Avengers: 2017 “Where Are They Now?” Update (Hulk and Rick Jones)

It’s funny but for all the boasting of being “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”, the Avengers sure do start out kinda “remainder bin”. While the first two parts focus on the big guns and the mighty tiny, this last look at the founding class is indeed the most… misfit.

Art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers

HULK (Dr. Robert Bruce Banner)

Joined: Avengers #1 (Sept, 1963); Founder

Current Affiliation: Former Member (Deceased)

History:  Brilliant nuclear physicist sharing existence with a gamma-fueled, rage-monster alter ego. Purple pants aficionado. Excellent smasher. Historically the second-most recognizable of all Marvel icons behind Spider-Man, you’d be hard-pressed to find a soul alive who doesn’t have some inkling as to who the Incredible frikkin’ Hulk is!

For those who may need a reminder, though, he’s been rockin’ this catchy ditty since the ’60s. In the late 1970s, he even gains a sad “walking away” outro, playing him off screen until the next adventure.

However, despite all this greater pop culture love, the career of “Hulk The Avenger” is altogether something else…

In the early days, the Hulk serves more as a catalytic element for driving the plot forward than as an equal-footed partner in the fledgling organization- literally being the reason the Avengers form!

Using the Hulk as an unwitting pawn, Loki the Asgardian God of Mischief devises a scheme to lure his hated brother, Thor, into hopefully-mismatched combat.  An unforeseen side-effect of baiting the Thunder God also independently brings Iron Man and the Ant-Man/Wasp duo onto the scene. Before long, Thor senses his adopted sibling’s handiwork as the others track down “The Strongest There Is”. This is where things get… interesting.

Art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers

On the run for Loki’s criminal framing, the Hulk seeks refuge in the one place he knows to be the perfect sanctuary: a traveling circus (of course, so obvious!). Now, bear in mind that this is just one of those logic-defying-yet-delightfully-campy Silver Age moments that you just have to take with a proverbial grain of salt but somehow the Hulk enacts a ruse wherein he pretends to play (wait for it)… a robot clown. Yes, that’s right- once again:  A Robot. Clown. Both words together as a compound concept- as if it’s just some commonplace thing that you’d never think twice about. Nonchalantly pretending to read a newspaper on a park bench until it all blows over evidently isn’t an option…

So, yeah, the subterfuge doesn’t last and a classic “misunderstanding” fight breaks out. Eventually, Thor shows up with the real villain, the heroes all combine forces and the Avengers are born.

Depending on who’s writing over the years, there’s some latitude as to exactly how long and to what extent this “honeymoon phase” lasts. However, by the historic second publication (November, 1963), ol’ Jade Jaws is on the outs as a member of the official “charter and mansion” Avengers. The next few issues thereafter chronicle the relationship going from bad to worse.

From there, the Hulk is rarely in the franchise- save for the odd appearance throughout the decades. And it’s never the same interaction. Sometimes he’s an adversary, sometimes a reluctant ally, sometimes he’s only semi-reluctant and sometimes he genuinely surprises, making the Avengers kinda have to say, “why did we break up with this guy, again?”. It really all depends on his mood, disposition and general level of intelligence at any given moment.

Art by Mukesh Singh

Fast- forward to 2012. In an effort to better cross-platform promote, the Hulk gradually makes his way back into the fold. Starting with an extremely Marvel Cinematic Universe-friendly storyline running in the Avengers Assemble title and moving through the Avengers Vs. X-Men big summer event series, the Hulk is viewed more and more as a powerfully valuable asset by his once and future peers.

Indeed, when the Avengers restructure during the original “Marvel Now!” marketing initiative, Banner is given a core position on the new roster. Tony Stark, particularly, lobbies heavily for his “Science Bro”…

Banner continues to give back and get his by also enlisting in S.H.I.E.L.D., who assign him his own science-based task force (the Indestructible Hulk series). In exchange, the Hulk is called upon to handle missions far above and beyond regular agents (like policing the timestream in the wake of 2013’s Age of Ultron series).

Being something of a smarty-pants, Banner’s only back in the Avengers for a short while before uncovering that Tony’s also involved in an ongoing reunion of the secretive Illuminati. Instead of going public with the information, Stark brings Banner into the think tank on a full-time basis as the two concoct a “Hulk freak out” scenario that “conveniently” leads to the green giant’s removal from the Avengers.

