Spider-Man: No Way Home Teaser, My Thoughts

The Merry Marvel Cinematic Universe marches on! After the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home and Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man's life has been turned upside down. How does he deal from the fallout of that? Let's find out by looking at the teaser trailer for the MCU's 27th movie!

Heh heh, I love the banter between Peter and MJ here.

And the little shoutout to Steve Ditko was nice. I doubt he'd care, but still, that's nice.

Yeah, MJ. Peter's secret identity as Spider-Man has been exposed, but everyone thinks he's a murderer. So relieving.

Man, what happened to the Sanctum? Did Strange just feel in the mood to create a Winter Wonderland? But then again, he was a dust pile for five years. Maybe the city just shut off the utilities to the Sanctum Santorum, and he wasn't been able to get them to turn it back on again.

"Bye guys, I'm gonna go fight Abomination in Shang-Chi's movie."

Strange never listens to Wong. But then again, it tends to work out whenever he doesn't, so...yeah.

Ahhh, they're drawing from One More Day and One Moment in Time. It makes sense. I remember when they announced the third Captain America movie would draw from Civil War, and I thought, "Oh, no...not that story!" But the film actually was better than the comic, so I have faith in this.

Aaaaand Peter messes it up!

Lightning and sand, eh?

SOUL PUNCH!

Is that...a Goblin Bomb from one of the Raimi Spidey movies?! THE MULTIVERSE LIVES!

"Be careful what you wish for, Parker." He's learning that the hard way!

...Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus. MY GOD.

Well...I am hyped. Yup, I am hyped. I am ready for this movie. Give me this movie now! I can't wait to see this! I really enjoyed the last two films in this trilogy, and this one looks like it'll be a home run! I was so shocked to see Alfred Molina back as Doc Ock, and I can't help put wonder if the MCU Peter will end up meeting his Raimi counterpart in some form...

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time! 

Text Play: Pokémon Zeta #24

Hello, and welcome back to the Vesryn Region! This is entry number 24 in my Text Play of Pokémon Zeta!

Now, as usual, I will warn you. I will warn you, I will be spoiling this game.

If you want to play the game for yourself, you can download it at the game's wiki here. So, with that out of the way, let's go!

Last time, we finally arrived at Blackfist City. Blackfist City is one of the largest cities in the entire Vesryn region. It's here we're going to be facing . But first, there's some items we can pick up in the Residential District. We already got the EXP. Share, but there are still two other items. The first can be found in this house directly below the entrance to the Residential District.

Talk to the Seviper here. It's the black snake-like Pokémon. It'll give you a Poison Gem. A Poison Gem is a one-time use item. If a Pokémon holds it, the first Poison-type attack they use will be increased in power. I don't see the use of such an item myself, but that's just me.

Next, we go up to a house located in the east of the city. We talk to the blond guy inside.

This is for the Wireless Communication Depot in Fianga City. This ID will allow us to battle a simulation of Martin and his Pokémon team at a simulator there. I'd actually like to go back to Fianga and try this out! Sounds fun!

Anyway, there's one main reason we are here. Blackfist City has a Gym, and that Gym has the seventh badge of the game. We get this, we get one step closer to finally challenging the Quasar League!

However, we get a bit of an obstacle when we arrive at the Gym. It turns out that Demetri isn't exactly at home at the moment.

At least the man's still in town, and you don't have to go on a complicated freakin' side quest to find him. The Blackfist Department Store is one of the big features of this city. Like the Celadon City Department Store in the original Red and Blue, the Blackfist Department Store is a multi-leveled building with each floor dedicated to selling particular items. I did see something in the lobby that amused me.

