Manhattan’s annual Avengers Day celebration includes a lavish parade this year, with the active Avengers (minus Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch) and newly appointed reservists Giant-Man & Wasp as the guests of honor. Celebrities Stunt-Master and Chili Storm host TV coverage celebrating the team’s rich history. Friends and allies such as Spider-Man, the X-Men, Bruce Banner, Daredevil and the Fantastic Four watch the parade, as do enemies such as Imus Champion, Grim Reaper & Ultron. Meanwhile, Hawkeye meets with the Commission on Superhuman Activities, and the Scarlet Witch consults Agatha Harkness regarding her recently erratic powers, in particular her seeming ability to conjure the ghostly Wonder Man. Agatha explains that Morgan Le Fay’s magic caused Wanda’s power to mature early. Agatha also reveals that Wanda is a mutant energy manipulator like her father, but Chthon’s influence made her a manipulator of magical energy, unwittingly hurling “chaos grenades” of Chthonic magic when she cast her hexes. Now that her power is maturing, she will be able to exercise more conscious and precise control over her powers with practice. Regarding Wonder Man, Agatha tells Wanda that Simon’s love for her is what bound him to the living world, and that all she has to do to fully resurrect him is love him in return. Back in Manhattan, the parade ends with dedicating a plaque in the name of deceased Avengers, but a ghostly Grim Reaper denounces the Avengers as killers and conjures seven dead Avengers as his zombie-like pawns, including Captain Marvel, Dr. Druid, Hellcat, Mockingbird, Swordsman, Thunderstrike and Wonder Man. The dead Avengers quickly defeat the horrified living Avengers as Reaper seals them in a dome of mystical energy.
Loki battles Avengers founders (Av #1, ’63). Captain America joins Avengers (Av #4, ’64). Hawkeye, Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch join Avengers (Av #16, ’65). Morgan Le Fay captures Scarlet Witch (Av #1, ’98). Scarlet Witch reassembles Avengers in Morganverse (Av #2, ’98). Scarlet Witch helps free Squadron Supreme from Corruptor (Av #6, ’98). Scarlet Witch battles Moses Magnum (Av #9, ’98). Wonder Man returns as energy ghost and talks with Wanda (Av #2-3, ’98). Tony Stark & Hank Pym examine Scarlet Witch trying to figure out how she can conjure up Wonder Man (1). Wonder Man & Scarlet Witch become lovers (Av #8, ’98). Chthon imbues Wanda with magical potential at birth (Av #186, ’79 fb2). Wanda and Pietro enjoy a happy early childhood with the Maximoffs (Av #185, ’79 fb1). Magneto rescues Wanda from antimutant mob (X #4, ’64 fb). Magneto & Toad vs. Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch (Av #47, ’67). Agatha Harkness trains Wanda in magic (Av #133, ’75).
Giant-Man adopts a new costume in this story reminiscent of his first Goliath outfit, and Wasp dons a costume resembling her original outfit. While Grim Reaper’s pawns are never called the Legion of the Unliving in this story, this is the name traditionally applied to adversarial groups of resurrected Avengers allies and foes, and Reaper has used the name for this type of group before, so it is assumed as implied here, and later confirmed as such in various OHMU editions. The Mockingbird who died in action with the Avengers was revealed to be a Skrull spy posing as the real Mockingbird in SecInv #8, ’09. Melter’s early blue & green costume is mis-colored orange and green in this story. Moira Brandon and the Iron Man of Reality-96020 (teenage Tony Stark) are the only Avengers not seen in this issue. One fan T-shirt on the cover refers to the Jarvis Heads, a splinter group of the Avengers Mailing List fan community of which Busiek was a longtime member, affiliated with Van Plexico’s Avengers Assemble website. Another cover fan’s ballcap is covered in buttons such as “Single File,” “Let’s Rap with Cap,” “Sock it to Shellhead,” “Avengers Assemble” and “The Hammer Strikes” that were the titles of past letter columns from Marvel comics SAv, Cap, IM, Av and Thor.
