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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
The Great Bear
Avengers Island infirmary, were a concerned Michael O’Brien asks Dr. Kincaid what the prognosis is. ‘Any of them going to pull through?’. Dr. Kincaid replies that it looks very bad, and informs Michael that Darkstar and Vanguard went into cardiac arrest a few minutes ago and would not respond to resuscitation, while Major Ursus, even on the heart and lung machine, is fading fast. ‘Short of a miracle, the Soviet Super Soldiers are as good as dead!’. ‘Blast it!’ Michael exclaims, asking how this could have happened - who could have got past the Island’s entire security system, past all of his security officers - and launched a murderous attack on Captain America’s visitors.
Michael recalls finding Laynia Petrovna, Nicolai Krylenko and Major Mikhail Ursus in the training room and wonders who they got into the training compound without him knowing about it, as they were under almost constant surveillance since they arrived and requested political asylum. Dr. Kincaid informs O’Brien that Major Ursus has flat-lined, that his brain activity has gone. ‘There’s nothing more to be done here…except an autopsy’. Dr. Kincaid leads Michael out of the room where the three dead heroes lie.
‘Some security head I turned out to be!’ Michael exclaims, adding that as soon as Cap gets back, he is handing in his resignation. Dr. Kincaid suggests to Michael that he doesn’t do that, as it is not his fault someone managed to outwit Avengers security technology any more than it is his fault three patients the Avengers placed in his care died. ‘I suppose’ Michael remarks, before Dr. Kincaid asks how he can get hold of Captain America to break the bad news. O’Brien tells Kincaid that he cannot get hold of Captain America, as Cap should be flying over Soviet airspace right now, and there is no way to beam him the news without the possibility of a Soviet intercept. ‘If word gets out that the Soviet super heroes died on American super hero base, it could spark an international incident!’.
Both men are unaware though, that some sort of reading flits onto the life-signs monitor of one of the dead heroes….
At that moment, Captain America a.k.a. Steve Rogers is indeed flying over Soviet airspace in one of the Avengers Quinjets, and he tells himself that his official escorts have kept pace with him quite well, before deciding that now he has been given official landing clearance, it is time to show them what a Quinjet can really do, and without warning, Cap breaks formation with the Soviet aircraft, heading down to where he is to land.
Minutes later, Cap emerges from the Quinjet, surprised to see a welcoming committee, not to mention a red carpet. He then greets the officials in their native tongue. Boris Prokofiev approaches Captain America, introducing himself as the foreign relations consultant, he tells Cap that the assembly here would appreciate a few remarks, and asks him if he needs an interpreter. ‘Nyet’ Cap replies, shaking Boris’ hand, before approaching the officials, and in Russian, greets them as the esteemed leaders of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics.
Captain America announces that he stands before them as both citizen of the United States and as ambassador of the Avengers, the world’s pre-eminent team of superhuman peace-keepers. Captain America declares that it is his fervent hope to establish a viable means by which his team may serve the Soviet people in times of emergency, as it serves the rest of the people of the world. He thanks the officials, all who clap. Captain America waves to them as he follows Boris into a limousine, while asking him what happens now. Boris replies that they are going to take him to a hotel so he can rest after his long journey, and that tomorrow he has arranged for him to meet with the directorate of their Special Powers Committee.
Later, in a room on the top floor of the hotel, Captain America is in the shower, and thinks to himself that what he said to the assembly was true, he does hope to expand the Avengers operations to include communist nations as well as the free world. However, his ulterior motive for coming to the USSR of course is to determine if the attack on the Soviet Super Soldiers was officially sanctioned and undertaken by Soviet agents. Cap gets out of the shower and grabs a towel, wrapping it around his waist he wonders who else could have known the Super Soldiers were defecting? Who else would be worried about the intelligence they might reveal, or the negative publicity they might generate?
Cap recalls how they radar-scanned Avengers Island following the attack and did find an unidentified supersonic blip heading away from them in the general direction of the USSR, but that doesn’t really prove much. Something else on Cap’s mind is who - or what - the Soviet’s have working for them with sufficient power to beat the Super Soldiers within an inch of their lives. He thinks of the Avengers Files which will have data, when suddenly, hears a roaring sound out his window. Cap turns and looks out the window, where he sees some sort of ebony creature rampaging down the boulevard.
Cap gets dressed quickly, and leaps from the window, thinking that his hosts will not appreciate him running about unchaperoned, but when danger rears its head, it is time for action! Cap is unaware though, that someone is watching him from another hotel room. The woman watches Cap flee into the night and thinks that the directorate was wise to assign her to keep Captain America under surveillance. Grabbing a flagpole on his descent, Cap hopes that Soviet flagpoles are as strong as American ones!
Captain America then flings himself towards the creature, wondering what it is, as it looks like some sort of wild beast, except that its surface is so black, that it is non-reflective. ‘Uh-Oh!’ Cap thinks as the creature turns and sees him careening towards it. Cap holds his shield up as the creature smashes its fist into, sending Cap crashing through a store window. Leaping out of the store window, Cap tells himself that it could have been worse - it could have brick - before heading back towards the creature to give it another try, he mounts the creature from behind, grabbing on to one of its tendrils.
Climbing up the creature towards its head, Cap isn’t sure if it can feel him, but that it seems to be ignoring him now. Looking up ahead, Cap sees Red Square, and wonders where the authorities are, or the army, why no one has reported this monster, when, as if on cue, the military arrives in trucks. Cap wonders if he can find some sort of nerve ending behind the creatures skull, before realizing that the creatures surface is all spongy, that it is like hitting gelatine. ‘What is this thing anyway?!’ he wonders, when he detects something strange happening - and indeed, it does, as the creature disappears from beneath Cap, who plummets towards the ground, putting his shield ahead of him to brace his fall. As the soldiers disembark from their vehicles, Cap hopes that someone else saw that creature besides him, otherwise he is going to have a devil of a time explaining all that damage!
Hours later, back in the United States of America, Lemar Hoskins, better known as Battlestar, sits in his car and examines a map, locating Orchard Street which is two blocks East. Battlestar begins driving and recalls that the last time he was here in Custer’s Grove, Georgia, John Walker’s home town, the two of them were on their first mission as the new Captain America and Bucky. ‘Seems like years already!’ he tells himself.
Approaching a house, Lemar’s thoughts are on how Walker has been shot, and everyone is saying he is dead, but he isn’t so sure, not with the way Walker’s body was rushed off and supposedly cremated before anyone had the chance to look at it. ‘That’s suspicious to me!’ Lemar looks at the pile of mail and newspapers on the front porch, recalling that Valerie Cooper told him Walker’s sister, Kate ordered it done, but try as he might, he hasn’t been able to get hold of Kate by phone to verify it, which is why he has flown here to check it out in person. Lemar presses the doorbell, but no one comes to answer it.
‘Sonny, you looking for the Tollifsons?’ an elderly woman asks as she approaches the hedge fence between her house and Kate’s. Lemar turns to her and replies that he is, as he is a friend of Kate’s brother. The old woman remarks that it is the most curious thing she has ever seen - the whole family left in the middle of the night the other week. She remarks that usually, when the Tollifsons go on holiday, they ask her to look after the place, take in the mail, but not this time. Lemar frowns and thinks that there is definitely something fishy going on, ‘And if I can’t get to the bottom of it, I’m not worthy of calling myself Battlestar!’.
Back in the USSR, Captain America sits in a chair and looks out of his hotel window. ‘So much for a good nights sleep’ he thinks, recalling how it took four hours to convince the authorities that he had nothing to do with the rampant beast - if indeed he convinced them at all. He is thankful though that there were reports of the creature before he made an appearance. Cap remembers that the authorities did make it clear he was not to go anywhere for the rest of his visit without an escort though, and hearing a knock at the door, believes that must be the escort now.
Captain America opens the door, and is greeted by a handsome man clad in red and white who introduces himself as the Red guardian, foremost champion of the Soviet people, he remarks that he is to be Cap’s guide and asks him if he is ready. Cap is slightly surprised, but replies that he is, while thinking to himself that this must be the third Red Guardian that the Soviets have appointed.
Soon, the two symbols of their respective nations walk side by side through the city, hundreds of civilians flock to see the mighty men, and the Red Guardian motions to Lenin’s Tomb, and the Cathedral of Saint Basil. Captain America exclaims that they are beautiful, before asking it if would also be possible to see where the civilians live. ‘Of course, Captain. You too are of the people, eh?’ the Red Guardian asks. Cap replies that is true, explaining that he serves his nation’s people, not the government, and asks the Red Guardian about him. ‘Here in the USSR there is no difference’ Red Guardian replies.
