  Editor-in-Chief DarKnight77
Cover Artists
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Look. I think all Jimmy’s saying is it sounded like a call for help. And we said no because of things that happened before some of us were even born. It’s petty. Especially when we aren’t doing a thing in Genosha.
Appearing in "Harder Than We Thought"Edit
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Crossfire
- Taskmaster
- Radioactive Man (First Appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Avengers
- Scavengers
- Riri Williams
- Amadeus Cho (First Appearance)
- X-Men Blue (First Appearance)
- Jimmy Hudson (First Appearance)
- Jane Braddock (First Appearance)
- Jessica Thurman (First Appearance)
- Sofia Da Costa (First Appearance)
- Michael Wilson (First Appearance)
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-3116
- Earth
- Arctic Circle
- Ultra City
- Genosha
- Earth
Items:
Synopsis for "Harder Than We Thought"Edit
The issue starts off with James, Torunn, and Azari returning back to base and coming to terms with everything they managed in Genosha and Wakanda. It starts from Azari's point of view, and he's analyzing how their day has been. How their trip to Wakanda was successful because his Aunt Shuri promised help for Central America, allowing Bruce and Tony to get a little bit of a break, but there was the huge news that Wakanda wanted him back to go study and eventually end up being king. That was information he just wasn't ready to analyze. And then there was Genosha, something akin to a mutant safe haven. The annoying part was that they had no interest in helping, but he could understand it, even if he didn't agree with it. He thinks about the fact that Barton's mission was unsuccessful which means that Barton is going to irritable, and that was bad because James was also going to be irritable.
He goes over the fact that Pym and Banner managed to have minimal success (but success nonetheless), and that was good because it meant the plan was working. Of course there was Torunn, who Azari felt was being a little weird. She was still the same older sister he could rely on, she was interested in fighting and missions, but she wasn't all there. She always had a contemplative look or this odd sort of wonder on her face and it wasn't something that was common with the young Asgardian. He'd have to talk to her.
There's James who was there fearless leader, but anyone who paused and stopped for a moment could tell he wasn't happy, he wouldn't let himself be. He couldn't stand the site of Ultra City: the place made his blood boil, he also couldn't fathom the fact that this process might take another five to seven years, and he ran himself ragged over that. He was trying to exhaust every avenue and make the process faster, and every time he realized he couldn't he got annoyed. Something about James just screamed "I'm done with everything."
Tony was the last one and he simply wasn't getting younger. Azari wasn't worried about the Avengers breaking up, but he was worried about incoming dysfunction, and they needed to sync up before things got worse. The team entered the compound extremely late at night, but the place was buzzing. They headed to the meeting room where everyone was already waiting for them. Pym asks how it went, and James confirms that they are there, whether they'll help is the question. Francis was angry, not really caring about what James has to say. Tony tried to tell him not now, but Francis didn't care: he says James built a shitty team, and it's his fault Daisy and Eli are in the hospital. James however says he doesn't see how it's his fault. Francis gets even angrier, claiming it is his fault and that Torunn should have been with him and they would have won, and the only reason she wasn't was because of James' crush on her.
James doesn't really react, but Torunn is angry at Francis for a multitude of reasons, Pym also was shocked and knew they were in for a long night if Francis got Torunn angry. Still James addressed Francis, asking him if he took Vision on the mission, and when Francis said he didn't, James told him he should have but his pride didn't let him, reminding the archer that the failure was not on him. Tony shut it down before it could get any worse, telling the Heroes that their new recruits were already sleeping in the compound, and sending them to go rest in the process. Torunn told Francis angrily that she didn't appreciate his comment and Pym told him that he couldn't believe he said that. Francis says no one would care if it wasn't true. Torunn was angry because she felt embarrassed and annoyed. Everyone knew about her and Francis' short lived relationship and that Francis believed it ended because of James, and for Torunn that couldn't be further from the truth. She knew James for a while, and she was certain he wouldn’t compromise a mission for her. And she’d be mad if he did, she could take care of herself. She was the strongest of them; it simply didn’t make sense for him to worry.
The next morning things were a little calmer, Torunn came in with the intention of keeping the peace, bringing coffee and food for everyone, and in general the room seemed to be a little less animosity-driven but that might have been because all of them looked tired (except Pym, and that was because he was on his second coffee). They chit-chat a little and James asked if there was any new information on Crossfire and Taskmaster. Francis made a snide comment about how he should have had them yesterday, but James cut it right there. He said he could take some blame for the mishap but it's old news, none of that would help them. Francis was snide again and Pym told them to stop fighting or else Riri and Amadeus would hear them and that they didn't need the newbies seeing like this. It was perfect timing because Riri entered with Tony and Amadeus entered with Bruce.
