After the Avengers rescue the Carnelian ambassador from Ultimator, Justice asks Jarvis how the current lineup compares to past ones, but Jarvis is simply thankful for the Avenger’s return after the Onslaught crisis. Next morning the Protectorate, four giant robots resembling Avengers members, land at the Brooklyn Bridge and proclaim themselves the city’s guardians. Investigating, the Avengers are overwhelmed and captured. Watching on TV, Jarvis recognizes a turn of phrase by the Cap robot as something Fabian Stankowicz once said. Tracking Fabian to a New Jersey warehouse, Jarvis finds him emaciated and controlling the Protectorate via a cybernetic helmet connected to a Sentinel’s head. Affected by the Protectorate’s Sentinel programming, Fabian believes the Avengers are still dead. As the Avengers break free, Jarvis convinces Fabian the Avengers live and, at Fabian’s request, unplugs Fabian and disconnects the motherboard from the Sentinel head. The Protectorate deactivate, and Fabian later apologizes to the Avengers before being transported for medical aid. Jarvis mails his letter to the Widow.
The Avengers are pulled into Counter-Earth and presumed killed (Ons:MU, ’96 fb). Trying to assemble a new Avengers team, the Widow finds all her prospects are unavailable. Sanford Chesney informs her Congress is annulling the team’s charter due to the founders’ deaths, and Widow shuts down Avengers operations. After Jarvis informs the Avengers Crew and the mansion is packed up, the Widow somberly leaves (1). Jarvis encounters a disheveled Fabian Stankowicz, who gives him a cryptic promise about safeguarding the city (2). Fabian builds the Protectorate from Onslaught’s Sentinels’ remains, then connects himself to their control systems (3). At his Brooklyn home, Jarvis sees a news report on the Avengers’ return and gleefully hugs Glory Garsen and his mother before preparing to return to work (4).
The narrative captions in this issue comprise the text of Jarvis’ letter to the Black Widow. The Crew’s jumpsuits are incorrectly colored green instead of blue. Jarvis worries in fb2 that Fabian has again turned to drugs; Cap #372, ’90 revealed Fabian had become addicted to crystal meth. The Widow’s surname is misspelled “Rominoff” on Jarvis’ envelope. The Widow resides at 1313 Ave. B, Apt. 13 in New York.