Shortly thereafter, Banner is shot in the head(!) and only a direct cranial injection of Tony’s hi-tech Extremis formula is able to save him. Unexpectedly, this yields a new intelligent-yet-still-kinda-schemey Hulk personality: “Doc Green”. Before stabilizing, the bromance hits a snag when the apparently long-forgotten tidbit that brash, young weapons-manufacturer Tony Stark drunkenly forgets to carry a “2” or something when asked to consult on a certain infamous gamma bomb test comes to light (2014’s Original Sin).

After this, Doc’s agenda is rounding up his extended Hulk family and one by one removing their gamma powers. He also has to briefly wrestle with a separate, inverted personality: “Kluh- the Hulk’s Hulk” (2014’s Avengers and X-Men: Axis).

When the Multiverse’s final two Earths collide (2015’s Secret Wars), Banner stays behind to battle the invading forces of the Ultimate Universe and seemingly perishes.

Art by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer; Colors by Matt Hollingsworth

After reality reconstitutes itself after Secret Wars (the “All-New, All-Different” marketing initiative), Banner evidently goes back to being a fairly standard Hulk still in good standing with the hero community.

On hand for a crisis involving the meltdown of a nuclear reactor, Banner becomes the Hulk in order to safeguard a sizable nearby population. Absorbing way too much radioactivity, colleague/ wunderkind protege Amadeus Cho utilizes nanotechnology in an attempt to leach off the Hulk’s excess. This instead leads to Cho himself accidentally soaking up enough gamma energy to become the “Totally Awesome Hulk” while Banner appears human and completely cured.

Art by David Marquez

After this, Banner’s friends begin to get increasingly concerned. Apparently Doc’s got a bit of a severe morbid fixation despite having this new lease on life. The fact that he keeps mostly to himself and tries to stay off the grid doesn’t help.

At some point, Banner reaches out to fellow Avenger Hawkeye and entrusts the archer with a very special arrowhead and a serious request: if at any point he is showing signs of reverting to the Hulk, Barton is to become Banner’s executioner.

By coincidence, a young Inhuman named Ulysses soon has a prophetic vision of a rampaging Hulk single-handedly destroying the hero community (2016’s Civil War II). Tracking Banner down in the middle of nowhere Utah, a large coalition of heroes and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents decide to give a friendly check-in.

During the course of the whole awkward “hey, we all just happened to be in the neighborhood” conversation, it’s discovered that Banner’s been self-experimenting with gamma again. Just as things are getting their most heated, the aforementioned arrow flies from the treeline, hitting Banner square in the forehead with a quick follow-up bolt piercing his heart.

Surrendering immediately, Barton is soon put on trial. It becomes public knowledge that Banner masterminded his own demise, choosing Barton for his ability to live with making tough decisions. Banner has a respectable funeral and leaves many of his friends behind with some surprising warm fuzzies and profound personal notes.

Art by Pepe Larraz

However, it doesn’t end there. Shortly after the service, the Hand ninja clan (of Netflix’s Daredevil fame) are up to their old “resurrecting the dead” tricks! Temporarily enlisting the aid of the assassin Elektra, the Avengers Unity Squad contend in Japan against the mind-controlled, undead corpse of the Hulk. Once the walking nightmare is defeated, supernatural Avenger, Doctor Voodoo, is able to attest that Banner’s spirit has indeed “crossed over” and is finally at peace.

For the time being, it seems that’s all she wrote for the big guy but who really stays dead in comics, anyway? Given the Hulk’s track record of being spat back out by the void, there could still be a case for “To Be Continued”… (*Turns up collar on back road interstate as “Lonely Man Theme” cues up softly in the distance…*)

Art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers

RICK JONES

Joined: Avengers #1 (Sept, 1963)

Current Affiliation: Honorary Member (Inactive)

History: Musician, hacktivist and professional sidekick. A/V enthusiast. Let’s face it, for an everyman in a world of Marvels, Rick still gets up to a lotta cool stuff! In fact, Comic Book Resources recently published an article highlighting the Top 15.

As a fairly all-encompassing and recent read, I don’t want to retread the same ground. However there are some points to elaborate on…

Art by Jack Kirby and Paul Reinman

So, yes- as an eager-to-impress teenage orphan, Rick accepts a dare from some desert towny kids to drive out onto an active military testing ground. This, of course, leads to his boneheadedly bringing the “public service message” aspect to the origin issue of the Incredible Hulk.

