INHUMANS & VISION versus QUICKSILVER

Spring Fever (Marvel)
Where: Vision and Scarlet Witch #10 When: July 1986 Why: Steve Englehart How: Richard Howell

The Story So Far...
Maximoff family drama returns to the legendary moon city of Attilan when a barely conscious and mortally ill Crystal reveals the terrible truth to her husband -- she has been unfaithful!

A quick temper and super-human speed get the better of Quicksilver as he rapidly attempts to murder the man, his sister's human realtor Norman Webster, and stage a military coup against the Inhuman royal family who chooses to defend his life.

Furious at the perceived betrayals of his wife, the insular Inhuman kingdom, and even his sister and teammates, Scarlet Witch & Vision -- he races for the barren surface of the moon. The Inhumans refuse to leave him with his thoughts of shame and revenge, though. Black Bolt leads a party to bring him back -- but the hot-headed Quicksilver won't be rescued quite so easily.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Vision 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Vision 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Quicksilver 6 (Mach Speed)
Stamina: Vision 6 (Generator)
Agility: Gorgon 2 (Average)
Fighting: Gorgon 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Black Bolt 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Vision 26 (Metahuman)

The Inhumans are: Black Bolt, Medusa, and Gorgon, with Vision.

The key to beating Quicksilver is shutting down his speed & mobility and we've seen that done a variety of ways.

Run-ins with the DC Universe have showed there's a limit to Quicksilver's speed and reaction time. The Flash was too fast in his victory in Marvel versus DC #2, and even Impulse kept one step ahead in Unlimited Access #3!

Quicksilver ran rings around Cyclops' optic blasts in an early battle, but Jean Grey used her telekinesis to lift him off the ground -- and literally shake him into severe disorientation. A similar result could theoretically be achieved by Medusa, who's used her tendril-like hair to ground The Wizard, and grapple with Thanos!

Reach and strength played equal roles when Apocalypse used his malleable body to rapidly extend a giant fist into Quicksilver's path and knock him out!

Vision arguably has the best combination of abilities to recreate this method. Increased density gave his punch enough power to rattle Thor, and total intangibility allowed him to impress Thanos with an unexpected ambush.

Quicksilver's own father, Magneto, has proven to be one of his most ruthless opponents over the years. The Master of Magnetism used an improvised spear to pin him down in Vision and he Scarlet Witch (Vol. 1) #4, and the invisible will of pure magnetic force in X-Men (Vol. 2) #25!

Inhuman ruler Black Bolt possesses the nearest equivalent to an invisible, irresistible force that can stop Quicksilver in his tracks. With the slightest utterance his voice can demolish mountains. We saw that demonstrated when he levelled Mt Rushmore and a symbiote-possessed Thor in What If...? #4!

For Quicksilver dealing with these threats is as a simple as keeping ahead of them. If he can use the terrain and get the drop on his attackers he can beat them before they even know what hit them -- but will he? Let's find out...

The Tape: Inhumans & Vision Ranking: Black Bolt (#169)

What Went Down...

Black Bolt leads his royal family across the surface of the moon, guided by heat residue interrupting the electro-magnetic energy field. Through Medusa, he alerts the flying heroes to their approach -- but Quicksilver moves fast to ambush them!

By running rapidly in circles -- Quicksilver creates a spiraling updraft that disrupts the artificial atmosphere and gently jostles the heroes floating through it. A cushioned courtesy he won't extend further if they continue to follow him. Follow they do!

Vision and Medusa try to reason with him, but Quicksilver is hotheaded and too freshly spurned to think of anything but shame and revenge for his wife's infidelity.

He feels alone. Indeed, Gorgon confronts his outsider status amongst the fiercely guarded clan of Inhumans -- and the unique approval he gained within it.

Quicksilver rejects the gesture of acceptance and kinship -- counter-shunting a diving Gorgon with a charging shoulder!

The speedster blasts past his would-be restrainer, racing into the line of the Vision and his "solar beam" laser beam.

Quicksilver's mutant gift of speed proves too fast for even the android's artificial eyes to keep up with! However, the attention the attack draws proves useful for keeping Quicksilver distracted enough to overlook Gorgon raising his knee!

The Inhuman slams his foot -- sending a violent shockwave through the surface of The Moon that  unsteadies the runner's path.

He stumbles and rolls, but returns to his feet in record time and runs a path straight toward the source of his trouble. A speeding punch launches Gorgon hurtling uncontrollably across The Moon!

Quicksilver is too busy admiring his handiwork to notice Medusa creeping up behind him in the cloud of dust.

Long tendrils of red hair suddenly clasp around him, locking his body in the powerful embrace of the Queen's prehensile locks!

For a moment there appears to be no recourse as Quicksilver is completely engulfed by the living strands of hair. He cannot hope to resist the strength of its grasp, but he can spin at such incredible speed he twirls Medusa away!

The cries of his Queen are enough to stir Black Bolt to drastic measure.

Having observed with dismay from the vantage of the craterous battlefield's edge, the silent monarch resolves to bring an end to the conflict with but a word. Such is the staggering power of the Inhuman King's rarely heard voice!

A thunderous sonic blast rips across The Moon causing all within the targeted crater to fall! It is but by the grace of The Moon's otherwise lack of oxygen that Black Bolt's voice did not unleash far greater damage.

