AVENGERS #16: Head Count

Published: May, 1965

At the end of the last issue, Stan promised we would be treated to some surprises, and boy oh boy, did he come through! There’s almost a surreal quality to this issue, where reality is about to be turned on its head.

I’ve had many moments like this in my life, when things are pleasantly moving along at an even keel, then suddenly, almost out of nowhere, everything changes—sometimes for good, sometimes not-so-good.

I don’t know why I didn’t anticipate something like this in Marvel Comics. Did I really expect nothing but the expected to continue on for so long? Why would I have thought that, when the whole concept of comics is action, action, action? All that action will eventually lead to change. And change is good, most of the time, but in the spirit of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” I simply didn’t expect this much change so suddenly. (After all, this is only issue 16!)

Indeed, there’s so much changing and moving around in this story, so let’s take a look. But first, before we tackle the concept of new Avengers, a head count is in order, to review where everyone has landed.

DEAD, NOT DEAD, OR FOREIGN TRAVEL?

First, it appears that Zemo is dead. At least that’s what the authors want us to believe. Though we don’t actually see his body, we do see Cap standing over a gravesite that we have every reason to believe is Zemo’s. Later, when Rick Jones and Cap are talking together with no one else around, Rick says “Now that Zemo is dead…” So why would we think anything else?

Could it be that Marvel got rid of this villain? I’m suspicious. Even though I’ve only been reading comics a short time, I know the old saying: If you don’t see the body, they’re not dead. And even if you do see the body, there’s still a good chance they’re not actually dead.

And something else makes me suspicious about Zemo’s fate. I’ve only seen him in a handful of stories so far in the 60’s, yet he appears as a major villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It stretches the imagination to think that fifty years later, the MCU writers went back to the early 60’s and picked out Zemo for Captain America: Winter Soldier, based on these few meager appearances.

I’ll be looking for another appearance by the “dead” Zemo.

Now here’s another instance where my modern day experiences with the MCU are coloring my opinions about what I’m reading from 1965. This very month in X-Men, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver finally break free from Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil, and go back to Europe. Of course there’s no reason to believe a trip to Europe prevents these two from practicing their special skills. They say they’ll stop, but if you had skills like that, would you stop? I’m sure even back in 1965, every reader expected to see this brother/sister duo again. The only surprise here is that it happens so soon.

Now. What about Black Widow? In this issue, Hawkeye tells a story about how she was attacked by Commies and taken away in an ambulance. Hmmm…that doesn’t sound good. Then, to honor Black Widow, Hawkeye promises to “make up for what we’ve done.” That also sounds like something a survivor would promise on their beloved’s deathbed. But rather than risk hearing that Natasha has died, Hawkeye prefers to remain ignorant and maintain hope that she is still alive. Definitely no body, so surely she is still alive. Let’s put it this way: the jury is still out—but not in deliberation; they’ve just gone down the street for a cup of coffee and a sandwich.

Here’s an interesting point, though. The scene Hawkeye recounts for the Avengers as he makes his pitch for joining them, though similar, is NOT the same as the last time we saw him and Natasha together. This is completely new, and we have no idea how much time has passed, or how much might have happened before Black Widow is lying on the ground, awaiting an ambulance.

So what about Hawkeye? Where’s his head at the moment? When we last saw him, he was full of hate for Iron Man. There were mitigating circumstances, to be sure, but when push comes to shove, he and Black Widow were trying to kill Iron Man. And now Hawkeye wants to work with him? Why isn’t anyone suspicious? I mean, at least Iron Man should be questioning Hawkeye’s motives.

As the new Avengers are about to be installed, Hawkeye wonders how it is that Cap possesses no noticeable superpower, yet he is the leader. “Oh well…” Hawkeye muses, which might sound nonchalant, but I read something in those two simple syllables that sounds like trouble in the future. Will Hawkeye challenge Cap for leadership? Is this going somewhere? And isn’t this rich, coming from the new kid, who by the way, truly does not have any superpowers of his own? Sure, Hawkeye has killer skills with the bow and arrow, but no actual “superpowers.”

I suspect he’s going to have a lot to learn about being an Avenger.

BUT SUDDENLY…
So now that we know where everyone is, we can get back to our story.

