AVENGERS versus NEBULA
Doomsday Plus One! (Marvel)
Where: Avengers #315 When: March 1990
Why: John Byrne How: Paul Ryan & Tom Palmer
The Story So Far...
As strange energy fluxes begin to hit the Avengers; an emergency distress call from Starfox draws Iron Man and Vision to investigate in space. Their fate is unknown when the remaining heroes of Avengers Mansion are pummeled with an energy wave that eradicates existence!
Safely sealed inside a section of the rebuilt mansion thanks to Sersi; Captain America, Thor, Jarvis, and Spider-Man desperately scramble for answers, and a means to survive the infinite vacuum of nothingness!
Recalibrating their limited hardware, Spider-Man discovers another structure floating in the void! When Sersi attempts to make telepathic contact with the PolyDyne Industries survivors -- she's rocked by pure evil! Bridging the gulf with Thor's hammer, the Avengers discover the culprit: the space pirate - Nebula!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thor 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Spider-Man 5 (Professor)
Speed: Spider-Man 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Thor 6 (Generator)
Agility: Spider-Man 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Captain America 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Thor 5 (Lasers)
Total: Thor 32 (Super)
The Avengers are: Captain America and Thor, with Spider-Man.
The Avengers have effectively been reduced to a two-man team-up, relying on visiting reservist Spider-Man, and faithful butler Jarvis. The Eternal Sersi was instrumental in protecting the team, but incapacitated by a telepathic episode. Iron Man and Vision were already deployed elsewhere in space at the time.
They face notorious space-pirate Nebula who's known to the Avengers as the alleged grand-daughter of Thanos. Whether her lineage is true blue or not, she's certainly shown a similar penchant for sadism, destruction, and survival.
She possesses incredible natural strength, endurance, and energy powers, as well as frequently acquiring advanced alien weaponry, with the mastery to make the most of it. She also has a merry band of scum and villainy to call upon, once used to subdue Silver Sufer! Of course, as we saw in Secret Defenders #10, she was also swiftly defeated once the Surfer was free to seek her out.
In theory, Thor has the brute strength and firepower to be more than a match for Nebula. He's bested Super-Skrull in Thor #464, suckered DC's Superman in JLA/Avengers #1, and fought Drax The Destroyer to a brawny standstill in Warlock and The Infinity Watch #21. Each is an equivalent cosmic adversary.
Where things sometimes fall apart for Thor is in his tendency to rely on godly might, and a hubris that fails to consider the possibility of defeat. Case in point, he was simply overruled by the Elder, Champion of the Universe, in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7. Likewise, the innate worthiness and tenacity of Beta Ray Bill allowed Thor to be caught vulnerable and unprepared in Thor #337.
Nebula will never be worthy enough to steal Mjolnir away from Thor, but if she has a powerful enough weapon, she could certainly exploit it tactically.
Captain America and Spider-Man are a little out of their comfort zone, but can be counted on to run interference. As well as directing traffic, Cap famously stared down the overwhelming odds of Thanos in Infinity Gauntlet #4. Spidey took a run at him with a stand-in Thor earlier in that same issue.
On face value Nebula is an underdog against the combined tactical and physical powers of these three heroes. The only real way to know how she'll fare is by diving in to the action! Let's take a look...
The Tape: Avengers Ranking: Spider-Man (#2)
What Went Down...
Adrift in a void of infinite nothingness: Thor uses his enchanted hammer to draw the surviving Avengers to their destination with a magnetic field -- and smashes their way in! Inside: Nebula is there to deliver a hostile greeting!
Spidey and Cap narrowly avoid Nebula's wrist blaster as the webslinger mistakes her for a blue-skinned Atlantean. They leap clear, but remain under heavy fire as the villainess opens up both barrels with a wild spray!
Cap's shield and Thor's hammer hold strong against the intense energy blasts, but Spider-man is forced to take evasive action, employing the speed and agility of a spider to leap and wall crawl through a lethal blanket of fire!
Spidey tries to take control of his destiny with a stream of webbing, but the absence of gravity throws his aim off. Nebula easily dives over the adhesive and returns fire in a single graceful arc!
Cap and Thor do their best to come to their vulnerable ally's aid! Cap calls for Nebula's attention and throws his mighty shield into the path of her blasts, but she derisively shoots it out of the air -- and out of reach of the Captain!
Fortunately, the gambit was merely to create a distraction so Thor could unleash a powerful wind with the swing of Mjolnir! its gusting gale picks Nebula off her feet -- hurling her across the laboratory to the opposing wall!