The flooring cry does not alone achieve the goal of stopping Quicksilver, but it does allow Vision to grab the speedster's arm in a vice-like grip and increase his density to 70 tons. Enough to resist any force that might resist.

The Hammer...

Heavy themes and heavy metal as Black Bolt uses the epic power of his voice to bring Quicksilver to a crashing halt -- and Vision uses synthezoid super-density to make sure the speedster can't escape his android grip!

Bad times for Pietro Maximoff just a year after Vision and Scarlet Witch (Vol. 1) #4 seemingly rounded out his perfect family with the long awaited identity of his true birth father. A hard fall, but not necessarily a completely unexpected one.

Pietro & Crystal were married in 1974's Fantastic Four #150 after a whirlwind romance first revealed in Fantastic Four #131.

The pair had met when the Inhumans rescued Quicksilver from mortal injuries sustained at the hands of Sentinels in Avengers #104. They fell in love while Crystal nursed him back to health -- a fact that didn't sit well with her then-boyfriend, Johnny Storm, when he made an unannounced return to Attilan!

Today's featured issue conveniently recaps these events, albeit glossing over Pietro's status as the proverbial "Other Man" when their relationship began.

Despite his apparent devotion to his wife, and their daughter Luna, Quicksilver's arrogant neglect ultimately plays a significant role in pushing Crystal to seek casual affections in the arms of another man. In this case, the human realtor she met at a party hosted by the title heroes of Vision and Scarlet Witch (Vol. 2) #6.

Does this mean Crystal will always have a wandering eye? Is Quicksilver too much of a raging jerk to settle down? Questions the issue leaves the reader with once Scarlet Witch helps Crystal recover from an overdose of anti-pollution serum, and Quicksilver returns post-battle only to reject his unfaithful wife again, and run.

The pair did reunite a couple of years later in Fantastic Four Annual #21, but the decades that followed would be a rocky road of attempted reconciliations and periodic estrangement.

Fellow Avenger Black Knight was briefly a rival for Crystal's affections. but the final unravelling of her relationship with Quicksilver came when he stole the Inhumans' Terrigen Mist after losing his powers to the Mutant Decimation event.

It's kind of sad that what once seemed like a budding Marvel relationship became such a prolonged exercise in doomed romance, but it's interesting the way it sustained and developed appearances by the characters involved.

It's particularly interesting to track Quicksilver as an early X-Men villain who, along with Scarlet Witch, became an entrenched fixture of the Avengers, only to have a brief blip in the world of the Fantastic Four, and carry on recurring in each.

If you'd like to see more from this episode in Quicksilver's life, and the smoother marriage of Vision & Scarlet Witch, you can find a couple of collected editions that will give you the full issue and more! Avengers: Vision & Scarlet Witch - A Year In The Life focuses on their second mini-series, while Vision & Scarlet Witch: The Saga of Wanda and Vision packs in both mini-series, with a couple of extras.

Use the Amazon links provided and you'll not only get yourself a good deal delivered -- you'll also help support the site at no extra cost! If you really like what Secret Wars on Infinite Earths is all about you can also sign-up to the Patreon and receive additional updates & perks as a thank you for your support!

The Comic Book Fight Club has featured well over 600 battles and ranked more than 1000 characters! You can discover them all by exploring links throughout each entry, or by diving into the Secret Archive for a full index in order of publisher, series, and issue number!

Subscribe and follow on Twitter and Facebook to get free daily links to superhero smackdown based on the topics of the day! Today's battle choice was inspired by the live-action Disney+ series WandaVision, featuring Evan Peters as Quicksilver!

Winners: Black Bolt & Vision
#99 (+70) Black Bolt
#141 (+277) Vision
#351 (+6) Medusa [+1 assist]
#606 (new) Gorgon [+1 assist]
#1000 (-1) Quicksilver

AVENGERS versus THANOS

(Marvel)
Where: Free Comic Book Day Civil War II #1 When: May 2016 Why: Brian Michael Bendis How: Jim Cheung

The Story So Far...
An Inhuman known as Ulysses Cain may hold the secrets to the impending future! In an effort to verify his ominous visions, Inhuman Queen Medusa accompanies him to The Triskelion for further testing under the watchful eye of Black Panther and The Ultimates.

Upon his arrival, Ulysses is suddenly confronted with a glimpse into an oncoming threat: Thanos is coming!

The Mad Titan aims to claim a Cosmic Cube from Project PEGASUS, but as he teleports towards their secluded Mount Athena base in New York -- a powerful assembly of Avengers prepares to greet him with extreme prejudice!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thanos 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Black Panther 5 (Professor)
Speed: Photon 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Thanos 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Black Panther 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Thanos 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Human Torch 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Thanos 34 (Super)

The Avengers are: Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Ms. America, Spectrum, Blue Marvel, She-Hulk, Dazzler, Medusa, Crystal, Human Torch, and War Machine.

It might be a tad glib to call them "The Avengers". More accurately, we have various solo heroes joining representatives of then-current lineups for The Ultimates, A-Force, and Inhumans. Avengers, by any other name...

They're up against one of the deadliest villains in the cosmic canon! Forget what you might've heard about altruistic balance and preservation of life. Thanos will always be The Mad Titan whose lust for Death nearly destroyed the universe!

