The Rape of Ms. Marvel – The End is Near: Avengers Vol 1 #199– September 1980
Avengers Vol 1 #199: "Last Stand on Long Island"
Carol Danvers' horror pregnancy continues.
This issue picks up right where the last one ended. Hawkeye gets out of Red Ronin's way. Dr. Earl Cowan is now unconscious and the giant robot is roaming around and destroying freely. Wonder Man tries to stop the robot, but also fails. Then the Avengers arrive. Both Wonder Man and Hawkeye get on board the Behemoth, a S.H.I.E.L.D anti-Godzilla aircraft.
In the previous issue Jocasta and Beast entered inside Red Ronin and now it appears that they stuck there. Mostly Beast is stuck as he is entangled in electrical cables. Jocasta uses her laser eyes to free him and they head for the control room. Still, a dangerous move against Red Ronin can hurt Beast and Jocasta as well now and the Avengers know this.
Inside the control room Dr. Earl Cowan wakes up to find out that he has lost control of Red Ronin, because the connection cable between the robot and the scientist is severed. Now Red Ronin is stuck on Cowan's last order: destroy. The coast guard tried to fight the robot and failed and now the robot in headed towards the city.
The Avengers seem to have some plan in place that was created by Vision. Iron Man attacks Red Ronin in hopes to get him to attack him and the Avengers instead of the innocent people. It works and Ronin throws some device at him, as Behemoth is outside of Ronin's blades range. Captain America manages to deflect it while flying on a sky sledge, which is part of their plan. The next part of the plan is that Iron Man will gain control of the device and its laser blades. The rest of the Avengers should distract Ronin to buy Iron Man time. Eventually Iron Man gains control and flings the device towards Ronin and knocks him off his legs. Literally.
Jocasta and Beast reach Dr. Earl Cowan and are shocked to find that he is not in control. Cowan and Jocasta start pushing every button possible to try and shut Red Ronin down. Shouldn't Jocasta be a lot smarter than this? But as Ronin's upper body moves to destroy the highway nearby, Beast pulls the plug on the robot and saves the day.
S.H.I.E.L.D cleans up the mess that the robot parts left behind and Dr. Earl Cowan will be sent to a mental institution. The Avengers get a lift back home from S.H.I.E.L.D and ask Hawkeye to join in, something that he is only too happy to do.
The Avengers come home to find a very pregnant Carol Danvers. Wanda explains to them who Carol Danvers is as Captain America asks who this "miss" is and Wanda corrects him that Danvers is a "Ms." It seems so inconsequential at this time. Also, the Avengers don't make a big deal about revealing secret identities apparently. Their shock is only minor. Dr. Blake aka Thor's secret identity is there to examine Danvers. The WASP is happy for Danvers and her wish of "congratulations" seems so inappropriate. However, in her defense she seems a bit shocked as her congratulations is marred with an "I guess." Beast however seems totally happy for Danvers and offers himself as a teddy bear. Dr. Blake takes Danvers away to rest and to be examined. Meanwhile she thanks him and the rest of the Avengers, only I have no idea why she thanks them.
While all of the Avengers wait in the living room, Captain America and Hawkeye talk to the WASP. Apparently, Wanda and Vision left. So much for Wanda being a good friend to Danvers. But at least she was worried because Danvers' condition is unnatural and Danvers insists that there is no father. In the middle of the conversation Dr. Blake runs into the living room screaming that Danvers is in labor and he has never seen anything like it. If he can't handle it than probably no human can. So much for the god of thunder. Also, why on earth would a doctor leave a patient in labor without anyone to take care of her during his absence?
While the Avengers' plot is just entertaining, the Carol Danvers plot is horrible. The Avengers seemed only slightly shocked. In fact, only Captain America seems to be the right amount of shocked. WASP is slightly confused and Beast seems even amused. I have no idea why Danvers thanks the Avengers as they seem to offer her no support what so ever. The fact that Thor can't handle her labor is just atrocious. This is literally one of the worst plotlines written in comic books history and the next issue will be the climax of the horror.
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