Pay phones. Heh. You do not see those much anymore. The lobby has stairs and an elevator. If you're in a rush, take the elevator. Here's a key to which floors have what:

• Floor 1: Lobby. You enter here, and there's an old man on the couch who will tell you where Demitiri is hanging out.
• Floor 2: Trainer's Market. Here you can buy Pokeballs, Potions and healing items, and incense.
• Floor 3: TV Game Shop. Here you can buy TMs, and eggs for certain Pokémon. The eggs and TM vary in price, so save your money.
• Floor 4: Wise Man Gifts. Here you can buy certain items that can help Pokémon evolve, like evolutionary stones. You can buy a special new item here called a Dream Stone. Also, you can buy items that can boost Pokémon's stats here like the Choice Band.
• Floor 5: Drugstore. Here we get drugs. Ha ha, I'm kidding. Here, we can get vitamins that can boost a Pokémon's stats, like Protein, Iron, etc.

Demitri can be found hanging out on the Department Store's roof. 

The roof is inaccessible by elevator, you have to take the stairs. Or you can take the elevator to the 5th floor, and take the stairs on that floor to the roof. Anyway, he's the guy with the turquoise hair in the screenshot. He's been eager to battle me since he sensed my defeating Zeus. And with that, he vanishes.

...well, as long as we're up here, might as well get a couple of drinks from the vending machines then head back downstairs. It's hot out here, and I'm thirsty. While there, it got me thinking about what Pokémon I should bring to face Demitri. The man uses Psychic-type Pokémon in his Gym, so Fighting and Poison-types are out of the question. But Psychic Pokémon do have weaknesses. In particular, Bug, Dark, and Ghost-types. They will do the job just fine.

Luckily, I do have some options. A surprising amount of options...

My Butterfree is a Bug/Flying Pokémon, and it knows both Sleep Powder and the Bug-type move Bug Buzz. She is a definite member of my squad to face Demitri. Also, in my experience, Butterfree are surprising powerhouses. 

I'm also considering keeping my Luxray on board as well, as he knows Crunch, a Dark-type attack. My Gabite also knows Crunch, and she's shown herself to be a bit of a beast in battle. My Magmortar has Dark Pulse and Confuse Ray. I don't think Victreebel would be helpful here, unfortunately. It's part-Poison, so it's very vulnerable to Psychic-type attacks. Unfortunately, I'll also have to remove Kingdra again as well. I'm quite reluctant to do so, as I replaced them with Tentacruel for getting through Mt. Press. I don't want to leave Kingdra out again, but I really don't have much of a choice. I need the spot.

Sableye would be a good choice to face Demitri. It's Dark/Ghost, and the one I caught does know a couple moves of both types. I think I'll bring that one on board. I have a Mandibuzz that has nothing but Dark-type moves. Krokorok is Dark/Ground and knows Crunch. I also have a Spiritomb. It's Ghost/Dark, and it knows Ominous Wind, a Ghost-type move. 

As I was looking over my Pokémon collection, I had found myself thinking back to my days of playing the original Red and Blue. Back then, Sabrina was the most dreaded Gym Leader. Psychic was overpowered in those games, and there was very little options in countering them. Now, I got tons of options. How things change. Ultimately, I went with this team.

Luckily, grinding won't be quite as hard here as I now have the EXP Share. It would have been better if I had the Sun and Moon-style one instead of the one I got, but I'm taking what I can get. And at the last minute, I decided to switch out Spiritomb with Murkrow because, well...I like Murkrow. And I'm not too fond of the moveset my Spiritomb had. I have a Ditto, I wish I could breed a Spiritomb so I'd have more say over what moves it had. And Murkrow is awesome. 

Now that I have my team ready to rock and roll, it's time to get to the grinding. And I think that's where we'll stop for the time being. Hopefully, next time, we'll get to face Demitri and get badge #7! Wish me luck!

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Tales of Suspense #52 (April 1964)

In recent years, one Natasha Romanoff, aka Marvel's resident mistress of espionage the Black Widow, has become one of Marvel's most popular heroines. The redheaded spymistress has been seen in video games, cartoons, and naturally, appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as one of the original members of that universe's version of the Avengers, and even recently had her own solo movie.

