Remember Terminus, from Fantastic Four #279? He dies in this story. The team goes to the Savage Land where they help Ka-Zar with his Terminus problem.
Shanna is preggers:
Terminus is pulled out of his armor in the end. And the Avengers leave him to die in the cold.
That counts as a killing. Also at the end of the story…The Savage Land is destroyed!
It’s nice to see John Buscema doing pencils again. Nobody draws Ka-Zar like Johnny B.
The only downside is that Black Knight joins the team. Oh, well. The team lineup is actually pretty eclectic. Only one original member, Wasp; one big name, Cap; and the rest are characters only real comic readers would know: Hercules, Starfox, the new Captain Marvel, and The Black Knight.
Also: First appearance of future movie star Nebula.
I thought this story was excellent, and the artwork, by Jumbo John Buscema, was even better! Insofar as the “letting Terminus die ” issue is concerned, well, they ARE the Avengers, you know. Sometimes a little justifiable homicide falls under the definition of “vengeance”, especially when you consider what Terminus had in mind for Planet Earth. ( they didn’t call him “Terminus” just because it sounded cool ) Police officers and military personnel have to kill bad people all the time in order to protect the peace, and to ensure the safety and general well-being of the populace. Superheroes like the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, etc., simply take that necessity to the next level. Anyway, what else was the Avengers supposed to do with the defeated Terminus-?? Haul it off to jail-?? No, no- I would have had no desire to see this world-destroying monster hauled off to the Vault, or somewhere, to become yet another ward of the taxpayer. The justice meted out by the Avengers at this very fine issue’s conclusion was quite appropriate. There is an aphorism which applies here: Let the punishment fit the crime. Insofar as the recruitment of the Black Knight, well, I like the guy. He is low-concept, and relatable. He is also a world-league scientist, and we need all of those we can get. We hear a hell of a lot about inclusivity and equal representation these days, ( waaaaaaaaayyy too much ) and the Black Knight certainly provides those points: He’s British! Whoo-hooooo!!! I also loved his motivation for rejoining the team. He was broke! Of course he was! How could he NOT be-??? England has the highest tax-rates on Earth! That’s in order to ensure that their egg-sucking Royal Family can live like, well, kings and queens! Meanwhile, the British underclass live like dogs, and probably have to eat dog food in order to survive! But that’s okay, as long as Prince Charles and Diana ( and Camilla ) can have another Lear Jet! So, this ethic drives poor Dane Whitman into poverty, and he has to re-up his Avengers membership in order to prevent losing his OWN castle! I like it! He also has the hots for the Wasp, which also works for me, because as far as I’m concerned, there aren’t anywhere near enough hot-blooded and virile superjocks running around, considering how physically beautiful they all tend to be! Of course, during and throughout the Roger Stern ‘Avengers’ arc, we had Starfox, Hercules, and the She-Hulk, and those three are pretty randy! How refreshing from guys like Captain America and Thor, who act as if they have never had wood in their lives! ( of course, Thor DID bag Moondragon in issue#220! ) All in all, I say ‘Avengers’#257 is a superior effort! Grade A!