When he famously formed The Infinity Gauntlet, he became nigh omnipotent, wiping out half of all life in existence to impress Lady Death. When the surviving heroes came to confront him, his true sadism emerged! Various heroes met a twisted end, including She-Hulk, who was consumed by some type of growth.

She-Hulk's the only one of today's heroes we've seen go against Thanos before. Despite her demise that day, she showed potential for getting some serious shots in! Iron Man was one of the heroes also there, but his example of an unceremonious decapitation isn't the most promising one for War Machine.

Thanos doesn't have any Infinity Stones in today's battle, which at least means War Machine should be able to leave a mark! Human Torch might fare better than Firelord, as well. Johnny went mostly unnoticed by Gladiator in Fantastic Four #249, but turned up the heat enough to burn Ego The Living Planet in Fantastic Four #235. The potential to go nova could scorch even Thanos!

Captain Marvel is the real ace up this team's sleeve. We've seen her Kree-infused powers mix it up with the uber-powerful Collective in New Avengers #17, a Dormammu-powered Hood in New Avengers #54, and a giant Agamotto-possessed Luke Cage in New Avengers (Vol.2) #2!

At this point in time, Carol Danvers is once again juiced to the max and powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with cosmic powers! That could give her the best shot at recreating Drax's killing blow against Thanos, seen in Annihilation #4! I don't imagine Thanos will be nearly as accommodating this time, though.

It took the remains of a Cosmic Cube to stop Thanos when he was resurrected anew in Guardians of the Galaxy #25! His naked rampage took down the entire Guardians lineup, including Drax, Groot, and Moondragon! He also didn't even break a sweat when turning on Terrax during an inter-dimensional scheme seen in Green Lantern/Silver Surfer!

Even without that Infinity Gauntlet, we know Thanos is as serious a threat as they come! He can be defeated, but will the pre-cognition of Ulysses give this assembly of heroes the advantage they need to do the deed? Let's find out!

The Tape: Avengers Ranking: Thanos (#9)

What Went Down...
True to the prophetic vision of the Inhuman Ulysses -- a purple beam of light signals the arrival of Thanos! Though unprepared for an Avengers ambush, he is heavily armed with sophisticated weaponry and immediately resists arrest!

The descending group of heroes are quickly dispersed by the gun's powerful blast. Captain Marvel absorbs its deadly energies. The Human Torch stays airborne and maneuvers to be the first to immediately strike back!

Swooping behind his target, The Human Torch bathes Thanos in an intense flame! There's no need to hold back against a foe as powerful and resilient as The Mad Titan -- but his fire can only blaze so hot with friends nearby.

The Torch's former Fantastic Four teammate She-Hulk ignores the burn and rushes in to dive tackle Thanos from behind! The bold move succeeds in scoring a takedown, but The Mad Titan swears this day will mark her death.

She-Hulk grapples with the burning Thanos before Captain Marvel calls her shot and unleashes a massive blast of photonic energy!

The explosive energy pushes She-Hulk clear. Dazzler joins in, enthusiastically pouring on the power with more energy blasts. With Thanos pinned down, Captain Marvel calls in War Machine for a second wave of artillery fire!

Reeling from the awesome display of power, Thanos wonders how the Avengers could be ready with such a coordinated attack. He doesn't have long to contemplate before Medusa ensnares him in blinding, suffocating curls of hair!

War Machine is still firing munitions when Thanos manages to gain purchases of Medusa's living locks and hurls her toward the armored Avenger!

The collision throws War Machine's targeting off, sending a wayward missile into the chest of She-Hulk! The Colonel moves in to check on his friendly fire victim, letting his guard down for just a moment -- a fatal decision!

Thanos seizes his opportunity -- rushing through flames to drive his massive fist into the armored but prone mid-section of War Machine! A killing blow!

As Captain Marvel and Black Panther watch on in horror, Thanos turns to his opponents with a sinister grin and demands his Cosmic Cube. They respond.

Captain Marvel, Spectrum, and Blue Marvel launch an all-out assault! Their awesome powers create a wall of energy that hammers the Titan from all sides!

For a moment he faces into Captain Marvel's raw power, stumbles into Dazzler's pink bursts, feels Black Panther's claws slice at the back of his neck, is caught from behind by Blue Marvel's force bolts, takes Spectrum's best to his face!

The devastating gauntlet leaves Thanos a stumbling, smoldering mess. He has no defense as Captain Marvel moves in to deliver a devastating uppercut!

The finishing blow launches Thanos across the battlefield, leaving him lying unconscious amidst the flames. Captain Marvel rushes to cradle a bloodied War Machine. Black Panther & Blue Marvel tend to a barely breathing She-Hulk.

The Hammer...
The Avengers defeated Thanos, but at what price comes victory? War Machine is dead, and She-Hulk in critical condition! Such dire stakes can only signal the beginning of yet another major Marvel Comics event...

I come into this one with some pretty strong biases. Ten years removed from the gratuitous murder of Goliath in Civil War #4 -- the novelty has long since lost its flavor. By this point, I'm largely beyond caring about the majority of crossover events, let alone their obligatory superhero deaths.

Truth be told, the bloom was off the rose for Marvel's blockbusters by the time Siege rolled out in 2010. That story functioned as a reunion of Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor, mopping up lingering consequences of the original Civil War, specifically its villain-centric aftermath: the period known as "Dark Reign".

