By the way, boys, I'm glad they taught you some English back in Skrull city... But my name ain't "fool"... It's Hawkeye! 
- —Hawkeye to Skrulls
Appearing in "-- They First Make Mad!"
Featured Characters:
- Avengers
- Scarlet Witch (Wanda)
- Vision
- Quicksilver (Pietro)
- 🢐 Iron Man (Tony Stark) 🢒
- 🢐 Captain America (Steve Rogers) 🢒
- 🢐 Hawkeye (Clint Barton) 🢒 (As Hawkeye in main story and flashback; Goliath in flashback)
- Thor (Odinson)
- Hercules (Main story and flashback)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Skrull Empire (Only in flashback)
- Skrull Imperial Starfleet (Only in flashback)
- Kratos
- Bia
- Ares (Behind the scenes)
Other Characters:
- Devil (Invoked) (Main story and flashback)
- Robin Hood (Referenced) (Only in flashback)
- Intelligence Supreme (Referenced)
- Butler Jarvis
- Rudolfo's Travelling Carnival
- Rudolfo (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Various unnamed members (Only in flashback)
- Kevin O'Brien (Only in flashback)
- Speedy Gonzales (Referenced) (Topical Reference)
- Black Panther (T'Challa) (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Ant-Man (Hank Pym) (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Lord (Yahweh) (Invoked)
- Circe (Mentioned)
- Prometheus (Mentioned)
- Simon Williams (Mentioned)
- René Descartes (Mentioned)
- Zeus (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Synthezoids
- Asgardians
- Skrulls (Only in flashback)
- Crows (Invoked) (Only in flashback)
- Human-Olympian Hybrids (Main story and flashback)
- Mutants (Mentioned)
- Olympians Demigods
- Swines (Mentioned)
- Fleas (Mentioned)
- Birds (Mentioned)
- Demons (Mentioned)
Locations:
- Milky Way (Main story and flashback)
- Solar System (Main story and flashback)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- United States (Main story and flashback)
- Earth Orbit (Only in flashback)
- Europe (Only in flashback)
- Yugoslavia (Only in flashback)
- Belgrade (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Greece (Only in flashback)
- Mount Olympus (Mentioned)
- Yugoslavia (Only in flashback)
- Wakanda (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Solar System (Main story and flashback)
- Asgard (Mentioned)
- Kree Galaxy (Referenced)
- Heaven (Invoked)
- Olympus (Behind the scenes)
Items:
- Iron Man Armor Model 3
- Captain America's Shield
- Hawkeye's Bow and Trick Arrows
- Mjolnir
- Goliath's Suit (Only in flashback)
- Pym Particles (Referenced) (Only in flashback)
- Guardsman Armor (Only in flashback)
- Panther Habit (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Ant-Man's Suit and Helmet (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Adamantine (Mentioned)
Vehicles:
- Skrull warship (Destruction) (Only in flashback)
Synopsis for "-- They First Make Mad!"
While the Avengers attempt to restore the amnesiac Hercules’ memories, Hawkeye fills the Avengers in on how he returned to Earth, why he resumed his Hawkeye identity, and how he found Hercules.
During the climax of the Kree-Skrull War, Goliath (Hawkeye) was ordered to stop a Skrull ship that was sent to destroy the Earth. Boarding the ship, he realized that he was out of growth tablets and had to resort to his old archery skills in order to battle the Skrull warriors.
After destroying the alien ship, he crash-landed an escape pod in Yugoslavia where he was found by a circus troupe. He joined them as payment for transportation and supplies until he could get to the nearest town and arrange to travel back to the United States. During his time with the circus, he realized that the strong man was really the former Avenger Hercules. Hawkeye eventually convinced him to join him on his trip back to America.
With his story finished, the Avengers consult their scientist members (the Black Panther and Ant-Man) for solutions to restore Hercules' memories, to no avail.
While all this is transpiring, Hawkeye (who is unaware of the romance that has been fomenting between Wanda and the Vision) professes his love to a surprised Scarlet Witch. The Vision happens to witness the archer’s declaration from afar but departs without either Clint or Wanda seeing.
Just then, Avengers Mansion is attacked by Kratos and Bia, Olympian warriors seeking to reclaim Hercules for Ares. During the battle, the Scarlet Witch is injured. The Vision and Hawkeye almost come to blows over who will aid their injured teammate.
Ultimately, the Avengers fight off the Olympian warriors who do manage flee the battle with Hercules as their prisoner. Afterward, the Avengers vow to go to Olympus in order to prevent Hercules’ prophecy of doom from coming true.
Solicit Synopsis
Hawkeye returns to the fold! Hercules in torment! This one paves the way for perhaps the greatest hundredth issue of all!
Notes
- Cover art: pencils by Buscema and Smith, inks by Smith.
- Kevin O'Brian's name is incorrectly spelled "O'Brien" in this issue.
- Quicksilver reads "Fear", a novella by L. Ron Hubbard in this issue.
Trivia
The title comes from a line, "Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad", which is spoken by Prometheus in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "The Masque of Pandora".