Like many of the more popular characters in the Marvel Universe, Natasha has actually been around for decades. And over all those years, she has been associated with the Avengers, but has had several solo appearances over the years. But every character has a beginning, so let's take a look at Natasha's first appearance in Tales of Suspense #52!

The cover is a Jack Kirby and George Roussos piece. It's pretty amusing. It depicts the Crimson Dynamo fighting Iron Man. Iron Man's pose here is funny, as it makes him look like he's doing a weird dance.

"The Crimson Dynamo Strikes Again!"
Writers: Stan Lee and N. Korok
Penciler: Don Heck
Inker: Don Heck
Colorist: Unknown
Letterer: Sam Rosen
Editor: Unknown
Editor-in-Chief: Stan Lee

The story begins with a certain red-...well, pink-armored figure walking around Stark Enterprises.

This is Anton Vanko, aka the former Soviet supervillain known as the Crimson Dynamo. He's been testing a new laser weapon he's developing. How does he plan to test it? He basically plans to blast himself in his armor.

Tony Stark saves his life, and chides him for being a dope. You see, Vanko was given a job by Stark after the two of them tussled, and he's eager to prove his desire to help his adopted country. However, his old KGB bosses have found out that Vanko has defected. As such, they send in one of their best agents to take the man out.

Say hello to Natasha Romanoff, everyone! She's accompanied by a big bruiser named Boris, naturally. Boris shows that he's the brawn to Nattie's brain when he picks up a desk like it's made of paper.

As the two are being briefed on the assignment, Natasha notes that Stark is a handsome dude, and that this assignment will be...an interesting one in her own words. A short time later, the two arrive at Stark's munitions plant. Boris is posing as a Ukranian science teacher, and Nat is his sister. Stark greets them, while noting that Natasha is one pretty little Eastern Bloc dish. He offers to take her out to dinner while Boris gets a tour. The big man is able to get to Vanko's lab.

“Surprise, mothatrucka!" The big Russian captures the scientist with a net gun, then carries him out. Boris then sneaks back into the lab and dons the Crimson Dynamo armor. He uses it to wreak havoc on the building. 

Stark is on a date with Natasha, when he's alerted to Boris's antics. He and Natasha head to the plant, and Stark goes in the burning building to investigate...as Iron Man, of course. Boris ambushes the Armored Avenger, and is able to overload his circuits. He then takes Iron Man to an escape sub. 

Stark uses a light in the room to recharge his armor and escape. He discovers a tied-up Vanko and realizes that someone else is wearing the Crimson Dynamo armor. The two fight, and Natasha pretends to be injured to trick Tony. The trick works, and Boris short-circuits the Iron Man armor. In desperation, Vanko goes for his ultimate weapon.

His new laser pistol is powerful, but it's got a big glitch. The power of the laser is so great, it can destroy its user...somehow. I have no idea. Anyway, Vanko fires the laser, killing both Boris...and himself. Natasha escapes in the confusion as Tony mourns Vanko. The story ends with the Widow on the run, knowing that her superiors will be after her for her failure.

This story was...alright. It is interesting to see how Natasha started out. The character is clearly deeply imbedded in the trope of being the exotic Soviet femme fatale spy. Vanko's sacrifice was intended to be seen as heroic, but it does seem kind of silly considering that it's never explained why the laser pistol would kill him. There is plenty of action, even though I think it did feel itself is a bit rushed due to the number of pages this story had.

Don Heck's artwork isn't bad. His rendition of Natasha is gorgeous, which fits considering the role she plays in this story. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2019 trade paperback Black Widow Epic Collection Vol. 1: Beware the Black Widow. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! Join me next time when we join Doctor Strange in an another adventure…

Marvel's Midnight Suns Announcement Trailer, My Thoughts

In the Marvel Universe, demons and monsters are very real. They have terrorized the populace of that universe since ancient times. The heroes of the Marvel Universe all have stories of battling such creatures of the night, but one group has dedicated itself to specializing in defending humanity from these malefactors: The Midnight Sons.

