Avengers Vol 1 214

Newspaper headlines trumpet Yellowjacket’s expulsion from the Avengers. Captain America, wracked with guilt over his decision to court martial Hank, lets off steam by an intensive workout in the mansion’s gym. Tigra, who derides Hank as a jerk, tries to reach out to him but he ignores her. As she leaves, Jarvis enters. He talks to Cap man to man and convinces him that Hank’s problems are not Steve’s fault nor his problem to work out. Jarvis is confident that Hank will be able to rebuild his life.

Tony Stark (Iron-Man) and Don Blake (Thor) meet and discuss Hank as well. Meanwhile, Hank returns to the Pym residence in New Jersey and tries to resolve things with Jan. But she informs him she’s getting a divorce and asks him to leave. Hank relents, later checking into a seedy hotel to ponder his situation.

Meanwhile in New Mexico, Warren Worthington III (alias the Angel - the former X-Man and former member of the defunct team the Champions) and his girlfriend Candy Southern are driving through the desert when they are seen by a homeless Johnny Blaze. Johnny, full of resentment and self-pity for his own situation, transforms into Ghost Rider and challenges the Angel to a race. The Angel tries to placate him, but Ghost Rider attacks him, leaving him severely injured.

After seeking medical help for Warren, Candy places a call to the Avengers to alert them to Ghost Rider’s newly hostile behavior. Cap summons the team, minus Jan who has gone on temporary leave as she deals with the divorce. The team heads out west to search for the demonic biker.

Days later, Johnny is working as a day laborer when one of his co-worker gets into an accident and is in danger of grave injury. Johnny quickly weighs his options: as Ghost Rider, he could easily rescue his co-worker. But he fears losing control of his hellish alter ego once again. He decides to risk it, changing into Ghost Rider. But the demon ignores the endangered worker and tears off to cause havoc. Thor manages to discover and rescue the man in time.

Captain America and Tigra pick up Ghost Rider’s trail and pursue him on another motorcycle. But the demon lures them into a box canyon, trapping them and blasting them with hellfire. Iron-Man and Thor come to their rescue, but their opponent escapes.

The team regroups. Tigra panics at the thought of facing off against the Rider again but Cap calms her down. They follow after their opponent and fight him as a team - all except Tigra who freezes in terror when confronted with him again.

Although overmatched, the Ghost Rider vows to fight on until he is destroyed. But the recovered Angel appears and appeals to his human nature. Johnny reasserts his control again, suppressing the Ghost Rider persona. Cap remarks on the similarities between Johnny and Hank, both men struggling to overcome their dark side. The Avengers and Angel leave Johnny to work out his problems alone.

Notes

The Angel was one of Moondragon's "applicants" for Avengers membership in Vol 1 211. As he left Avengers Mansion at the end of that issue, he mulled over joining the team. His guest-starring role in this issue, immediately following Hank's expulsion, seemed to further hint at him becoming an Avenger. But this was not to be.
Hank and Janet Pym getting a divorce was a first for a superhero couple. Superheroes rarely got married to begin with, but none had ever broken up after tying the knot before.

Trivia

The cut-off second news article on the first page, underneath the expository article about Yellowjacket, is a real article from the July 13, 1981 edition of the Washington Post: "Medfly Larvae Discovered in San Jose"

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Avengers Vol 1 214

Appearing in "Three Angels Fallen!"

Synopsis for "Three Angels Fallen!"

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