A murder that isn’t a murder, a hero who may be the villain, a villain who may be the hero, and Janet Van Dyne stuck in the middle of it all. Your Major Spoilers review of Avengers Inc. #5 from Marvel Comics awaits!
AVENGERS INC. #5
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Leonard Kirk
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 31, 2024
Previously in Avengers Inc.: Her name is Janet Van Dyne. She led the Avengers. She’s divorced. Deep down, she still considers herself a widow.
His name is Henry Pym. He’s the leader of the new Lethal Legion. He’s her ex-husband. He’s very much alive.
Together, they’ve got a LOT to talk about…
THE RARE AND ELUSIVE DOUBLE-TURN
Avengers Inc. #4’s final panel revealed that “Victor Shade” is actually Ultron, piloting the mostly-dead body of Whirlwind. We open with an even bigger shocker: It’s not the Ultron we all expected. While trapped in the future, bonded with Ultron, Henry Pym managed to capture a tiny piece of Ultron code. When he broke free and sent himself back to the present, that code came with him… but it’s not just any Ultron. It’s Ultron Mark 12, a version that rejected killing and accepted Henry as a real father during the days of the West Coast Avengers. The downside is, even with that Ultron on her side, The Wasp still has to face a Lethal Legion possessed by Ultron. But she doesn’t have to face them by herself. With a single word, she calls in the Avengers who have assisted her in the past five issues, including Luke Cage, The Valkyrie, The Vision, and Moon Knight, as well as Ant-Man, Stinger, and her daughter, Nadia, the other Wasp.
“CALL ME MARK”
Not since Steve Englehart have we seen the extended Pym family brought together like this, and Ewing manages to get all the story beats that I’d want to see down. Hank and Jan get an awkward moment of reunion, as he reveals that he’s the one behind Victor Shade, while Nadia gets to meet her deceased father for the first time. Mark Twelve gets a new body, Nadia gets a big brother, while Hank’s desperate plan to stop Ultron continues, as he refuses to come in out of the cold, much to Janet’s sorrow. The art is excellent as well, as Kirk continues in his new noir-ish style, making ridiculous villains like Oddball, Sunstroke, and The Blizzard look like powerful, dangerous threats. There are elements of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy stylings here, but with less stylized figure work and facial expressions. The final panel, wherein the Wasp and her team pose heroically, makes me hope that Ewing gets the green light for a new Avengers team soon.
BOTTOM LINE: THEY ARE ASSEMBLED
After five taut issues of mystery and unexpected turns, Avengers Inc. #5 still manages to surprise, turning the Ultron/Pym problem on its head, shaking it hard, and stealing the change that falls out of its pockets, with Kirk delivering a skillful, interesting visual experience and a lot of really wonderful family bits from Ewing, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. If Marvel doesn’t put The Wasp and Mark Twelve in some sort of ongoing series soon, they’re wasting a really great debut issue here.
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AVENGERS INC. #5
A new Avenger takes the stage, Hank Pym gets a new status quo, and the Victor Shade mystery is wrapped up cleverly, with excellent art by Kirk. Well worth your time.
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