The Midnight Sons traditionally have had members that touched the supernatural side of the Marvel Universe, like Ghost Rider (both the Johnny Blaze and Daniel Ketch incarnations), Blade, Morbius the Living Vampire, and Jack Russell, the original Werewolf by Night. Over the years, members have had their own solo series, and even a couple of crossovers focused on them. Members have also appeared in video games, but there's never been a game centered on the Sons...until now. 2K Games and Firaxis have announced that they're working on a tactical RPG game called Marvel Midnight Suns, which brings together some of the classic group with new characters to battle a great evil. Let's look at the trailer!

It just started out as a regular day for the Avengers. Saving the day, beating up HYDRA, that sort of thing. Then...the darkness came...

Did Captain Marvel just nuke some Mindless Ones? They looked like Mindless Ones.

It makes sense Doctor Strange would be here. Considering his position as Sorceror Supreme, he would be a good link between the more traditional heroics of the Avengers, and the more supernatural-tinged adventures of the titular team.

Hey, Robbie Reyes! The Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider!

I love Strange shaking his head there. "Kids. Have to be so dramatic."

And Nico Minoru of the Runaways! It's nice to see this game having an interesting combination of characters to work with. And in case you were wondering, in the comics, Nico can summon her Staff of One by bleeding. Yeah, paper cuts can be rather inconvenient for her.

Tony's like "Get those claws out, Logan. You may need to cut something."

This game's got Blade and Magik! Accompanied by Alessia Cara & The Warning's cover of Metallica's "Enter Sandman". It's an awesome cover.

That looks like Lilith. Note the funky-shaped head.

It makes she would be the villain of this game. She is the Mother of Demons, after all. A Mesopotamian goddess who degenerated into a demon...named after the first wife of Adam from the Bible.

Yeah, I'm not surprised that her kids hate her guts. I can't imagine Lilith being Mother of the Year.

...was that this game's take on Thori? I mean, Thori is a Hellhound...doesn't quite look like him, though...

Well, this game looks awesome. Tactical games are not my normal wheelhouse, but I'll give this one a try. I do like that it's going a bit outside-the-box with its character choices, incuding characters like Nico Minoru and Magik. I also hope we get to see more characters in this game like Morbius and either of the Werewolves by Night. Maybe as DLC.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!

The Spectacular Spider-Man #137 (April 1988)

Why is Spider-Man one of Marvel's most popular heroes? Well, I think that is because he is the embodiment of Marvel's style of superhero. He's the everyman, the regular guy who manages to get great power, but it doesn't necessarily make his life any easier. As such, Spider-Man is arguably one of the best characters for doing stories that tackle issues that affect regular people. Let's look at Spectacular Spider-Man #137!

The cover is a Sal Buscema piece. It depicts Spider-Man and the Tarantula battling it out in a church. It's an awesome cover.

"Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide!" 
Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciler: Sal Buscema
Inker: Sal Buscema
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Letterer: Rick Parker
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Peter Parker swinging through the city in his black costume. 

He's in a bit of a mood. You see, the old skinflint J. Jonah Jameson asked Peter to get some photos of a gangland meeting. So Pete put his life on the line and got the pictures. And how does Jameson thank him? He gets all, "nah, nobody cares about this story". And he was the one who assigned Peter the job in the first place.

Yeah, Jameson's a jerk. We look in on a Mr. Armando Ruiz. A janitor for the Daily Bugle, he fled his homeland six years earlier. He still fears that the government of his birth nation is after him. Sadly, his fears are proven right.

