—Man-ApeYou have no need to know my true name, fool! For those who speak it do so only in whispers -- fearful whispers, lest they reach the ears of... the Man-Ape!
Appearing in ""The Man-Ape Always Strikes Twice!""
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Lethal Legion (First appearance)
- ⏴ Man-Ape (M'Baku) ⏵ (Revealed to be alive)
- ⏴ Grim Reaper (Williams) ⏵ (Cameo)
- ⏴ Power Man (Erik Josten) ⏵ (Cameo)
- ⏴ Swordsman ⏵ (Cameo)
- ⏴ Living Laser (Arthur Parks) ⏵ (Cameo)
- Jabari Tribe
Other Characters:
- S.H.I.E.L.D. (Mentioned)
- Daily Bugle (Named only)
- Sons of the Serpent (Mentioned)
- T'Chaka (Mentioned)
- Devil (Invoked)
- Tarzan (Mentioned)
- Iron Man (Tony Stark) (Statue)
- Yellowjacket (Hank Pym) (Statue)
- Thor (Odinson) (Statue)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and recap)
- Elephants (Mentioned)
- Synthezoids
- White Gorillas (Mentioned)
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and recap)
- North America
- United States
- New York City
- United States
- Moon, Earth Orbit (Referenced)
- Africa (Only in recap)
- Wakanda (Only in recap)
- North America
Items:
- Captain America's Shield
- Panther Habit (Main story and recap)
- Panther Idol (Mentioned)
- Mjolnir (Statue)
- Swordsman's Sword (Cameo)
- Grim Reaper's Scythe (Cameo)
Vehicles:
- Man-Ape's helicopter
- Quinjet
Synopsis for ""The Man-Ape Always Strikes Twice!""
Captain America arrives at Avengers Mansion and is ambushed by the Man-Ape. Perimeter security devices alert Goliath, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch to the melee and they rush to the roof, where the struggle is taking place.
The Man-Ape escapes. The Avengers wonder why the Man-Ape would target Captain America, an Avenger he's never encountered before.
Elsewhere, the Black Panther pays a visit to Monica Lynn and tells her of his activities as a school teacher. He leaves her to go to Avengers Mansion and Monica is then kidnapped by Man-Ape.
The Black Panther arrives at Avengers Mansion and learns about the Man-Ape's earlier attack. The Avengers are then contacted by the Ape himself who informs them that he has captured Lynn. He demands to battle the Black Panther alone.
The Panther goes to a pre-planned location to combat Man-Ape one on one. But the Man-Ape's henchman N'Gamo helps defeat him The Ape gloats about his victory to the Avengers before bringing his defeated foe to an abandoned tunnel below New York City.
The captive Black Panther learns that this is all part of a scheme concocted by the Grim Reaper, who has united a number of the Avengers' previous foes - Man-Ape, the Living Laser, Power Man, and Swordsman - as the Lethal Legion!
Notes
- The story continues into the next issue.
- As of this issue, Captain America is once again a full-time member of the team. No explanation is given for his return to active duty though.
- This cliffhanger for this issue is the debut of the original incarnation of the recurring supervillain team the Lethal Legion. This team functions as a rival team to the Avengers, much like the Masters of Evil. But whereas the Masters was comprised of villains who'd fought the individual members of the Avengers, this team is comprised of villains who've taken on the entire team in past adventures.