Dark Avengers #11

Background

As a personal favor to the Secretary of State, Osborn led his team to Dinosaur, Colorado to find his missing daughter. When they arrived he quickly found the source of her disappearance: the Molecule Man.

Story Details

Three years ago: Victoria Hand discusses Nick Fury's failings as director of SHIELD with her girlfriend Isabelle during a boxing workout. Hand plans to send a letter to Nick Fury detailing her disappointment. Isabelle strongly advises her against it. One week later, Hand's letter is read by Fury and she is promptly transferred to Portand, Oregon. Isabelle is furious and ends their relationship.

Today: Hand assumes control of the helicarrier after the disappearance of Osborn and the other Avengers. After watching the team just blink out of existence, she mumbles that she owes Fury an apology.

Owen Reece introduces himself as "Molecule Man" to Osborn and explains how his powers work. He has taken his team into a separate world, apart from the reality he knows. He tells Osborn that he's not going to kill him, even though he could do it very easily. What he has in mind for his intrusion is worse.

He then takes Osborn on a trip through his deepest fears. He blinks and finds himself in a Spider-Man costume atop the Brooklyn Bridge with the glowing image of a pregnant Gwen Stacy floating nearby. Osborn backs away in terror and falls off the bridge into the water.

He awakens in a warehouse in his Goblin costume surrounded by the people that are waiting for him to fail. For him to completely snap and have to be put down. Reece explains that he's doing what he can to accelerate this process.

Reece visits the other Avengers in specially prepared sections of town to study them. He wants to send them back in a state that will prevent their return and ensure that Reed Richards does not get involved.

While he and his constructs of Enchantress, Zarathos, Mephisto, and the Beyonder decide their fate, Victoria Hand arrives and surrenders the remaining forces to the Molecule Man.

General Comments

We'll start with this and move forward. Victoria Hand was outed in this issue during the boxing scene. Any questions? No? Ok.

I just realized that aside from complete control of molecules, Reece has the ability to look at Osborn naked and not become physically ill.

Overall Rating

3.5 webs. This issue was better than its predecessor in terms of content. It was more tense and therefore more entertaining. You're never quite sure where this is going, but the ride is enjoyable.

Hand's surprise surrender just begs you to grab the next issue to find out what she has planned.