Page 8, Panel 6

This is Luis Alvarez, aka the second Tarantula. The boot spike-packing assassin manages to end the life of Mr. Ruiz. Spidey hears Ruiz's dying screams, and goes to check it out. Spidey can't believe that it's the Tarantula, as the original one (Anton Miguel Rodriquez) died in Amazing Spider-Man #236. The Wall-Crawler's spider-sense saves our hero from being given a bullet buffet from a group of armed men. 

The next day, Jameson demands that the paper's staff look into Ruiz's death. Robbie Robertson is feeling a bit distracted as he saw an old ghost from his past in the form of Tombstone in Web of Spider-Man #36. Elsewhere, Mary Jane Watson-Parker is working on a modeling shoot when she learns that her makeup artist Elvira is an undocumented worker. She fears that the INS (This is a topical reference. In 2003, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was absorbed into the Department of Homeland Security) will come for her and deport her. 

Mary Jane gives her Peter Parker's number. He works for a newspaper, so maybe he can help. And if not him, they maybe Spider-Man can help. A nondescript car containing a nondescript man in black arrives at a garbage scow. 

Page 14, Panel 6

This Man in Black is one Gullivar South. He represents certain people in the American government who wish to support Tarantula's people's efforts to bring "stability and democracy" to South America. Unofficially, of course.

South provides the Tarantula with some information about some refugees from the Tarantula's homeland living in New York City...including Elvira and her family.

Peter meets with MJ and they have lunch. Robbie Robertson is getting himself some lunch too, in the form of a New York hotdog from a hotdog stand. Mmmm...hotdog...

Anyway, Robbie's ability to enjoy said hotdog gets ruined by Tombstone. Robbie spots him in the the Kingpin's building and tries to follow the albino assassin. And ol' stoneface is not fond of it.

Page 17, Panel 7

Spidey swings to meet Ben Urich. He's been talking with a legal aid lawyer named Maggie Michaelson. She explains to Urich Ruiz's situation. He was a political refugee, but since his homeland is considered an ally to the United States, the US did not recognize him as such. There is an amnesty program, but Ruiz didn't sign up. Like many undocumented workers, he refused because he feared deportation. And for Ruiz, a death squad waited for him if he was. 

Peter's Spider-Sense warns him of a man walking into an alley. Peter finds it odd...unless that man was a potential threat. It had to be the Tarantula! Peter pursues the man, only to be ambushed by a group of angry and frightened youths, mistaking him for an INS man. Peter escapes with the help of his powers. While on a roof, Peter laments the situation. 

That night, the Tarantula and his goons attack Elvira and her family. They flee to St. Jude's Church. Elvira calls Mary Jane for help, and Peter suits up to help. The Tarantula and his death squad blast their way into the church, but an unlikely angel arrives.

Page 23, Panel 6

Spidey is able to deal with the death squad, but Tarantula himself escapes. Even worse, Elvira is detained by the arriving police. It leaves Spidey understandably down. Back at his garbage scow headquarters, the Tarantula is enraged with how things have gone. Luckily, South has a man that can help.

Page 28, Panel 8

Yup, looks like Captain America himself is providing some backup! Well, not quite. You see, at the time, John Walker was wearing the suit after Steve Rogers gave it up in Captain America #332.

This was pretty good comic. We get plenty of drama from the plotline regarding the Tarantula. The storyline was created in response to then-President Ronald Reagan signing the Immigration and Reform Act in 1986. That law had been criticized at the time as deliberate targeting of Hispanic people and promoting fears of them. It can be seen here in the story. Elvira and her family came to the US not to commit criminal acts, but because they wanted the freedom to make a legit life for themselves. Tarantula and his men cause murder and mayhem, yet Elvira is treated as a criminal. The unfairness of it all. 

Sal Buscema provides the artwork for this story, and 

Arietta of Spirits Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

Imagine if you will, you going to a cabin to celebrate the passing of a beloved relative, but end up fighting a bunch of angry spirits. Well, that's what happens to a young girl named Arietta. What was supposed to be a cabin trip ended up being a big time battle against the spirit world, but it may be the thing she needs to make peace with her grandma's death. Let's look at the launch trailer!

