BIOGRAPHY - Page 7
The X-Men and the Avengers both reorganized their memberships after a drawn-out battle between the two groups unleashed the power of the Phoenix on Earth and took the life of Professor Xavier. While on a much needed vacation, Sam and Bobby were contacted by Wolverine on behalf of Captain America, inviting them to join the next incarnation of the Avengers. Seeing the opportunity to leave "hated and feared" behind them, Cannonball and Sunspot became the latest members of the Avengers. [Avengers (5th series) #1-2]
The Avengers' roster grew significantly when they were recruited, adding a number of veteran and neophyte members to the team. Cannonball and Sunspot befriended Izzy Kane, alias Smasher 
and the only human member of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. Both boys showed an interest in Izzy beyond just friendship. [Avengers (5th series) #3, 5] They proved their value to the Avengers as more than just brawlers, too. During an infiltration mission in Macao, Cannonball and Sunspot befriended a pair of A.I.M. agents, secretly putting them on the DaCosta International payroll as their personal informants inside the terrorist organization. [Avengers (5th series) #11]
When the Builders began their advance across space and through the great empires of the galaxy, the Avengers and S.W.O.R.D. calculated the Builder fleet was directed towards Earth. Smasher was called up to active duty by the Imperial Guard and the Avengers reported to assist with her. During the space war, Cannonball and Sunspot were captured by the Builders after the Battle of the Corridor and held on the command vessel. Once they were rescued and returned to the allied fleet, Izzy revealed she had fallen in love with Sam and the two became a couple. Despite his initial grousing, Bobby was happy for his friends and supported their relationship. [Infinity crossover]
A.I.M. continued to be a threat to the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. Bobby and Sam used their spy Travis to infiltrate A.I.M. Island on Barbuda and retrieve some gamma technology. [All-New Marvel NOW! Point One #1] On their next mission, however, Barbuda was not so easily penetrated. A.I.M. had been communicating with a version of their organization from decades in the future, transferring new technologies back down the timeline to augment their island in many ways. Cannonball, Sunspot and Smasher were brought down by A.I.M.'s defenses, and Izzy was bio-programmed to become A.I.M.'s new Messenger. [Avengers World #1-2]
Cannonball and Sunspot were held as polite prisoners until Maria Hill made contact with them. She arranged to have the duo launched into the future to confront A.I.M.'s benefactors. There, the boys encountered the "Next Avengers," children of the current generation who were fighting to prevent A.I.M. from corrupting the timeline. They brought the kids back to the present, but Maria Hill used S.H.I.E.L.D. "reverie" tech to wipe Sam and Bobby's memory of that mission. [Avengers World #7-8] In the final battle with A.I.M., the Scientist Supreme's temporal link was destroyed. Cannonball faced off against Messenger and helped Izzy reclaim her senses and throw off A.I.M.'s influence on her mind. [Avengers World #14]
The Avengers' group unity came crashed down when word of the Incursions threatening the multiverse leaked, putting Captain America and Iron Man violently at odds with one another. Some among the Avengers joined Cap in S.H.I.E.L.D. to hunt down Stark and his Illuminati, but Sam, Bobby, Izzy and many of the others refused to pick sides. Searching for happier times, Sam prepared to introduce Izzy to his momma and siblings back home. When their dinner night came, however, Isabel sent Sam a holographic message telling him she was being recalled back to the Shi'ar for her duties as Smasher. She had to leave immediately and indefinitely, effectively ending their relationship.
Cannonball's mother talked him into not giving up on Smasher. With the help of the X-Men, Sam reached out to the Starjammers for a lift, hoping to intercept the Imperial vessel ferrying Izzy to 
Chandrilar. He learned that Isabel was pregnant with his child, and the Shi'ar had strict rules regarding the "seeds" of their Superguardians. Smasher had been unwilling to upend Cannonball's life for her obligation to the Imperial Guard, but seeing Sam risk all to come after her gave Izzy renewed faith in their relationship. Sam agreed to relocate to Chandrilar and was accepted by the Guard as a worthy partner to their Smasher. Some months later, baby Josiah was born to his proud parents. [Avengers World #17]
As a hypergestated mutant and Superguardian child, Josiah was unaffected by gravity when he chose and nearly indestructible, although his parents still doted on him. After months of living in Shi'ar space, Sunspot came calling on Cannonball and Smasher. The Incursion crisis had reached an apex, and the squabbling Avengers factions were getting in each other's way rather 
than addressing the problem. Roberto had gone proactive, staging a hostile takeover of A.I.M. and gathering the remaining unaffiliated Avengers to make a stand against the night. Sam and Izzy responded, standing with Sunspot's new Avengers World against their predecessors until a détente was orchestrated.