Dark Reign had been a refreshing exploration of ideas organically grandfathered in through the post-Civil War and Secret Invasion landscapes. It was anchored around monthly Avengers titles, rather than a single dedicated event-series. Sadly, Siege was to bring that pleasing break in action to a much-hyped end.

Siege ultimately cobbled together mayhem and carnage in four unfortunately lackluster key issues, and various focused tie-ins. It played like a perfunctory ticking of two to three major editorial boxes, most notably: The removal of Norman Osborn as Marvel's ultimate arch-villain, and the emphatic killing of The Sentry, which reads like a meta-textual in-joke. Even with a reduced four issue core, these simple beats couldn't sustain a series, resulting in a messy, joyless counterpart to DC's better built, superhero war-time smorgasbord of Final Crisis.

The palpable tedium of Siege should've seen Marvel close the door on events for a fair while, but instead, the publisher went into event overdrive in the years that followed. It hasn't even been a decade since Siege -- yet Cap, Iron Man, and Thor have all been split-up, pitted against heroes, maimed, and killed more than once! Only to reenact another mock reunion before doing it all over again.

They've shared the 'death bench' with many high-profile heroes in that time, all of whom died and returned within a couple of years. The endless cycle of kill, rinse, repeat leaving the Marvel Universe stinking of its own meaningless decay.

Civil War itself was an obvious template for many of these deaths and event series, which made it even more difficult to feel like a 10th anniversary sequel was worth the while. In 2016 it was a major motion sequel to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. How can I miss Civil War if it never goes away?

No surprises then that I'm still not very interested in Civil War II's hero-on-hero conflict, or the Inhumans-fuelled take on Minority Report. Here comes the twist, however. because I've got to say the Free Comic Book Day launch issue is actually a very satisfying read!

It would, of course, be foolish to assume macro grievances belie any quality publishing. There's usually something to like on the bill. In this case, time away from Marvel's jumbled brands, and bloodthirsty event schedule, probably helped enhance the simple pleasures that make FCBD Civil War II #1 so enjoyable.

The pros are easily distilled: It starts with some nice character interaction, lays the groundwork for the moral quandary ahead, and features a big battle with an A-list villain that goes to conclusion. It's a pretty satisfying done-in-one read!

There are obvious questions left to be answered, but the FCBD issue avoids reading like a trailer for coming attractions. Impressive, since that's really the primary function these promotional free issues serve.

For a lapsed reader, some of the fun is simply in seeing old favourites together again. I got a real kick out of seeing FF alum She-Hulk, Human Torch, Medusa, and Black Panther together again, and kicking ass. Most get their moment.

As alluded to in The Tape; this was a period of Marvel history where corporate malevolence, and editorial malaise, had led a lot of established brands to erode meaning. This isn't technically an Avengers assembly, so much as a gathering of representatives of The Ultimates, A-Force, and Inhumans. The fact that these divisions are essentially meaningless is actually helpful in an isolated case.

Jim Cheung does a great job delivering the action that comprises the majority of the piece. Each character gets their moment in clear sequence, with big action beats given room to shine. There's a tremendous sense of space and reality, but with that comes both good and bad. It's easy to track what's going on, but it sometimes feels a little small scale. The intense, inescapable red/blue palette also contributes to an impression of a murky lot of one thing in one place.

Movie stardom means Thanos is as strong as ever, even though he's here to be the fall guy. It was a little weird that he comes in looking like Cable with guns strapped all over his body. I don't think that's a visual joke about Josh Brolin's dual live-action roles, but you never know. It doesn't matter much, as Thanos is quickly forced to fend for himself, sans cannons. He puts up a helluva fight, but after several years of promotional exploitation, he was ripe for being beaten in the prologue.

Of the lineup present to arrest Thanos, it makes good sense that Captain Marvel gets the knock-out blow. You could make a case for other characters, but she's the best equipped, and most primed to take the story forward. I don't know how well her conflict with Iron Man stands up to Cap's in 2006, but the fact it isn't simply a straight repeat of the earlier disagreement is appreciated.

I didn't know Carol Danvers had a romantic relationship with War Machine prior to reading this. Given their affiliations with Tony Stark, and history as military personnel, it seems like a pretty natural coupling. It's dangled unsubtly in the first few pages, milked to provide extra emotional context for what's coming.

I'd be lying if I said there was any real joy in witnessing the death of War Machine. Cheung is asked to convey a precise misstep in motion, and the net result makes War Machine look a little silly. The fact that the killing blow comes from a villain as credible as Thanos helps mitigate the goofiness. Without that, it flirts with the unintentional comedy of Hawkeye's needless self-sacrifice in the earlier Avengers Disassembled. Ultimately, tangled hair and bumping into a teammate is a pretty undignified end for a seasoned hero like War Machine.

Ten years on from Civil War, they seem to be trading on a character of greater notoriety than Goliath, but to what end? Frankly, it seems like a transparent decision to remove one African-American Iron Man alternate, to make way for a new one, the future Ironheart.

The race of the two Civil Wars fatalities may be coincidence, but as the latter participates in clumsy efforts to address the imbalance of representation, the self-defeating fallacy of the decision becomes all the more clear. Indelicate decisions like these only hobbled efforts to introduce a new generation of diverse young heroes, mortgaging the past for an unearned future.

