Because I'm such a big fan of obscure characters, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to show off and talk about a lesser-known black superhero. It also allowed me to again showcase one of my favorite comic runs ever: The Kurt Busiek/George Perez run on Avengers. If you want to know more about my love of this era, read my review of Avengers #1 (February 1998). As such, let's take a look at Avengers #15!
The cover, a George Perez piece, is pretty neat. You got the villainous Lord Templar and Pagan, as well as the heroic Triathlon all standing on the corners of a gold triangle. And in a nice little bit of character stuff (typical of Perez), you have Pagan and Templar trying to fight each other, while Triathlon is freaked out by the whole thing. I like the faces of the Avengers looking shocked in the triangle. It kind of reminds me of the Richard Donner films' take on the Phantom Zone, with Zod, Ursa, and Non trapped inside.
"Three-Fold Path"
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Penciler: George Perez
Inkers: Al Vey, Scott Koblish
Colorist: Tom Smith
Letterers: Richard Starkings, Comicraft, Wes Abbott
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras
The story begins with a man speaking at a podium. The place: Calleyville, Texas. It's just outside Houston. I think it's a fictional place. Anyway, a big crowd has gathered to hear the man speak. The man introduces a very special guest.
Yes, it's Triathlon! Triathlon, the man with triple the power of the ordinary man! Three times as fast, three times as strong, three times the stamina, three times the reflexes! Anything you can do, Triathlon can do three times better! You can eat five hot dogs at once? He can eat fifteen! I can write one comic review in a week! He can write three!
Triathlon does a physical course to the awe of the audience. He flips, he jumps through hoops, and he does with style, grace, and that flattop. The man is saying like them, he came to the Triune Understanding to find a purpose, a place in life. And he's here to dedicate the new Triune Understanding World Headquarters and Resource Center. Yeah, in the Busiek run, the Understanding was a cult with connections to an alien race. I would not be surprised if he was inspired by Scientology and other groups like that.
Triathlon addresses the crowd, where he unmasks.
He talks about his origins. His name was Delroy Garrett, Jr. He was an Olympic sprinter. He was fast, real fast. Fast enough to win medals. But his desire to win got the better of him, and he used steroids. He got caught, and stripped of his medals. It's something he's not very proud of. It put him in a low point...until he found the Triune Understanding. They helped him understand himself, and unlock his superhuman potential. Yeah, that's not quite what they did, but more on that later.
Garrett Jr. claims the Understanding can do for the crowd what they did for him, help reach their potential. He then introduces the man who founded the Triune Understanding, Mr. Jonathan Tremont.
Got a thing for triangles, the Understanding does. Heck, look at the man himself. Tremont. Tri. Three. Yeah, the number three is a regular theme with this bunch. Elsewhere, Avenger members Iron Man, Justice, and Wonder Man are scanning around for energy traces, but they have found nothing. Neither have the Scarlet Witch, the Vision, or Thor. Wanda finds herself thinking back to a conversation she had with Steve Rogers, aka Captain America. Yup, we're starting a big ol' flashback...
The group has been having some troubles since their reformation. Mainly, the new group has never really gelled as a unit, which has caused some problems. Wanda thinks one of the big problems is a failure of leadership. Cap's attention has been divided since he had to deal with some Skrull infiltrators in Captain America #5-7 (May-July 1998). As such, he hasn't really been able to adjust since then. Cap agrees, but Wanda has a plan. Cap will continue as the leader in the field. Wanda herself will take on the role of "morale officer", helping the new team work together. And she's got some ideas...
In the morning, Wanda announces that the weekly meetings will each have a different chairman, as a way to get everyone more involved. As such, Firestar gets to be chairman this time. The microwave-making mutant recaps some of the recent events of the Avengers. I like the idea of the rotating chairman. I wish other Avengers runs after this one embraced the concept.
A villain named Lord Templar has been spotted in Washington DC, Paris, and Beijing since he clashed with Earth's Mightiest and the New Warriors in Avengers #13 (February 1999). He claims that he's on a crusade for world peace in partnership with Earth's governments. They all deny this. Then there's Pagan, who the Avengers fought in Times Square in the previous issue, and they've been trying to get a line on Apocalypse since they fought Moses Magnum in Avengers #9 (October 1998). Not to mention Graviton is on the loose, but hasn't been seen since the Thunderbolts fought him in Wyoming. Also, the Wrecking Crew were broken out from jail.
In some other new business, the Avengers want to reinstate the recently-resurrected Wonder Man back to being an active Avengers member, but he declines for personal reasons. Firestar then announces that the Avengers will continue their team training, but also having various combinations of two Avengers train together so members who don't regularly work together can get a chance to, like herself and Vision, and Justice and Thor. Iron Man arrives, saying he found a way to track Lord Templar based on analyzing energy residue left behind after he appears.
