Ultron Retrospective Part 6: Get Thee to a Nunnery!
by Robert Clough

These next two issues, in my mind, were the last great Ultron stories. 
It's unfortunately all downhill after here...

Avengers #170 (April, 1978)
"...Though Hell Should Bar the Way!"
Writer: James Shooter
Artist/Co-Plotter: George Perez
Inker: Pablo Marcos
Letterer: Denise Wohl
Colorist: James Shooter
Editor: Archie Goodwin

  The first part of the issue focus on a number of character conflicts,
especially the growing feud between Captain America and Iron Man.  Cap
had been questioning Iron Man's leadership, believing that his status as
an employee of Tony Stark distracted him from running the team.  Further,
after Cap confronted Shellhead, Wanda fired back that Cap hadn't been
doing much to help the team either lately; he interfered with her when
she was about to put Ultron away, for example.  So in the opening pages,
you see Cap pumping iron, trying to keep his skills sharp. Iron Man walks
in, wanting to talk to Cap, but Cap basically blows him off.  Iron Man
insists on staying, and talks while Cap works out.  Cap thinks that IM's
coming in to criticize him, but IM surprisingly apologizes to him for
letting him and the team down, and even offers to resign in favor of Cap
if he wants.  Cap backs down, and explains that he just didn't want
anyone to die in action because of a careless leader; Iron Man almost
tells Cap that he's really Tony Stark, but Cap cuts him off, saying "Keep
your secrets, Iron Man!  You lead, I'll follow, that's enough."
    A mysterious subplot continues as Hawkeye calls the Avengers to tell
them that his pal, the Two Gun Kid, has mysteriously vanished into thin
air!  Meanwhile, in Attilan, Quicksilver does the same!
   Back at the mansion, an unusual delivery is made.  It seems that
Yellowjacket wanted to personally examine the creation of his "son",
Ultron...his metallic bride!  YJ points out that although she was created
for evil purposes, she gave up her life to save Jan.  He tells the
delivery men to put her in a particular room.  Next thing they know, the
supposedly-dead robot suddenly comes to life, and she starts babbling
about "going to him".  Creepily, her voice sounds exactly like Jan's,
except "cold and metallic".  The Avengers try to stop her.  She stops the
Vision cold because she has "anit-matter pods" within her that prevent
him from using his materializing-within-someone trick, and in fact
debilitates him.  The Beast and Wonder Man give it a shot, but she zaps
the Beast with eye-beams.  Wanda uses her hex power to wrap a tree around
her, but she just breaks out.  The team is about to really turn up the
assault, when Iron Man fires his repulsors at the ground in front of
them, yelling at them to stop, and leave her alone.  Thor suddenly shows
up, and throws Mjolnir at the robot, but Cap manages to deflect it with
his shield.  The whole team is confused as to why they're letting her
walk away, and Iron Man finally explains that he's locked onto her
electrical patterns, and so they can track her anywhere.  And that means,
they can track down...Ultron!

  Comments:  A solid issue, but more of a set-up story than anything
else.  Contains some excellent characterization, however.  Plus, there's
lots of subplot stuff that eventually deals with the whole Korvac Saga
that I skipped over discussing in detail.  Best line of the issue, when
Wonder Man is questioning Iron Man as to why they let her go:  Wondy:
"What's with you, tin man?  Whose side are you on?"  Iron Man: "Don't
push me, Williams! Do you read?  If you'll shut up, I'll explain!"  This
issue was the culmination of the "bickering Avengers" subplot that
Shooter had been developing.