Over the initial six-part run, it’s clear Smilin’ Stan and company really enjoy their new bizarro buddy duo. However, they don’t exactly know what to do with them as the formula switches on a near issue-to-issue basis. Forget the whole historic “grey-to-green” happy accident at the printers- at one point, Rick is granted the ability to mentally control the Hulk!

As the first series winds down, the Teen Brigade is introduced. Showcasing the “big tech craze” all the kids are into in the early ’60s, Rick organizes a bunch of friends into a neighborhood watch-type network using shortwave or “ham” radio. (For those on the younger side, think of it more as trucker-style CB broadcasting and try less to imagine, say, the pork equivalent of a potato battery…)

Due to Marvel’s “sliding timescale”, this bit of mid-century kitsch is given a facelift in recent years. In 2010’s five-part re-examination Avengers: The Origin, the Teen Brigade is brought up to speed as computer hackers. They even introduce some edge to the whole “extras from Happy Days” pallette by packing handguns!

All the same, a lot of them are never given any real identity and only ever appear again in the most minor of roles.

But not Richard Milhouse Jones- who is essentially accredited some kinda “Forrest Gump Award” as the guy who gets the Avengers together…

Art by Jesus Saiz

Just prior to the multiversal collapse of 2015’s Secret Wars, Rick abandons one of his brief forays into being an actual superhero when Banner’s Extremis-driven “Doc Green” Hulk removes the gamma energy Jones employs as the blue armadillo-like “A-Bomb”.

When reality resets as the “All-New, All-Different”, Rick realizes he retains the ability to um, … quickly develop new abilities. Not superhuman, mind you, but ridiculous life hacks all the same- some very much in the literal sense. This kinda brings him back to his “geek squad” roots and a new life as anonymous interwebz agitator “The Whisperer”.

In this role, Rick serves as advisory informant to the socially-attuned Captain America, Sam Wilson. However, this is much to the consternation of Old Man Steve Rogers and causes a rift between the former partners.

All this comes to a head when Rick blows the lid off ongoing-though-officially-denied top secret S.H.I.E.L.D. operations involving the Cosmic Cube and a prison where reality is manipulated to reshape inmates (the  Avengers: Standoff! event aka Captain America’s 75th Anniversary).

During this “Assault on Pleasant Hill”, Steve Rogers is reverted to his youthful physique but changed by the Cube with a *cough* secret agenda. In the aftermath, Cap (Rogers) tracks down Jones in a spider-hole and enlists his one-time partner to put his talents to use for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Given that the lid is about to get blown off Rogers’ Secret Empire plans, it stands to reason Rick is probably gonna be on the Helicarrier command deck when it all goes down! That said, he’s front and center for yet another epic without even trying. Who has this luck?!!?

UP NEXT: Tales of Retcon! Lo, There Shall Cometh… The Support Staff!

Avengers: 2017 “Where Are They Now?” Update (Ant-Man and the Wasp)

Welcome back! While the first installment opens our series with a pair of instant Avenger icons, this next couple is certainly a little more… involved. With their roles largely farmed out to legacy players in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (thus far), they are indeed the least visible *ahem* of the original comic book crew. However, that hasn’t stopped either from being extremely integral to the source material. Let’s take a look!

Art by Al Milgrom and Joe Sinnott

ANT-MAN/ GIANT-MAN/ GOLIATH/ YELLOWJACKET/ WASP (Dr. Henry Pym)

Joined: Avengers #1 (Sept, 1963); Founder

Current Affiliation: Former Member

History:  Size-changing biochemistry and cybernetics genius. Just going off the number of slashes above, it’s probably a sure bet that no one in the history of Avengering has more code-names than ol’ Hank! As it is, a combination of power and mental instabilities causes him to switch up the first four before the title’s even made it outta the ’60s.

During the 1970s, he pairs it down to ping-ponging between only two and falls into his comfort zone of just being a part-time super-hero. He also joins the “hey no worries, we’re sorta like a book club” Defenders.

