Avengers Annual 1999

This annual continues the long Avengers tradition of stories centered on Jarvis, of which issue #201 is perhaps the most well known. Here, he writes a letter to Black Widow, reporting on the current status of the team and reflecting on her time leading what was left of the Avengers during the Heroes Reborn episode, revisiting that time in an interesting way while bringing back a long unseen Avengers ally as well.

The issue begins when Jarvis recounting an attack by “Ultimator,” the spiritual successor to Flag-Smasher and ULTIMATUM (both famous from the pivotal storyline beginning in Captain America #321), and the Avengers’ successful intervention—noting especially Cap’s able assurances to the crowd.

(As it happens, Flag-Smasher himself will return in this year’s Captain America Annual, although he’s hardly himself.)

Naturally, Cap feels differently about his team’s performance, which he details below (after acknowledging the favorable outcome).

Justice must have missed that last part, and he’s not the only one who gets defensive—but Cap remains adamant that they can and must do better, demanding no less of his colleagues than he does of himself.

Consistent with recent issues, Wanda speaks to Cap privately to address her concerns with his leadership, recommending he do more to let his teammates, especially the younger ones, know they’re generally doing well. (Jarvis seems to agree.)

Later, we see Cap exhibiting a level of mechanical skill heretofore unseen. (Or maybe it’s Tony playing dress-up and Jarvis is just playing along?)

At this point, Jarvis’ letter turns to the aftermath of the fight with Onslaught, when most of the Avengers disappeared (along with the Fantastic Four), after which the Black Widow, feeling responsible for the loss of her teammates, put the team’s operations on hold. Jarvis took it upon himself to tell the rest of the Avengers Support Crew, not seen together since the early 90s, with tech wizard Fabian Stankowicz (who continued to work for Cap until his “death” in Captain America #443) taking it especially hard.

Back in the current day, New York City is suddenly attacked by giant Avengers-themed robots (perhaps an early version of this)…

…and Cap launches into leader mode, taking care of his injured colleagues while trying to orchestrate the team’s response.

After they are captured, Cap gets an opportunity to praise Justice after the young Avenger (lowercase ‘y’) thinks of a way to use Cap’s energy shield remotely. (Maybe he should change his name to Bluetooth!)

While the Avengers fight their robot counterparts, Alfred Jarvis recognizes something the robot Cap said as something he heard Fabian say when he encountered him on the street several weeks after he stormed off. Jarvis finds Fabian in the current day having been taken over by the tech he had developed to replace the Avengers after they disappeared. After convincing Fabian the Avengers he is currently fighting are the real thing and not evil impostors—hey, it does happen quite a bit—Jarvis disconnects him from the tech and the robot menace is no more (as Cap learns from the man himself).

Fabian has not been seen since—I’m sure some enterprising young writer will revive him eventually.

Afterwards, Thor takes the hero of the day and the rest of the Avengers to an ice cream shop he has apparently visited before. (Anyone know when?) Cap lets Justice know again how well he did, but Justice emulates his idol by deflecting the praise to Jarvis, who reiterates that he is fine serving the team as he does. (And does he ever!)

We’ll wrap this up with a panel from earlier, when we learn what the preferred brand of ice cream is called in the Marvel Universe. (‘Nuff said!)

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ISSUE DETAILS

Avengers (vol. 3) Annual 1999: John Francis Moore (writer), Leonardo Manco (pencils and inks), Tom Smith (colors), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)

Collected in: Avengers Assemble Volume 2.