Monday, April 29, 2019

Space-Born Super Hero Part 29: Avengers #91

Welcome back to 'Space-Born Super Hero' as my tour through Captain Marvel's story continues in the epic 'Kree-Skrull War' with Avengers #91 (1971)! The story, "Take One Giant Step--Backward!" is by Roy Thomas & Sal Buscema and picks up where the last one left off: a brainwashed Goliath joining Sentry#459 in attacking the Avengers, while a mutated Yellowjacket menaces the Wasp and Captain Marvel is imprisoned by Ronan. Fortunately, Yellowjacket doesn't kill the Wasp as he finds her beautiful and instead carries her off into the jungle. Ronan sees this and makes an odd comment: "Natural enough, on a barbarian world such as this--where childbearing has not yet been superceded by more civilized practices." Is he implying that the Kree grow all their children in laboratories?

Rick tries to help the Avengers by throwing a rock at the Sentry's head; the Scarlet Witch casts a hex which turns that rock into a magnet which covers up the Sentry's face. Meanwhile, the Vision carefully inserts part of his body into Goliath and increases his density, causing intense agony which stuns Goliath unconscious. Quicksilver had been wondering why the Vision seemed to be holding back in the fight - he realizes it was because Vision didn't want to kill Goliath by accident (Vizh's partially-solidified trick becomes a regular power feat as time goes on). Vision tries to use the same trick on the Sentry, but the Sentry has had time to prepare for the attack and generates a feedback surge which stuns the Vision. The Scarlet Witch tries to help Vision, only to be snared by the Sentry, so Quicksilver finally runs away with Rick.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch are strung up in Ronan's base nearby Captain Marvel. As Wanda begins to express how glad she is that Vision wasn't hurt, they lean close together and almost kiss - but Vision pulls away from her, declaring that as a synthetic man he can't be in love; this is the introduction of the great Vision/Scarlet Wich romance, which would become legendary as the greatest romance subplot in the history of the Avengers (which is why so many later writers would do their best to obliterate it; them what can't create, gotta destroy). Ronan is amused by their affection for each other, which reminds him of Yellowjacket and the Wasp. Yellowjacket is fighting several other cavemen (formerly research scientists). Ronan is so engrossed at mocking his foes and boasting to Mar-Vell that he hasn't been paying attention to Quicksilver. Since earlier we saw Vision show off a neat power feat, it's Pietro's turn: using a sharp metal rod, he becomes a human drill and shatters his way inside Ronan's fortress!

While Quicksilver distracts Ronan and Sentry#459, Rick tries to free Mar-Vell. Mar-vell instructs him to take the Uni-Beam off his wrist and fire it at Ronan's control panel. The blast frees the heroes and begins tearing Ronan's fortress apart. Just as Ronan and the Sentry are preparing to make an escape, Ronan receives an urgent message from the Kree Galaxy (which he's supposed to be ruling now): it seems the Kree are at war-- with the Skrulls! Yep, the Kree-Skrull War has truly begun! Realizing he needs to be back in the Kree Galaxy, Ronan teleports home. The Sentry realizes it has no programming for self-preservation, so decides it should try to use its power to hold the fortress together; it can't, and is quickly destroyed. Goliath revives and joins the Avengers & Captain Marvel as they flee the base and pick up Yellowjacket, Wasp and the research scientists (all back to normal). As they watch the Kree citadel sink beneath the ice. Yellowjacket admits he wasn't much help to the team and announces he's resigning from the Avengers; the Wasp concurs, always loyal to Hank. The Avengers wonder if the Kree will ever come back... not realizing that the Kree-Skrull War isn't done with them yet.

Thoughts: This concludes the first segment of the 'Kree-Skrull War' arc. It doesn't do much with the Kree-Skrull War proper, simply mentioning that the war has begun near the end - but with Ronan established as the Kree leader, the Supreme Intelligence deposed, Vision & the Scarlet Witch falling in love and Captain Marvel & Rick Jones no longer bound together through the Negative Zone, a few of the important pieces have been moved into place for the epic as it continues to grow.

Next: The Skrulls strike back in Avengers #92!

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