Feeling like he’s gotta measure up to his wife and the old gang (size joke, again…), Hank re-joins the Avengers in an early ’80s open membership drive. Saying it doesn’t take puts it mildly…

In the new roster’s first field mission, Pym overzealously shoots their surrendering adversary in the back. This results in an official court martial but just hours before the hearing, Hank really loses it and physically strikes his teammate wife! He also builds (another) crazy killer robot to “conveniently” interrupt the proceedings, so that he alone may defeat it and demonstrate his heroic worth. Things don’t exactly go to plan and ultimately cost Pym his membership and marriage. He also shortly thereafter spends a little time in jail.

Retiring completely, Hank resurfaces sometime later as some kinda “Higgins” figure to the Avengers’ collective “Magnum, P.I.” when they open a west coast franchise branch. Eventually he works his way back onto the active list as the Venture Bros.-style speedsuit-wearing “Doctor Pym, Scientific Adventurer”.

Hank stays with the West Coast Avengers until they fold in the mid-90s, even serving turns as a respectable default leader. Returning to the main New York-based team, he makes a breakthrough in his Pym Particle formula and resumes his Giant-Man identity.

The Doc remains firmly in the mix for the next few years of stories, rotating through his costumed “greatest hits” parade until the “classic” Avengers disband amidst turmoil and tragedy.

While back in academia, Pym is kidnapped by alien shape-shifting Skrulls as part of their massive “Secret Invasion” plot. The joke’s somewhat on the invaders as Hank’s history of mental problems prove difficult for their agents to pattern, sending at least one completely off the rails.

Art by Khoi Pham

Sadly, the climax of this event appears to claim the life of Pym’s ex. Once the abductees return, Hank sets out to pay tribute in what’s clearly the best way fit: by further altering his powerset, growing wings and adopting his dead ex-wife’s moniker as the new Wasp. (Yeah, no looking too closely at any issues here…)

When the Avengers open a school similar to the X-Men’s schtick of “gifted youngster learnifying”, Hank is selected headmaster. Soon after, he resumes his more-identifiable Giant-Man role and proves in short order that he’s just as, um… let’s just say “capable” as Professor X, Magneto or Emma Frost (seriously not a compliment) with many of his young charges abducted for a “Hunger Games”-style teenage death match and a faction of survivors consequently breaking bad. (The exact scenario they built the school to avoid. Irony…)

Compounding this, when multiversal-level time travel shenanigans involving Pym, Wolverine and Pym’s first and historically most recognized deadly killer robot result in a subtle re-ordering of reality (2013’s Age of Ultron event series), Hank is overwhelmed by personal repercussions. Elevated to some sorta elder statesman of all things “The Cyber”, Pym heads a joint Avengers/ S.H.I.E.L.D. task-force to take down a new time-travelling evil artificial intelligence. (Anything to take his mind off those kids misplaced like a set of frikkin’ car keys, I guess…)

Just prior to the total multiversal collapse predicating 2015’s Secret Wars enormo-tacular, the secretive think tank consisting of Tony Stark, the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards, the Black Panther and others (colloquially “The Illuminati”) reach out. Given that Pym’s known for years that his size-changing powers derive from drawing or shunting mass from another dimension, he is a well-regarded expert on the extraplanar. That said, the group conscripts Hank as some kind of human long-range reconnaissance probe into the abstract to explore the very forces behind the assailing utter oblivion. For this mission, he curiously chooses “Yellowjacket”- the most controversial of personas…

After seeing some things and stuff, man, Hank makes it back just days before the final world collision. Unhinged even further from his journey, Pym doesn’t even bother trying to get into a support group with Astronaut Dave from Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey much less contend for a spot on Reed Richards’ “Scientists and My Family First” interdimensional life-raft.

Art by Ryan Stegman, Colors by Richard Isanove

Not long after reality resets into the post-Secret Wars “All-New, All-Different” status quo, Pym (back in Giant-Man mode) and other Avengers take on some long-standing hostile A.I.’s. However, there’s a marked difference in Hank’s approach as he coldly eradicates the antagonists- seemingly backpedaling on his artificial intelligence rights stance. Things really escalate when everyone’s favorite creepy robot uncle/ metaphoric prodigal son makes a timely return (2015’s Rage of Ultron Original Graphic Novel)…

A mishap during the usual “machine vs. creator” showdown causes Ultron to amalgamate Pym into itself, reintegrating the two as a new shared techno-organic form. Put it this way: remember the end of the circa 1980 Disney B-sci fi The Black Hole when the evil scientist merges with his psycho automaton? (No? Just me, then?) Well, think of it more like that than say, the song “Sy-Borg” from Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage. (Still, just a little bit of “ewww” and “yikes!”…)

