Avengers (3rd series) #23

Issue Date: 
December 1999
Story Title: 
Showdown
Staff: 

Kurt Busiek (writer), George Perez (penciler), Al Vey (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letterers), Tom Smith (colorist), Tom Breevort (editor), Bob Harras (editor-in-chief)

Brief Description: 

Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, the Black Panther, Firestar and Justice engage in a training exercise, the object to shut down the training room's computer, which sets all sorts of weapons against them. As the computer's weapons keep most of the team busy, it is Justice who works out how to shut the computer down, ending the combat simulation, and impressing his teammates. The Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man confront the Vision about his troubles, and the Vision tells them that Wonder Man is his problem. Goliath and the Wasp are at Avengers Mansion, observing the protest that is taking place out front – where protesters are demanding more black Avengers, and they have the media's attention. Cap, Iron Man and the Black Panther join the Wasp and Goliath, and they discuss the protesters, and the possibility of recruiting a black Avenger for the team. The Vision points out that he likes all the same things as the Wonder Man, which Wonder Man finds amusing, but the Vision is dead serious that this is part of the problem, and punches Wonder Man, which echoes throughout the Mansion. The Vision then flies away, so Wonder Man chases after him. The other Avengers rush to the Scarlet Witch, who is still unsure about what has just happened. When Wonder Man catches up to the Vision, the Vision attacks him, and announces that his complete life is a mockery, he is a fake, a simple copy of Wonder Man. They each recount their origins, and their love for the Scarlet Witch, which the Vision decides is all because his own brain patterns were based on Wonder Man's. The Vision doesn't agree, he thinks that is just a technicality, and flies off, deciding that he must think on this. Wonder Man returns to the Scarlet Witch and the Avengers, and tells them that it seems the Vision is broken beyond repair – all because of him. Meanwhile, in the Himalayas, several of the Exemplars gather, preparing for the upcoming assignment that awaits them.

 

Full Summary: 

Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, the Black Panther, Firestar and Justice engage in a training exercise, the object to shut down the training room's computer, which sets all sorts of weapons against them. As the computer's weapons keep most of the team busy, it is Justice who works out how to shut the computer down, ending the combat simulation, and impressing his teammates. The Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man confront the Vision about his troubles, and the Vision tells them that Wonder Man is his problem. Goliath and the Wasp are at Avengers Mansion, observing the protest that is taking place out front – where protesters are demanding more black Avengers, and they have the media's attention. Cap, Iron Man and the Black Panther join the Wasp and Goliath, and they discuss the protesters, and the possibility of recruiting a black Avenger for the team. The Vision points out that he likes all the same things as the Wonder Man, which Wonder Man finds amusing, but the Vision is dead serious that this is part of the problem, and punches Wonder Man, which echoes throughout the Mansion. The Vision then flies away, so Wonder Man chases after him. The other Avengers rush to the Scarlet Witch, who is still unsure about what has just happened. When Wonder Man catches up to the Vision, the Vision attacks him, and announces that his complete life is a mockery, he is a fake, a simple copy of Wonder Man. They each recount their origins, and their love for the Scarlet Witch, which the Vision decides is all because his own brain patterns were based on Wonder Man's. The Vision doesn't agree, he thinks that is just a technicality, and flies off, deciding that he must think on this. Wonder Man returns to the Scarlet Witch and the Avengers, and tells them that it seems the Vision is broken beyond repair – all because of him. Meanwhile, in the Himalayas, several of the Exemplars gather, preparing for the upcoming assignment that awaits them.

 

Characters Involved: 

Captain America, Firestar, Iron Man, Justice, Scarlet Witch, Thor, Vision, Wonder Man (all Avengers)

Goliath, Wasp (reserve Avengers)

Black Panther (inactive Avenger)

Edwin Jarvis

 

Carnivore, Conquest, Decay, Stonecutter (all Exemplars)

 

Protesters

Camera crews

In Vision's flashback images:

Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man (all Avengers)

Agatha Harkness

Human Torch I

Ultron

Phineas Horton

In Wonder Man's flashback images:

Wonder Man at various stages

Grim Reaper

Beast, Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Jocasta, Ms Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Thor, Vision, Wasp, Yellowjacket (all Avengers)

Baron Zemo, Enchantress, Executioner

Sanford Williams

Story Notes: 

Cap's old shield returned in Captain America (3rd series) #20-22.

The Vision admitted he still loved Wanda last issue.

The Vision and Scarlet Witch were married in Giant-Sized Avengers #4, and Wanda gave birth to their twin sons, William and Thomas, in The Vision and Scarlet Witch (2nd series) #12. The Vision was later destroyed in West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #42-45, and rebuilt with no connections to Wanda. To make matters worse, their children were revealed to be figments of Wanda's imagination, linked to two of the shards of Mephisto's soul in Avengers West Coast #51-52.

The Scarlet Witch slapped Wonder Man after he refused to allow his brain-patterns to be used to re-build the Vision in West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #45. She then dropped the side of a very large cliff onto him.

Wonder Man was struck by the Kreen nega-bomb during the “Operation: Galactic Storm” storyline, which led to his mental instability in Wonder Man (2nd series) #13-18.

Wonder Man's second death, after being torn apart by the ion cannon, took place in Force Works #1.

The poem quoted is Walt Kelley’s Lines Upon a tranquil Brow.

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