With that, the flashback ends. The Avengers find some of the energy residue, and are able to track it...
Right to the back door of the Triune Understanding's temple. The very same temple Triathlon was dedicating. Curious...
Captain America, ever the gracious sort, tries to ask to come inside. After all, a very dangerous supervillain could be hiding in there. The woman is very nervous, saying she can't let the Avengers inside. Very suspicious. Triathlon takes over and asks what's up. While he converses with Cap, Justice notices some very highly-armed guards. Rather unusual for a pop-psychology movement. Tremont watches the exchange, but he's not worried. It will be taken care of.
And what does he mean by that? Well, a bit of ground shaking, a bit of earth quaking, and...
Yup, Pagan's back. And he's in the mood to do what he does best: Break Stuff. Triathlon races into action. After all, as far as he's concerned, Pagan is on Triune turf, so he's his problem. He proves to be very helpful.
Okay, maybe not. The Avengers fly into battle, Justice using his telekinetic powers to protect the crowd. Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Firestar engage the powerful being, but Pagan is too powerful. The scene shifts to Muscatine, Iowa. The newly-liberated Wrecking Crew are robbing a bank.
The cops arrive, and the Wrecker is eager for a fight. He hasn't had one since he tussled with Iron Man and Namor the Sub-Mariner in Marvel Team-Up #11 (July 1998). Before he can get his desired brawl however, he and the rest of the Crew vanish. Back in Texas, Pagan is wrecking the Avengers like they're a old building due for demolition. However, one Avenger is still standing, and wants himself a piece of the chaos-being.
Thor manages to get in some good hits, which even impresses Triathlon. However, Pagan is able to take down the God of Thunder. It's like they're fighting the Hulk. No matter how hard you hit him, he'll always win. However, the Avengers get an unlikely savior.
Yeah, things just got worse. Lord Templar has just shown up. The Avengers prepare to take them both on, but Triathlon stops them, saying that Templar's the only one that had any effect on Pagan.
The crowd agrees with this. Pagan throws a piece of sidewalk, but Templar sends out some avatars based on strength. They break the rubble, and restrain Pagan. Templar then hurls the monster out into deep space.
Thor is infuriated. The Scarlet Witch notices something odd. When the Avengers and New Warriors battled Templar in Avengers #13 (March 1999), Thor had Templar on the defensive. Thor had trouble fighting Pagan. If Thor was able to kick Templar's butt, but not do so well against Pagan...how was Templar able to overpower Pagan? Did he get a power boost of some kind? This wasn't bad writing, this was deliberate.
Justice and Firestar notice that the Avengers end up looking like fools whenever he shows up. Later on, Jonathan Tremont speaks in front of the building on a podium. He takes the opportunity to subtly smear Earth's Mightiest Heroes, making it look like the Avengers were trying to cover up their failure to stop Pagan by wanting to search the Triune's new building. Still later, after all the hubbub, Tremont is meditating when he gets a guest, and a revelation is made.
Yup. It seems Templar is some sort of being that can merge with Jonathan. Templar has been sowing distrust in traditional authority, so people would trust the Triune Understanding. His smearing the Avengers is part of this plan. But what's his ultimate goal? That'll be later in the story.
But he's not the end of the Avengers' problems. In Old Tappan, New Jersey, an old villain is back in action. Turns out old Henry "Hank" Pym has made some kind of scientific breakthrough, and this villain finds it useful? Who is it?
Ultron is back, and he's in the mood for some genocide.
This comic is awesome, although I think it's better read as a part of a trade than on its own. I like the concept of the Triune Understanding. Heck, I'm surprised that more weird cults like this haven't popped up in the Marvel Universe. I mean, a character like Exodus would be perfect for such a thing. Triathlon's origin is kind of tragic in a way, an Olympian who let his desire to win consume him. It also helps show how people like Tremont can manipulate people like Delroy Garrett Jr, people who were lost and looking for somewhere to belong. His loyalty to the Understanding is...well, understandable considering all of that.
I also love the subtle hints of the Triune Understanding being more sinister than it appears. And the revelation of the relation between Lord Templar and Tremont was quite a twist, but it does make a lot of sense. Tremont is a cult leader, and the cult leaders like their followers nice and loyal. Using Templar to sow confusion is just a way of brainwashing the sheep. And of course, Perez turns in some fantastic art. You know me, I love to gush over his art.
So, whatever happened to Triathlon? Well, later in Busiek's Avengers run, it was revealed that his powers were not his own superhuman potential unlocked, but were stolen from a superhero active in the 1950s called the 3-D Man. He would later join Captain America's side during the Civil War. In the aftermath of that, he would fully take up the mantle of 3-D Man. He appeared during the Secret Invasion battling Skrulls. He's made cameos here and there since during various events, but never really fully stepped back into the spotlight.
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