Horrified, the Avengers battle Ult-Pym all the same until newfound self-awareness catches the cyborg off-guard and it launches back out into the deep space from whence it just came. Indeed, a hollow, fleeting victory…

For all intents and purposes, the Avengers declare Hank dead at this point- creating monuments in his honor and such. Of course, this doesn’t stop Ultron from returning once more. Claiming Pym has civilized the “kill all humans” outta their new collective OS, the cyborg comes back to the heroes as a proverbial wolf in android sheep’s clothing. Needless to say, they don’t bite and fighting ensues (again) until resulting in Ultron being transported to the heart of the Sun.

And there- finally– you’d think that’d be that, huh? Well, not quite. Upcoming solicits for the Summer 2017 Secret Empire event depict that Hanktron is already set to make the rounds again!

However, expect this next go-around to have an additional personal component as it’s only been recently revealed that Hank has (wait for it)… a hitherto unknown teenage daughter from his first marriage: Nadia aka burgeoning size-changing genius, The Unstoppable Wasp! (Comics, people, comics…)

Art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers

WASP/ GIANT-WOMAN (Janet van Dyne)

Joined: Avengers #1 (Sept, 1963); Founder

Current Affiliation: Active

History: Wealthy insect-themed, size-changing fashion designer and strategist. If Tony’s the traditional backer and Cap the starting QB, then Jan is easily the team’s biggest cheerleader as well as their ace in the hole.

Despite being the one to actually name the group, Jan spends a great deal of her early history as the team’s original second-class citizen. However, by the early 1980s, she weaponizes that constant sense of being under-estimated and arguably becomes the Avengers’ second-most effectively capable field leader (sorry, Hawkeye).

Indeed, until that point, Janet is used more as a plot device to keep Hank Pym agonizing over his revolving door-like membership in and out of the group. It’s not until divorcing him that Jan comes to personify the very ’80s zeitgeist of the quasi-corporate “power leader”.

By that decade’s end, she earns some well-deserved vacation time and fades into the background. Next, Jan resurfaces with the West Coasters- first as “big sis just checkin’ in” but recurring appearances see her surprisingly falling back into romantic patterns with Pym.

Art by MIke Deodato, Jr.

By the mid-’90s, Marvel really gets into re-inventing a “totally extreme” wheel with all the classic 1960s Silver Age properties (to speak in the parlance of the time). In this, perhaps nobody receives a more radical makeover than Janet! When fatally wounded, Jan winds up back on Hank’s operating table. Desperate to save her life, he opts to double-down on Jan’s original power formula. Pym instead turns his ex-wife into an actual human-sized, literal mutated wasp-lady! (Also, serious missed opportunity for a new Hank Pym identity: “Doctor Ooops!”…)

For some reason, this doesn’t really last all that long (can’t imagine why…). Thankfully, after a couple of near back-to-back reality resets, Jan returns to her “classic” look. By the early 2000s, she’s steadily co-leading the Avengers again.

By the end of this era, she begins diversifying more into Pym’s territory: operating under interchangeable code-names and becoming the self-evident “Giant-Woman” as needed.

After one of the alien Skrulls impersonating Pym ends any chance of the exes permanently rekindling their relationship, Jan stays away from supering for a while. Eventually, she aligns with Stark’s pro-registration forces in the first superhero civil war and rejoins the “Mighty” Avengers as they rebrand under the umbrella of the government-sponsored Fifty-State Initiative.

During this time, Jan takes things a little more passive. In boasting a starting seven-person line-up featuring four current and former field leaders, maybe it’s not wanting to add to a “too many chiefs” scenario but regardless, the most Jan contributes is staging a fashion intervention and delivering kinda ditzy one-liners.

When the shape-shifting Skrulls finally make their invasion plans not such a secret and (surprise!) meet a great deal of resistance from Earth’s superhuman population, the final Yellowjacket impersonator kicks in a failsafe just as the aliens lose their cause. Months before, still utilizing the guise of Hank Pym, the Skrulls offer Jan a seemingly harmless power “upgrade”. In reality, she’s become some sorta literal living weapon-of-last-resort…

Art by Leinil Yu and Mark Morales

Fearing the worst as waves of unknown energy pore out of her, Janet acquiesces that her own sacrifice may be needed. Creating an interdimensional vortex with his magic hammer, Thor heavy-heartedly responds- saving the day while seemingly dissipating Jan into the nether.

