Ms. Marvel Teams up with the Avengers: Avengers Vol 1 #172 – June, 1978
Avengers Vol 1 #172: "Holocaust in New York Harbor!"
Ms. Marvel basically has a hero’s cameo in this issue.
The issue opens with Hawkeye’s return. He enters the Avengers mansion and there is no one there, not even Jarvis (he is a human servant in the comics). While Hawkeye searches the house, an angry government agent walks into the mansion, saying how untrustworthy the Avengers are. Anyone can walk in and steal all of the equipment the government gave them. So, I guess that the Avengers sort of work with the government at this point in the comics.
The Avengers themselves are far away. They have won the battle against Ultron, but they don’t feel victorious as Captain America is gone along with Jocasta, Ultron’s bride. The real nun, which was replaced by a robot, shows up, thanks the Avengers and asks them to leave. They are not at all sure if leaving Ultron’s wreckage in her hands was a good idea, but they are more worried about Cap.
The Avengers return to the mansion and see Hawkeye there. He gets a very warm welcome back. Then they realize that their security system has actually tied up the government worker who came to the mansion. Opss. The angry man announces that the government is cutting all ties to the Avengers. Not a great day for them. Unlike in the movies, this limits their ability to operate in a significant manner.
During the emotional storm the Avenger are having because of the government, Wanda realizes that Quicksilver - Pietro has also vanished. Then Jarvis runs in and tells them that the Harbor is being attacked. They split into teams, Ms. Marvel is part of the team that joins the fight at the harbor, while Yellowjacket and the WASP are going to try and get more help, Thor and Beast are on crisis standby, while Iron Man is a team on his own that will try to find out what is going on.
Ms. Marvel goes in for a close-range battle with Tyrak, while Wanda and Clint fight from further away. But they send Wonder Man to help Ms. Marvel.
Tyrak wants the heads of the Avengers for pride and honor. He doesn’t want to fight a soft woman, but Ms. Marvel is a Kree warrior. Which is not enough, because he takes her out with one punch. Hawkeye’s arrow has almost no influence on Tyrak, who also manages to defeat Vision in his high dense and weight form.
Ms. Marvel returns to attack Tyrak again. From some reason this upsets Wonder Man who wants Ms. Marvel to head for safety, while he will fight Tyrak “man-to-man.” Not a great plan as Ms. Marvel is the more experienced warrior. Because Wonder Man and Ms. Marvel are uncoordinated, Tyrak takes them both out. Scarlet Witch does her best by shooting him with a hex, but he recovers quickly. In the end, Vision defeats him with his thermo-optic beams that are similar to the sun that Tyrak hates so much. Also, Vision could have done this first, but then the fight and the issue would have been less interesting and much shorter.
It’s a problem to evacuate Tyrak, because the military will not answer their call for aid. So, Wonder Man throws him back into the water, but it looks lie Tyrak had enough because he is not resurfacing to attack again.
Despite the fact that Pietro and Captain America are still missing, Ms. Marvel decides to leave. I am a bit surprised, it’s not like her to leave a mission before it is over, but it is like a character cameo. From some reason she tells them that it looks like the crisis has passed, although it hasn’t. She tells them that she has a life of her own, which she does, she is still an editor. But, she does tell Wonder Man that she will be back, he has “a lot to learn about liberated women -- especially [her].” She basically just called him a chauvinist. He did needlessly interfere in a battle which she could have won. As she flies away she says that “a hunk like you might be worth educating!” I wouldn’t take it as a compliment. Neither does Wonder Men who says that “someone will have to explain to [him] what happened to women…” Apparently, he was in suspended animation, so we’ll cut him some slack. Even though he lives with Scarlet Witch.
Then Vision disappears as well. I wouldn’t call this the end of a crisis Ms. Marvel. The issue ends with us looking at all of the abducted Avengers in suspended animation.
This issue just feels like Tokenism. Ms. Marvel talks about being a free liberated woman, but she doesn’t actually do much in this issue other then get punched and get defeated twice. Although the second time is not her fault. Then, she simply leaves while the Avengers are still in danger. You can tell that Chris Claremont didn’t write this issue, or helped writing it. The Avengers are still fun regardless though.
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