Soon, the two men approach a blockade, and the Red Guardian asks if this is the scene of the destruction which Captain America participated in. ‘Yes. In a manner of speaking’ Cap replies. Red Guardian greets the soldiers guarding the area and tells them that their staunchness does mother Russia proud. Cap wonders why he is getting the feeling that the Red Guardian made a point of bringing him this way. Walking through the market district, Soviet civilians all cry out to Red Guardian. ‘Our hero puts the American to shame!’ one of them exclaims. Captain America observes the adoration the people have for the Red Guardian and he thinks that it is good to see he is so popular, for were he simply a law enforcing government operative, Cap doubts the Red Guardian would be so warmly greeted.
A child asks their father who the man in blue is, while another child asks Red Guardian to make her fly like a super hero. The Red Guardian lifts her up and tosses her in the air, telling her to be good, and then one day she may be a hero too. The children run after Captain America and the Red Guardian as they continue on their walk, while the Red Guardian asks Cap if he assumes correctly that the American people acclaim him similarly. ‘Usually’ Cap replies. Suddenly, there is a scream, and both heroes turn around - where they see the civilians all running for their lives from the strange ebony creature.
Captain America announces that this is the creature he saw last night, while deciding that the outline seems more distinct this time, although it may just be that he sees it in daylight this time. ‘This is the behemoth you claimed ravaged out streets, eh?’ Red Guardian asks, before declaring that he will prevent the creature from doing such a thing again. ‘Right here beside you!’ Cap adds, as both men toss their shields in unison towards the creature. Both their shields bounce off though, and the creature punches the ground beside Red Guardian, knocking him over.
Captain America lunges at the creature, thinking that it seems more defined this time, less hazy around the edges than last night, while hoping that it makes it easier to fight. ‘Apparently not’ he thinks as the creature smashes him into a set of crates. The creature attacks the Red Guardian again, who thinks to himself ‘This creature is like some monstrous version of - no! It cannot be!’. A child screams as the creature looms over it. Captain America sees this and rushes over at the same time Red Guardian does. Cap notices that Red Guardian is closer, and the red-clad super hero lunges under the creatures paw, urging the boy to get up.
Cap arrives in time and manages to pull the child to safety, but Red Guardian gets pinned underneath, and cries out in pain. Cap remarks to himself that it is strange that it looked as if the creature waited until the child was clear before putting its weight down on Red Guardian. The Red Guardian is in serious trouble though, as he fumbles about as the beast sucks him in. ‘The beast is like a tar pit!’ he exclaims, while Cap calls out for him to hang on - but it’s too late, as the creature lifts its paw and Red Guardian is nowhere to be seen. Cap wonders where Red Guardian went while watching the creature mysteriously disappear again. ‘Blast! This is infuriating!’ Cap exclaims, wondering what the creature is and what it wants, not to mention why it disappeared as soon as it downed the Red Guardian. ‘I want some answers!’.
Within the hour, at the office of the Directorate of the Special Powers Committee. Captain America informs Mr. Krysenko that he does not know what happened to the Red Guardian, explaining that the creature apparently swallowed him. ‘Yes. Through it’s foot, you said’ Mr. Krysenko replies, clearly with some disbelief. Captain America slams a fist down on the director’s desk and asks if he is mistaken, or if he detects a certain lack of concern. Krysenko replies that he is concerned enough, but that he is also suspicious, pointing out that the bear-creature’s arrival did coincide with Captain America’s arrival, and that it only appeared when Captain America was in the vicinity. ‘It took our champion and left you untouched, no?’.
Mr. Krysenko rubs his hands together and smiles smarmily, asking Captain America if it is any wonder he is suspicious. Captain America assures Mr. Krysenko that he has nothing to do with Red Guardian’s disappearance, when suddenly someone rushes into the room, announcing that the great beast has been sighted once more, heading for the Kremlin. ‘Engage the Supreme Soviets!’ Krysenko exclaims. ‘The Supreme Soviets?’ Cap thinks to himself. ‘I figured the Special Powers Committee must have more than one operative to direct. I wonder…’ he thinks suspiciously.
Minutes later, soldiers are firing the guns at the bear creature, while Captain America rushes into action, thinking that despite the director’s suspicions, he is allowing him to confront the monster again. Cap suspects that is because the director is hoping he will do something to incriminate himself as the beast’s accomplish. ‘No matter, I just want another crack at the thing’.
At that moment, Perun leads Crimson Dynamo and Sputnik into the battle, while Sputnik announces that his sensors are indicating the entity is a construct of unknown energy which is an analogue to the Darkforce. Crimson Dynamo knows that Darkstar wields the Darkforce, and all three begin attacking the creature. Perun tosses his axe at the creature, while Crimson Dynamo and Sputnik blast it with their own energies. Eventually, Sputnik points out that the creature is staggering. The Crimson Dynamo remarks that all of their bombardments are entering it without much effect though.
Suddenly, the beast, in a frenzy, lashes out at the wall of the Kremlin, and large rocks begin falling to the streets below. A woman cries out to her husband who is in the direct path of one, but is saved when Captain America tosses his shield at the rock, separating it. Retrieving his shield, Cap tells the civilians to cleat the streets, as it is not safe. ‘The American saved my life!’ the Soviet man exclaims in surprise.
Sputnik informs Perun that he is detecting Red Guardian’s life-force within the entity, and announces that he is going to investigate. ‘Have a care, android’ Perun replies as Sputnik dives into the, while Crimson Dynamo thinks that he has bombarded the creature with every weapon he possesses, yet it simply absorbs them all. Crimson Dynamo recalls that Vanguard had a similar ability, and wonders if this creature is connected in some way. ‘Dynamo! The monster’s eyes!’ Perun exclaims, but it’s too late, as the creature blasts Crimson Dynamo with his own plasma-bolts, before trapping Crimson Dynamo in his tractor beam and pulls him towards the creature.
As he is sucked into the creature, Crimson Dynamo calls out for Perun to help him. Perun tells Dynamo to ‘Fear not’ and boasts that hr has yet to wield his most potent weapon - the elemental lightning. A massive bolt of lightning smacks into the creature, but it is barely fazed, and soon Perun finds himself sucked into the creature. ‘do as you will, beast. The Slavic Lord of Thunder shall not beg for mercy!’ Perun exclaims.
Captain America watches as, suddenly, a massive bubble encases the creature, and Steve thinks to himself that he gets the feeling the globe is not the monster’s doing, before seeing something - someone reaching an arm out towards him. ‘A woman! In costume!’ Cap exclaims as he sees Fantasia, trapped in the creatures grasp, he wonders where she came from, or if she was here all along, then why he didn’t see her. The bubble vanishes, and the creature turns away from Cap. He assumes that it means the creature does not want him, just the Supreme Soviets, so he dives into the creature.
‘I’m in…I think!’ he exclaims, surrounded by complete darkness, Cap suddenly sees a dim light in the opposite direction. Turning, he sees three glowing figures which resemble the Soviet Super Soldiers. He decides that he must communicate with them, when the trio tell Captain America that he does not belong here. Cap calls out to the heroes, and they reply that they are their life essences, their spirit selves. Captain America motions to the five Supreme Soviets and asks what they are doing to them. ‘Draining their life-force. The Supreme Soviets attacked us - left us near death’ the Super Soldiers reveal, adding that to restore life to their mortal bodies, they must have super human energies - theirs.
Captain America asks if that will kill the Supreme Soviets, and the Super Soldiers reply ‘Yes. But that is of little consequence. It is the price they must pay for their heinous deeds!’. Cap doesn’t agree, and tells Darkstar, Vanguard and Major Ursus that no one may judge a being’s worthiness to live. ‘If you rob them of their lives, you are no better than them!’ he exclaims. ‘You will no longer be worthy of calling yourselves heroes!’. Cap declares that he will fight the Super Soldiers to prevent them from killing the Supreme Soviets, when suddenly, the Super Soldiers shine brighter, blinding Captain America, he wonders what it means. ‘If they’ve dared to murder them…’ he thinks, when suddenly, he appears outside.
Cap examines the situation - the bear has vanished, soldiers are all around, and the Supreme Soviets are lying on the snow. ‘Are they dead?’ Cap wonders, before putting a hand on Red Guardian’s chest, and thankfully, detects a heartbeat. Cap realizes that he must have gotten through to the Super Soldiers and orders the soldiers to go and fetch medics.
Two days later, Captain America is returning to Avengers Island and radios to Michael O’Brien, requesting permission to land, while recalling that the Supreme Soviets were still bedridden when he left, but that they are expected to pull through, as apparently, the Super Soldiers didn’t drain their life-force completely. Making his way towards the infirmary, Cap is followed by O’Brien, thinking to himself that according to Dr. Kincaid, the Super Soldiers have made a recovery that is nothing short of miraculous.
Entering the ward, Cap stands before the Super Soldiers, and Vanguard informs him that they had a strange dream, all three of them, in which they left their bodies and joined together as a great beast. Major Ursus adds that it was Nicolai who deduced their attackers were the government’s strike force, disguised as the Avengers through the witch Fantasia’s magic. Darkstar tells Captain America that, in the dream they journeyed back to the motherland and drew the Supreme Soviet’s out of hiding, and avenged themselves. ‘You were in our dream, Captain!’ she adds. ‘I know’ Captain America replies.