At Tony's request the team and Riri and Amadeus exchanged pleasantries. Riri was a little more awkward, but Amadeus is excited introducing himself as the third smartest person in the world, and saying that when Captain America comes calling you can't deny the call, and Riri admits she's pretty excited as well. James said they would be starting them off with a little history of the Avengers and the Ultron War, and that they needed to be in the loop. Then they needed to get informed on the liberation efforts and where they were in Europe and the Americas. Then they would have to (at minimum) leaf through each and every one of the mission reports, and after all that they would take the reins of the restart efforts for America, and that they'll be working closely with Bruce, Tony, and Vision. Azari asked if Riri would be joining them on missions as Iron Man but Tony quickly shut that down, not ready for another teen superhero under his watch.
After that Tony got more information from James and Azari about the X-Men. Azari said that while they clearly took a hit from Ultron and the Legacy Virus, he sensed mutant kids as far as he could hear and see all around Genosha. James believed that the older ones would be hard to convince to come and help, but the younger ones were malleable, he saw a lot of the Heroes in them. Teens were restless, and when they wanted something done they could do a lot to make it happen. Pym said the algorithm that he and Bruce set up has them watching their border 360 degrees 24/7, with pings on aircraft, cars, and any other information centres around. The Avengers agree that when it's mission time there isn't room for any errors. They are going to get Crossfire and Taskmaster.
The issue takes a turn to Genosha. Megan and Olivier were traversing Xavier's School and the focus is on Oli as he thinks back on the interaction with the Avengers, specifically James Rogers. He couldn't believe the way he talked to the X-Men and why he tried to make Genosha sound like a playground, like what they did had no meaning. It was infuriating to him, and Megan sensed this and tried to calm her boyfriend down, telling him he needed to stop thinking that. On the way they picked up Pavel, and Oli explains that he can't stop thinking about it. That the son of Captain America just went over there and shit on everything the X-Men have ever stood for and then left. He has no clue how he’s the liberator of the free world. Megan tells Oli that he's cute at least, getting Olivier upset until she says she's kidding, mostly.
They go to the cafeteria where they meet Ray and Anne-Marie. Pavel says he agrees with Megan and doesn't believe that James meant to disrespect them like that. Ray came over and immediately noticed Oli's sour mood and asked if it was because of "Captain Hottie," annoying Olivier just a little more. Anne-Marie asks if he's really that annoyed, and Oli says that he's just annoyed that he talked to them like that, and where did he earn that right?
Their conversation was interrupted by newcomers that we learn are the X-Men's Blue Team, spearheaded by Jimmy Hudson, who antagonized Oli a little bit, saying there is no surprise Olivier doesn't like Captain America, that he's mad that Cap is a real leader and that Oli is a leader of nothing. Megan defended Olivier quickly, saying that Jimmy was just shallow and that Captain America disrespected everything the X-Men stand for. Michael asked her what that is exactly. Last time he checked, the X-Men fought for freedom, fought for the rights of others, and did their best to actually help people. And isn’t that what Cap wanted them to do? Pavel says they weren't there so they wouldn't understand. But Jimmy says they were actually there, and the fact that they didn't notice just means their stealth is even better. Jane brought the conversation back and said that it sounded like the Avengers were making a call for help, and that the X-Men said no because of things that happened fifteen years ago, that it was petty.
Olivier told them that the Avengers didn't care about them, that they made the Legacy Virus: the thing that took out thirty percent of the mutant populous and that they only cared about a robot that was dead and gone. Jane said they needed to get off their high horse because Ultron was the big bad. Megan said that the X-Men were valid too, that Beast had prevented more mutants' deaths, and as X-Men that was always their first priority. Jessica slowed it down for them and explains it in a different way, saying that the Legacy Virus took out thirty percent of mutantkind in ten years, while Ultron took out five percent of the mutant population with one bomb, and then proceeded to take out the next fifty percent in a couple of months, maybe a year. Leave the past in the past, but Ultron was the threat.
Michael added that they shouldn't be criticizing the Avengers anyway, that they hadn't done anything all day long while the Avengers knew what was worth fighting for. He said that the heroes were troopers, and it made him feel terrible sitting there doing nothing. Jimmy joined in again, saying that Azari was a mutant Avenger, and as far as he knew no one questioned him. Olivier and the team give up, asking what the Blue Team wanted anyway. Jimmy said that he didn't really know, he never really knew his dad but he could usually tell when someone was trying to do some good. He saw the Avengers and felt like they could be doing more. He said they are supposed to be the next generation of X-Men, they must have saw it.
Megan pointedly said that Jimmy wanted to leave, which he admits freely. Him and all of the Blue Team wouldn't mind helping a bit. And Jane added that the X-Men needed more compassion for the sixteen year-olds with the literal weight of the world on their shoulders. Ray said that they were setting themselves up to get burned, and Sofia argued that the reality is 250 million people could use a hand, and they would be deployed on real missions. Jane added lastly that one day they'd realize how small Genosha was in the grand scheme of things, and Oli told them to calm down; Professor Hank was sending a scout to get information. They'd learn what they were doing soon enough.