Wasp sets the stage for the new Avengers by coming up with the idea that they all need to take a vacation. The frustration in her word balloon is evident. But check out Giant-Man’s response: “How tough it must be for you!” He puts it all on her, and won’t admit to feeling the same way. Iron Man, however, is more understanding. Not only does he agree with Wasp, but he takes it one step further, turning “vacation” into “disband.”

So, practically out of nowhere, the Avengers begin talking about going on a vacation or disbanding or whatever, and that is the precise moment the narrator chooses to say “But suddenly…” and smoke and arrows herald the arrival of Hawkeye, proclaiming he now wants to join the Avengers. This goes beyond coincidence. It lands more squarely in the realm of serendipity, or even divine intervention.

HELP WANTED
Now that Wasp, Hawkeye and divine intervention have opened the door to the idea of a new class of Avengers, the quorum wastes no time creating a short list of contenders. Time for another head count! Who’s in the running?

I love love love that they ask Sub-Mariner to join. And I’m also not at all surprised that he turns them down. While Tony recognizes Namor as a noble antagonist, possessing the caliber of an Avenger, he also respects Namor’s decision, which is made “like the prince that he is.” Too bad…sort of. I would have liked to see Namor as an Avenger. Maybe I will someday? I don’t know. But I do know that at this point, he is not ready. There’s way too much domestic strife going on in his kingdom under the sea. Heroism begins at home. Maybe later, Namor?

Iron Man tells the new Avengers their first order of business should be to track down Hulk and get him to join. I’m flabbergasted! What in the world makes Iron Man think Hulk will want to join the Avengers? He was with them before, but only for a brief time, and that did not end well. Since then, he’s spent all his time running away the military that’s been relentlessly pursuing him. Nothing has happened since Avengers #3 that would make us think he is suddenly interested in playing well with others. The big guy really just wants to be left alone. Don’t poke the bear!

When Cap compliments Rick Jones for his loyalty to Hulk, for a moment I’m thinking, oh no! Please! We’re not really going to have to deal with Rick Jones as an Avenger, are we? The only superhero moniker I can imagine for him is Dead-Weight. Thank goodness, that didn’t pan out! As Rick himself laments, “And what am I? A fever blister?” Well, Rick, since you asked…

REDEMPTION OF THE NOBLE VILLAIN
I’m also struck that some of the Avenger candidates don’t necessarily have a clean slate of heroism. (Well, actually, none of them do, except for Rick, the do-gooder Teen Brigadier, who is actually not in the running.) Namor has certainly given the surface-dwellers a great deal of grief, and as mentioned earlier, Hawkeye is perhaps not yet to be trusted. But I’m getting this vibe: as so often happens in a Biblical or otherwise epic story, people with a checkered past can ultimately be redeemed and do some good. Sometimes the reformed no-good-nik is exactly the best kind of person for a job like this. They have a lot to prove, both to others, and to themselves. And having been on both sides of the fence, they may have a deeper understanding of the complexities of both good and evil.

WHY THIS HAS TO HAPPEN
It may be disappointing to readers who have gotten used to this particular crew, but when you look at the situation from an overall storytelling dilemma, this is really all for the best.

All our original Avengers appears in their own title, and ALSO moonlight as Avengers. That’s a lot to ask of this group, when there are so many other great characters out there only doing the occasional guest spot. It’s time to give Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver a chance to shine, to flex their character development muscles, and now they have that opportunity.

THE LONG GOODBYE
Towards the end of this issue, I began to feel that awkward soap opera moment from years ago when I watched a true soap opera, All My Children, not to mention all the times we saw this in Dark Shadows. Everything is moving along with a certain storyline, then suddenly all that stuff resolves, and we’re unceremoniously thrown into a completely new storyline. It takes a moment to get your sea legs again. That’s how all this feels to me.

Is this really happening??

Iron Man, Giant-Man and Wasp give a Long Goodbye, but is it really “Goodbye,” “S’long”, or perhaps a simple “See ya later”? Are they indeed disbanding, taking a leave of absence, or just going on vacation?

And one more thing: What about Thor? He’s off having his Trial of the Gods with Loki and has no idea what’s going on. How is he going to feel when he gets back and sees a whole bunch of new faces sitting around the table in Avengers Mansion? And they’re all villains! Will he resent being left out of this momentous decision? I would love love love for him to be a little peeved and utter those immortal words of Rick Jones: “And what am I? A fever blister?”