Sometimes, you just want to sit on a pier, relax, and just...let your mind wander.

What is that, a ghost ferret?

Yeah! Sword powered up! Gonna cut everything, baby!

Yeah, that person totally looks like they know what they're doing with the potion-making.

Somebody needs to get Arietta a Proton Pack. She'd have her spirit problems handled no problem!

Those ghosts look like flying saucers. Maybe they're alien ghosts.

Now THAT is a boss!

Aw, great. Frog monster. Somebody call Roddy Piper!

Well, this looks like a cute fun action game. I think I just might give it a try sometime. I hope there is a demo.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wear a mask, wash your hands often, and get vaccinated! See you next time!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trailer, My Thoughts

For nearly 40 years, Ghostbusters has been one of the most beloved franchises, spawning movies, cartoon series, books, and comics. It was announced in January 2019 that a new Ghostbusters movie that would follow up on the first two was in the works, directed by Jason Reitman (son of Ivan Reitman, director of the original Ghostbusters movie). It was intended to be released last year, but it ended up delayed due to the pandemic. Let's look at the trailer!

Summerville. It's got a big rivalry with Wintertown a few miles over.

I think we got our Egon!

I love diners! Especially diner burgers.

Hey, Paul Rudd! This should be fun, then!

The old-school ghost trap! Looks like this is film is more directly linked to the first two movies. 

Annie Potts! I'm betting she's old Janine Melnitz.

The Ecto-1 is back, baby!

Yeah, it needs a coat of paint and a cleaning, but that's not an issue.

I'm betting this town has a dinosaur problem.

Okay, maybe not!

Hey, Mini-Stay Pufts! Ain't they cute?

Yeah, I'd been wondering if I was drunk, too.

Yeah, I bet there were Gozer worshippers here. 

That...that was Dan Ackroyd! And that was him as Ray! 

This was honestly kind of what I wanted in a new Ghostbusters movie. The idea of a torch being passed. It was kind of something I wished the 2016 film did, show us a passing of the torch. I do like the idea of this new generation of Ghostbusters fighting netherworldly menaces in a small Midwest town. Helps it feel fresh and different from the traditional city-based adventures of the originals. This film looks like it will be a lot of fun!

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!

Avengers Forever #8 (July 1999)

It's that time again! It's time to join the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes in their greatest battle yet! Their battle against Immortus has crossed time, space, and cheese sandwiches! Last time, the members of the time-tossed Avengers made their way through the temporal tyrant's stronghold, where they got attacked by their own pasts. It was mainly a character-centered issue. So, where do we go from here? Let's find out in Avengers Forever #8!

The cover is a Carlos Pacheco, Jesus Merino, Steve Oliff, Tony Kelly, and John Roshell piece. It's a really cool cover, in my opinion. It depicts Immortus seemingly pulling apart the Vision and Jim Hammond, the Original Human Torch. It's a cool hint to what we're going to get from this issue. We're going to learn some shocking secrets about the Avengers' pasts.

"The Secret History of the Avengers"
Writers: Kurt Busiek, Roger Stern
Penciller: Carlos Pacheco
Inker: Jesus Merino
Colorist: Steve Oliff
Letterers: Richard Starkings, Albert Deschesne
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins with Hawkeye throwing a tantrum with the Synchro-Staff that he obtained in the last issue because he can't get it to work. Clint is like "That's it, I'mma break it!", and the staff screams, revealing that it's a Space Phantom.

Hank Pym, Master of the Obvious.

The Phantom tries to flee by shapeshifting, but since he's outside the time-stream, his power is useless. Yeah, you can bet that Phantom feels real stupid right now.

The Avengers demand he explain why Immortus wants Rick Jones dead. After all, that's the reason why they're all here in this little adventure. The Phantom then tells his tale. 

