Appearing in "The Torch is Passed!"
Featured Characters:
- Avengers
Vision 
(Main story and flashback) (Origin revealed)- Thor (Odinson)
- Iron Man (Tony Stark)
- Hawkeye (Clint Barton)
- Mantis / Celestial Madonna
Supporting Characters:
Other Characters:
- Ultron-5 (Only in flashback)
- Human Torch (Jim Hammond) (Only in flashback)
- Quasimodo (Only in flashback)
- Goliath (Hank Pym) (Recap)
- Dragon Man (Mentioned) (Recap)
- Wasp (Janet Van Dyne) (Recap)
- Super-Adaptoid (Mentioned) (Recap)
- Mad Thinker (Only in flashback)
- Fantastic Four (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Thing (Ben Grimm) (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) (Mentioned)
- Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd) (Recap)
- Thanos (Recap)
- Daredevil (Matt Murdock) (Referenced)
- Mentor (A'Lars) (Recap)
- Angels (Referenced)
- Professor Phineas T. Horton (Only in flashback) (Death)
- Mister Geppetto (Mentioned) (Topical reference)
- Pinocchio (Mentioned) (Topical reference)
- Immortus
- Butler Jarvis
- Scarlet Witch (Wanda Frank) (Referenced)
- Agatha Harkness (Referenced)
- God (Yahweh) (Invoked)
- Drax (Art Douglas) (Behind the scenes)
- Dormammu (Behind the scenes)
Races and species:
- Synthezoids (Main story and flashback)
- Space Phantoms
- Robots (Only in flashback)
- Gods (Mentioned)
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Cyborgs (Only in flashback)
- Cotati
- Asgardians
- Titans (Recap)
- Eternals (Recap)
- Faltine (Behind the scenes)
- Zenn-Lavians (Recap)
Locations:
- Milky Way (Main story and flashback)
- Solar System (Main story and flashback)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- United States (Main story and flashback)
- New Jersey (Only in flashback)
- Pym's former residence (Only in flashback)
- New York (Main story and recap)
- New York City (Main story and recap)
- Manhattan (Main story and recap)
- Midtown (Main story and recap)
- Fifth Avenue (Main story and recap)
- Avengers Mansion (Main story and recap)
- Fifth Avenue (Main story and recap)
- Midtown (Main story and recap)
- Manhattan (Main story and recap)
- New York City (Main story and recap)
- Mad Thinker's lab (Only in flashback)
- Nevada (Recap)
- Connecticut (Only in flashback)
- Stamford (Only in flashback)
- New Jersey (Only in flashback)
- Vietnam
- Temple of Priests of Pama
- United States (Main story and flashback)
- Saturn (Recap)
- Titan (Moon of Saturn) (Recap)
- Shao-Lom Monastery (Recap)
- Titan (Moon of Saturn) (Recap)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Solar System (Main story and flashback)
- Kree Galaxy (Mentioned)
Items:
- Synchro Staffs
- Goliath's Suit (Recap)
- Wasp's Suit (Recap)
- Power Cosmic (Recap)
- Hawkeye's Suit, Bow and Trick Arrows
- Mjolnir
- Iron Man Armor Model 3
- Swordsman's Sword
Vehicles:
- Silver Surfer's Surfboard (Recap)
Synopsis for "The Torch is Passed!"
Continuing his travels through time to learn his origins, the Vision sees that after the original Human Torch's "death" battling the Fantastic Four, the Mad Thinkers lab was soon visited by Ultron. Ultron explains his origins to the computer Quasimodo and then explains his desire to use an android against the Avengers and how he had gotten the location of the Torch's body from the Mad Thinker himself. Ultron then takes the Torch's body leaving Quasimodo behind to be found by the Silver Surfer.
While back on Earth in Vietnam, Moondragon has arrived to greet the Avengers. The spectral form taking the shape of the late Swordsman explains to all present that Moondragon and Mantis were destined to live similar lives, and that one of them was to be the Celestial Madonna, Mantis being the first choice and Moondragon was the backup should Mantis prove to be unworthy of the title.
Back in time, Vision learns that Ultron was unable to repair the Torch's body, and so sought out Phineas T. Horton to help repair the android. Horton, now a down on his luck TV repairman, was easily coerced into helping Ultron. However, once the Human Torch was rebuilt into the body which would be known as the Vision, Phineas sacrifices his life trying to stop Ultron, but ultimately fails. Fearing that the Torch's personality would be a cause for the Vision to revolt, Ultron then planned to use the brain patterns of Simon Williams (aka Wonder Man) to ensure that the Vision would comply with his orders.
This story is continued in Giant-Size Avengers #4...
Notes
- Courtesy of Immortus' "Synchro Staffs", most of this issue is told as a flashback. As revealed in Avengers: Forever #8, the "synchro-staffs" employed in this issue are in actuality shape-shifting Space Phantoms in disguise.
- This issue contains a letters page, Avengers Assemble!. Letters are published from Austin Seth Camacho, Giles Dyer, and Mary Kay Boudreau.
- This issue also contains a Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation.