Back at the Biodome, the team was waiting for the right information and in the meantime James headed to the medbay, and Torunn said she would tag along with the intent of asking James about what Francis said. Right before James opened the door to the medbay, Torunn stopped him and asked if there was any truth what Francis said. James stuttered at first, surprised, but insisted there was no truth to it, he does what's best for the team. Torunn asks if that means he has no feelings for her, and once again James is stumped, shocked Torunn would even ask this, and he told her that now was not the best time to ask this. Torunn got annoyed, saying it's a simple yes or no, sparking James' own annoyance, making him go on a tangent. He said that she was the one who dated Francis and that she was the one who dated that guy on Asgard. Who he liked or didn't like shouldn't matter. He had no romantic feelings for anyone because he couldn't have feelings, not when the world still looked like this. He says that he's only sixteen and he's focused on fixing Ultron's mess, not love. There was time for that later.
Torunn apologized and they went to visit Eli and Daisy, but the conversation has still left James completely unfocused. Daisy and Eli were hurt pretty badly, making James feel pretty guilty about the mission. Torunn said a prayer for the two Scavengers and left James to his own thoughts, especially about Taskmaster and Crossfire. He felt that something big was coming, but he didn't know what it was. He was going to leave before Daisy woke up and stopped him, saying she was awake a few minutes, and imagine her surprise when she saw Captain America brooding beside her bed. They talk a little, with Daisy telling James that they were young and he needed to let loose a little, and that if he ever needs someone to relax with, she's right there. The teasing and somewhat flirty banter didn't go unnoticed by either of them. Moments later, the alarm rings, signaling they had gotten a ping on the villains and it was time to fight.
The Avengers traveled to Ultra City eager to fight, and started off by fighting the left over Ultron Bots that had yet to be cremated. Torunn and Azari took to the skies while James went to ground level, Francis perched on a rooftop and Pym went to land the Quinjet. Azari and James found Taskmaster and Crossfire, with Azari taking Crossfire and James taking on Taskmaster. James gave Taskmaster a chance to surrender and Taskmaster laughed at the notion of losing, saying he wasn't giving up anything before engaging in a fight. The two fought for a while and eventually Cap gained the upper hand, sending him through one of the windows of the Citadel with his energy shield.
Back with Azari and Crossfire, the Wakandan mutant was on a whole different level than Crossfire, but even as he took out the mercenary he thought it was a little easy but didn't question it, bringing him to where Taskmaster was seated outside the Citadel. James said they should give up once again, but Taskmaster asked if they heard that, and they looked to the skies to see a jet appear out of almost nowhere and lay down cover fire for the mercs. Cap tried to tell Pym to grab Crossfire but he had been playing possum, nearly shooting Cap until he dodged it, right towards Taskmaster who sent him straight to the ground with a hit from his own shield.
Torunn flew towards the jet at Francis' orders and was planning on destroying the guns when a huge green man came flying right back at her punching her so hard she lost all momentum and was sent hurtling to the street just barely being able to stop herself from hitting the ground. Still when the green man finally hit the ground, it caused a shockwave of energy forcing everyone to brace for impact, and annoying James as this was the first time in a very long time it seemed like they were losing. Pym explained to the team that the green man was Radioactive Man and he was a powerhouse, causing Pym to go giant. James and Francis decided they'd take on the mercs, and the rest would fight Radioactive Man. The fight for Azari, Pym, and Torunn wasn't going so well, the lightning wielders found it hard to fight the man. And Pym found out that he just made himself a bigger target for Radioactive Man.
James and Francis were holding their own, with James dealing with Crossfire pretty easily, but before they could deal with Taskmaster, Radioactive Man was trying to fight them, shooting blasts at the two heroes and giving Taskmaster time to escape. Azari tried to stop Taskmaster from escaping but had to put up a force field when the ship opened fire on him once again, giving Taskmaster time to escape. Torunn threw her electrified sword at Radioactive Man, finally doing actual damage to the man. Azari and Torunn conjured as much lightning as they could, with Azari sending his power to Torunn who channeled it easily, getting the powerup she needed to take Radioactive Man down. She ended up beating him but the damage was done, Taskmaster left with the information, leaving Cap to tell the team there was going to be tons of practice when they got back.
NotesEdit
- The Detailed Events of A New Legacy can be found on AO3, under DarKnight77.
- In this Issue Torunn asks James if he like her and he never confirms or denies if he does. He also says he doesn't have or need romantic feelings right now, only to call Daisy cute in his inner dialogue, and flirt with her in the Medbay.
- Everyone on the X-Men Blue Team bar Jimmy Hudson are characters created solely for this Series.
TriviaEdit
- No trivia.
See AlsoEdit
Recommended ReadingEdit
- None.
Links and ReferencesEdit
- None.