regards the Vision as a better version of himself (notably in VISION & SCARLET WITCH [v2] # 2), but this is the first time he's explicitly told Vision how and why he envies him. Simon envies Vision because they may have similar minds, but they don't have similar memories--and Simon's memories are tainted by what he himself describes as a lifetime of "shame and failure." Simon has often suffered from feelings of guilt and low self esteem, expressed most recently in issue 14 of the current AVENGERS series, but this issue represents perhaps the most detailed and most passionate examination of Simon's life and the sources of his self-loathing, and his most complete confession of his various mistakes and misdeeds.

The way Vision and Simon feel about each other has only been addressed in this sort of detail once before, in the Steve Englehart story running through WEST COAST AVENGERS [v2] # 1-2 and VISION & SCARLET WITCH [v2] # 1-2.

In WCA [v2] # 1 and V&SW [v2] # 1, The Grim Reaper and his allies abduct Wonder Man and Hank Pym, and try unsuccessfully to abduct the Vision. In WCA [v2] # 2, the Avengers (including the Vision) visit Martha Williams in search of background information on her sons, Simon and Eric, as part of their search for Simon. Martha tells them how Simon was always a quiet, studious boy while Eric was adventurous and athletic, and that both boys had to cope with a demanding and abusive father, the late Sanford Williams, who never seemed satisfied with anything his children did. Perhaps, she speculates, Sanford's attitude was what turned Eric bad. Regardless, Eric became involved in petty crime as a youth and tried to pressure Simon into joining him, but Simon just sank more of his time and his self esteem into his studies. That approach seemed to pay off at first when Simon took over the family business, but soon Williams Innovations was being outperformed by rival company Stark Industries, and the Williams firm was in trouble. Simon's equation of his brains with his self esteem began to work against him, then, and he blamed himself for the company's failure. Desperate, he turned to Eric--who had joined the Maggia crime family--and Eric used strongarm tactics on prospective customers to try to boost Williams business. It didn't work, though, and the company failed anyway. Simon was arrested for embezzling from the company shortly thereafter, but Martha tells the Avengers that Eric was the one who actually stole the money, leaving Simon to take the blame. Eric returned to his Maggia work in Las Vegas, while Simon went to court and fell into the circumstances that made him Wonder Man. In closing, Martha tells the Avengers she won't blame the Avengers for whatever happens when they find Eric and Simon. "I'm an OLD WOMAN now," she says, "and my ONE PRAYER is that you put an END to this insane vendetta--and give me back--my SONS--!" At this, the Vision rises to his feet, reaches out to Martha and tentatively speaks...

Vision:
"M-mother--!"

Martha:
"But you're--the one they call the VISION--! An ARTIFICIAL MAN...!"

Vision:
"Yes, ARTIFICIAL--but a MAN nonetheless! My arms, my legs--these are SYNTHETIC--but my MIND is VERY REAL! And my mind was derived from SIMON'S!"

Martha:
"What? What did you--??"

Vision:
"I--I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--I--Mother, I am a part of your SON!"

Martha [crying]:
"You--you have Simon's mind--?"

Vision:
"I am what HE would be, if he had been transformed into a SYNTHEZOID, instead of a--WONDER MAN! I am not HE--I will never BE he--but I LOVE YOU, Mother! FORGIVE me!" [They embrace.]

Martha:
"FORGIVE you--! Oh, Vision! You're giving me back the gentle boy I thought I'd lost FOREVER...!"

Later, in V&SW [v2] # 2, Vision, Wanda, Hank Pym and the western Avengers (including Wonder Man) have been captured by the Grim Reaper and his cronies. The Reaper reacts angrily to Vision calling him Eric, and Vision responds:

Vision:
"I've just met our MOTHER--MARTHA WILLIAMS! I've just, for the first time, found a HUMAN parent, to go with my ROBOTIC one--I am NOT Simon Williams, no--nor do I NEED to be! I'm The VISION, that's ENOUGH! But I'm related to YOU, Eric!"

And this sets Simon a-pondering...

Wonder Man [thinking to himself]:
"The Vision--with Mom? I never thought--! Mom's MY mom--SIMON WILLIAMS' mom! And I'M Simon Williams, whatever Eric says! But--so is HE--sort of! I'm Simon MUTATED, and he is Simon TRANSPLANTED! --and HE'S not afraid of DEATH--! Because he's a SYNTHEZOID? No--you can hear it when he talks about MOM! He's HUMAN inside! Simon IS in there! I am in there--! And I KNOW it! I always HAVE known it! We're MORE than brothers--we're TWINS! But I didn't want to SEE it! I thought of him as LIMITED--an inferior MECHANICAL REPLICA of a real man! I saw his RESERVE, his metallic VOICE, his pinpoint EYES, and said 'I'M not in there! Not REALLY! That's just a SIMULATION!' But I'M the inferior one..."

