Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Last issue the Avengers fought the Wrecking Crew in England and a family was caught in the crossfire. Captain America and Kelsey Leigh were severely injured and unconscious, and Wasp brought them to a house Tony Stark has in the country where Scarlet Witch healed Cap. But the woman was DOA.
Steve Rogers now learns that she was killed by Thunderball as she protected the unconscious hero with his shield. Cap is angry because it's *his* job to protect civilians not the other way round. She should have thought about her children and not thrown her life away. Wasp is angry with *him* on Kelsey's behalf.
Then Hawkeye and She-Hulk arrive with the 2 children who are anxious to see their mum. Cap frantically orders them out, but the kids have seen enough to guess that their mother is dead. Young Jenny Leigh is angry about that, and that her slightly older brother Martin is still obsessed with his heroes the Avengers. She-Hulk comforts her as she verbally lashes out at the world.
Steve is also lashing out as Stark and Yellowjacket load the body into a quinjet. He blames Clint Barton for bringing the children here, but Clint protests that he just couldn't believe that the team wouldn't have saved her. He offers to go confirm to them that Kelsey is dead, but Cap says he's in charge so it's his responsibility. But when he gets there it's obvious that they know already. So he leaves the young girl in Jennifer Walters' care and takes Martin Leigh for a walk.
Steve is very awkward at this. Martin asks after Hawkeye but then denies that he'd rather talk to him. Cap is his favourite Avenger and this is awkward for both of them. They just stand there contemplating the scenery. But then the boy finally breaks down and cries, and Steve tentatively comforts him.
Inside the mansion Janet van Dyne is worried about the kids who saw their mother beaten to death. Her ex-husband Henry Pym thinks they'll get over it because they're so young. Hank say he got over *his* mother being killed (which is the 1st and only time we ever hear anything about this). Clint can't understand why Thunderball kept beating on her when he could have easily pushed her out of the way. Wanda Maximoff thinks he might just be a sadist and Barton says he can't understand men who beat up women. And it all goes quiet and everyone looks at the elephant in the room - Hank who hit Jan (in original #213) and caused their divorce. Hank seems surprised that Jan told everyone about it. (But surely he knew that it was obvious at the time? And anyway he was open about it later.). He roughly drags her off for a 'chat', yelling at the others that he's *not* going to hurt her.
In the previous issues Stark provided Hawkeye with some special arrows to use against the Asgardian-powered Crew. Tony now explains that they were Asgardian weapons left by Thor for use against hyper-powered foes when he wasn't available. Clint stalks out with them. Meanwhile Cap and Martin have returned to Shulk and Jenny, and they discuss taking the kids to their grandmother. Hank and Jan have a heated exchange where she brings up all his problems and he asks what she wants him to do about it. Then they calm down but Jan ends with that's why she turned him down (#71) when he asked her to marry him again.
Down in the cell where the Wrecking Crew are being held Wrecker is complaining that 'she' should get them out of here. Thunderball warns him not to let anything slip about their employer. Dirk Garthwaite threatens to curry favour with the Avengers by telling them everything, so TB breaks his nose with his forehead and then establishes his dominance over him, Bulldozer and Piledriver. At that point Hawkeye arrives with his Asgardian arrows, shoots him with 1 and accuses him of murder.
Thunderball takes it in his stride. He deduces that the archer is down here for revenge but doesn't have the stomach to carry it through. And the other Avengers don't know he's here. So the villain pulls the arrow out of his arm and uses its explosive tip to blow the prison doors off. And the 4 of them beat Clint to a pulp.
Meanwhile a mysterious figure approaches Kelsey Leigh's corpse and says Avalon isn't ready to let her go.