Not long after Kang became Immortus and started investigating the timestream, the man was visited by a certain trio.

Even in Limbo, religious folks will come to your door.

Yes, the Time-Keepers. You may be familiar with them if you watched Loki on Disney+. Immortus agreed to become their agent, working to protect the timestream. The Space Phantoms were basically Immortus's own agents. Where did the Phantoms themselves come from? Well, they were created from beings that would find themselves lost in Limbo (Remember, Limbo touches every point in time and space). The properties of the place makes those beings forget who they are over time. Even Immortus is not immune to this effect. Technology provided by the Time-Keepers help prevent him from becoming a Phantom himself.

Captain Marvel is able to confirm with his Cosmic Awareness that the Space Phantom is not lying. This particular Phantom is tired of being Immortus's toady, thanks to him putting this Phantom through...quite a lot. In fact, this Space Phantom is the very same Phantom that tried to break the Avengers up back in Avengers (1963) #2. Immortus himself then allied with Baron Zemo, the Enchantress, and the Executioner in Avengers (1963) #10. This comic was Immortus's debut. 

Giant-Man points out that Thor saved an entire planet full of Space Phantoms once, in Thor (1966) #281-282. The Space Phantom reveals that was another lie, made to strip Thor's hammer Mjolnir of its ability to travel through time. 

Now, I know what you are thinking. "Wait, Immortus is a time-traveler. Why doesn't he just prevent the Avengers from forming? Heck, why not even prevent the original Avengers from being born?" Well, the thing is, Immortus prefers to work through guile rather than brute force like his previous self. After all, if someone is unaware they're being manipulated, they can't resist it. Not to mention that the Avengers are also rather critical to humanity's development. And finally, Immortus has developed a bit of a fondness for Earth's Mightiest. It can be argued that this developed from a respect he had for them back when he was Kang.

Anyway, Immortus continued monitoring the timestream. All seemed well...until the Time-Keepers came to visit. And they were none too happy, thanks to the events of the Kree-Skrull War. It was during that event that Rick Jones first manifested the Destiny Force, the ultimate power that lies in all of humanity. 

“I HAVE THE POWEEEEEEEER!”

Basically, the Destiny Force will allow humanity to reach the stars and become an unrivaled power in the universe. There is a dark side to that, though. According to the Time-Keepers, this will allow humanity to destroy the universe. Even in futures in which humanity travels through the stars with peaceful intentions a la Star Trek will result in intergalactic destruction. 

It's here that Hawkeye makes a frightening implication...based on what we learn here, it's possible that Immortus has been manipulating the Avengers...since nearly the team's entire existence up to that point.

It's a terrifying implication. And even worse..it's plausible. Immortus is certainly capable of it. The Space Phantom certainly believes so, as the Time-Keepers believe that humanity is the single most dangerous people in the universe. Not hard to see why. Inhumans, Deviants, Eternals, mutants, all born from the human genome. Giant-Man sees a hole in this, though. Quite a few of the Avengers' encounters with Immortus have involved two Avengers in particular, two members who have become quite popular in recent years: the Vision and the Scarlet Witch.

Well, it's not necessarily the Vision that interested Immortus, but the Scarlet Witch. She is the Nexus Being of Earth-616. As such, any offspring she has could potentially rock the cosmos. And not as in "performing an epic rock show".

Although, Wanda's children becoming intergalactic rock stars would be a cool story. 

Immortus saw an opportunity to prevent this when observing the budding romance between Wanda and the Vision. Hey, Wanda's a living being, Vision's a sentient machine, BOOM! Wanda can't make a baby with a machine, problem solved! Thing was, at the time, Vision was bit too reserved to woo the winsome witch, so he provided some "encouragement" in the form of the events of Avengers (1963) #107-108 and #133-135. Eventually, Immortus would help further along his manipulations by playing minister to Wanda and Vision's wedding in Giant-Size Avengers #4. 