Later, Wonder Man is released to face his fate and tells Vision he's glad he met their mother. Then Simon and a newly arrived Mockingbird join forces to free the others, soon sending most of the villains into retreat. Simon and Vision insist on going off together to pursue the fleeing Reaper, and Vision says this is something he has to do with his brother. Later, during their pursuit of the Reaper, Vision says to Simon, "I know what it MEANS for us to be BROTHERS, now," and they embrace. When they finally catch up to the Reaper and confront him, Simon confesses that he was the one who embezzled from Williams Innovations years ago, not Eric, and that Simon was never the saint Eric or anyone else made him out to be. Eric tries to insist that Simon was blameless and perfect, but Simon responds with this speech...

Wonder Man:
"NO! All my LIFE, people told me how GOOD I was--especially compared to YOU--but I wasn't GOOD ENOUGH in the END! I wasn't good enough to keep the COMPANY alive! I wasn't good enough to turn ZEMO down! And I wasn't good enough not to STEAL! The only GOOD thing I ever DID--because I chose it over EVIL--was to DIE for the AVENGERS! But when I CAME BACK and tried to tell people how strange--how WRONG--I felt to be cast as a hero, they just patted me on the back and SMILED! 'You're GOOD,' they said! 'You're SMART! You're STRONG! You're HANDSOME! And you're an AVENGER! So you'll work it OUT!' But that was because I never told them the TRUTH--that I was GUILTY! They all thought YOU stole the money, even if the official verdict was OTHERWISE--so after a while, even I stopped thinking about THAT part! I started looking NOT at my disease, but at the SYMPTOMS--like the fear that RETRIBUTION might be coming for me out of the DARK! And my guilt just FESTERED, POISONING me--until TONIGHT! Until I finally saw The VISION clearly and saw what Simon Williams MIGHT HAVE BEEN if he hadn't known what he'd done before he became Wonder Man and died! Until I saw--my BETTER TWIN! So now I can CLEANSE myself--now I MUST cleanse myself! Now I can try to CHANGE! But--nobody knows what really happened--except--my BROTHER and me! If you REALLY KNOW!"

After Simon's outpouring of emotion, the Reaper breaks down. Eric finally realizes and admits that Simon wasn't perfect, that Wonder Man is Simon, and that Vision is their brother of sorts. Unable to cope with what he's done and how he almost destroyed his brothers, the Reaper flees in shame and falls from a ledge to his death.

Beginning with WEST COAST AVENGERS [v2] # 2, Simon's father Sanford Williams has been consistently portrayed as a harsh, demanding parent whose children could never satisfy him no matter what they did.

PAGE NINETEEN
Simon was arrested for embezzlement and transformed into Wonder Man in AVENGERS [v1] # 9. As he says, though, he escaped punishment (from a legal perspective anyway) for both his embezzlement and his collaboration with Zemo's Masters of Evil. When Simon seemingly died saving the Avengers from Zemo only to revive years later, he was forgiven for his misdeeds. Simon's criminal brother Eric was assumed to be the real embezzler, and no one ever tried to prosecute Simon for either the embezzlement of his part in Zemo's plot to destroy the Avengers. Panel one depicts Simon wearing his original Wonder Man costume for the first time while Baron Heinrich Zemo, Enchantress and Executioner look on.

Zemo, Enchantress and Executioner were then the only members of the original MASTERS OF EVIL who remained at large after the Masters' first two defeats at the hands of the Avengers. The Masters formed in AVENGERS [v1] # 6 with Zemo as leader and Black Knight [II], Melter & Radioactive Man as his first recruits. They were defeated by the Avengers, and all but Zemo were captured. Shortly afterward, in AVENGERS [v1] # 7, Enchantress and Executioner replaced the captured Masters as Zemo's new allies, but the group was defeated again. The trio of Masters fought the Avengers twice more, taking a powerful ally each time (Wonder Man in AVENGERS [v1] # 9 and Immortus in AVENGERS [v1] # 10), but they were defeated each time. Finally, in AVENGERS [v1] # 15-16, all of the Masters except Radioactive Man regrouped and attacked the Avengers one last time. Zemo was killed, Black Knight and Melter were captured, and Enchantress & Executioner fled. The original Masters disbanded as of that defeat, though several subsequent versions of the Masters of Evil have emerged over the years. The only suriving members of the original Masters are Radioactive Man and Enchantress. Black Knight, Melter and Executioner all died later in unrelated incidents.

