Wonder Man collapses and the unnerved Avengers examine him to discover that he has vital signs but his mind is wiped clean. Scarlet Witch uses a technique of mystical divination she learned from Agatha Harkness to ascertain that voodoo priests in Louisiana reanimated their former teammate. The Avengers take Wonder Man to New Orleans, where they encounter one of the priests from Wanda’s vision. Scarlet Witch intimidates the priest into divulging the location of his cult in a nearby swamp. When the Avengers approach the voodoo ceremony there, Wonder Man revives and, along with a group of zuvembies, answers the call of the cult leader, Black Talon. The Avengers fight the voodoo practitioners. When Black Talon summons the demon Damballah, all the heroes fall except Scarlet Witch, who drives Damballah away with a torch and defeats Black Talon. The Avengers learn that Wonder Man was already alive when Black Talon found him, and Scarlet Witch departs for self-reflection.
Marvel used the term “zuvembies,” which originated as the name for a female zombie in Robert E. Howard’s 1938 tale “Pigeons from Hell,” because the Comics Code Authority banned the depiction of “zombies.” Scarlet Witch takes a temporary leave of absence. The Avengers learn that Grim Reaper paid Black Talon to raise Wonder Man and send him to kill the Avengers in Av #160, ’77. Black Talon’s real name is revealed in SenSH #33, ’91.