So, for a while everyone think Jan’s dead and she doesn’t appear in any new comics for like four years. But is it ever that simple? Nope. Turns out what really happened is that she got theoretical-particle-microscopically small, visiting a dimension called “The Microverse”. Eventually, she gets word to the Avengers and a rescue is staged.

When Captain America establishes the Avengers Unity Squad as the premiere symbol of human-mutant relations (the ongoing Uncanny Avengers), Jan soon joins the organization. Originally intending to work with the group in a support capacity as public relations and branding “mutant chic” as commercial fashion, it’s not long before Jan becomes romantically interested in the field leader, Havok- best known for being X-Man Cyclops’ little brother.

As expected, the Jan-Alex courtship isn’t your typical “whirlwind, storybook romance”. All the same, their relationship covers a near-literal lifetime of shared experience in a very rapid and compressed manner.

Trailing the Apocalypse Twins to their space ark (yeah, ‘cuz that’s how you sentence…), the mutant portion of the Unity Squad (along with a stowaway Wasp) are transported away from Earth before the giant Kirby space robot gods, The Celestials, show up to trash it. Apparently spending five years on a dystopic mutants-only “Planet X”, Jan and Alex have a daughter, Katherine (“Katie”), who is named after Alex’s mother. Along with resistance sympathizers such as Hank “The Beast” McCoy, the family manages to elude the Apocalypse Twins’ totalitarian regime.

In the course of hitting the “undo button” on this reality, the Avengers don’t do the standard time-travel thing. Instead, the survivors have their consciousnesses sent back to their old bodies- five years of life experiences intact– to inform the others to make different choices. Unlikely ally, the usually untrustworthy and self-serving Time Master Immortus, swears he can make it so Jan and Alex can still be a family with Katie- but first the Avengers need to take down the real architect behind the Apocalypse Twins: their old time-travelling arch-nemesis, Kang The Conqueror…

During this skirmish, Alex is severely wounded- with the left side of his body critically burned and disfigured, forcing him into a protracted medically-regenerative stasis as Jan also takes some understandable down-time.

Already having a hard time adjusting, it doesn’t take much to send Alex over the edge. Shortly thereafter, the Scarlet Witch and Dr. Doom unite forces, casting an “inversion spell” in an attempt to liberate the mind of Professor X from the body of the Red Skull (2014’s Avengers and X-Men: Axis event). A great deal of heroes and villains are also caught in the “down is the new up” wake and consequently Havok officially secedes the mutant faction of the Avengers as the X-Men take on a more villainous air.

By the end of the event, most everyone goes back to their old ways. However, Alex is one exception- apparently kidnapping Janet in a misguided attempt to bring their family back together or something. It’s never really followed up on and before long, the whole Marvel multiverse ends with 2015’s Secret Wars…

Art by Pepe Larraz

After reality resets in its current incarnation as the “All-New, All-Different”, Jan is among the Avengers when Hank Pym effectively ceases to exist. To no one’s surprise, she is left in charge of all of his patents and holdings and begins transitioning into being more of a “behind the scenes” businesswoman.

When “Hanktron” briefly returns to Earth, she effectively rejoins the Unity Squad. However, Pym’s “whack-a-mole” pop-up legacy just doesn’t stop there- shortly thereafter, Jan gets a very unexpected front door visitor: a mysteriously-never-mentioned teenage step-daughter?!?

Turns out young Nadia has Dad’s proclivity for super-science and is already trading on the name the Unstoppable Wasp when the Avengers’ butler introduces them. Like most things, Jan takes all this in stride and simply folds her costumed namesake into her adventuring.

During the second superhero civil war, the X-faction of the Unity Squad run some pro-mutant “extracurricular activities”, making temporary alliances with unsavory bedfellows. Secretly-a-HYDRA-agent Captain America catches wind of the unsanctioned ops and officially disavows the entire Unity Squad.

However, the team stays together- placed in a position of clearing their names while continuing to fight the good fight. Although the most seasoned active Avenger, Jan remains content to let others lead. Evidently, this doesn’t stop Steve Rogers from recognizing, as upcoming solicits note Jan as one of his specific Secret Empire targets…

(What’s that axiom about power and responsibility again??)