BARON HEINRICH ZEMO was a brilliant scientist and infamous World War II Nazi war criminal who became the sworn enemy of Captain America, the man Zemo blamed for the accident that fused Zemo's hood to his face with his own super-strong Adhesive X. Zemo had his revenge when he engineered an accident that seemingly killed Captain America and his partner Bucky during the final days of World War II, but the Captain turned up alive decades later after spending years in a state of suspended animation. When Captain America joined the Avengers, Zemo founded the Masters of Evil to destroy them (in AVENGERS [v1] # 6) and battled the Avengers repeatedly. He died in battle with Captain America in AVENGERS [v1] # 15. His Avengers appearances include AVENGERS [v1] # 6-7, 9-10, 15 & 56; he appeared as an undead member of the Legion of the Unliving in AVENGERS [v1] # 131-132, GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS # 3 and AVENGERS [v1] # 353-354. He first appeared in a shadowy cameo in AVENGERS [v1] # 4 and made his first full appearance in AVENGERS [v1] # 6.

The ENCHANTRESS (Amora) is an Asgardian goddess who pursues her lusts for power and pleasure through her great sorcerous skills and her seductive physical beauty. A recurring adversary and sometime ally of Thor, Amora first appeared in JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY # 103. She has battled the Avengers many times, usually in tandem with male partners and pawns such as her late longtime accomplice, the Executioner. The Enchantress and the Executioner were members of the original Masters of Evil. Amora's Avengers appearances include AVENGERS [v1] # 7, 9-10, 15-16, 21-22 & 38; AVENGERS ANNUAL # 1; and AVENGERS [v1] # 83-84 & 100. Enchantress is depicted in her original costuming here.

The EXECUTIONER (Skurge) is an Asgardian warrior god whose infatuation with the scheming Enchantress led him into recurring conflict with Thor and other heroes. Later, Skurge and the Enchantress battled the Avengers as members of the original Masters of Evil, and remained enemies of the Avengers after the Masters broke up. Skurge first appeared in JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY # 103. His Avengers appearances include AVENGERS [v1] # 7, 9-10 & 15-16; AVENGERS ANNUAL # 1; and AVENGERS [v1] # 83 (in flashback). He also appeared in AVENGERS ANNUAL # 16 as an undead member of the Legion of the Unliving, having died heroically in THOR [v1] # 362 when he helped Thor and Balder liberate a group of stolen mortal spirits from the realm of the Asgardian death goddess Hela.

In panel 2, we see two versions of the Grim Reaper: the Reaper in his original costume (background) and the Reaper as demonic monster (foreground). The former comes from AVENGERS [v1] # 52, while the latter comes from AVENGERS [v1] # 352-354. Eric became the Grim Reaper to avenge Simon's death (for which Eric blamed the Avengers) in AVENGERS [v1] # 52, using high-tech weaponry in attacks on the Avengers. Eric's many misadventures as the Grim Reaper ultimately led to his accidental death (in VISION & SCARLET WITCH [v2] # 2), but he returned in a variety of monstrous forms: first as a zombie (VISION & SCARLET WITCH [v2] # 12), then as a life-siphoning undead serial killer (AVENGERS WEST COAST # 65-68), and finally as a demonic mystic (AVENGERS [v1] # 352-354 & AVENGERS [v3] # 10-11). Most recently, he was resurrected and restored to a normal human existence in AVENGERS [v3] # 11 through the magic of the Scarlet Witch and the love of his brother Simon.

Wonder Man seemingly died in his first appearance (AVENGERS [v1] # 9) when he infiltrated the Avengers on behalf of the Masters of Evil but turned on the Masters to save the Avengers in the end, apparently dying in the process. The Avengers buried him, but he was actually in a death-like coma while the process Baron Heinrich Zemo used to give him superhuman powers slowly mutated his body into a seemingly immortal superhumanoid form permeated with ionic energy. Revived as a zombie pawn of the Black Talon in AVENGERS [v1] # 151-152, Simon was soon restored to full consciousness by the Living Laser and, having nowhere else to go, began fighting alongside the Avengers as the reborn Wonder Man (as of AVENGERS ANNUAL # 6). Simon was affiliated with the Avengers in an unofficial capacity for a long time, and was not officially accredited as a member until AVENGERS [v1] # 181--though at the time, he was forced off the active roster and into the team's reserves. Later, in AVENGERS [v1] # 194, he became a full active member of the group to replace the departing Falcon, but resigned during a roster reshuffling in AVENGERS [v1] # 211 to pursue non-superheroic career options such as acting.

