Avengers Vol 1 71

Avengers Vol 1 #71 December, 1969 Editor-in-Chief Stan Lee Cover Artist Sal Buscema "Endgame!" Writer Roy Thomas Penciler Sal Buscema Inker Sam Grainger Letterer Sam Rosen Editor Stan Lee Previous Issue Next Issue Avengers #70 Avengers #72

Appearing in "Endgame!"

Featured Characters:

• Avengers
  •  Black Knight (Dane Whitman)  (Joins team)
  •  Black Panther (T'Challa) 
  •  Captain America (Steve Rogers) 
  •  Goliath (Clint Barton) 
  •  Iron Man (Tony Stark) 
  •  Thor Odinson 
  •  Vision 
  •  Wasp (Janet van Dyne) 
  •  Yellowjacket (Hank Pym) 

Supporting Characters:

• Black Knight (Sir Percy of Scandia) (Ghost)

Antagonists:

•  Kang the Conqueror (Last appearence of this Kang's divergence)
•  Grandmaster (En Dwi Gast)  (Main story and flashback)
• Squadron Sinister (Vision)
  • Doctor Spectrum (Kinji Obatu) (Vision)
  • Hyperion (Vision)
  • Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond) (Vision)
  • Whizzer (Jim Sanders) (Vision)
• Nazis

Other Characters:

•  Ravonna 
• Invaders
  •  Captain America (Steve Rogers) 
  •  Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie) 
  •  Human Torch (Jim Hammond) 
• Aragorn (Vision)
• Merlin (Mentioned)
• Conan (Mentioned)
• John Carter (Mentioned)

Locations:

• England
  • Garrett Castle
  • Big Ben (Vision)
• Egypt (Vision)
  • Great Sphinx (Vision)
• United States of America (Vision)
  • New York City (Vision)
    • Statue of Liberty (Vision)
• India (Vision)
  • Taj Mahal (Vision)
• Paris
  • Louvre Museum (First appearance)
  • Seine (First appearance)

Items:

• Brazier of Truth
• Dr. Spectrum's Power Prism (Vision)
• Captain America's Shield (both the current, circular one and the original, triangular one)
• Captain America's Uniform
• Mjolnir
• Brazier of Truth
• Iron Man Armor MK V
• Kang's Time Scanner
• Ebony Blade
• Grandmasters Tri-Sphere (Only in flashback)
• Kang Armor
• Ray-spear
  
  

Synopsis for "Endgame!"

Continuing from last issue, we begin with Black Knight rushing through his home castle to the Brazier of Truth. There he summons the spirit of his ancestor, the original Black Knight. Knight's ancestor informs him of the events that led to the Avengers being caught up in a game between the Grandmaster and Kang the Conqueror.

Then through the Brazier, Black Knight is allowed to continue viewing the contest as it's currently going on. In the future year of 4000 A.D., Kang spends a private moment alone of Ravonna before returning to the main throne room to prepare for the second part of the competition. He sends the Vision, Black Panther, and Yellowjacket to France in the year 1941, after fighting off a small army of Nazi's, they are soon confronted by their challengers, the three Invaders from 1941: Captain America, Human Torch, and the Sub-Mariner.

In the present, the Black Knight, wishing to help out the Avengers realizes that when his interference forced the Grandmaster to transport all the combatants to the present, Goliath was holding Black Knight's ebony blade. As he and the sword are mystically bonded, Black Knight focuses on it and soon finds himself transported to the future year of 4000 A.D. There he finds that Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and Goliath are held prisoner by Kang. He recovers his sword and fights off an army of Kang's troops before meeting up with the Wasp.

Meanwhile in France of 1941, the three Avengers square off one by one against the Invaders of that era. Black Panther fighting Captain America, Yellowjacket fighting Namor, and the Vision fighting the Human Torch. The Invaders are eventually defeated with the help of Visions intangibility.

With their victory, the Avengers are returned to the future. There Kang demands to be granted his power over life and death, and instead of using that power to revive Ravonna, he uses the power to attempt to destroy the Avengers. However, the powers granted to him by the Grandmaster have no effect against Black Knight, who isn't a member of the Avengers. The Knight quickly defeats Kang, and the Grandmaster considers the contest complete and returns the Avengers and Black Knight to their own era. There the Avengers officially invite the Knight into their ranks.

Solicit Synopsis

The battle that time forgot! The Avengers take on Cap, the Torch, and Namor in wartime Paris! Don't miss "Endgame!"

Notes

• The story the three Invaders (WWII) (Earth-616) adventure prior to this issue (and how it fits in with this one...) is detailed in Invaders Annual 1.
• The Black Knight officially joins the Avengers in this issue.

• According to Avengers: Forever #9, this divergence of Kang previously appeared last issue and this is his final appearance; another divergence will appear next in Incredible Hulk #135 where Kang goes back in time to try to make sure the Avengers never existed.

• Grandmaster previously appeared last issue and will appear next in Giant-Size Defenders #3 where he tries his luck with the Defenders and Daredevil.

See Also

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Footnotes