Later, Cap walks across Avengers Island, thinking that it would probably take Dr. Strange to figure out what happened, how the Super Soldier’s managed to manifest their powers out of their bodies while hovering between life and death, and he still doesn’t know if the attack on them was officially sanctioned by the Special Powers Committee, but regardless, he is going to have to beef up security so such an attack cannot occur again. Looking to the stars, Cap tells himself that loose ends and unanswered questions are par for the course these days, but smiling, knows that any time something good can be accomplished without any loss of life, he calls that a victory.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Reawakening
A barn somewhere in Morris County, New Jersey, Captain America a.k.a. Steve Rogers shines a flashlight into the dimly lit barn, and reminds himself that he has been meaning to check this place out for weeks now, ever since the machines went crazy in SHIELD’s New York headquarters.
At the same moment, in a morgue in Georgetown, District of Columbia, Lemar Hoskins a.k.a. the hero known as Battlestar moves through the morgue, and shines a torch around to the cabinets where the bodies are stored. He tells himself that he has been meaning to check this place out for weeks now, ever since the Watchdog who shot John Walker got himself killed by a mystery assailant not five minutes later.
Back in the barn, Cap tells himself that it seemed like every time he tried to get away, another emergency cropped up, but now with the super-nova safely out of this time period, and the Soviet Super Soldiers convalescing nicely, there is nothing standing in his way. He admits that the purpose of this sightseeing trip is a long shot at best, as there is any number of parties who could have been attempting to siphon data from SHIELD’s central computer system, and at least a handful of persons capable of jump-starting those robots that attacked Nick Fury and him. Walking past broken robots resembling various heroes, Cap can’t shake the suspicion that the greatest robot-maker he has ever met, the Machinesmith, was behind the attack. Cap remembers that the Machinesmith is dead, although he was supposed to be dead when he fought him some time ago, so that doesn’t seem to be a consideration. He hopes that with any luck, rifling through the wreckage of his last known headquarters beneath the barn will turn up some clues as to whether the Machinesmith has come back to life or not.
At the same time, Battlestar reminds himself that it took a while to scope out which morgue the slimy Watchdog was taken to, as he wasn’t at the same one as poor Johnny. He supposes that the autopsy was completed and the Watchdog was laid in the ground weeks ago, not that he is anxious to start opening the drawers to find out. But, if Lemar is lucky, then something far more important than the Watchdog’s body was left behind - namely, his personal effects. The farther Lemar has gotten into his private investigation of his partner’s death, the fishier the things he has come up with. He doesn’t know what they all mean, or what they add up to, but he keeps clinging to the hope that John Walker - the replacement Captain America - is still alive somehow, somewhere.
Captain America enters the anteroom to the Machinesmith’s command chamber, and sees the floor littered with Machinesmith robots, right where they were last time he was here. Cap realizes that he neglected to take a head count last time, so for all he knows, one or two are missing. He decides to check out the inner sanctum, and finds the main data bank, which was the repository for his digitalized personality, and it looks to be in serious disrepair. Cap takes a closer look, knowing that an entity like the Machinesmith can transfer its intelligence from one robot to another, telemetrically wouldn’t leave obvious tracks.
Battlestar enters another office within the morgue, and finds it filled with small lockers. He hopes that one of the lockers contains the clothes and pocket items found on the stiffs in the drawers in the other room. He hopes that the Watchdog’s junk didn’t get sent somewhere when he was booted out. He rips a padlock from one of the lockers, and although he hates costing the taxpayers money by busting all of the padlocks, he doesn’t have time to give the place the once over looking for the key ring. Ripping another padlock from a locker, Lemar decides that he will send the morgue some money as soon as he makes sure he has some with no fingerprints.
Captain America picks up a head from one of the Machinesmith robots, but he can’t find the slightest sign of a disturbance, and even the dust looks a uniform thickness all over. ‘Alas, poor robot, I appear to have given your maker a little more credit than he deserved!’ Cap thinks to himself, before deciding that there is no sense in going home empty handed, so he takes the head with him, and makes his way outside to his jet. Cap decides that when he gets back to Avengers Island he will contact Damage Control and have them clean out the barn and ship all the robot parts to Avengers Island for safekeeping. He tells himself that it is too bad he hasn’t been as meticulous about tying up his loose ends from his exploits as he might be, but now that he is Avengers Chairman, decides that will change. ‘With SHIELD gone, it’s incumbent on us to police our battle sites and confiscate all potentially hazardous materials before they fall into other wrong hands’ Cap tells himself.
Battlestar finds the Watchdog’s uniform, including the bullet-ridden helmet, but suddenly, he realizes that this isn’t really a Watchdog helmet - but a cheap imitation! He takes the uniform and helmet with him as he sneaks out of the morgue, wondering what if this isn’t authentic gear, it means. It could be that someone got to this place and replaced the Watchdog’s real duds with fakes, or the Watchdog wasn’t wearing real gear to begin with. ‘And if he wasn’t wearing a real uniform, can that mean he wasn’t a real Watchdog?’ Lemar wonders. ‘Who was it who shot John Walker?’ he asks himself, knowing he has to get to the bottom of this.
Less than half an hour later, ‘QJ-1 to Avengers Island, requesting permission to land, over’ Captain America radios down to Avengers Island. Michael O’Brien responds, informing Cap that he is cleared to land, and that he has a guest for him waiting in the hanger. Once Cap has landed the Quinjet, he emerges from the vessel, ‘Guest…I wonder who…oh, yes. HIM’ Cap thinks to himself. ‘Captain, I believe you remember Mr Stankowitz?’ Michael O’Brien calls out. ‘How could I forget?’ Cap mutters, while the flamboyant Fabian exclaims ‘Say hey! Caparino! So, you finally wised up and decided to make me an Avenger, huh?’ to which Captain America replies ‘Not quite’.
A block from the morgue, Battlestar has put a jacket over his costume, and looks back at his car as he approaches a payphone, deciding that slipping the kids on the stoop over there each a twenty to keep an eye on his car was a shrewd move, realizing he will need his car to find a payhone that works. But the payphone he finds has a dial tone. ‘Yes…this is Lemar Hoskins. Is Mizz Cooper in? Uh, no, she’s not expecting my call. Just tell her who I am. She’ll talk to me’ Battlestar tells the operator. In her office, the glamorous Valerie Cooper smiles, ‘Lemar! How good to hear from you!’ she begins, before asking him if he in Chicago yet, but Battlestar interrupts, ‘Let me get straight to the point’ he begins. ‘I’m all ears’ Val replies.
Back on Avengers Island, Captain America tells Fabian that, as an enemy, he is a nuisance, and that as an ally, he is a liability. ‘But as an inventor, you’re pretty darn good’ he admits, explaining that he would like to hire Fabian as the Avengers’ resident inventor. ‘Interested?’ ‘I’d probably have to give up my job at Radio Shack…’ Fabian begins, before announcing ‘Okay! It’s a deal!’ and he and Captain America shake hands. Cap informs Fabian that he can start as soon as he wishes, while reminding himself that Stankowitz has used his inventions to challenge the Avengers on several occasions, so here at least they will be able to keep an eye on him and give him a constructive outlet for his creativity.
‘Man alive! Wait’ll I tell ma!’ Fabian thinks to himself. Cap suddenly gets a report that a humanoid robot has been spotted outside of Waltham in Massachusetts. ‘Waltham? Good grief! That’s where -’ Cap thinks to himself, while Fabian grins, ‘A robot? WOW! I’m really good with robots, can I tag along when you check it out?’ he asks.
‘I have a reason to believe that John Walker is still alive!’ Battlestar informs Valerie, who gasps ‘WHAT?’, shocked. Battlestar watches some people checking out his car, while explaining to Val that he doesn’t have any proof, but does have a whole mess of unexplained occurrences. ‘First, you as you know, John’s body disappeared from the morgue less than a day after he was shot. Supposedly his sister asked for it to be cremated. However when I tried to get hold of his sister for verification, she herself had up and vanished’. Battlestar continues, informing Val that he got a chance to examine the uniform of the Watchdog who shot John, and he believes it is a fake. ‘I could go on, but it all adds up to one thing: I think there’s a plot going down to make the world believe Johnny’s dead when he really isn’t’. Valerie listens to Battlestar in silence, before telling him that she will let the FBI know of his suspicions. ‘If you find out anything more, let me know, okay?’ Val asks, but Battlestar hangs up, thinking that Valerie doesn’t believe him.