Nebula is pinned to the wall by the mighty wind. Made of tough stuff, she chides herself for the error and endures the pressure long enough to sense an ebb in the wind's waves. She pushes against the wall with perfect timing, airborne long enough to twirl around and fire a concussive blast at the heroes!
Her renewed laser assault is cut short by two precision bursts of webbing that plug the gauntlet blasters! Spidey leaps at Nebula to press the advantage, but grossly under estimates her strength and combat prowess! She easily catches the web-slinger in mid-flight and turns his momentum into a throw!
Nebula searches for Captain America, but the super-soldier has made a dash for the central machine that's uncontrollably spewing energy. Cap recruits Thor to temper the mysterious forces, but the thunder god can only hold it back so long!
The scientist responsible for building the machine attempts to guide the heroes to a solution before its Genesis Pulse reaches maximum, but Nebula intervenes to incinerate him with a full power blast of her gauntlet!
Thor leaps forth to avenge the old man, but Nebula catches the enraged god with a direct shot to the gut!
Focused on the task at hand, Captain America recruits another of the surviving staff to learn the secret to stopping the machine. It seems it may be as simple as disrupting the flow of power from subbasement generators -- but breaking through the electromagnetic field surrounding the inductor seems impossible!
The super-soldier steels himself to fight against the awesome forces, accepting that even he may risk serious internal injury. His hand shakes as he strains to reach for the giant power coil that will end the madness. Spider-Man interrupts his struggle to lend the helping hand they need!
Years of fighting Electro have ensured Spidey's web formula is non-organic and non-conductive, allowing him to pierce the energy field with a line and begin the awesome feat of pulling the inductor loose! Nebula may have escaped in the chaos, but reality is once again restored.
The Hammer...
The Avengers may have saved the day with Spider-Man's help, but Nebula's escape clearly leaves us with an inconclusive outcome! You can chalk this one up as a draw when you check out rankings updates at the bottom of this entry.
I must say, it's nice to be back in 1990. I've generally romanticized the year in other recent featured fights. This time we're in the sweet spot of a couple of issues I've wanted to get to for quite some time.
Spider-Man's guest spot in an unlikely cosmic adventure made the team's re-assembling in Avengers #316 an action-packed episode I revisited many times over the years. There was just something right about all those elements together -- particularly with Iron Man and Vision joining back in!
Captain America is clearly out of his element, but exhibits all the determination and heroism necessary to challenge the odds throughout. Avengers #315 is at both times a small and cosmic story. The stakes are high, but the quarters are close, allowing Cap and Spider-Man to own the focus of a hero's journey.
It's getting easy to forget there was a time when Spider-Man didn't have charter membership with the Avengers. I've never been overly opposed to the idea, but there's just something that feels right about Spider-Man remaining slightly on the outside. You couldn't honestly call him a loner -- he was the star of Marvel Team-Up, and untold crossover appearances in his own, and other series. I guess it just makes sense that he ultimately swings his own way in the end.
As much as I'm a little nostalgic for a time when Marvel's brands were more strongly defined, there are things I appreciate have changed.
It's fun to revisit Nebula's early days as a slightly unremarkable space pirate who caused trouble for the Avengers. She feels a little bit classic Star Trek in look and intent here. Her design worked well enough, but the bald cyborg she became soon after feels like a strong, well conceived improvement.
Take nothing away from the images in this issue, though. Between this and the following issue: a lot of credit goes to the collaborating team of late great artist Paul Ryan, and Tom Palmer.
Ryan's renderings of the Avengers and Fantastic Four were staple references throughout the early nineties. As a penciller, he was a tremendous all-rounder, capable of consistently representing Marvel's biggest heroes with modern-classic definition. They were iconic, but identifiably contemporary.
The contrast balance I've been using for image scans really doesn't do the finished work justice. I would also argue the storytelling is better appreciated when the composition of complete pages is seen in their entirety. Ryan wasn't a heavily stylized pin-up artist and that's probably why his work can be taken for granted at times, and sorely underrated. If you get a chance to pick up this issue, or a collection, you'll see what I mean. You can check out more of the issues I remembered via this 2016 tribute.
If you want to see more of today's fight and Spidey's team-up with the Avengers you can check it out in a few different collected editions, including Avengers by John Byrne and Spider-Man: Am I An Avenger?
Use the purchase links provided to do your online shopping and Amazon will support the site at no extra cost to you!
Discover more by following links throughout this post, or by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured battles. You can also get daily links inspired by the topics of the day by following Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Twitter and Facebook! Be sure to share and like your faves!
Winner: Draw
#2 (--) Spider-Man
#7 (--) Captain America
#29 (--) Thor
#571 (+297) Nebula
#563 (new) Sersi [+1 assist]
Where: Avengers #315 When: March 1990
Why: John Byrne How: Paul Ryan & Tom Palmer
The Story So Far...