UP NEXT: Don’t Make Him Angry (you know the rest…)- The Incredible Hulk! Plus Teenage Singing Sensation, Rick Jones!

Avengers: 2017 “Where Are They Now?” Update (Thor and Iron Man)

The mission statement used to read “united against a common threat” but these days, that notion is sorely tested. Existing for over half a century of publication, the Avengers’ ranks indeed roll deep but rarely have they been as fractious. With a seemingly endless array of Wars and Empires (both Secret and Civil) coming at Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, who will answer the call? Let’s take a look back through ye ol’ ever-changing order and see where everyone’s at. Assemble!

Art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers

THOR ODINSON

Joined: Avengers #1 (Sept, 1963); Founder

Current Affiliation: Inactive

History: God of Thunder (and Rock n’ Roll!). The broad strokes of the Asgardian Prince’s exploits are well known these days, thanks in large part to Marvel’s wildly successful cinematic universe. Although, in the past handful of comic book years, things have been a bit upside down for ol’ Goldilocks.

After losing the ability to wield his magic hammer, Mjolnir, in an intervention/ stand-off surrounding old, crusty, white Nick Fury on the Moon (2014’s Original Sin event series), Thor abdicates his name to the mystery woman who assumes his classic mantle when the enchantment shifts. He also has his left arm severed in a battle against Dark Elf witch-king, Malekith The Accursed, and is fitted with a prosthetic made of the same otherworldly metal as his famous former weapon. He responds only to “(the) Odinson” (although is often referred to as “The Unworthy Thor”) and employs the also-ensorcelled battle axe Jarnbjorn as his primary instrument.

Just prior to the total multiversal collapse leading into 2015’s Secret Wars extravaganza, the Hero-Formerly-Known-As-Thor leads a small cadre of super-cosmic Avenger heavy hitters on an assumed suicide mission to meet head-on whatever’s causing the end of everything. Ironically, in the final showdown, the Odinson proves he’s reclaimed his “worthiness” by failing to lift the hammer of an evil, alternate universe Unworthy Thor he’d previously confiscated.

Shortly thereafter, Secret Wars supreme architect Doctor Doom comes across the aftermath and the familiar-yet-discarded artifact. No doubt inspired by the Thunderer’s valiant sacrifice, the arch-villain utilizes newly-acquired omnipotence and recreates an entire network of Thor-themed guardians to police the patchwork salvaged remains of all that came before.

Heroes eventually triumph and all more or less returns to how it was before (with few having complete recollection of the literal world-colliding annihilation of everything). The Odinson keeps it kinda low-key (mischievous foster sibling-related puns unintended). Feeling residually remorseful, The Unseen, an ever-vigilant quasi-reincarnation of Old Fury, alerts the Odinson to a second chance: the Mjolnir of Ultimate Universe Thor made it through the Secret Wars reshuffling and resides on the abandoned space island of Old Asgard.

Art by Olivier Coipel

Aided by his stalwart brother-in-arms, the alien Beta Ray Bill, the Odinson embarks on a quest of  possibility and valediction. Finding the floating continent of Old Asgard not to be in its last known location, the “Hammer Bros” trace the unlikely theft back to the OG acquirer of things unique-  the Elder of the Universe known as The Collector!

Needles to say, the boys get themselves imprisoned and that’s pretty much how “T.O.” spends the bulk of the time behind the scenes in Marvel’s “All-New, All-Different” landscape. To complicate matters, Thanos the Mad Titan catches wind of this much-coveted object and accordingly dispatches lieutenants.

Whatever the outcome of this adventure (chronicling in the Unworthy Thor five-parter), it stands to reason that the Odinson’s profile will remain on the rise throughout 2017- especially given the impending release of the Thor: Ragnarok movie later in the year. That said, it’s probably only a matter of time before Asgard’s favorite son realigns with his long-time allies on “Midgard” (Earth). The question remains, in what state will he find them?

(Still, gotta wonder if there’s a comic book version of roommate Darryl and if he’s been covering all of the rent while somebody’s been off in space jail…)

Art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers

IRON MAN (Tony Stark)

Joined: Avengers #1 (Sept, 1963); Founder

Current Affiliation: Inactive

History: Millionaire. Playboy. Philanthropist. Turned to steel in a great magnetic field. (Maybe not so much that last one and yet…)

Know what’s awesome about living in a world of successful Marvel movies? I don’t have to spend time explaining Tony frikkin’ Stark!