An hour later, in Massachusetts, ‘Watch your step, Fabian’ Cap tells Stankowitz who is now dressed in the Avengers Support Crew jumpsuit, and climbs down from the Quinjet. Cap hopes that he won’t regret letting Fabian talk him into coming along, and as they make their way across the field, Cap tells Fabian to stay behind him at all times, and if there is any trouble whatsoever, he is to run straight back to the Quinjet. ‘Sure thing, Caparino!’ Fabain replies. ‘Don’t let me down on this, Fabian, or it will be your last assignment’ Cap tells Fabian, and, over the next hill, ‘I…don’t believe it…after all these years!’ Cap gasps as he stares up at the purple and orange robot. ‘Oh, wow! That’s the Fourth Sleeper, isn’t I?’ Fabian exclaims.
At the same time, in the Cincinnati branch of Stane International, Mr Gladstone presses a control panel, opening the door to a large room. General Hayworth is with him, and he tells the General that he thinks he will find the I-M Mark One the answer to all the Armed Forces’ special training needs. ‘In fact, once you view Stane’s crowning technological achievement, you’ll not only know why our company is pre-eminent in the field of combat robotics, but you’ll most assuredly be tempted to order a platoon of said mobile armature - in short, robots, for your advanced strategic -’, Gladstone exclaims, until Hayworth tells him to can the chatter and show him the tin suit. ‘Most certainly!’ Gladstone declares as they enter the large room, where a very bulky robot towers over them. ‘General Hayworth, may I present the I-Mark One, popularly known as the Iron Monger!’
Back on the hill, Cap confirms that it is the Fourth Sleeper, standing motionless in the exact spot where he fought him all those years ago. He remarks that the Sleeper was a product of Nazi scientists and was a nearly unstoppably engine of destruction, were it not for the crystalline control device disrupting its molecular structure, making it intangible. Can looks sad as he recalls that it was Sharon Carter who held the key - his dear departed Sharon. Fabian senses something wrong and asks Cap if he is okay. ‘Yes…just remembering the last time I was here’ Cap responds, hanging his head. Fabian exclaims that he remembers the Sleeper, too, and that he was in issue #102 of Cap’s comic. ‘The Red Skull awakened him and you and Agent 13 of SHIELD were -’ Fabian begins, but Cap interrupts, and explains ‘That was the comic-book version’.
Back at Stane International, ‘This thing is state of the art, eh?’ General Hayworth asks. ‘Most assuredly’ Gladstone smiles, explaining that it was designed by Anthony Stark back when Stane International was his company. He adds that it was created under most demanding specifications. Gladstone asks Hayworth if he remembers how Star’s bodyguard, Iron Man, was going around shorting out the armor worn by his various armored rivals. The General replies that he does, and Gladstone reveals that Stark never got to the Iron Monger, so it is intact and undamaged.
On the hillside, Tentacles emerge from the metal pack on Stankowitz’s back, and he wraps them around the Fourth Sleeper’s body. Stankowitz declares that Captain America has checked to make sure the Sleeper won’t come back to life, and explains that his gizmo was designed for hauling scrap metal. Cap tells Stankowitz to be careful, while Stankowitz announces that he cannot get over how light the Sleeper is, before recalling that he could control his density. The Fourth Sleeper is loaded into the Quinjet and they take flight, with Stankowitz asking Cap what he thinks caused the Sleeper to fade back in after he vanished. Cap replies that he doesn’t know, but that he hopes to get Dr Pym to examine him, as cybernetics and robotics are Pym’s fields. ‘Maybe I could see what makes him tick?’ Stankowitz suggests, but Cap reminds him that his job is to create new inventions, not tinker with old ones. ‘Aww, Cap!’ Stankowitz complains, while thoughts float around in the Sleeper’s head - ‘They fly me to their headquarters. All goes according to plan’.
At Stane International, Gladstone boasts that there is a rumor that Iron Man was afraid to challenge the Iron Monger, but Hayworth declares ‘Bull! I heard on at least two occasions, he did fight it!’, to which Gladstone explains that armor is only as good as its operator, and on those two occasions, inexperienced operators were involved. ‘If you rent the I-M Mark One, I trust you’ll find someone, in short, suitable’. Hayworth replies that he will, and tells Gladstone to get him the appropriate papers so he can get the contraption carted away.
Forty-five minutes later, at Avengers Island, Michael ‘OBrien meets Captain America and watches as the Sleeper is loaded onto a truck for transport inside. Michael tells Captain America that he was quick, to which Cap replies that the Sleeper was inactive when they arrived. As Stankowitz helps load the Sleeper he exclaims ‘Told ya I’d come in handy!’, while a worker looks at the Sleeper and tells himself that it gives him the “jeebies”, and that he would hate to see it wake up. Stankowitz asks where the Sleeper is being taken to, and Cap informs him that hangar bay three has been converted into a containment facility.
Three hours later, in a special containment facility at Fort Meade, Maryland, ‘You’re the head of this outfit, Cooper. What do you know about this?’ Henry Gyrich demands as he and other members of the Commission on Superhuman Activity follow Val down a corridor. Val replies that she knows no more than anyone, and points out that ever since Walker was assassinated, no one has seen or heard from General Hayworth, and now, out of the blue, he has sent for the entire Commission to meet him here. Raymond Sikorsky states that he wished the military didn’t have to be represented on the Committee. ‘Maybe we can convince President Bush!’ he suggests. Val ignores the comment and asks Sikorsky how the investigation of Walker’s death is going, and whether the FBI has been able to identify the Watchdog.
As Wesley Werner, Martin Farrow, Orville Sanderson, Adrian Sammish and George Mathers mill about, Raymond tells Valerie that he spoke to Agent Stopes yesterday, and as of then, they hadn’t identified the Watchdog. The always impatient Gyrich tenses his fingers and shouts ‘Where is that blasted Hayworth?’, when suddenly, someone announces that the lights in the training area have gone on. The Commission gather around the observation window that looks down into the training room, and they see Hayworth, ‘And some big robot!’ someone exclaims. Hayworth looks up and thanks his fellow Commissioners for coming along. He explains that since their department lots its prime operative, Captain America, he has been working around the clock locating and training a replacement.
‘Man alive, who d’ya got in here? The who’s who of robots?’ Stankowitz gasps as he sees several robots laid out on tables in the converted hangar bay. Stankowitz begins listing the ones he knows - the Sentry, Sinister and Tess-One, and the Mad Thinker’s Awesome Android. ‘And, uh, who’s that silvery guy?’ he asks. Captain America explains that it is the Super Adaptoid in his unadaptive mode.
Back at Fort Meade, General Hayworth explains that he is not talking about his armoured friend the Iron Monger. ‘You may come out now’ he calls back, and a panel in the wall opens. From it, a man dressed in Steve Rogers’ old “Captain” costume - the black costume with the red and white stripes across the front, red boots and gloves - steps out. Hayworth smiles and motions to the muscular man, ‘Commission, may I introduce to you…the USAgent!’ he booms.
Stankowitz smiles and asks Captain America how he got all those great robots here. ‘Wait - was it in some adventure that hasn’t been published yet? Yeah! Ill be that’s it!’ he exclaims, adding that he remembers the first issue each of the robots appeared - ‘The Sentry in F.F #64, the Super-Adaptoid in Tales of Suspense #84, Tess-One in Cap Annual #8, and -’ Stankowitz is interrupted by Cap, who suggests that Fabian help him transfer the Sleeper into the stasis field. ‘Huh? Oh - right’ Stankowitz remarks as he extends the tentacles from his backpack, and collects the Slepper. ‘Easy now’ Cap tells Stankowitz, as he motions to an empty space on one of the tables with the stasis field covering it. A thought circles in the Sleeper’s head: ‘Stasis field? No! It’s time to act!’
‘Who?’ one of the Commission asks back at Fort Meade. ‘General ,you son of a-’ Gyrich exclaims, while Adrian Sammish points out that he is wearing Steve Rogers’ interim uniform. Raymond remarks that the USAgent has an uncanny resemblance to John Walker. ‘Walker? No - that can’t really…’ Val thinks to herself, suspiciously. Hayworth tells his colleagues that to show them how good the USAgent is, he has devised this little sparring session, pitting him against Hayworth’s most experienced Guardsman, clad in the two-ton omnium steel battle suit, with an arsenal of built-in assault weaponry. ‘I assure you, the combat you will se here is unrehearsed’ Hayworth assures the Commission. ‘Gentlemen…’ he begins.
But, back at Avengers Island, ‘Faith!’ Michael O’Brien exclaims as he is knocked aside by the Fourth Sleeper who has leapt into action. Stankowitz falls aside as well when the Sleeper smashes a fist into the ground. ‘Good Lord, the Sleeper was playing possum! It’s time for action!’ Captain America thanks to himself.
‘…begin!’ Hayworth finishes his sentence, and USAgent instantly leaps into the air to dodge a blast of energy that is emitted from the Iron Monger’s chest. ‘All right, Bunkie! The folks want us to put on a little show before I pulp you - let’s not disappoint them, eh?’ the operator of the Iron Monger calls out.