As strange energy fluxes begin to hit the Avengers; an emergency distress call from Starfox draws Iron Man and Vision to investigate in space. Their fate is unknown when the remaining heroes of Avengers Mansion are pummeled with an energy wave that eradicates existence!
Safely sealed inside a section of the rebuilt mansion thanks to Sersi; Captain America, Thor, Jarvis, and Spider-Man desperately scramble for answers, and a means to survive the infinite vacuum of nothingness!
Recalibrating their limited hardware, Spider-Man discovers another structure floating in the void! When Sersi attempts to make telepathic contact with the PolyDyne Industries survivors -- she's rocked by pure evil! Bridging the gulf with Thor's hammer, the Avengers discover the culprit: the space pirate - Nebula!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thor 6 (Invincible)Intelligence: Spider-Man 5 (Professor)
Speed: Spider-Man 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Thor 6 (Generator)
Agility: Spider-Man 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Captain America 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Thor 5 (Lasers)
Total: Thor 32 (Super)
The Avengers are: Captain America and Thor, with Spider-Man.
The Avengers have effectively been reduced to a two-man team-up, relying on visiting reservist Spider-Man, and faithful butler Jarvis. The Eternal Sersi was instrumental in protecting the team, but incapacitated by a telepathic episode. Iron Man and Vision were already deployed elsewhere in space at the time.
They face notorious space-pirate Nebula who's known to the Avengers as the alleged grand-daughter of Thanos. Whether her lineage is true blue or not, she's certainly shown a similar penchant for sadism, destruction, and survival.
She possesses incredible natural strength, endurance, and energy powers, as well as frequently acquiring advanced alien weaponry, with the mastery to make the most of it. She also has a merry band of scum and villainy to call upon, once used to subdue Silver Sufer! Of course, as we saw in Secret Defenders #10, she was also swiftly defeated once the Surfer was free to seek her out.
In theory, Thor has the brute strength and firepower to be more than a match for Nebula. He's bested Super-Skrull in Thor #464, suckered DC's Superman in JLA/Avengers #1, and fought Drax The Destroyer to a brawny standstill in Warlock and The Infinity Watch #21. Each is an equivalent cosmic adversary.
Where things sometimes fall apart for Thor is in his tendency to rely on godly might, and a hubris that fails to consider the possibility of defeat. Case in point, he was simply overruled by the Elder, Champion of the Universe, in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7. Likewise, the innate worthiness and tenacity of Beta Ray Bill allowed Thor to be caught vulnerable and unprepared in Thor #337.
Nebula will never be worthy enough to steal Mjolnir away from Thor, but if she has a powerful enough weapon, she could certainly exploit it tactically.
Captain America and Spider-Man are a little out of their comfort zone, but can be counted on to run interference. As well as directing traffic, Cap famously stared down the overwhelming odds of Thanos in Infinity Gauntlet #4. Spidey took a run at him with a stand-in Thor earlier in that same issue.
On face value Nebula is an underdog against the combined tactical and physical powers of these three heroes. The only real way to know how she'll fare is by diving in to the action! Let's take a look...
The Tape: Avengers Ranking: Spider-Man (#2)
What Went Down...
Adrift in a void of infinite nothingness: Thor uses his enchanted hammer to draw the surviving Avengers to their destination with a magnetic field -- and smashes their way in! Inside: Nebula is there to deliver a hostile greeting!
Spidey and Cap narrowly avoid Nebula's wrist blaster as the webslinger mistakes her for a blue-skinned Atlantean. They leap clear, but remain under heavy fire as the villainess opens up both barrels with a wild spray!
Cap's shield and Thor's hammer hold strong against the intense energy blasts, but Spider-man is forced to take evasive action, employing the speed and agility of a spider to leap and wall crawl through a lethal blanket of fire!
Spidey tries to take control of his destiny with a stream of webbing, but the absence of gravity throws his aim off. Nebula easily dives over the adhesive and returns fire in a single graceful arc!
Cap and Thor do their best to come to their vulnerable ally's aid! Cap calls for Nebula's attention and throws his mighty shield into the path of her blasts, but she derisively shoots it out of the air -- and out of reach of the Captain!
Fortunately, the gambit was merely to create a distraction so Thor could unleash a powerful wind with the swing of Mjolnir! its gusting gale picks Nebula off her feet -- hurling her across the laboratory to the opposing wall!
Nebula is pinned to the wall by the mighty wind. Made of tough stuff, she chides herself for the error and endures the pressure long enough to sense an ebb in the wind's waves. She pushes against the wall with perfect timing, airborne long enough to twirl around and fire a concussive blast at the heroes!
