Avengers Vol 1 21

Avengers Vol 1 #21 Published October, 1965 Editor-in-Chief Stan Lee Cover Artist Jack Kirby Wally Wood "The Bitter Taste of Defeat!" Writer Stan Lee Penciler Don Heck Inker Wally Wood Colourist Stan Goldberg Letterer Artie Simek Editor Stan Lee Previous Issue Next Issue Avengers #20 Avengers #22

Enchantress	Now, we need an impressive name for you--!
Power Man	I've got a name! It's Erik Josten!
Enchantress	Surely you jest! That is hardly calculated to strike terror to the hearts of the Avengers! We must call you something worthy of your new-found power!
Power Man	Just as long as it isn't anything as childish as Wonder Man!
Enchantress	Of course! That's it! It will be the ideal name! It will make you a worthy successor to Wonder Man! Your name shall be Power Man!
Power Man	Aww, so what! It's corny as all get-out, but who cares? All that matters is that I need fear nothing now!

Appearing in "The Bitter Taste of Defeat!"

Featured Characters:

• Avengers
  •  Hawkeye (Clint Barton) 
  •  Captain America (Steve Rogers) 
  •  Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff) 
  •  Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) 

Antagonists:

• Power Man (Erik Josten)  (First appearance)
•  Enchantress (Amora)  (Main story and recap)
• Monster (Illusion)

Other Characters:

• Tony Stark (Mentioned)
• Robin Hood (Robert Locksley) (Mentioned)
• Methuselah (Mentioned) (Topical reference)
• Interpol (Mentioned)
• Masters of Evil (Recap)
  • Wonder Man (Simon Williams) (Recap)
  • Baron Zemo (Heinrich Zemo) (Recap)
  • Executioner (Skurge) (Recap)
• Santa Claus (Mentioned)
• Teen Brigade (Behind the scenes)
• NYPD
• Snow White (Mentioned) (Topical reference)
• The City Council
  • Mayor of New York City (Topical reference)
• Carol Channing (Mentioned)

Races and Species:

• Humans (Main story and recap)
• Asgardians (Main story and recap)
• Cows (Invoked)
• Ghosts (Mentioned)
• Fleas (Mentioned)

Locations:

• Earth (Main story and recap)
  • North America
    • United States of America
      • New York
        • New York City
          • Manhattan
            • Midtown
              • Fifth Avenue
                • Avengers Mansion
            • Sutton Place (First appearance)
        • Westchester County
  • South America (Main story and recap)
    • Amazon Jungle (Main story and recap)
      • Baron Zemo's Headquarters (Ruins) (Main story and recap)
  • Europe (Mentioned)
• Asgard (Referenced)

Items:

• Hawkeye's Suit, Bow and Trick Arrows
• Captain America's Uniform and Shield
• Quicksilver's Suit
• Scarlet Witch's Suit
• Baron Zemo's Suit (Recap)
  
  

Synopsis for "The Bitter Taste of Defeat!"

Erik Josten, who worked as an agent for Baron Zemo before his death, returns to the machinery Zemo used to create Wonder Man. There he finds the Enchantress, who tells him she will use the machine to grant him super-strength as well. He agrees and is given the name Power Man.

The Enchantress then creates a number of illusions around the city that make the Avengers seem dangerous when they accidentally destroy property and endanger lives. Captain America tries to subdue Power Man as he attacks men with important documents, only to find out that the men were impostors trying to steal them.

Hawkeye, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are also caught with similar traps. The Avengers believe themselves to be nuisances and are ordered by the authorities to disband.

Notes

• The Avengers last appeared in Fantastic Four Annual #3 where they defended the Richards wedding from an army of super-villains that were manipulated by Dr. Doom into crashing the reception.
• Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch made a brief cameo appearance in Journey into Mystery #120, where Thor journeyed to Avengers Mansion seeking aid only to find the new members whom he wasn't familiar with.
• This is the first appearance of Erik Josten, who takes on the mantel of Power Man during this time.
• Although there is a Captain America story in Tales of Suspense #70, It is a flashback tale from World War II.
• The Enchantress was last seen in Fantastic Four Annual #3 where she was manipulated by Dr. Doom into crashing the Richards' wedding, she was defeated by a number of New York's heroes who were attending the wedding.
• Josten's recounts the end of his employment and death of Baron Zemo as well as the destruction of his base in South America at the hands of Captain America, this is from Avengers #15.
• References to Zemo's creation of Wonder Man are from Avengers #9. The device used on Josten to turn him into Power Man is the same device that turned Simon Williams into Wonder Man. There is no mention, however, of how the device made Wonder Man reliant on being administered an antidote every 24 hours. The lack of this antidote was what ultimately led to his "death" in that same issue.
• The Avengers, Power Man and Enchantress are all seen again in Avengers #22.

See Also

• 3 Image(s) from Avengers Vol 1 21
• 3 Reprints of Avengers Vol 1 21

Footnotes

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