On Avengers Island, Captain America tells O’Brien to evacuate the area, and orders Stankowitz to get out as well. O’Brien asks Captain America what sort of assistance he will be needing, to which Cap replies that he will have a crack at it alone first of all. ‘Uh- uh - okay!’ Stankowitz mutters as he responds to Captain America. Cap lunges at the Sleeper and strikes its head with his shield. Cap tells his support crew to try and get hold of Thor or Gilgamesh and to put them on stand-by in the event that the Sleeper manages to escape this hangar.
‘So good of you to join us up here, General. Now start singing! You owe us one heck of an explanation!’ Valerie tells Hayworth, while USAgent throws his shield at the Iron Monger’s chest. ‘Most assuredly, Madame Chairwoman. And I’ll be happy to oblige, provided said explanation does not distract you from the exhibition below’ Hayworth replies, while USAgent leaps into the air once more when the Iron Monger fires beams of energy from its hands. ‘That futile attempt to disrupt my vario-beam cost you that hubcap, Bunkie!’ Iron Monger declares.
There is a loud WHOOM as the Fourth Sleeper throws Captain America backwards. ‘It moves more quickly that I’d remembered!’ Cap thinks to himself, but he flips over, bounces against the wall, and lands on his feet on the ground, deciding that it doesn’t matter, as he has defeated more powerful opponents.
USAgent dodges several blasts from the Iron Monger, as he leaps across the room to retrieve his shield, while, at the observation window, Valerie asks the General what in the world he thought he was doing going off and undertaking a project of this sort without the rest of the Commission’s knowledge or approval. USAgent reaches his shield, and spins around to deflect another blast from the Iron Monger.
On Avengers Island, Captain America leaps towards the Sleeper, thankful that the Sleeper’s volcanic powers seem to have atrophied along with its control over density. The Sleeper slams its way through some machinery, and Cap jumps in front of it, slamming his shield against the Sleeper’s chest, and tells himself that it wouldn’t be easy dealing with those other abilities on top of the robot’s strength and durability. He hopes that his attack can disrupt a few crucial brain circuits. ‘He may be tough - but I’m tougher!’
At Fort Meade, Hayworth tells Valerie that he begs to differ, as he was carrying out the assignment he had been given. ‘What assignment? The only thing you were assigned to do was clean up John Walker’s image so we could employ him without the public getting bent!’ Valerie exclaims. ‘That’s exactly what I’ve done!’ Hayworth replies, to which another member of the Commission asks Hayworth what he means, as Walker is dead. ‘That’s right. He died a martyr - a hero. His image problem is solved’ Hayworth replies, while USAgent leaps towards the Iron Monger and slams his shield into the neck joints. ‘Good God, man - you’re not saying you had something to do with his assassination!?’ Valerie gasps.
Cap wonders who reactivated the Sleeper - and why, while the Sleeper charges towards a nearby wall. He wonders if it could have been the man who claims to be the revived Red Skull, as the Sleeper was one of the Red Skull’s many brain-children, and the Skull would have known the robot’s whereabouts. ‘Hope he won’t be too upset when I return this thing in pieces’ Cap thinks to himself as the Sleeper crashes into the wall.
At Fort Meade, USAgent is thrown from the Iron Monger, while Hayworth reveals that he had everything to do with Walker’s assassination - he rehearsed and staged the whole thing, with Walker’s help, of course. “Staged?” Valerie asks, shocked. ‘Pretty convincing, eh? I see you were all fooled’ Hayworth smiles, before announcing that the man down there, the USAgent - is John Walker. USAgent dodges another blast from the Iron Monger, who exclaims ‘You’re making me mad, bunkie!’
On Avengers Island, the Sleeper picks up some machinery, while Cap moves away from him, thankful that he has so far managed to keep the Sleeper on this side of the hangar, away from the other robots, for if he was to upset the stasis field apparatus, then he would have four other formidable robots to take out. Cap leaps into the air as the Sleeper throws the machinery towards Cap, who wonders if that is the Sleeper’s mission - to free the other robots.
‘Make that “Was” Walker. This man has a blank record! A clean slate!’ Hayworth explains back at Ford Meade. He reveals that in the weeks that they had Walker on ice, they established a new cover identity for him, erased old mannerisms and gave him new ones, and that he even underwent speech therapy. USAgent ducks down as a panel on the wall that was torn open by the Iron Monger’s blast starts emitting fire. He pulls the emitter from the wall and aims it towards the ceiling, while the Iron Monger continues to fire blasts of energy. Hayworth explains that so long as the USAgent keeps a low profile, no one will ever suspect he was John Walker.
Suddenly, inside the hangar bay, ‘Oh, Captain? Over heee-eeere!’ a voice calls out, and Captain America turns to see the head of the Machinesmith looking at him. ‘Of course Machinesmith, you ninny!’ the head declares,. Boasting that when it comes to robotics, no man is his superior - not Doom, not Pym, not Richards - no one. The Machinesmith smiles as he tells Captain America that he considered pulverizing him before revealing who was behind this, but then decided against it, as that wouldn’t be fun. ‘You look so cute when you’re being taunted!’ the Machinesmith adds, remarking that he missed a perfectly good opportunity during their run in at SHIELD, he couldn’t let another chance pass him by. ‘So, Mr Blue-Britches, Machinesmith is back and you’re gonna be in big trouble!’ the head exclaims, but Captain America picks the head up ad throws it against the Sleeper’s head - ‘You talk too much’ Cap declares as the head of the Machinesmith shatters.
At Fort Meade, the flame from the panel strikes the ceiling, and the Iron Monger leaps for cover, while Valerie asks about the Watchdog who shot Walker. Hayworth reveals that he was one of his men, and that he shot blanks, that Walker’s uniform was rigged with trick blood bags, as was the guard who was shot on the way out. ‘What about the mystery assailant who shot your Watchdog? He wasn’t real either?’ Valerie enquires, referring to the mysterious Scourge. ‘No. He, unfortunately, was’ Hayworth replies, while streams of water pour down from the training room ceiling, dowsing both the flaming wall panel, and the Iron Monger.
On Avengers Island, Captain America leaps over the Sleeper, thinking that all the pieces fall into place now - the Machinesmith found the Sleeper and entered its electronic guidance system, where he repaired its density control circuitry so it could regain tangibility. Cap pulls up some machinery, and supposes that the Machinesmith wanted to get physically inside Avengers facilities, and gambled that bringing the Sleeper out of hiding would do it.
Valerie announces that she is sure she can speak for the rest of the Commission when she says that she is glad Walker is alive, but Raymond declares that he finds it inexcusable that Hayworth allowed this hoax to be perpetrated on them, as well as the public. ‘Why weren’t we informed?’ he enquires. The Iron Monger recovers from the water attack, and fires another blast of energy at USAgent, who is knocked to the floor. Hayworth tells Raymond that he didn’t trust his play-acting abilities, and points out that if any one of them was unable to feign grief and outrage convincingly to the media, all of his work would have gone down the drain. At that moment, the Iron Monger flies towards USAgent.
In the hangar bay, Captain America tells telling himself that as for what Machinesmith wanted here, there are plenty of possibilities. He hopes to catch the Sleeper off guard long enough to slap a stasis field on him, so what the Machinesmith wanted will be a moot point. ‘There!’ Cap tells himself as he leaps over the Sleeper, and slams the piece of machinery on him, emitting a stasis field around the large robot. Cap leaps away from the stasis field, hoping that he was lucky enough to have neutralized the Sleeper’s circuitry before Machinesmith has enough time to beam his intelligence into any other live electrical system.
At Fort Meade, Hayworth points out that since weeks have passed, the media will entitle them to their composure, so he trusts no one will have difficulty keeping the secret now. USAgent spins around just in time to deflect the Iron Monger’s blast with his shield. When Valerie asks about Walker’s sister, Hayworth reveals that Kate believes Walker is dead, and they had her flown down to take care of his personal effects. ‘Blast you, Bunkie! What does it take to bring you down?’ the Iron Monger asks. ‘More than you’ve got’ are USAgent’s sparse words, as he pulls a cable from the wall and shoves it against the Iron Monger.
Soon, at Avengers Island, Cap stands over the fallen Sleeper, who is held in stasis, as Michael O’Brien, Fabian Stankowitz and some security personnel enter. ‘You did it, Cap’n! Wish I’d been here to see it!’ O’Brien exclaims, while Stankowitz remarks that the Sleeper is as dead as doorstep again. Cap looks at his support crew and suggests they get the Sleeper placed into storage with the others.
Soon, at Fort Meade, USAgent stands over the fallen Iron Monger, while the Commission members gather around him, and medics check the Iron Monger wearer. ‘Congratulations, son! Good show!’ Hayworth tells the silent Walker, adding that he has a feeling USAgent is going to make his country proud. Valerie looks concerned, and thinks to herself ‘The question is, what is the country going to do with him?’….