War Machine had long, frustrating lulls of inaction throughout his published history, but remained grounded by those early stories that built a relationship with Tony Stark, and the Avengers. It always seemed there was plenty more to do with the character.

Given Tony Stark was destined to be the major scalp for Civil War II, the potential for Rhodey to continue to play a natural role in the development of Ironheart just seems obvious. They would both be scarred by his demise. The emergence of a new armored hero would naturally draw Rhodey back to action. His potential as a mentor figure would then seem natural more than cliché, building Riri Williams a strong foundation in the Marvel Universe. Oh well!

Want to put the pieces into greater context for yourself? You can pick up a trade paperback of Civil War II, which includes the Free Comic Book Day special and complete mini-series! Shop using the Amazon link embedded and they'll support the site at no cost to you! Who could possibly go to war over that?

Think I need to take a closer look at the rest of Civil War II? Let me know in the comments, or while you're following Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Twitter and Facebook. There, you'll also find daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day! You can also deep dive into the Secret Archive to discover more!

We always finish with the verdict and rankings update. Captain Marvel clearly delivered the knock-out blow, but under examination, a team effort kept Thanos off balance, and led to his defeat. So the win is shared.

Winners: Captain Marvel, Spectrum, Blue Marvel, Black Panther, Dazzler, She-Hulk & Human Torch (w/ War Machine, Ms. America, Medusa & Crystal)
#45 (+28) Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers)
#12 (+2) Human Torch
#37 (+14) Black Panther
#134 (+260) She-Hulk
#151 (+281) Spectrum (Monica Rambeau)
#174 (+305) Dazzler
#327 (new) Blue Marvel
#124 (+1) War Machine [+1 assist]
#344 (+5) Medusa [+1 assist]
#434 (-1) Crystal [+1 assist]
#558 (new) Ms. America (America Chavez) [+1 assist]
#10 (-1) Thanos [+1 kill]

DRAGON MAN versus DEATHLOK
Dead Man Walking (Marvel comics)
Where: Beyond! #3 When: November 2006
Why: Dwayne McDuffie How: Scott Kolins

The story so far...
The cosmic entity called The Beyonder has been abducting heroes from the Marvel universe with a simple decree: "Slay your enemies and all you desire shall be yours! Nothing you dream of is impossible for me to accomplish!"

The ragtag grouping of Spider-man, Venom, Gravity, Firebird, Henry Pym, Wasp, Medusa, Kraven and the hood are torn apart when, interpreting the Beyonder literally, Venom appears to slay his mortal enemy - Spider-man.

The other heroes quickly turn on Venom, and although he manages to escape their clutches, his decisions ultimately lead to the crash landing of their spaceship on Battleworld. Here, the group sans Venom encounter "Michael", who is actually Deathlok, the survivor of a previous group. Unfortunately for them, however, he wasn't the only person whose attentions were razed...

Previous Form:
Wasp (#25): Involved in several successful group endeavours.
Medusa (#194): Defeated by her former teammates, the Frightful Four.
Dragon Man, Deathlok, Gravity, Firebird: Have no yet been featured on the site.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Dragon Man 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Deathlok 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Wasp 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Dragon Man 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Wasp 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Deathlok 4 (Trained Fighter)
Energy Powers: Firebird 6 (Mass Destruction)


Well, well, well... This certainly has to be one of the more interesting groups we've dealt with here on Secret Earths. As you may have noted from the above rankings indicators, despite the impressive array of C-listers, all we're concerned with is; Wasp, Medusa, Gravity, Firebird and Deathlok. The other characters might turn up in future installments, I do not know for sure.

Dragon Man's a fun villain! I've maybe gone a little generous on the strength side of things, but consider him on the low end of a six. Not that it makes much difference, considering all concerned, bar Deathlok, are completely without any major strength based skills or enhancements.

Needless to say, this isn't going to be a fist fight. The Beyond! team needs to look to their unique capabilities if they're going to stand a chance against the Dragon Man, who really isn't that commanding a threat in general, but just generally deals with much stronger foes.

Deathlok has the weaponry and tactical advice of his cybernetic computer going for him, although given the obscure nature of the characters he's paired with, data is going to be limited. Any tactical advantage gained is going to be limited to what he can do, and a gun and cybernetic strength isn't going to do it.

Medusa brings snaring tactile hair strands to the table; Firebird can fight fire with the fire breathing Dragon Man, almost certainly surpassing his capabilities; and Gravity is bringing all kinds of wacky powers to the table.

All in all, a group of level headed heroes with these abilities should be able to function as a unit well enough to overcome the relatively childlike Dragon Man. Certainly the inexperience of Gravity and Firebird is well countered by the season of senior heroes like Deathlok, Wasp and Queen Medusa.

The Math: Deathlok and team(Total) Dragon Man (Average)
The Pick: Deathlok and team

What went down...
With several of the heroes already knocked out, Deathlok wastes no time going to battle with the roaring Dragon Man. His cybernetic intelligence rates chance of survival for Deathlok at less than 4%, but he fights on anyway.

Wasp calls an eyeshot, as Gravity impresses his influence on the situation. He uses his powers to shackle the seething Dragon Man, while Medusa capitalizes, using her strong hair to hoist a boulder onto the Dragon Man's foot.