He rejoined the team as a founding member of its new western roster in WEST COAST AVENGERS [v1] # 1-4, and was one of the longest-serving members of the team's western division thereafter. He quit for personal reasons during a period of mental and physical instability circa AVENGERS WEST COAST [v1] # 92, and by the time he returned in AVENGERS WEST COAST # 102, the team's western division had been shut down during an operational dispute between the team's eastern and western members. Annoyed at this turn of events, Simon joined several other disgruntled western Avengers in forming a rival superteam known as Force Works, but Simon seemingly died during their first mission in FORCE WORKS # 1 when he was blown to atoms during a space battle with the alien Kree and Scater.

In panel 3, we see many of the heroes who were associated with the Avengers during Simon's first long-term affiliation with the team: Iron Man, Jocasta, Thor, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Wonder Man himself, Beast, Captain America, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Yellowjacket and Wasp. All these characters have been covered extensively in past editions of the EMA annotations, some of them several times. Most of the characters are wearing the original or "classic" versions of their various costumes. Jocasta appears in her original robotic form. Ms. Marvel appears in her second costume, a modified version of which she now wears as Warbird. Wonder Man sports the jacket-and-sunglasses look that he adopted as of AVENGERS [v1] # 167 and abandoned as of WEST COAST AVENGERS [v2] # 1. Again, Scarlet Witch's flesh tones should be pink from the neck down since she wore a pink body stocking under her costume at this time.

Panel 4 depicts Wonder Man (in the costuming he adopted as of WCA [v2] # 1 and discarded as of WCA [v2] # 12) making a public confession of his embezzlement to Johnny Carson on THE TONIGHT SHOW in WCA [v2] # 4. As Simon says, he was forgiven yet again--the general public, like Carson, praised Simon for his honesty and courage, and the resultant publicity boosted both his budding movie career and his established Avengers stardom. Seemingly unable to cope with the adulation and attention, Simon gradually became arrogant and smug in subsequent issues of WCA.

PAGE TWENTY
Panel one is a scene from WEST COAST AVENGERS [v2] # 22, with the Avengers (including Iron Man and Wonder Man) battling the robot minions of Rama-Tut during a time travel trip to ancient Egypt. As this scene from the "Lost in Space-Time" storyline indicates, the increasingly arrogant Wonder Man had come to regard Iron Man as an inferior rival claimant to the role of team powerhouse, and there was a great deal of tension between the two teammates. This was actually one of the more minor instances of Simon's bad attitude in "Lost in Space-Time" (WCA [v1] # 17-23 with epilogues in 24 & 25): other, more troubling incidents from that story included Wonder Man accidentally inflicting near-fatal injuries on Hawkeye while showing off his strength during a battle (in WCA [v2] # 19) and tackily lobbying to usurp the dying Hawkeye's leadership role thereafter (in WCA [v2] # 20). Also, as Simon says, he repeatedly belittled others and boasted of his own prowess during this period.

There are several colouring errors in this scene. Iron Man's armor should be red and silver instead of red and gold, since this scene comes from the period during which he was wearing his red & silver armor (WCA [v2] # 1-31). Wonder Man's hair should be black, since he began dying his hair black in WCA [v2] # 12 to conceal his prematurely gray hair and make himself look younger. He kept dying it black until his most recent return from the dead. The diamond formed on Simon's chest by his costume's "W" patterns should be yellow. Simon adopted this infamous "Christmas Tree" costume in WCA [v2] # 12 and discarded it in WCA [v2] # 25 due to negative public feedback (both from real-life readers and the fictional public of the Marvel Universe).

Panel two is a scene from WCA [v2] # 45, when Wanda reacted angrily to Simon's refusal to allow a a second duplication of his brain patterns required for the Vision's reprogramming after his dismantling. At the time, Simon said he'd always resented the unwanted duplication of his mind within the Vision--and as he revealed in a subsequent conversation with the Wasp (AVENGERS WEST COAST # 47), he was also reluctant to help restore Vision since he was secretly in love with Wanda and wanted her for himself. Simon did not relent and agree to assist in Vision's restoration until the traumatized Wanda suffered a mental breakdown months later in AWC # 53.