Cutting right to it, Tony somehow gets yet another positive reset following his d-bag culpability as a player in the Secret Wars multiversal collapse (*cough* synergy *cough*). However, there’s some degree of karmic comeuppance in the “All-New, All-Different” status quo as Stark’s not quite as wealthy as he once was. Aside from scaling back his offices and liquidating assets such as Avengers Tower, Tony’s obsessions turn more toward the pursuit of uncovering who his actual biological parents are.

Shockingly, he is assisted in this search by a physically healed and seemingly-looking-to-reform Victor von Doom. Despite this reluctant globe-hopping bromance, Tony also manages to star-crossedly fall in love with a brilliant biophysicist and back-handedly blow up making Mary Jane Watson (of Spider-Man fame) his new assistant. Topping it all off, he tells next to no one before faking his own death just to avoid hi-tech ninjas. Classic Tony.

Art by Marko Djurdjevic

When a new member of the alien-derived Inhuman offshoot appears, the young man’s eerily precise predictive visions divide the hero community (once again) along philosophical and ethical grounds.

Historically fancying himself something of a futurist, Tony advocates erring on the side of caution- reasoning that there’s still a helluva lot unknown about Ulysses’ powers before everyone runs around all half-cocked, Minority Report-style. More to the point, it’s not that Stark distrusts those immediately arguing in favor, it’s that he fears the slippery slope of bureaucracy once the good judgment of peers he respects is removed from the oversight chain of command.

It doesn’t take long for things to get personal when a number of precognitive flashes result in superhuman tragedies- including the death of Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, Stark’s best friend and significant other to vocally pro-Ulysses hero, Captain  Marvel (Carol Danvers).

Art by Rod Reis

Tony draws a final line in the sand when Carol pro-actively attempts to detain one of his youthful Avenger teammates for a crime not yet committed. Battling one-on-one,  the super-strong, energy-absorbing Captain Marvel beats an extra-armored Iron Man into some kind of near-death “robo coma”. Esteemed superhuman biochemist, Dr. Henry “The Beast” McCoy, posits that the only thing saving the Armored Avenger is actually Stark’s own constant self-tinkering in post-human techno-physiology. This also gets Tony far closer to a literal interpretation of his Black Sabbath namesake song than he’s ever been…

However, the saga of “Mr. Stank” isn’t so easily put on pause.  These days, the remains of his business interests are run by holographic in-house artificial intelligence, Friday, and the “so glad to finally agree to take the job just in time for the office building to be turned into rubble” Ms. Watson.  Tony’s biological mother, a London-based music producer named Amanda Armstrong  also cycles into this mix- no doubt setting off mad deja vu for MJ, having some sorta ersatz “Aunt May” figure hanging around.

Stark’s super-hero legacy also takes a couple of unlikely shapes. Continuing his suspect “rehabilitation”, Doom overhauls his armored look to invoke homage to the fallen Stark. Vic’s heavy-handed form of “do-goodery” is currently on display in the Infamous Iron Man series, wherein he’s already hit the radar of Fantastic Four alum/ Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Benjamin J. Grimm- The Ever-Lovin’, Blue-Eyed Thing.

Art by Jeff Dekal

Countering this, Tony also has the foresight to designate an inspirationally heroic successor. During the time of the whole “fake death ninja dodge” fiasco, a bright teenage girl named Riri Williams begins developing an “Iron Man Mark 1”-esque prototype armor in her MIT dorm room. It doesn’t stay a secret project for long, her amateur exploits soon grabbing headlines and the attention of Mr. Perpetual Mortality Fraud (once he cycles back to the world).

Expelled from school in the course of making her debut, Riri nonetheless makes quite the lasting impression on Tony. Returning home to her mother to rethink her life, Riri soon receives a very unexpected present: an artificial intelligence upgrade for her armor. What makes it particularly special is that is essentially a computer upload of Stark himself!

Soooo… yeah, for the duration, Tony now serves in the role of the snarky robot advisor to Riri’s Ironheart hero persona (as currently seen in the latest volume of Invincible Iron Man). But really, Stark should just start giving heavy consideration to changing his name to “Irony, man”…

UP NEXT: Marvel’s Original Diminutively Dysfunctional Duo- Ant-Man and The Wasp!