 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
| "Avengers: Standoff!" | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Publication date | March – April2016 |
| Genre | |
| Main character(s) | Captain America Avengers Howling Commandos Illuminati New Avengers S.H.I.E.L.D. Uncanny Avengers |
"Avengers: Standoff!" is a 2016 comic book storyline inMarvel Comics that was created byNick Spencer,Mark Bagley, and Jesus Saiz.[1]
This storyline depicts the Avengers investigating the mysteriousgated community of Pleasant Hill, trying to determine the nature of its involvement withS.H.I.E.L.D.[2]
Upon being alerted of a catastrophic event,Winter Soldier returns to Earth. Winter Soldier traces the source of the catastrophic event to aS.H.I.E.L.D. facility where he ends up fighting off the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents there. In the middle of the woods, a young man awakens with amnesia. After being brought to thegated community of Pleasant Hill, he is examined byErik Selvig and other doctors. 19 days later, a young man named Jim moves to Pleasant Hill. He meets with the mechanic Phil, who has created a device that enables people to return to their true selves and stolen a training video revealing that Pleasant Hill's residents are supervillains who were transformed byKobik and rendered amnesiac. As Phil uses the device on himself and Jim to restore their true selves, it is revealed that they are respectivelyFixer andBaron Helmut Zemo. Both of them vow to use the device on the other villains and destroy Pleasant Hill.[3]
Meanwhile,Steve Rogers andCaptain America investigate Pleasant Hill and discover its true nature. Unbeknownst to them, several of Pleasant Hill's inhabitants, includingAbsorbing Man,Atlas,Glob,Klaw,Mentallo,Mister Hyde,Moonstone,Nitro,Orrgo,Scorcher,Shockwave,Tiger Shark, andTrapster, have regained their memories thanks to Fixer. Baron Zemo leads them into a coordinated assault on the S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost that served as the Pleasant Hill City Hall.[4]
Phil Coulson's group learns about Pleasant Hill andRick Jones' involvement.Deathlok,Daisy Johnson, andJemma Simmons investigated Rick's house and discovered a hidden escape route. They follow Rick through theMorlock tunnels and apprehend him. During an interrogation at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Battlecarrier, theNew Avengers arrive to retrieve Rick from S.H.I.E.L.D.[5]
Answering Steve Rogers' call, theAvengers Unity Division arrive in Connecticut, where they discoverWrecker trying to escape in an SUV withMaria Hill. The Division helps Wrecker and Hill avoid the S.H.I.E.L.D. forces. While on their way to Pleasant Hill, the Avengers Unity Division is attacked by another Hill who is on aQuinjet with theAvengers.[6]
In New York City, the Avengers have defeated an escapee from Pleasant Hill when Hill arrives to keep the Avengers from getting involved. However, the Avengers convince her to transport them to Connecticut. When the Avengers and Hill arrive in Pleasant Hill, they notice the Avengers Unity Division and another Hill with them. The Hill who is with the Avengers opens fire, leading to a brief scuffle between the Avengers and the Division before they are trapped by Kobik and turned into inhabitants of Pleasant Hill.[7]
On the S.H.I.E.L.D. Battlecarrier, the New Avengers confront the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and retrieve Rick Jones from their custody. It turns out that the New Avengers were contacted by Rick through a pre-recorded video.The Pentagon learns about the New Avengers' invasion of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Battlecarrier. Considering it an act of war,Robert Maverick advises the Pentagon that they should retaliate by unleashing a monster called theAmerican Kaiju on the New Avengers.[8]
Amongst the villain rampage caused by Baron Zemo and Fixer, Hill is injured as Steve reasons with Zemo to let her get medical attention. Father Patrick then takes Steve to Erik Selvig's clinic to enlist his help in tending to Hill. With help from Selvig, Steve heads to the Pleasant Hill bowling alley to get to Kobik so that she can restore the peace. After attempting to reason with Kobik, Steve is attacked byCrossbones. Unbeknownst to him, Patrick is a clone ofRed Skull in disguise and orchestrated the villain uprising.[9]
In flashbacks, Maverick oversees Project Troubleshooter, a facility that develops human soldiers, and transforms Corporal Todd Ziller into the American Kaiju usinggamma radiation, Mutant Growth Hormone,Pym Particles, and theLizard formula. In the present, American Kaiju attacksAvengers Idea Mechanics, withSunspot employing the Avenger Five mech to battle him.[10]
AfterQuicksilver saves the Avengers from Kobik, they discover that the two Maria Hills areFemme Fatales members Mindblast and Bloodlust. When the inmates attack the Avengers,Deadpool reaches out to Kobik and convinces her to stand down.[11]
However, the villains capture Kobik and attempt to return her to her original Cosmic Cube form. However, the Avengers manage to defeat the villains. In the aftermath, Maria Hill is reprimanded by the World Security Council, but continues to operate under their supervision. Meanwhile, Kobik teleports Zemo and Selvig to an unknown part of theHimalayas and approaches Winter Soldier, hoping to ally with him, while Red Skull's clone starts to re-establishHydra.[12]
The following titles are listed in order of release:
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avengers Standoff Volume 1 | Avengers Standoff: Welcome To Pleasant Hill #1,Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill #1,Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. #3-4,New Avengers (vol. 4) #8-10 andUncanny Avengers (vol. 3) #7 | June 2016 | 978-1846537356 |
| Avengers Standoff Volume 2 | All-New, All-Different Avengers #7-8,Captain America: Sam Wilson #7-8,Illuminati #6,Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. #6,Avengers Standoff: Assault On Pleasant Hill Omega #1 | June 2016 | 978-1846537370 |
| Avengers: Standoff | Avengers Standoff: Welcome To Pleasant Hill #1,Avengers Standoff: Assault On Pleasant Hill Alpha #1,Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. #3-4,Uncanny Avengers (vol. 3) #7-8,All-New, All-Different Avengers #7-8,New Avengers (vol. 4) #8-10,Captain America: Sam Wilson #7-8,Illuminati #6,Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. #6,Avengers Standoff: Assault On Pleasant Hill Omega #1 | July 2016 | 978-1302901479 |
| New Avengers Vol. 2: Standoff | New Avengers (vol. 4) #6-11 | August 2016 | 978-0785196495 |
| All-New, All-Different Avengers Vol. 2: Standoff | All-New, All-Different Avengers #7-12,Free Comic Book Day 2016 (Civil War II) (B Story) | September 2016 | 978-1846537608 |
| Captain America: Sam Wilson Vol. 2: Standoff | Captain America: Sam Wilson #7-12 | October 2016 | 978-0785196419 |