And then, Everything Died. [Time Runs Out]
But then, Everything Lived. Sam returned to Chandrilar to care for Josiah while Izzy continued her duties as Smasher of the Imperial Guard. Sunspot remained as Supreme Leader of A.I.M., though, and when he fell out of favor with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the authorities, Sam returned to Earth to help out his best friend. [New Avengers (4th series) #10] A.I.M. was at the center of a 
complicated series of schemes to draw out the Maker of W.H.I.S.P.E.R. and eliminate rogue elements within S.H.I.E.L.D. Sam helped Bobby carry out his master plan, which included eliminating all the remaining terrorist A.I.M. cells on Earth on the same day. With that, A.I.M. was incorporated into S.H.I.E.L.D. as American Intelligence Mechanics, and the organization was now firmly on the side of law and order. [New Avengers (4th series) #12-18]
Thanks to corporate-style public relations and rebranding, A.I.M. was soon as American as apple pie. Cannonball and the revised field team, the U.S. Avengers, operated as an extension of S.H.I.E.L.D. fighting terrorists and super-villains around the country. [U.S. Avengers #1-3] The commute was getting to Sam, however, as he still technically resided with Izzy and Josiah on Kr'ii-Six, a Shi'ar colony world, making his trek back home to spend time with the family whenever he was off-duty. Stuck between two worlds, Sam decided it was time to ask Bobby for some more leave time to spend with Izzy. [U.S. Avengers #5]
When he returned to Earth from his latest shore leave, however, Cannonball found the planet under attack by marauding hordes of Chitauri. He blasted into action but was unable to coordinate with Captain Marvel's forces because of the confusion in the heat of battle. As a result, only Sunspot knew Sam had arrived on the scene due to their U.S. Avengers frequency. When one of the Chitauri dragons exploded in combat with Quasar, Cannonball was lost in the eruption. His comms went dead and Bobby was unable to confirm with Carol that Sam had survived. With the Hydra takeover of America that began minutes later, Cannonball was left MIA from the fight and presumed dead. [U.S. Avengers #6]
The truth ended up being that much stranger. Cannonball's blast field and space suit saved his life, but he was left unconscious and adrift after the explosion. He was found by scrappers and sold into slavery. Sam was picked up by a Skrull from the Kral system, long known for their obsessive playacting of human culture. Kral X was now known as Glenbrook, based around a 1950's picture of small town America. And, as an actual human, Cannonball was expected to play a part in the scenario to provide a bit of authenticity to Ritchie Redwood and his world. Fortunately, the situation on Earth finally cleared up enough for Sunspot to contact Smasher and compare notes. They tracked Sam's Shi'ar medical implant to Kral and recruited the U.S. Avengers for a rescue mission. With the help of his teammates, Cannonball overcame Ritchie Redwood and his Super-Skrull enforcers to return home. [U.S. Avengers #8-12]
The U.S. Avengers were soon drawn into a conflict between the Elders of the Universe, the Grandmaster and the Challenger, alongside the Avengers' main roster and the Unity Division for the fate of the Earth. Caught between the Black Order and Lethal Legion hunting pyramoid prizes for their sponsors, the Avengers tried to mitigate the collateral damage. Cannonball fought against the Metal Master but, when the alien seized control over Thor's hammer, Sam discovered that "nigh-invulnerable" didn't cut it against Mjolnir. He was sidelined by injuries for most of the battle that followed. [Avengers (1st series) #675-690]
The Avengers were left in disarray after the casualties and destruction suffered during the Grandmaster's game. As Sunspot disbanded his Avengers unit, Cannonball's current fate is unknown. However, whether he remains on Earth or returns to Shi'ar space to be with his family, Sam Guthrie will always be there when it counts.