The pain of the attack inadvertantly sees the Dragon Man bucking in agony, sending Gravity into the unsuspecting Medusa. Their collision knocks them both down.

Wasp, unable to get in for a close shot with her stinger blast, calls for back-up from Deathlok, who appears to be standing around in the middle of the battlefield. Little does Janet Van Dyne realise, Deathlok is unlocking the protocols in his cybernetic enhancements, rapidly increasing his options and chances of victory.

With safety protocols disabled and the maximum strength boost activated, Deathlok not only all-but assures his own survival, but increases the statstical chances of victory for the group. Although it hampers his chances, Deathlok ensures his no-kill parameters remain in effect. "Which isn't to say we can't punch his lights out."

Deathlok heads into the fray with a cybernetically enhanced uppercut that knocks the Dragon Man into next week! Reeling from the blow, Dragon Man is vulnerable for Wasp to come in to fire off one of her blasts at point blank range into his eye.

Unfortunately this serves only to enrage the beast further. Thought his eye is clearly effected, he breathes a massive jet of flame in retaliation, but the Wasp manages to get clear before she can be hit by the blinded beast.

Deathlok takes the brunt of Dragon Man's firey breath, suffering heavily under it's extreme temperature. His body begins to degenerate, as do his cybernetic enhancements, but just when all seems lost, Firebird enters the battle!

The flaming heroin absorbs the impact of the flames, coming between the simple creature and the advanced cyborg, Deathlok. She lets out a Phoenix style burst of flame in the shape of a bird, which sufficiently startles the Dragon creature.

Firebird orders the creature away, and follows her demands with an impressive blast of flame that sends the Dragon Man hurtling across the jungle terrain in which they fight. The attack proves to exert too much energy, but Gravity is there to use his powers to break Firebird's fall.

Deathlok's cybernetics are able to regenerate and self-repair the bulk of the damage done, allowing him to pursue their opponent for one last encounter.
Finding Dragon Man on his stomach deeper into the jungle, Deathlok snatches him by the tail and whips him into more larger rocks and boulders, ensuring the knocked down monster stays down.

The team regroups to address the remaining threats that await them on Battleworld. Mission accomplished.

The hammer...
Chalk up a victory to Deathlok, Firebird, and the rest of the team! In the interest of clarifying the statistical value, I'm going to consider that a solid team effort from everyone concerned.

Speaking of teams; Deathlok goes on to inform his fellows that he was on Battleworld as the remainder of a team that had been summoned long ago. That team consisting of; Darkhawk, Terror Inc, Sleepwalker, Dracula, Photon, Coldblood and Wonder Man. Not a bad little ensemble, even if I do say so myself. Reminiscent of Robert Kirkmans "legion of losers", who were so unfortunate they stole the name of The Spot's team!

Beyond!, like Kirkman's efforts in the later issues of Marvel Team-Up, highlights a resurgance in appreciation for the lower tier characters who largely suffered from post-nineties backlash. While it might not have been the biggest story to befall Marvel Comics, I like to think Beyond! went lengths to just reaffirm the potential value of these characters. Certainly with McDuffie moving back into the Marvel Universe big leagues writing a title like Fantastic Four, which directly references this mini, it's showing promising signs.

I also particularly like seeing an interest with grooming characters for bigger things. A conceit more characteristically seen at DC, where characters seem to be more readily embraced, both new and old. Characters like Gravity can really benefit from these kinds of things, whilst reviving classics like Deathlok.

It isn't all sunny for Marvel's B-listers, though. To the surprise of noone, Blade has been cancelled with the twelfth and final issue. They at least have the grace to wrap up their storylines, but really, anyone who thought this was a good way to capitalize on Blade's unexpected popularity in the films, was an idiot.

While not brilliant stories, what at least earns stories like Beyond! point of recognition is the very simple approach to the characters. Very little effort is made to do anything with them, but deliver an expected charaterization moving through events. Blade failed instantly to successfully capture the formula that was so brilliantly mastered particularly in the Stephen Norrington introductory film. The one that broke Blade onto the map.

Sometimes you really have to wonder about the thought processes behind these decisions. Not that I would volunteer myself as the supreme-intelligence. Even if it is simple brilliance to team the Sub-Mariner and Blade in a storyline that would blow your minds. Yes, I'm going back to the Sub-Mariner B-list packed pitch.

I'll salvage myself by abruptly changing the subject to the overall concept of Beyond!. The idea of a cosmic entity providing the McGuffin by spontaneously collecting up various selected characters, only to plonk them on a planet called Battleworld, is likewise simple brilliance.

It's highly unlikely that it will ever produce a Watchmen, but it is almost certainly guaranteed to be a ridiculously fun and action packed romp each and every time. You have to wonder if Marvel shouldn't focus their attentions on establishing Beyond! as a trademark, in a world where Secret War has perhaps shifted the perception and awareness of the classic Secret Wars branding.
It probably wouldn't hurt to shake-off the stink of Secret Wars II, too. At least Beyond! references the Beyonder, without conjuring images of the white leisure suit and gheri curl.

Gee, I wonder who would be qualified to write a comic about a random collective of superheroes fighting on an alien planet? Hey, I'm just saying, I'm here for the grooming Marvel. Look at the credentials, baby. Two years!
It's 1:15am, so I'm going to go to sleep now. The catch-up continues!

