Avengers #422

His Name Is...Yellowjacket!
by Scott Harris

The Wasp, bedraggled and frightened, is rushing through the darkened sub-basements of the Mansion, desperately attempting to find someone to help her. As she flies, we see behind her an ominous figure in the shadows, wearing a hauntingly familiar black and gold suit and grinning maliciously...

Two Hours Ago: Hank Pym is in his lab, tinkering, when he hears an odd noise. Turning to see what it is, he is surprised to see nothing there. Shrugging, he returns to his lab work but only works for a few moments before a sudden sharp pain makes him grab his head and lan against the wall. The spell passes after a few moments and Hank shakes it off.

"That's odd..maybe I'm working too hard...wait, what's that?" Lying on the table in front of him, where a moment ago there had been nothing, he sees his old Yellowjacket mask. Amazed, he reaches down to pick it up, but a voice behind him stops him before he can; it's the Wasp.

"Hank, you want to go get a bite to eat?"

"Uh..sure, Janet, let me just tidy up here." He turns back to the mask, but the table is empty once more. A deep sense of foreboding falls over him, but he shrugs it off and leaves to eat with Janet.

Now: The Wasp, finally reaching the top level of the Mansion, buzzes through the living room and into the foyer, but nobody is in sight. As she tries to figure out where to go, a small swarm of yellowjackets flies at her. Shooting them down, she manages to fight them off and darts for freedom, but the looming figure of Yellowjacket in the doorway cuts her off; he blasts at her with his stinger. Barely managing to aviod the shot, the exhausted Wasp flies through a duct. Yellowjacket shakes his head, smiles, and chases after her.

One Hour Ago: Hank and Jan return from their supper. They briefly talk about daily business, and the poker game that has just broken up (wondered where Jan and Hank were last issue? Now you know, they were scarfing some chow! -- Hungry Van). Hank says goodnight and heads back to his lab. He picks up his tools and begins tinkering; while he absentmindedly works, his thoughts turn to the odd apparition of his Yellowjacket mask that appeared to him earlier. The apparant hallucination has him on edge, because of all his prior mental problems, especially when it comes to Yellowjacket. Still, he is convinced those days are behind him. Once again sure of himself, Hank breaks off his thoughts and turns his full attention to his project -- and is horrified to see that he has unthinkingly rebuilt the robot he attacked the Avengers with in #211. With a cry he grows to giant size and crushes the robot with one huge hand, then shrinks back down just as the Wasp runs in to see what the commotion was. He says there was just an accident and Jan reluctantly leaves at his urging; after she leaves Hank begins shaking as he wonders what's happening to him...

Now: Captain America, Namor and the Vision, just returned from his own evening's activities (see Marvel Team-Up #175 for the climactic end of the Devil-Slayer Saga! -- Devil-Slayin Van), are in the tactical room discussing the battle against Kang when the Wasp suddenly flies in. Enlarging, she rushes over to the pair.

"Steve, you've got to help! Hank...he's..."

Suddenly Yellowjacket appears in the center of the room, back at full height. "He's what? Gone mad yet again? Poor Hank! Bah! What you mean is, your weak little ex has had another poor spell, oh shouldn't we pity him so! Well, sorry to announce it, but maybe I'm tired of being the object of your pity. You want me weak, you try and keep me weak with your pity and your 'help', but Yellowjacket isn't the weakling Pym was, as you're about to discover!" And he strikes...

Twenty Minutes Ago: The Wasp is talking on the phone with Bill Foster. Bill is looking for some backing for some new research he's doing into Pym Particles and the like, and he's wondering if the Wasp could help him out. Since Tony's given her her money back, she says she'll be happy to come down and look at his proposal.

Suddenly their conversation is interrupted by a muffled crash from down the hallway; it's Hank's lab again. Concerned, Wasp hangs up the phone and flies down to see whats going on. She's shocked to find the room reduced to wreckage. Growning to regular size, Jan begins calling for Hank. Suddenly a force blast strikes the rubble next to her. Stunned, she whirls around to find Yellowjacket before her.

"Long time no see, Jan! Tell me, what's Paladin up to these days, anyway?" With a snarl Yellowjacket sends more blasts at her, but she shrinks and avoids them. She discovers to her surprise, though, that Yellowjacket has summoned group of yellowjackets, and they attack her as soon as she shrinks. Dodging between them and Yellowjacket's blasts, she darts for the door.

"I've got to find the others!" She thinks, leading us back to...

Now: Yellowjacket presses his attack on the startled Avengers, as a swarm of ants and yellowjackets attacks them. Yellowjacket orders his tiny minions to concentrate on Cap, as he knows Namor's skin is too tough to penetrate, and they converge on Cap.