The costume Simon wears in this scene was adopted in WCA [v2] # 25 and worn for the rest of his western Avengers membership stint (he discarded it in favour of a new suit in WONDER MAN [v2] # 25). Again, Simon's hair should be black in this scene.

Panel three is a reference to events already discussed in AVENGERS [v3] # 14, how a mentally and physically unstable Simon became murderously violent after his exposure to the detonating Nega-Bomb during the "Galactic Storm" storyline (chronicled in CAPTAIN AMERICA [v1] # 398-400, AVENGERS WEST COAST # 80-82, QUASAR # 32-34, WONDER MAN [v2] # 7-9, AVENGERS [v1] # 345-347, IRON MAN [v1] 278-279 and THOR [v1] # 445-446).

Panel four is a flashback to the conclusion of FORCE WORKS # 1, when Simon seemingly died a second time--blown to atoms during a battle with the alien forces of the Kree and the Scatter; however, Simon's then-unrequited love for the Scarlet Witch served as a psychic anchor of sorts that kept him from fully surrendering to death even though he was a disembodied consciousness, and he hovered between life and death as bodiless energy for months. When Scarlet Witch cast a super-powerful spell meant to summon anyone connected with the Avengers to help her overthrow the alternate reality kingdom established by Morgan Le Fay, Wonder Man tapped into that mystical summons and reformed as an undead energy being in AVENGERS [v3] # 2. He was seemingly destroyed again in the subsequent battle with Morgan Le Fay (AVENGERS [v3] # 3), but began to periodically reappear in Wanda's vicinity through his emotional link to her (AVENGERS [v3] # 4-9). When Wanda finally returned Simon's feelings of love during their battle with Simon's mad brother the Grim Reaper, Simon was mystically restored to full physical life once more (AVENGERS [v3] # 10-11). Simon and Wanda have been lovers since then, but Simon remains tormented and uneasy--partly due to the fact that he's romancing the former wife of his erstwhile twin, and partly because he still doesn't feel like he's truly redeemed himself for all his past misdeeds.

Simon's assertion that Vision got to be "the boy I was before I went wrong" sounds oddly similar to something Simon's mother Martha said about Vision after she first met him--that he was giving her back the "gentle boy" she thought she'd "lost forever" (WCA [v2] # 2). Both statements seem to represent Vision as a less corrupted or at least less tormented version of Simon, a stronger and more innocent Simon.

PAGE TWENTY-ONE
Again, the affection, respect and concern that Simon has shown for Vison in the current AVENGERS series remains somewhat surprising and puzzling; but however it came about, this feeling seems to be both genuine and strong. Unfortunately, Vision's departure makes Simon regard their current relationship as simply the latest of his many failures.

PAGE TWENTY-TWO
Millennia ago, there was a gathering of eight great mystic entities: Balthakk, Cyttorak, Farallah, Ikonn, Krakkan, Raggadorr, Valtorr & Watoomb. The mystic entities argued about which of them was the most powerful, and concocted an elaborate scheme to settle the dispute, a bargain known as the Wager of the Octessence. Each entity created a totem infused with a fraction of the entity's power, and the first human who touched each totem would be transformed into an "exemplar"...a living embodiment of the entity who empowered the totem, imbued with tremendous superhuman powers. Each entity arranged for the construction of a temple on Earth to house its totem. After a human discovered one of the totems and was transformed into an Exemplar, a spell would compel other humans to seek out the seven remaining totems and use them to become Exemplars. Once all eight Exemplars were empowered, they would enslave the minds of humanity and divide Earth's population among themselves, forming eight armies that would battle each other until nothing on Earth survived except for whichever Exemplar emerged victorious. The first of these Examplars was Cain Marko, who discovered the temple of Cyttorak and became the Exemplar of Cyttorak, using his tremendous power to become a supre-criminal known as The Juggernaut. Juggernaut first appeared in X-MEN [v1] # 12. The other Exemplars emerged only recently, years after Juggernaut's debut, in the "Eighth Day" crossover storyline running through IRON MAN [v3] # 21-22, THOR [v2] # 17 and PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN # 11 as well as THE EIGHTH DAY itself. The Exemplars' attempts to fulfill their prophesied destiny were thwarted by Thor, Iron Man, Spider-Man and the one rogue Exemplar, Juggernaut. The other Exemplars include Bedlam, Carnivore, Conquest, Decay, Inferno, Stonecutter and Tempest. Carnivore, Conquest, Decay and Stonecutter appear here.