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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Remote Control (first story)
(First story)
For long months, the three sub-basements of the Avengers headquarters have been silent, stripped of all accoutrements, devoid of all activity. But with the sinking of Avengers Island, Captain America has reopened the sealed off substructure and brought his allies into its cavernous confines. The destruction of their base of operations was but the opening campaign in a secret war waged against the Avengers. A war whose first casualty is Prince Namor, the mighty Sub-Mariner.
Dr. Hank Pym examines the comatose Namor. Captain America asks him how it looks. “In a word: bad,” Hank replies. He can’t pry the control disc off Namor’s spine without running the risk of giving him neurological damage. Cap notes that Hank assumes Namor hasn’t already sustained permanent damage from Cap’s jarring the device in order to stop Namor’s mindless rampage. Pym stresses that, although he is not a physician, the Sub-Mariner’s vital signs appear to be stable despite the coma. If they could get this tinker toy off him safely, he thinks Namor will be okay.
Cap stresses that Pym is a cyberneticist, though. What can he tell him about the control disc? Not a heck of a lot, Hank admits. The Controller’s little mind-control device seems to be unearthly in construction. Didn’t he work once for that mad alien, Thanos? Cap nods. So, it looks like their best bet is to find Controller and force him to free Namor – or at least give up the secret of his technology so they can free him. Turning to Fabian Stankowicz, he tells him he has a project he wants him to work on with Doctor Pym. Fabian readily complies. As Cap recalls, that disc saps a person’s strength and broadcasts it somehow to the Controller himself. Maybe there’s a way to trace that broadcast.
Elsewhere, the first meeting of the six greatest subversive minds on the planet ever assembled in one room winds down. Their mysterious aide – unbeknownst to all to be Loki in disguise – has just come back. He is pleased to see they haven’t torn one another apart while he was away at business. “Still your waggling tongue, lackey!” Doctor Doom snaps. Ignoring him, Loki asks them if they have determined what the master stroke of their acts of vengeance shall be. Kingpin points out that, to reach an accord among such individuals as them, each with his own agenda, will take more than one summit meeting. He now moves they adjourn and ponder the various proposals on the table until tomorrow this time. The motion is carried unanimously and the Kingpin, the Mandarin, the Wizard, Doctor Doom, Magneto and the Red Skull head toward the transdimensional doorways to their respective headquarters.
Magneto hesitates before he steps through the doorway to his own headquarters. He has a question for their oh-so-mysterious aide-de-camp. “Yes, my Lord?” Loki urges him. Magneto wonders if that is the original Red Skull among them. His sources have informed him he was dead. Grinning devilishly, Loki replies that, as far as he knows, he is. Magneto puffs pensively.
Meanwhile, the Red Skull crosses the doorway that leads to his own office. He is grumpy: he does not like lying in nest of vipers. He would as soon never return there, where he not certain they would conspire against him!
In his office, he finds his lackey, Crossbones, sitting in a chair and trying out a gun. He asks him what he’s doing here. Crossbones greets his boss. Nice door he had installed there! Is he nuts thinking that it should open up to a ten story drop to the street? “Never mind that,” the Red Skull changes the subject. He asks him where the Controller is. Crossbones replies that, last time he heard, he’d just tagged the Sub-Mariner with one of his doodads, and was hoping to get Thor next. Power-hungry slob, isn’t he?
The Skull is vexed. He thought Crossbones understood that the Skull wanted him to stay on top of the operation. Crossbones impudently retorts that babysitting bozos is not his specialty. On the verge of throwing a tantrum, the Red Skull rejoins that Crossbones’ specialty is whatever the Skull says it is… does he make himself clear? “Yessir,” Crossbones complies. The Skull tells him to go and bring the Controller back with whatever power he has so far accumulated – at once! “On my way,” Crossbones grumpily replies. The Skull suggests he’d better take his ‘mouthpiece’. “Whatever ya say,” Crossbones murmurs as he leaves the room.
Later that night, in Queens, New York, the Controller, disguised as normal human as much as possible, watches a fight in the street between Thor and Juggernaut. Another eyewitness of the fight, standing behind the bulky villain, verbally assails the Controller. What is his idea of blocking the view? He tells the Controller he isn’t the only one who wants to see Thor duke it out with Humpty Dumpty. Cretins, the Controller thinks, barely keeping himself from attacking the man. All around him, other people witnessing the fight are cheering Thor up!
Within the fight area, Thor continues his battle against Juggernaut. The Norse god tells Juggernaut that he must cease his destruction at once! “Move it, fancy pants!” Juggernaut replies – Thor is violating his personal space!
The curious crowd is separated from the battle area with a police tape. A police officer, speaking in his loudspeaker, tells the crowd to back up. This is an emergency zone! They cannot guarantee their safety if they do not cooperate! Seeing the Controller still standing undeterred in front of him, the police officer asks him if he’s deaf or something – he told him to move! Controller bellows with anger and grabs the man’s face with his monstrous fist. The desperate officer makes to shoot him, but the Controller also grasps his victim’s hand and squeezes it. Finally, he drops the bloody, lifeless man on the pavement.
“I see you got a healthy respect for the law!” a man in a hat and trenchcoat sneers as he approaches the Controller. But doesn’t the Controller think stunts like that kind of defeat the purpose of disguising himself? Controller is surprised: “Who…?” The man holds his hat up and reveals himself as Crossbones. He hopes Controller won’t say he forgot him – he’d be crushed. Controller, of course, recognizes him. Crossbones informs him that the Skull wants him back in Washington pronto. Some kind of change of plans.
Controller says no: he has tracked Thor down. He intends to steal his power. Crossbones asks him what he’s waiting for, then. “Stealth,” Controller explains. Crossbones offers to show him stealth. He asks Controller to give him one of his doodads. After the Controller hands him a disc, Crossbones pins it on one of his arrows. He hopes Controller has made these things to take a licking and keeping on ticking! Controller wants Thor… Crossbones will give him Thor. He targets Thor and fires with his crossbow… only the arrow gets Thor’s opponent, Juggernaut, instead. The incident does not evade Thor’s attention. He could swear he saw something strike Juggernaut’s helmet. But Juggernaut seems not to have noticed.
Controller is positively livid with fury. “You unmitigated idiot! You missed!” he roars. “Hey, the long-haired yahoo ducked me… so sue me!” Crossbones nonchalantly replies. He turns his attention to their own business. He urges the Controller to come on; the Skull wants them to…
“To blazes with what the Skull wants!” the Controller snaps and turns his back to him. “No man controls the Controller!” he haughtily gloats and proceeds to leave. “Oh yeah?” Crossbones exclaims. He tells Controller to meet the Voice. A red-haired, bearded man, also dressed in normal civilian clothes, appears. “Stop!” the Voice utters and the Controller is instantly transfixed in place.
A short time later, Captain America is flying above the city on his sky-cycle. He’s got to hand it to Hank and Fabian. They really came through in the tech department. They managed to cobble together a control-disc emanation detector in a matter of hours. Cap suddenly notices the signal of the detector is really strong here… he must be…
He suddenly notices a strange-looking aircraft parked on the roof of a high-rise nearby. Something that has no business being there, that’s for sure. Just then, he sees the aircraft taking off VTOL – vertical take-off and landing. Steve has a hunch a certain craggy-faced criminal is inside! He quickly sets the sky-cycle in automatic and jumps forward, holding onto the departing aircraft.
Inside, Crossbones is piloting the aircraft. He asks the Voice how long he can keep Controller docile. Just then, Crossbones asks them if they felt something – like something hit the fuselage. Crossbones doesn’t see anything on the aft monitor, though. He turns to the Voice. The Voice, in turn, still in control of Controller thanks to his voice persuasion power, orders him to take a look at the hatch. Controller complies. “There’s a good fellow,” the Voice sneers. The Controller proceeds to open the hatch. He doesn’t know how that bearded man manages to make him obey his commands, but he vows he is going to pay for this indignity.
“Knock knock, fella!” Cap ambushes him, as he jumps through the hatch and kicks him the face. From the pilot’s seat, Crossbones recognizes Captain America. He knew he shouldn’t have counted on that explosion in Madripoor to do him in! He wonders if the Controller will be able to handle him or if Crossbones himself will have to step in.
In the background, the fight continues between Captain America and Controller. Controller suggests that Cap is one of the weakest Avengers, hardly worth wasting a… Cap cuts him in mid-sentence, as he strikes him below the jaw with his shield. He realizes the Controller’s sapped most of Namor’s strength. He’s going to have to play a rougher game than usual, just to stay alive. Manoeuvring all around him, Cap wishes he could just figure out where he keeps his spare discs!
Crossbones fears that this crack-faced clown, Controller, is going to rip the crate apart the way he’s going. He asks Voice to get him to cool it. “Both of you… stop!” the Voice screams at the top of his lungs. It’s no use, though – they can’t hear him over the whine of the air through the hatch.