"Cover your face, Captain!" Namor shouts, rushing for a fire extinguisher, while the Vision closes on Yellowjacket. He begins shooting at the tiny Yellowjacket with his heat ray, but Yellowjact pulls his grow right next to you trick, only this time with an edge: as he shoots to full height and punches the Vision, he continues his growth, up to twenty feet. The incredible momentum of the blow rockets Vision through the ceiling; though he barely manages to turn intangible before hitting it. Still, he is thrown high into the night sky. Namor, meanwhile, has scoured the bugs off of Cap with the extinguisher. While Cap gets his bearings, Namor gives a shout and flies at Yellowjacket, who is busy dogfighting Wasp at tiny size. Swinging at the tiny form, Yellowjacket is able to dodge and slowly begins weaving a specific pattern around the flailing Namor. Wasp cataches on a second too late; her bio-vlast, meant for Yellowjacket, instead strikes Namor full in the face as Yellowjacket dodges aside at the last moment. Namor grabs his face and falls, momentarily stunned. Wasp, angry with herself, attacks Yellowjacket again, but he is ready and at the last second he grows to double his normal height and slaps her to the ground, where she lies, dazed and only partially concious.

Yellowjacket turns, triumphant, but finds he now faces the regrouped Avengers; Vision has returned, Namor is back on his feet and the two stand with Captain America.

"Hank...give up, we don't want to hurt you." Cap says, but Yellowjacket just laughs and motions at them to bring it. Cap grimly nods and the three rush at him. (while, unnoticed, the ants and yellowjackets begin roving about the room...). Cap hurls his shield while Namor punches and Vision flies at Yellowjacket, who is still at 12 feet of height. Cap's shield comes within inches of Yellowjacket, but he doesn't even blink, as the shield suddenly shrinks smaller and small till he catches it, the size of a small frisbee, and stuffs it in a pocket. Vision, partially solidified to knock him out, divebombs at him while Namor lunges with a tremendous right hook (still the ants and yellowjackets continue their odd wandering around the room). Abruptly Yellowjacket shrinks ti insect size; overbalanced, Namor lurches into the space where Yellowjacket had stood and the half-solid Vision blasts through him. Namor gives a cry and falls unconcious to the floor. The Vision immediately re-solidifes, which turns out to be a big mistake as Yellowjacket is waiting behind him. Pulling a special device from his locket, Yellowjacket enlarges it to mormal size and slaps it on Vision's back; the Vision suddenly loses control of his density and, weighing a thousand tons, plummets through the floor.

"Just you and me, Cap!" Yellowjacket cries, growing back to full size, "and now it's just me!" Yellowjacket abruptly grows to 20 feet, barely fitting in the room, as Cap attacks.

"I've already summoned the other team members, Hank, you can't take us all."

"I won't have to, Steve, cause by the time they arrive you'll already be dead!" Cap gets in a few good whacks, managing to dodge the lumbering strikes of the huge Yellowjacket. Cap kicks Yellowjacket in the back of his leg, sending him to one knee, and follows it up with a punch to the head that dazes Yellowjacket (the ants seem to have finsished their little task and are converged in one corner of the room). Yellowjacket swings wildly at him, but Cap dives aside and the punch just misses. Much to Cap's shock, though, it doesn't miss by enough, as it swings close enough for Cap to be in range of Yellowjacket's shrnking powers; Cap abruptly shrinks to insect size as Yellowjacket's fist swings past.

Seizing Cap's very short lived surprise, Yellowjacket himself shrinks to insect size and pummels the tiny Cap with a barrage of stinger blasts; Cap tries to dodge but Yellowjacket's flight and maneuverability give him a huge advantage, and he finally KO's Cap.

At last Yellowjacket grows back to full size and surveys the room with a laugh. "Now I'll finish you all off." A pounding begins on the door, which has mysteriously been locked, but Yellowjacket ignores it. He pulls out a small device from his pocket and activates it. The visage of Egghead appears before him. (Ants crawl up Yellowjacket's shoulder and...do they begin telling him something...?)

"Excellent job, Pym, I didn't think you had it in you." Hank responds that he was happy to do Egghead's bidding now that's he's finally realized Egghead was right all along. Egghead nods and tells Hank to execute the Avengers. Hank smiles and walks over to the form of Wasp, lying unconcious (near the corner, where so many ants have hidden themselves among the cracks of the walls and floor. Looming over her, he raises a foot to crush her...

