Avengers, The (1963 series) #383

In the Himalaya Mountains, at the former site of the Great Refuge of Attilan, the Alpha-Primitives that now inhabit the land are surprised when the Kree warrior known as Shatterstar appears suddenly, glowing and emitting energy. He has returned after a long absence and is confused by the absence of Attilan. So, to carry out his mission of delivering the Inhumans to the homeworld to serve as foot soldiers for the Kree, he flies off to hunt them down….

At Avengers Mansion, Quicksilver approaches his estranged wife Crystal to suggest they can reconcile, though she fears she has changed too much from when they married. And suddenly Shatterstar arrives, recognized by Crystal, though he prefers the name Arides. The two Avengers put up a fight but Arides employs his Photo-Mesonic Energy to knock them both out. Then his detection device indicates another Inhuman nearby so he scoops up Crystal and heads to the next location. Pietro vows to get his wife back or avenge her….

At the Fantastic Force HQ, Psi-Lord (Franklin Richards) and Devlor (Inhuman who can turn into a big hairy monster) are cleaning up the place when Arides arrives and easily takes down the two FForce members, takes Devlor along with Crystal and departs…

…so he is gone by the time the Avengers arrive, Hank Pym having traced Arides by his energy readings. Thunderstrike threatens Psi-Lord who removes his helmet, revealing he’s Franklin Richards. The misunderstanding is cleared up, leaving Thunderstrike feeling like an idiot. The Avengers continue on Shatterstar’s trail….

At an abandoned Kree military outpost near Cape Canaveral, Florida, Arides devises an omni-wave projector out of scavenged parts and tries to contact the Kree homeworld but they don’t answer, confounding the warrior. Crystal tries to explain how the war between their peoples is long over but he will not listen, assuming she is trying to deceive him. Arides uses torture to force his captives to reveal the whereabouts of all the other Inhumans. And then the Avengers (plus Franklin) arrive. Vision tries to reach into Arides’ body but is injured himself, as the Kree has no matter: he is composed entirely of energy. The villain increases his energy, holding the others at bay until Deathcry shoots Arides in the back with a Shi’ar weapon, informing him that the war is over and the Kree lost. Arides insists that as long as he lives he is “sworn to the service of the Empire.” Vision responds that his servitude is at an end as he is no longer alive. The real Arides has been supplanted by a being of pure Photo-Mesonic Energy. To prove him wrong the Kree removes the Photo-Mesonic Regulator from his brow and realizes it is true so he takes off to return to Hala with a vow to return. Crystal tells Pietro that Arides is like them, a prisoner of the past….