Avengers #171 (May, 1978)
"...Where Angels Fear To Tread"
Writer: Jim Shooter
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Pablo Marcos
Colorist: Phil Rachelson
Letterer: Denise Wohl
Editor: Jim Shooter

  The Avengers are following the Bride of Ultron through some busy New
York streets.  However, the team is mobbed by their fans, and she gives
them the slip.  The police point out a series of smashed-through walls,
but the trail ends mysteriously.  Wanda asks a bum if he had seen a robot
lady pass by, and he oddly mentions that she went off with a penguin. 
The Avengers are clueless as to what that could mean.  (Too bad _The
Blues Brothers_ hadn't yet been released!)
  In a clothes shop next door, it so happens that Carol Danvers is trying
on clothes, and has one of her 6th sense flashes.  She flies over to
offer the Avengers aid.  Yellowjacket and the Wasp come by with some
transportation, and off they go.  Iron Man tracks the Bride to...a
convent!  Everyone's a bit confused, especially the nun who answers the
door!  The Beast explains (in Latin, no less) that they're looking for a
dangerous criminal.  The signal that Iron Man had been trackin suddenly
stops, and the team wanders around for a bit, not knowing exactly what to
do.  Suddenly, the nun and Wanda both disappear!  The team realizes that
they've been set up.  They here noises behind a door, and behind it is
Ultron himself!
   Hank Pym storms in with the team, asking what Ultron's game is.  The
big U puts is succintly..."My desires are the same as ever!  I want your
death...I want your wife...and then...I want your world!"  He explains
that a residual imprint of Jan had been left in the robot, allowing him
to activate her.  So Jan was now superfluous, and he'd be killing her,
too.  Hank is upset by this, and Ultron strikes with his good old
"encephalo-beam", set to kill.  However, nothing happens!  Hank had
created an immunization treatment from that particular weapon.  So...the
Avengers attack, and Ultron starts kicking ass.  Wonder Man slips in and
starts hammering Ultron.
   Meanwhile, Wanda has been stuck in a bizarre room full of mirrors, and
falls through one of them, stuck in a whirlpool.  The room full of
illusions has her completely confused, and making her leery of using a hex.
  The Avengers fight on, but Ultron is just toying with the team, zapping
them after they seem to be gaining an advantage.  Ms. Marvel has left the
battle (since she's not immune to the E-beam), looking for Wanda.  She
finds the missing nun, who pulls out a laser and starts zapping.  Turns
out she's a robot, and Ms. Marvel decapitates her. 
  Ultron becomes bored and imprisons the Avengers in a slowly contracting
force field.  It's particularly nasty because Thor can't cut loose since
he might accidentally hurt his teammates in such close quarters.  Ultron
reactivates his Bride.  In a classic bit of dialogue, she says "I love
you, Ultron! I exist only to love you, to serve you, for so I was
created-- and thus I must destroy you!"  A bit too much of Jan Pym's
personality was in there; she recognized Ultron as evil and had to stop
him, no matter how much she loved him.  Worse yet, the Scarlet Witch
suddenly arrives, freed by Ms. Marvel.  She uses a hex to cause his
molecular rearranger in his body to malfunction, causing a fissure in his
body.  His energy starts to leak out, but Thor is there to absorb it and
send it out into space.  And that's that.  Ultron has been destroyed at
last.  Or so it seems....

  Comments: A great, great issue, with a fine buildup til the final
showdown with the Big U.  This issue is my vote for "Best Cover of All
Time", with Wanda in the mirror trap room, and faces of Ultron, Jocasta,
the Avengers and others in the reflections.  This is the first time that
Jocasta is named as such, by Ultron.  A couple of odd things: the convent
was a real convent; Ultron had tied up the nuns and put them in the
cellar.  Why didn't he just kill them?  (Comics code, maybe?)  When
Ultron is dying, he cries out "Mother, save me!", which I found amusing. 
This issue also brings together Wonder Man and Ms. Marvel; the
recently-reborn Wondy is shocked that Ms Marvel goes into battle so
lustily, and wacks people.  Also of interest, Thor is extremely
uncomfortable in a building of Christian faith.

--Rob Clough, the Retrospector

PS: The Avengers defeated the Masters of Evil in Cameron Indoor Stadium
today, 77-75! :-)