Appearing in "The Hard Sell"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Porcupine (Death)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- M.O.D.O.K. (Corpse, skeleton or other remains)
- A.I.M. scientists
- Princess Python
- Secret Empire (Mentioned)
- Hydra (Mentioned)
- Kingpin (Mentioned)
- Tinkerer (Mentioned)
- Maggia (Mentioned)
- Circus of Crime (Mentioned)
- Wilburn
- Lt. Burns
- Nomad (Only in flashback)
- Doctor Strange (Only in flashback)
- Cyclops (Only in flashback)
- Iron Man (Only in flashback)
- Luke Cage (Only in flashback)
- Red Guardian (Tania Belinskaya) (Only in flashback)
- Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond) (Only in flashback)
- Ant-Man (Henry Pym) (Only in flashback)
- Scarecrow (Only in flashback)
- Plantman (Only in flashback)
- Eel (Only in flashback)
- Unicorn (Only in flashback)
Locations:
- Monmouth County morgue
- Serpent Citadel
- Cadence Industries
- New York City
- Porcupine's apartment
- Manhattan
- construction site
- Avengers Mansion
- Saint Vincent's Hospital
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Hard Sell"
The Serpent Society breaks into the morgue and steals M.O.D.O.K.'s body. They return it to A.I.M.'s regional headquarters in exchange for their assassination fee. They encounter Alex Gentry, who is trying to sell his Porcupine armor. Cobra gives him the Serpent Society's business card.
Sidewinder electric shocks Princess Python to punish her for running away from the team. He meets with the other members in the briefing room to divide the assassination fee. Sidewinder is interrupted by a phone call from Gentry, but hangs up on him.
Gentry calls Captain America next. Cap offers to buy the Porcupine armor if Gentry will help set a trap for the Serpent Society. Gentry calls Sidewinder again saying he has captured Cap, and arranges a meeting at a construction site. Cottonmouth, Death Adder, Diamondback, and Rattler arrive to find Cap wrapped in chains. However, Cap breaks free and fights them. Porcupine tries to run away and briefly fights Diamondback. He ends up tripping and landing on one of his quills. He is stabbed the heart and dies.
At the local jail, Cap tries to keep in eye on the arrested Serpent Society members. Sidewinder teleports in and tells Cap that he can free them at any time.
In Avengers Mansion, Gentry's armor is displayed in a memorial case.
Solicit Synopsis
Cap is trapped by the Porcupine! At least that's what the Serpent Society thinks, because that's what the Porcupine wants them to know! If the Porcupine succeeds, his life of crime is over! If he fails ...
Notes
- M.O.D.O.K. was killed by the Serpent Society in Captain America #313. Princess Python tried to abandon the team in the same issue.
Trivia
- Cadence Industries is shown as a lark in this issue. Cadence was a corporation that was affiliated with Marvel Comics at this time.
Gently's death doesn't make any sense, as when the Captain found him, the thorn was embedded in his right shoulder and the next moment, the thorn was seen in the left side of his chest, right in the heart.
See Also
Links and References
- The Grand Comics Database: Captain America Vol 1 315 [1]