Her renewed laser assault is cut short by two precision bursts of webbing that plug the gauntlet blasters! Spidey leaps at Nebula to press the advantage, but grossly under estimates her strength and combat prowess! She easily catches the web-slinger in mid-flight and turns his momentum into a throw!
Nebula searches for Captain America, but the super-soldier has made a dash for the central machine that's uncontrollably spewing energy. Cap recruits Thor to temper the mysterious forces, but the thunder god can only hold it back so long!
The scientist responsible for building the machine attempts to guide the heroes to a solution before its Genesis Pulse reaches maximum, but Nebula intervenes to incinerate him with a full power blast of her gauntlet!
Thor leaps forth to avenge the old man, but Nebula catches the enraged god with a direct shot to the gut!
Focused on the task at hand, Captain America recruits another of the surviving staff to learn the secret to stopping the machine. It seems it may be as simple as disrupting the flow of power from subbasement generators -- but breaking through the electromagnetic field surrounding the inductor seems impossible!
The super-soldier steels himself to fight against the awesome forces, accepting that even he may risk serious internal injury. His hand shakes as he strains to reach for the giant power coil that will end the madness. Spider-Man interrupts his struggle to lend the helping hand they need!
Years of fighting Electro have ensured Spidey's web formula is non-organic and non-conductive, allowing him to pierce the energy field with a line and begin the awesome feat of pulling the inductor loose! Nebula may have escaped in the chaos, but reality is once again restored.
The Hammer...The Avengers may have saved the day with Spider-Man's help, but Nebula's escape clearly leaves us with an inconclusive outcome! You can chalk this one up as a draw when you check out rankings updates at the bottom of this entry.
I must say, it's nice to be back in 1990. I've generally romanticized the year in other recent featured fights. This time we're in the sweet spot of a couple of issues I've wanted to get to for quite some time.
Spider-Man's guest spot in an unlikely cosmic adventure made the team's re-assembling in Avengers #316 an action-packed episode I revisited many times over the years. There was just something right about all those elements together -- particularly with Iron Man and Vision joining back in!
Captain America is clearly out of his element, but exhibits all the determination and heroism necessary to challenge the odds throughout. Avengers #315 is at both times a small and cosmic story. The stakes are high, but the quarters are close, allowing Cap and Spider-Man to own the focus of a hero's journey.
It's getting easy to forget there was a time when Spider-Man didn't have charter membership with the Avengers. I've never been overly opposed to the idea, but there's just something that feels right about Spider-Man remaining slightly on the outside. You couldn't honestly call him a loner -- he was the star of Marvel Team-Up, and untold crossover appearances in his own, and other series. I guess it just makes sense that he ultimately swings his own way in the end.
As much as I'm a little nostalgic for a time when Marvel's brands were more strongly defined, there are things I appreciate have changed.
It's fun to revisit Nebula's early days as a slightly unremarkable space pirate who caused trouble for the Avengers. She feels a little bit classic Star Trek in look and intent here. Her design worked well enough, but the bald cyborg she became soon after feels like a strong, well conceived improvement.
Take nothing away from the images in this issue, though. Between this and the following issue: a lot of credit goes to the collaborating team of late great artist Paul Ryan, and Tom Palmer.
Ryan's renderings of the Avengers and Fantastic Four were staple references throughout the early nineties. As a penciller, he was a tremendous all-rounder, capable of consistently representing Marvel's biggest heroes with modern-classic definition. They were iconic, but identifiably contemporary.
The contrast balance I've been using for image scans really doesn't do the finished work justice. I would also argue the storytelling is better appreciated when the composition of complete pages is seen in their entirety. Ryan wasn't a heavily stylized pin-up artist and that's probably why his work can be taken for granted at times, and sorely underrated. If you get a chance to pick up this issue, or a collection, you'll see what I mean. You can check out more of the issues I remembered via this 2016 tribute.
If you want to see more of today's fight and Spidey's team-up with the Avengers you can check it out in a few different collected editions, including Avengers by John Byrne and Spider-Man: Am I An Avenger?
Use the purchase links provided to do your online shopping and Amazon will support the site at no extra cost to you!
Discover more by following links throughout this post, or by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured battles. You can also get daily links inspired by the topics of the day by following Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Twitter and Facebook! Be sure to share and like your faves!
Winner: Draw
#2 (--) Spider-Man
#7 (--) Captain America
#29 (--) Thor
#571 (+297) Nebula
#563 (new) Sersi [+1 assist]
Strength: Batman 3 (Athlete)