Wasp points out that eventually, Wanda did have children anyway: Thomas and William, who would be reborn as the Young Avengers known as Wiccan and Speed. That's because destiny does not like to be thwarted. 

(Wave finger)

When Wanda had her children, Immortus had to act to avoid the wrath of the Time-Keepers. He discovered that Wanda had unknowingly called upon two fragments of the soul of the demon Mephisto in the creation process. He secretly aided the demon and his agent Master Pandemonium in reclaiming the shards, which happened in Avengers West Coast #52.

Eventually, Immortus would manipulate Earth's governments into dismantling the Vision, which happened in West Coast Avengers #42-43. In issue #45, the original Human Torch's creator, Phineas Horton, claimed that he did not recognize the inner workings of the Vision. But wasn't Vision built from the Torch, you may ask? Well, supposedly. The thing was, the Phineas Horton that appeared in that issue...that wasn't Horton. That was another Space Phantom posing as Horton. Which makes sense, as in Avengers #135 (February 1975), it was established that Ultron had killed Horton because he refused to reprogram Jim Hammond to be Ultron's slave.

Yeah, I bet you're all confused. Well, we have to look at the events of Fantastic Four Annual #4. 

TORCH FIGHT!

In that comic, a villain called the Mad Thinker had found the inert body of the original Torch and used it in battle against Marvel's First Family. Torch on Torch Kombaaaaat! Anyway, James Hammond refused to be used for murder. He was shut down again by another villain called Quasimodo. The FF left his body behind. It's here that Immortus shows up with the Forever Crystal (Remember that?). He uses the Crystal to basically duplicate the inert android. 

So yeah, there were now two Jim Hammonds. One was taken by Ultron-5 to be made into the Vision in Avengers #135, while the other would be used by the Thinker in a scheme against the Torch's former sidekick in Sub-Mariner #14. The funeral of the Torch was shown in West Coast Avengers #50 (the same issue saw Jim Hammond's revival). The earlier mentioning of the Vision's disassembly, and the revival of the original Torch was all part of a plan by Immortus to mess with Wanda's mind. The goal was to weaken the bonds she had to her children, which would have allowed Mephisto to reclaim them.

Yeah, it's a lot. And I love this stuff! We next jump forward to the 90s, during the events of one of my favorite Avengers stories. We've visited this event before in my blog. The event? Operation: Galactic Storm.

Immortus feared the consequences of the Avengers hanging out in space during that event. So, he uses the mind of Iron Man to make him lead a team of Avengers to kill the Supreme Intelligence in revenge for his decimating his own empire.

This angered the Time-Keepers, as they felt Immortus had screwed up. They showed a future of the Avengers building outposts to aid the Kree after they were decimated. This would lead to the first Terran Empire shown in issue #1. Destiny does not like to be thwarted. Immortus then saw another chance to prevent this future in the coming of Onslaught in Onslaught: X-Men. He had to keep the Avengers occupied until they seemingly died fighting the psychic amalgam. So, he concocted the events of the notorious storyline known as...The Crossing.

The Crossing, like Operation: Galactic Storm, was another big Avengers crossover storyline from the 90s. It involved the Avengers' book as well as Force Works, Iron Man, and War Machine's books. The difference between the two stories is that Operation: Galactic Storm does not suck. From what I understand, The Crossing is hated by Avengers fans as it basically was everything wrong with 90s superhero comics. Convoluted, bad artwork, the works. 

We do finally get a bit of action at the end, when the Avengers are ambushed by Immortus and Yellowjacket. The temporal tyrant assures Yellowjacket he'll get his timeline where he never reverts to being Hank Pym...if he can save humanity at all.

This issue is definitely one of those stories that is better read as part of the whole storyline than on its own. It's a giant exposition dump, exploring much of Avengers' history, with a very scary implication.