Cap takes cover behind his shield, which bears the brunt of the Controller’s punches. He realizes the Controller’s got Namor’s speed, as well as strength. He’s got to get him to back off… give him more to move. Kicking him in the sternum, he manages to put him off-balance. Watching the altercation, Crossbones urges the Voice to get in there and stop that ruckus!
As Cap hurls his shield against Controller’s face, Voice shows up behind Cap. His voice persuasion powers in effect, he commands Cap to… Before he finishes his sentence, Cap elbows him in the stomach, taking his breath away. He’s just realized who this joker is – the so-called man with the Voice of Doom. Like Controller, another Vault escapee. Steve hasn’t had a chance to see the pilot yet, though.
“Annoying gnat! I’m gonna smash you through the floor!” Controller snarls. Cap challenges him to try. Controller lunges forward and strikes, but misses him as Steve leaps aside. Steve scornfully observes that for a fellow called the Controller, he sure acts out of control! Berserk, the Controller again lunges against him, but Cap again evades him, and the Controller’s attack takes him through the open hatch. Cap realizes he still hasn’t taken a control disc from him for Hank to study. He decides he only has one thing to do, and also jumps through the open hatch and into the sky. He just hopes the Controller has refuelled his boot-jets!
Meanwhile, on upper Broadway, a dismal Diamondback trudges toward her apartment. This is nuts; she keeps wondering around like a zombie. Why can’t she just go home? What is she afraid of? Being alone? When Cap told her to run along, he did say he’d be in touch, didn’t he? So why doesn’t she believe him? He’s supposed to be a man of his word. Ah, he makes her so mad!
She halts before a shop window, spotting a nice outfit. She bets it’d be a lot warmer than these rags she’s wearing. Unfortunately, the store’s closed and she doesn’t have a red blooded cent on her. So, when that’s ever stopped her? Without Cap in the picture, what’s it to keep her from taking whatever she wants? Tempted, she extends her hand to the window, and then she pauses: No. If she goes back to her old ways, she’d torch the bridge between Cap and she for good. She’s not ready for that just yet.
Several blocks away, Cap grips the Controller’s throat, the latter now flying with his jet-boots. Controller demands he let go of him. Cap wonders what the matter is – doesn’t he like being jumped from behind? He doesn’t recall the Controller having any problem with it the time he bushwhacked Cap! Still clasping the Controller’s head in a vise-like grip, he suddenly detects a control disc on him. He quickly comes up with a plan and jumps off the villain, landing down to the ground, his back turned on him. Controller admits Cap has managed to impress him. He may not much in raw strength, but his fighting skills are certainly worth getting under control! Cap secretly hopes his gambit works, or else he’s…
Controller attaches one of his slave discs at the back of Cap’s skull. Steve collapses to the ground. Pleased, the Controller notes that Cap’s might is now added to his. Voice commands him to return to the ship. Controller complies.
After Crossbones’ crate flies away, Cap slowly gets up, surprised that he made it. Well, what do you know? he thinks. The cybernetic armor plate Hank Pym rigged up worked. Apparently, Cap’s strength was so meager compared to Namor’s, the Controller couldn’t tell if he gained it or not. Well, at least one of them got what they wanted, he thinks and pulls the disc from where it was pinned on the armor plate at the back of his skull.
About an hour later, in Washington, D.C., the Controller, the Voice and Crossbones are all in the Red Skull’s office. The Voice orders the Controller to do whatever the Skull commands. Controller assures him he’s aware of that. The Skull tells him he has a simple task for him, one that will benefit them both. There is someone he wants him to control – a man with baffling power who has not only breached his security systems as if they were non-existent, but also gathered together some of his greatest rivals. He wants him neutralized. He opens the interdimensional doorway and urges him to come. Their target can be found through this door. The Skull will point him out and the Controller will slap a slave disc on him. “As you say,” the Controller submits. The Skull passes through the doorway and the Controller follows him, only to stumble over a blocking wall impeding him from crossing over.
The Skull finds himself in the conference room, only to realize in astonishment that there was something preventing the Controller from walking through. Loki waits in the center of the room. Smiling sardonically, he asks his “master,” the Skull, if there’s something amiss. The Skull crossly tells him he needs to see him alone in his office. It’s a matter of great importance. Loki wonders what’s wrong with conversing right here. The Skull justifies himself, claiming that Doom or any of those other buffoons could walk in at any moment.
“Very well. After you, my master,” Loki offers and curtly gestures to the doorway. The Skull hopes the Controller will be ready and passes through. The next man you see… he whispers at him, as he sees him ambushing right by the doorway in his office. Loki follows suit but, as he crosses into the Skull’s office, the Controller violently attaches one of his slave discs on the back of his head. Loki goggles his eyes, seemingly entranced.
The Skull relishes: he finally has him! He congratulates the Controller on his work. Addressing Loki, he tells him he works for the Skull now. His immediate task: to help the Skull take command of his little enclave of masterminds. Turning to the Voice, he urges him to come over here.
Plucking the slave disc out of his body, Loki grins deviously and tells him that will not be necessary – for he is not susceptible to magic such as this! The Skull is dumbfounded. “You’re not one to be trusted, are you sir?” Loki notices with a cruel smile. He commends him: that is good. That is precisely why he was chosen as one of his elite. “Good day, Mr. Smith,” he cackles and vanishes in a pool of light. More livid than ever, the Skull vows he will get that man!


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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Magnetic Repulsion (first story)
(First story)
In the sub-basement of the Avengers headquarters, Namor the Sub-Mariner awakens from his coma and lashes out. Captain America, Hank Pym, Fabian Stankowicz and other Avengers allies present in the room back off. Cap shouts at everyone to give Namor room: he’s disoriented. Fabian realizes that Doctor Pym did it: he managed to get the control disc off the Sub-Mariner’s neck without killing him.
Cap cautiously rests his hand on the confused Namor’s shoulder and urges him to be at ease; he is among friends. Namor finally snaps out of his haze and recognizes him. Rubbing his head and clinging against Cap, he wonders what happened to him. Steve explains that a punk named the Controller ambushed him and put him under his mental control. Hank Pym figured out a way to free him. Pym notes that Cap modestly left out his role in Namor’s rescue.
Namor remembers that he had come to warn them there is something sinister afoot. A mysterious figure approached him undersea, mistaking him for a villain, and offered him a membership in an assemblage of villains including the Red Skull and Doctor Doom. Namor intends to return to that part of the sea. The mystery man left him a portal. He will pretend to join them, and… “Excuse me. Where am I?” he suddenly enquires in confusion, not recognizing the surroundings. And where is the exit?
The Smith Building, Washington, D.C.
From her desk, Ilsa, the Red Skull’s secretary, advises the Skull’s lackey, Crossbones, not to go in there right now: the Skull’s in a very bad mood. “So, when isn’t he, Ilsa, darlin’?” Crossbones retorts. “I’ll thank you not to call me that,” Ilsa coldly replies. “Yeah, yeah,” Crossbones concedes. He tells her he’ll be in the gym if the boss needs him – or if she does, he lewdly insinuates with a cackle and leaves.
In his office, the Red Skull is smoking a cigarette, all the while contemplating the latest developments. The consortium of masterminds has not been going at all to his liking. How he detests his so-called “allies.” Doctor Doom, the mad dictator with whom he’s crossed swords in the past; the Wizard, an idiot gadget-maker; the Kingpin, some petty New York mob leader; the Mandarin, a poor man’s Fu Manchu; Magneto, the mutant miscreant. And most of all, the one who brought them together. The man of unguessed power, who refuses to divulge his identity. And who has scoffed at the Skull’s attempt to subjugate him! Clenching his fist with anger, the Skull thinks he would simply quit the group and be done with it, if not for that infernal transdimensional doorway imbedded in the wall of his office!
Suddenly, he notices cracks forming on said wall. He wonders what’s happening. And then, in an impressive display of power, Magneto bursts forth inside the room, blasting the wall to smithereens, afloat in the air. He tells the Skull they must talk.
At that moment, 15 miles away, Captain America is piloting his ship, while contemplating the information Namor gave him. The last time he encountered a man claiming to be the Red Skull was in Washington, D.C., across from the Capitol on the top floor of a private office complex. If the Skull – or his successor – is behind any or all of the attacks on the Avengers, D.C. is the place to start looking for him. Steve thinks he’d better try to call in some old favors and have a search warrant waiting for him…
In the Red Skull’s office, the Skull, livid with anger, hopes Magneto has one devil of a good reason for causing all that damage. Magneto assures him he does. Just then, an automatic weapon – part of the Skull’s endless array of defense mechanisms and traps – rises from the floor, about to fire at Magneto. Unperturbed and stone-faced as usual, Magneto magnetically disassembles it. Turning to the Skull, he explains he needs to know something. Is he or is he not the same Red Skull who worked for Adolf Hitler during World War II?
