Marvel Database
Register
Advertisement

Appearing in "Double-Cross!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Races and Species:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

Synopsis for "Double-Cross!"

Fabian Stankiewicz, a would-be supervillain going by the name “Mechano Marauder”, stands outside Avengers Mansion determined to take down Earth’s mightiest heroes. Iron-Man, the only member on hand at the moment, agrees to a faceoff but makes short work of the bad guy. Adding to Fabian’s humiliation, Thor, Iron-Man and the Wasp (who is newly returning to active duty) just ignore him as they arrive. When questioned as to why he’s attacking, Fabian replies he wants to make a name for himself. Iron-Man ridicules his petty ambition and delivers him to the police. (He wonders however if he’ll get his photo in the papers as he’s carted away.)

The Wasp tells Jarvis she feels refreshed with a new lease on life after her Dominican Republic divorce. Jarvis (as well as everyone else) can see however that she’s still deeply troubled by the recent events in her life. The four-member team holds their routine business meeting and the Wasp asks to hold a new group election for team chair. She nominates herself for the position. Her male team-mates are initially flustered at the request, but agree to it and she takes over.

Elsewhere, a penniless Henry Pym attempts to call Tony Stark to ask for a job. Stark’s trusty secretary Miss Arbogast is away from the desk and the temp who answers the phone puts him on hold… until his time on the payphone runs out.

Hank goes to a nearby diner to ponder what to do next when he’s approached by his old enemy Egghead, who was supposedly killed months ago. Egghead claims he’s decided to repent his evil ways and asks for Hank’s help in making amends to his niece, Trish Starr. Because she got caught up in one of his evil schemes, Trish lost an arm. He’s constructed a bionic replacement arm for her, but fears she won’t accept it if she knows it’s from him. Egghead offers to pay him half a million dollars to deliver and install it.

Flush with the hope of solving all his problems, Yellowjacket agrees and visits Trish. He fits the prosthetic arm on her, but no sooner has he done that then she falls victim to Egghead’s mental control. Egghead gloats at having duped his old foe and warns him that if he doesn’t obey his commands, he will detonate an implanted explosive in the arm and kill Trish. Hank has no choice but to cooperate.

Egghead instructs Yellowjacket and his mentally-controlled niece Trish to infiltrate and rob a S.A.C. base in Omaha, Nebraska of its stockpile of adamantium resins. Yellowjacket plays along but while infiltrating the base, he trips an alarm to summon the Avengers to the scene. When the arrive, however, Egghead demands he fight his former teammates off.

Reluctantly, Yellowjacket attacks his former teammates. Using the element of surprise and his knowledge of their combat maneuvers, he does very well against him. However the Wasp knows Hank’s own tricks as well as he does and manages to subdue him.

Afterwards, Hank tries to explain that Egghead forced him to perform this act by threatening Trish’s life. But Egghead has arranged a nasty surprise for him. Iron-Man removes the prosthetic arm from Karen but can’t find any indication of an explosive. Egghead was also able to manipulate Trish’s memory of the event so that she genuinely believes that Yellowjacket was the true culprit and forced her to help him with HIS robbery. Egghead, as far as anyone but Hank knows, is dead. The Avengers ask Hank to come quietly.

Back at the mansion, everyone is severely disheartened after the encounter. Jarvis brings in the daily news, which has a headline announcing the fact that Yellowjacket has been arrested and jailed for an act of treason. None of the Avengers can bring themselves to read it.

Appearing in "Daredevil's Longest Fight!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Marvel Hostess Ads #66

Featured Characters:

  • Daredevil

Antagonists:

Locations:

Items:

Synopsis for "Daredevil's Longest Fight!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Marvel Hostess Ads #66
  • Synopsis not yet written

Notes

  • This issue contains the debut of Fabian Stankiewicz, alias the Mechano Marauder, a recurring character who would be portrayed as more of a nuisance than a real threat.
  • Prior to this story, Egghead was presumed dead after having been "killed" by the Cobalt Man in Defenders Vol 1 43. Trish Starr had been in a romantic relationship with the Defender Nighthawk and lost her arm in an injury (inflicted by her uncle) in Giant-Size Defenders Vol 1 4.
  • The Wasp taking over as leader of the Avengers was a big surprise to many readers when this issue was first published, given that she had largely been a peripheral character who displayed a very cavalier attitude toward the team (she spent much of her time flirting with her male teammates to make Hank jealous.) But in the years since, her leadership role of the team has become one of her defining characteristics.
  • This would be Hank Pym's last appearance as Yellowjacket for well over a decade. A few years down the line, a petty crook named Rita DeMara would steal his equipment and become a new (albeit fairly short-lived) Yellowjacket. Hank would eventually reclaim this superhero identity during Kurt Busiek's run on Avengers Vol. 3.

See Also

Links and References

References

Advertisement