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 5
NEXT WEEK: King Midas said there'd be days like this... GREY GARGOYLE!

THING versus THE FRIGHTFUL FOUR
The Frightful Four -- Plus One! (Marvel comics)
Where: Fantastic Four #129 When: December, 1972
Why: Roy Thomas How: John Buscema

The story so far...
Having returned from taking a licking at the hands of the Moleman, the FF are in pretty bad shape, and they get a little more lopsided when the hotheaded Johnny Storm announces he's going to live with Crystal in the Great Refuge.
Yeah, great timing kiddo. All this, and Sue's had to take the wheel while Reed snoozes, and Ben just made a woman-driver gag...

The fun doesn't stop for Marvel's first family, and before too long Reed and Sue are at each other when Agatha Harkness appears to tell them to collect their son Franklin, as she has matters of the utmost urgency to attend to.

You can't blame ol' blue eyes for taking a brisk stroll to clear his head, but it turns out that might just not have been such a great idea, when a scream rings out into the cold night air.

Previous form:
Neither Thing, Medusa, nor the Frightful Four members included here have been featured on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths in the past.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Thing 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Wingless Wizard 6 (Genius)
Speed: Thundra 3 (Trained Athlete)
Stamina: Thing 5 (Marathon Runner)
Agility: Sandman 7 (Unlimited)
Fighting Ability: Thundra 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Wingless Wizard 3 (Explosives)

If you take a look at my modest comic collection, you'll find clumps of various titles with gaps between numbers anywhere between two issues, to two hundred.
In amongst that sea of inconsistency are some titles more popular than others, and for me, Fantastic Four is one of them. This makes it especially unusual that it's taken this long to feature the Thing -- long time favourite member of the FF.

Now, the Frightful Four have a habit of shuffling membership, so it's important to establish who it is we're dealing with here.
The cover is somewhat misleading, suggesting that Thundra is a fifth member of this sinister quartet, but what we find is actually that she is the fourth, while a former member appears in a reformed capacity. I, of course, refer to the Inhuman - Medusa.

So, the lineup this time around includes stalwart leader, the Wingless Wizard; providing muscle with a slice of versatility is the Sandman; pasting up the town with his patented ensnaring goo is The Trapster; and finally, the Amazonian-like warrior Thundra makes her first appearance in comics.

Really, you'd have to rate the Four pretty highly, despite their somewhat comical win/loss record.
Not only do you have the Wizard's wonderful toys, but also the versatility and strength of Sandman, which is only coupled by the brute strength of Thundra. Really, she makes a pretty impressive addition in place of Madusa, whose abilities are somewhat redundant next to the Trapster.

The Thing gets full credit for his strength, experience and overall durability.
It's these qualities that always make him a valuable asset to any team, but against the combined might of this foursome, his strengths start to diminish.
Pound for pound, Thundra alone could match Thing in the strength department, and while she might not win nine out of ten, she would take him to the very lengths in at least five of those bouts.

Whether their effectiveness ranges from sandy pants rash, to pastey suffocation, the addition of the other three members really tips things in the favour of the Frightful Four, I would honestly have to say.
Against the full roster of the original Fantastic Four it might be a different story, but with the Thing isolated it becomes too difficult to tip the hero.

Medusa, try as she may, is not an equalizer for Sandman, let alone the Wizard (who's nasty with those anti-grav discs, and his tactical intelligence) and the Trapster (who can... tie you up with paste...).

What went down...
Alright, so we all know it: Thing's a good guy!

I don't just mean that in the 'super powered bloke who fights villains and tyrrany in all their forms' either. I mean that if you're in a bind, he'll do what he can to help -- and when a woman's scream echoes in the night air, you can be damn sure Benjamin J. Grimm'll be there!

Barrelling head-long through a wooden fence, Benjy gets his first nasty shock when he plummets down into a dugout construction site.

Things take a further turn for the worse when a flexing figure emerges dramatically, shadowed by the moon behind him -- The Sandman!

Sandman clobbers his sendimentary counterpart, but when Thing tries to return the favour, he gets no love, swinging straight through a mid-section made of sand!

Escaping a grappling session with the FF's muscle, Sandy slips away to allow the entry of two other genial gentlemen in the form of the Trapster and the Wingless Wizard.

A two pronged attack on the Thing proves effective, tying him up with quick hardening paste, and following up with a swift diving attack from the Wizard who did fly.

It's at this time that another player in the game makes herself known.
Snatching the Wizard from the sky are long, red strands of hair belonging to the Inhuman known as Medusa. Dragging the Frightful Four's leader earthbound, Medusa makes clear her resignation from the questionable quartet.

While Medusa duals with the Wizard, Sandman and Trapster launch an attack on the Thing. Using his incredible and oft underrated strength, Sandman tosses a bulldozer in the hero's general direction, while Trapster comes from the other side behind the wheel of a dump truck.

Thing reduces the 'dozer to scrap metal with a left that woulda knocked it outta the park, and makes his turn just in time to surprise Trapster -- not by destroying his vehicle, but by yanking it from it's path into the air!