Lighting a cigarette, the Skull admits he is, though he is on his second body. Lure the fool closer! he secretly thinks, a new plan already forming in his mind. Magnus angrily explains that he and his family were victims of Nazi oppression… of concentration camps… of brutality… He swore to avenge them! Though as far as he can determine, the Skull personally had nothing to do with their deaths, he willingly served the most barbaric despot of this century and committed countless atrocities to advance his twisted regime!
Three men in the Skull’s security storm inside in the room and proceed to fire at Magnus. Magneto effortlessly repels them with his powers. He focuses his attention on his ‘accused’, the Skull, again: how does he plead?
The Skull claims they are much alike, the two of them. Both of them wish to see their master race inherit the Earth. Does Magneto call his Fuehrer barbaric? Is the Skull mistaken or did Magneto himself kill hundreds of men by sinking a submarine a few years back? To help realize his minority group’s destiny, would Magneto balk at the imprisonment of inferiors? The extermination of the unfit? Magneto shouldn’t expect him to be impressed by his sanctimonious posturings of moral superiority! Tending his hand to him for a handshake, he proposes they let the past rest. They both have better things to do in the present.
“The devil with that, Nazi scum!” Magneto rants, refusing to shake his hand. Still, the cunning Red Skull realizes Magneto’s close enough for his dust of death, which he promptly blows off from his cigarette and into Magnus’ face! Magneto is surprised: gas? If not for his magnetic force-field, he’d be dead, inhaling this.
Force-field, the Skull pensively replies and remembering something, clicks on a device he carries on him. At once, a plastic bubble manifests around Magnus, ensnaring him. The Skull quips that he uses something like force-fields on occasion himself and hurries off the room. He’d best exercise caution; he’s not certain how long his plastic bubble will contain Magneto. There’s nothing metallic in it for his magnetic powers to work against, and yet, he does not truly know the extent of his mutant abilities.
Furious, Magneto demands the coward come back here! The Skull enters his secret private elevator. Hailing him mockingly in the Nazi salute, the Skull vows that next time they do meet, it will be at a time and place of his choosing. The elevator then begins going down.
Magneto screams his name. The Skull thinks him helpless – but the complete master of one of the four elemental forces is never helpless! Concentrating, he breaks through the plastic bubble and rushes to the elevator’s door. Peeking inside, he sees it’s a pneumatic elevator tube. The Controller, however, ambushes him from behind, claiming that Magnus has something he wants! “A pity I’ll never know what it was,” Magneto impatiently replies and sends him flying through the hole in the wall.
Outside, Cap has just arrived with his jet. Clinging on a rope ladder, he notices below a hole in the penthouse wall, a floating rectangle and sounds of a crash – what in the world? From this side, the rectangle looks like a door and…
“The Controller!” he thinks in surprise, as he jumps down outside the damaged penthouse wall and comes across the villain. The Controller is likewise dumbfounded: “You – again?” He thought… A thought? Cap amazes. It must’ve been a novel experience for the Controller!
Several floors below, Magneto has flown all the way through the elevator tube, hot in the Skull’s pursuit. He wonders where he is – there are three corridors he could have fled down. Just then, he hears something to his left and comes across a robot – Sleeper. The robot projects some sort of thermal blast, leading Magneto to shield himself with his force-field.
Nearby, the fleeing Skull hears the sound from the Sleeper’s blasts. Is it too much to hope that the mutant’s force-screen will not be proof against the Sleeper’s thermoscopic bombardment? To be on the safe side, he had best evacuate the premises. And when he finds out who compromised the whereabouts of his headquarters to that mutant mongrel, how he will pay!
Upstairs, Captain America and the Controller have carried their fight to the Skull’s office. Crossbones aloofly watches them from the entrance to the office. He wonders what’s going on here. He is incredulous: Cap set off all those alarms and caused all this damage? He didn’t know he had it in him! And where the heck is his boss? He deduces the Skull must’ve left the Controller to deal with Cap. Crossbones turns his back to the combatants and walks away. As much as he’d like to get a few good licks in, considering how cheesed the boss got with him after Crossbones messed with El Capuccino without the Skull’s permission last time, he’d better book. He mentally wishes to the Controller to have fun.
Cap grabs the Controller and aims for the weird floating doorway. However, the Controller shifts his weight and misses the door altogether, but, as Cap grumpily notices, the door is solid enough for the villain to grab onto. His plan was worth a try, though, Steve thinks. Grabbing onto the door, the Controller makes his way inside the demolished office again. He howls incomprehensibly at Cap. “Correct me if I’m wrong, fella, but I think you already said that!” Steve quips, as he avoids a strike by his opponent. The Controller vows he’s had enough of Cap’s prattle and prancing about – he will bury him! He tears off a part of the floor and tosses it on Cap.
Steve pretends to be hurt and wringing on the floor. Get ready… he urges himself. Standing above him, the Controller gloats. He does not know how Cap freed himself from his control after their last encounter, but he shall not do so again. With these killing blows he shall be under control forever! He leans closer to Cap for the coup de grace… but then the svelte Cap attaches one of the Controller’s own slave discs on his forehead.
His eyes goggling, the Controller lets out a soft grunt and then collapses. Steve realizes it worked. Attaching the control disc they removed from Namor to the Controller’s own head caused some sort of feedback loop as he tried to leech off his own power. He advises the Controller to better learn to control himself! Cap then runs off, to see whether he can find the Red Skull – or whoever.
In the sub-level, Magneto fights the Sleeper. Creature of metal and circuitry, Magneto disdainfully huffs – this robot is no match for one who controls the very fiber of its being. True to his word, Magneto eviscerates the robot, and again resumes his pursuit of the Red Skull along the corridors of this subterranean level. He follows a specific direction, assuming that the automaton was trying to deter him from proceeding there. He comes across an armored door, which he magnetically tears off. He enters a room with track on the floor and wonders what this is – a private subway station?
“Hold it right there, mutant dog!” Magneto freezes, as he is greeted by about a dozen duplicates of the Red Skull, all armed with guns and aiming at him. The Red Skull doppelgangers scoff that Magneto will never guess which one of them is the real Skull before they annihilate him – and open fire at him. Shielding himself from their bullets, Magneto coolly replies he doesn’t need to guess: he knows. In an impressive display of power, he lashes at out at them and disintegrates the synthetic beings.
Magneto’s suspicions are confirmed: they were robots, the whole lot of them. The Skull must have as big a fetish for artificial men as Doctor Doom does. He notes with contempt how they must feel the need to surround themselves with things they can feel superior to! Again floating in the air, Magneto notices the railway tracks go in but one direction. Pleased, he also notices they are tracks of metal.
A bit ahead, the Skull is driving away on his private shuttlecar, when he suddenly feels the tracks behind him breaking apart – the result of Magneto’s manipulations. Was…?! the Skull thinks in horror.
At that moment, Namor has returned to the mid-Atlantic. He has reached the site of the underwater glowing portal at last – but the portal is nowhere to be seen. The mystery man must have withdrawn his offer to him. He communicates via radio to the Avengers and informs them the doorway is gone. He asks for advice. The Avengers communicate back and tell him not to sweat it. They are sure Cap has the sitch in hand on his end.
In Washington, Cap has also reached the sub-level and comes across the remains of the Sleeper. So this is where the Sleeper ended up after the sinking of the Avengers Island. It looks like somebody took him down hard – he wonders who. Proceeding further ahead, he finds the dozen Red Skull robots similarly dismantled. He can’t quite tell the method of dismantlement. They look exploded from within.
Suddenly, he hears a noise from up ahead, coming from the direction where the tracks seem to head. Cap rushes there, realizing that something crashed on these tracks. A little later, he discovers blood in the tracks – but no sign of anybody. The shuttlecar is derailed and demolished. What went on here? Where is the Skull? Who was he fighting?
Elsewhere, sometime later, the Skull opens his eyes and faces Magneto. Magnus remarks he should kill him and be done with it. But that would reduce him to the level of a common killer. It would make him not better than the Skull. And he is better than the Nazi. He reveals he has placed him in solitary confinement. He is in a former fallout shelter some 20 feet underground. Pointing him to the ceiling, he shows him the one escape hatch. With the ladder removed and the room stripped bare, there is no way for the Skull to reach it.
He motions at ten gallons of water in one corner of the room. He advises him to conserve it. It is all he will have to sustain him for his period of confinement. He has stripped the Skull of his homing transmitters. No one on Earth knows he is here but Magneto. Down here there is no light, no food, no company, no amenities, no companionship – just water and air. Levitating himself up through the hatch, Magneto explains he wants the Skull to sit here and think of the horrors he has perpetrated. He wants him to suffer as he’s made other suffer. He wants him to wish he had killed him. “I take my leave on you… Skull,” he says and shuts the hatch.
Angry and desperate, the Skull is left, all alone, in the darkness of his prison.