...and instead whirls, unleashing a massive energy blast at seemingly nothing in the corner, while a thousand ants and yellowjackets lunge at the area. A cry is heard, and suddenly a cloaked form appears and falls to the floor with a last yelp. At that very moment the door is broken down and Beast, along with Jarvis and Ms. Marvel, come rushing into the room.

"Help me get this guy confined, and I'll explain everything", Hank says, pulling his mask off.

We cut to a half hour later. Namor, Vision, Wasp and Cap have all been patched up and, though a little embarassed, are in the lab with the rest of the group, gathered around a holding cell, which contains the angry form of...

"Mr. Fear. An old Daredevil foe who can apparantly cause hallucinations and manifestations of your greatest fear. He preyed on my fear that I would go insane again and tried to use that to make it happen again." Hank explains.

"It should have worked too! I read your files, I've studied your personality, you're weak, Pym! Why didn't you break?"

"Those days are behind me, Fear. Maybe once your mind games would have sent me over the edge, but these days there's no edge for me to go over. I've made my peace with the mistakes I've made; I've done my pennance already. I'm a different man than I was lasttime I wore this costume. Yellowjacket holds no fear for me anymore..." Hank turns to the other Avengers, who smile at him; the Wasp gives him a hug and puts an arm around him for support.

"Does this mean Hank Pym, costumed adventurer has been retired?" Cap says with a smile.

"That's right, Cap. I think it's time Yellowjacket flew again." The Avengers crowd around him with congradulations, and begin discussing questions, such as why Fear attacked; Fear refuses to speak about it. Wasp is a bit unsure about Hank's decision to don the Yellowjacket guise again, but she decides to hold her tongue for the time being; she's also curious about why Hank carried out the elaborate charade, even attacking his own teammates. Hank explains that at first he thought he might be cracking up again, but dismissed it; he was self-confident enough to deduce that someone was trying to manipulate him. But since he didn't know who or where, he decided he'd better play along and try to draw the villain out, a tactic which seems to have worked.

While they are milling about trying to find out and talking about the fight, the door suddenly bursts open and the Black Widow stands, bloody, in the doorway with MACH-1's limp form dragged behind her.

"Avengers, you won't believe this..."

Next Issue: Read Thunderbolts #31, on sale in two weeks to find out what happens when the Avengers find out the truth about the Masters of Evil...then return here in 30 days for Avengers #423 and the end of the Avengers/Thunderbolts crossover! Don't Miss It!

MIGHTY MARVEL CHECKLIST:

Tales To Astonish # 481 Starring Giant-Man and the Wasp! Bill Foster finally gets the grant he needs to continue his research -- but will it come to late to save the life of Dr. Nemesis?

Hulk # 27

Defenders # 174

Marvel Team-Up #175 Catch the climactic end to the Devil Slayer Saga! Devil Slayer teams up with the Vision as the two travel to ancient camelot to find the truth behind the Fin Fang Foom amulet!

Dr. Strange #396

Uncanny X-Men #372 With Maggott and Gambit dead and Marrow hanging on to life by a slim thread, Cyclops and Storm sit down to firgue out exactly where the X-men are headed! Plus: a visit from the Avengers' own Beast!

Amazing Spider-Man #450 The shocking truth behind the Norman Osborn Hoax revealled; we don't want to say too much, but does the name Jackal mean anything to you?! We thought it might!!

Spectacular Spider-Man #272

Conan #297

Micronauts #90 The Karza Stone has fallen into the hands of a maniacal despot -- Acroyear! What has happened to Acroyear since he left the team that caused him to take up the mantle of evil? I'm not sure you want to know!! If you dare, find out here!

Excalibur #137 With Nightcrawler and Kitty Pryde trapped in the old west, can Amanda Sefton and Meggan stave off the horde of Lava Men that strike at parlament? Guest Starring the Two-Gun Kid and Rawhide!

New Mutants #193

Heroes For Hire #27 Wonder Man joins the team, but will he survive long enough to make an impact? We're wondering, cause Deathlok's going to make an impact -- in Simon's head!

X-Factor #150 The stunning last issue of X-Factor! With Forge gone, can Mystique and Polaris save the team from Havok's scheme? we kinda doubt it, especially since Havok has a new recruit by the name of...IT, the Living Colossus!

Black Knight/Captain Marvel Special #1

Moon Knight #123

Thunderbolts #31 At last! You've waited nearly three years, here it is: the Thunderbolts vs. the Avengers to the death! Don't miss this awesome epic!

Cable #70

Ghost Rider #111

Captain America #474

Iron Man #352

Thor #522

What If? #126 What if Count Nefaria hadn't died? What if indeed...

Fantastic Four #436