While the Thing shakes Trapster out of the truck, Medusa's dominance over Wizard has come under fire.
A face full of high-impact sand puts Medusa on the ropes, and frees up the Wizard to turn the tables on Thing, who is proceeding to dangle Trapster by his belt to deliver a spanking -- "Awright, Trappie -- My second time at bat, comin' up --"

One of the Wizard's "new and improved" anti-gravity discs slaps on Thing's back just in time, and Trapster falls to the ground with smug satisfaction.
It's only by the intervention of Medusa, who ensnares the floating Thing in her hair and removes the disc, that Thing does not end up space bound.
Afterall, if Jack Kirby had meant for Thing to fly, he would've given him wings.

Feeling pretty much ticked off and a little chauvinistic [Saved by a female! How mortifyin'!]; Thing looks to take the frightened three down while they're all together by hoisting a crane above his head, and whipping it into the air. Enter: Thundra!

Much like Thing earlier, Thundra reduces the airborne crane to rubble, professing her name and might as she strikes the metallic menace down.

"You already tossed yer monicker at us, girlie! Now howzabout somethin' a wee bit more basic, like -- What's a seven-foot gal like you doin' in a place like this??"

[It's about now that Thing should start to quiver in his shorts, because not only is Thundra obsessed with battling her destined opponent of the strongest male alive, but she's also a walking, talking parody of feminisim. But more to the point, Roy Thomas? Run for the hills, man! Lordy! -- Emasculated Mike]

Thing stands his ground as Thundra whips her chain at him, unaware that it's not her intention to injure him with it, but rather to ensnare him so as to pull him into close quarters. Then the real pain starts!

Thundra's blow is so powerful, the explosive blow is exclamated with a giant asterisk: "Rolll your own sound effect, effendi -- We can't think of one that would do Thundra's murderous blow justice! -- Roy and Artie."

Medusa attempts to intervene once more, but tanglging her tensile strands around the psuedo-Amazonian only ensures she see the same fate. Swung and tossed like a cat by it's tail, Thing has to make do with some giant chunks of Earth, which he attempts to use as a makeshift catcher's mit.

Sufficiently distracted, Thing is left wide open to attack as the Frightful Four congregate around he and Medusa.
Vulnerable, not even Thing can resist the crushing combo of full strength blows from Thundra and Sandman! Despite calling him for herself, the combined effort delivers the victory, and leaves Sandman and Thundra to bicker while Trapster subdues Medusa.

The hammer...
Well, the winners, I'm surprised to say, are the Frightful Four!
The Thing was an overdue inclusion to the site, but I have to say, I'm quite pleased to have guys like Sandman and Thundra on the rankings list now, too. Characters that aren't necessarily moving titles, but are strong representations of the Marvel tradition.

It's interesting to see how Marvel's current crossover event Civil War is affecting that tradition. For me, I've enjoyed the story, and the shake up of the 'status quo,' despite being fairly confident it'll all be relatively reset reasonably soon.

I've seen long time readers offended by what they're seeing between the pages of Mark Millar's Civil War. They're seeing characters they enjoy and adore acting in ways that are familiar, yet very different.

In this particular issue of Fantastic Four, the FF are torn apart by in-house bickering, preparing for a shift in the team's roster. Johnny runs off to the Inhumans' Great Refuge, where he hopes to find love with Crystal, an Inhuman and elemental who cannot leave her home.
Meanwhile, Reed Richards and Sue Storm are torn apart when Reed places his science, as he so often does, above more personal matters, like the well being of their son Franklin.

Each of these events is motivated, in the moment, by contrived emotion penned by Roy Thomas. While these events bare little relevence to the story, or even Fantastic Four history as we recognise it today, they attempt to forward on-going plots by using the perceived humanity of the characters prompted by catalysts that could be described as little more than mcguffins.

What we arrive at is a fun moment in history, where Medusa is a member of the Fantastic Four, and a chance to see the Thing take on a brand new character in her first appearance - Thundra.

So, how do I feel about Civil War? I guess I'm not too fussed.
Not to say I condone dramatic dismissal of history, or characterisation. Quite the contrary, I loathe the fan who tells you not to care. Not to invest in the logic these on-going stories demand.
I simply cannot stand readers who insist there's something wrong with disliking a comic's delivery or plot. 'You don't have to buy' is not a good enough answer.

That said, I don't feel Civil War fails as a story, or as a Marvel comic.
This story has introduced feelings that have largely been avoided, partially out of respect for the American sensitivity, and perhaps partially out of a want of escape.

In the wake of 9/11 and shifting climates we do now, however, have a Marvel universe incredibly aware of itself, and the world in which we live.
The Stanford incident reflects a tragedy in American history, and the resulting climate indicates something relevent in the world. The necesity for security, and administration and policing is the subject, and practically the villain. But I don't really feel that's important.

What's important, and what makes this such an acceptable tale, is that it's a story about humanity, magnified several times to become super humanity.
This is a collective of persons with great power, and great responsibility who have lived parallel to great human tragedy, and gross neglect within their own community.

This story highlights a moment in time where all of these people are reacting.
For a time, after 9/11, America seemed united. The spirit was strong, and the will to ensure safety and justice at all costs was strong. It was natural.
Eventually emotions settled, and tensions relaxed. The climate was slack enough to allow a return to dissent, and confusion, and disagreement. The world fell back into it's previous, comfortable context.

This is what I see for the Marvel universe. This is what I see of Civil War.

The Fight: 5.5 The Issue: 5

NEXT MONTH: Civil War comes to Secret Earths! But first, stay tuned for an all new punch-up!