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Exactly: we have the power. We have to make sure we use it. I don’t know about you all, but I don’t feel like being dominated by some other wannabe. Living in Genosha because of some stupid robot for most of our lives was bad enough. Let’s not make the same mistakes our parents did.
- -- Jimmy Hudson
Appearing in "Well Played"Edit
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Masters of Evil
- Baron Zemo
- Madame Hydra
- Evander Worthington (First Appearance)
- United Nations (First Appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Avengers
- Scavengers
- Valerie Cooper (First Appearance)
- GeNext
- X-Men Blue
- X-Men Gold (First Appearance)
- Talia Wagner (First Appearance)
- Thomas Creed (First Appearance)
- Miguel McCoy (First Appearance)
- Lily-Rose Jones (First Appearance)
- Olivia Blaire (First Appearance)
Other Characters:
- Avengers
- Jocasta
- Friday
- Steve Rogers (Mentioned)
- Natalia Romanova (Mentioned)
- T'Challa (Mentioned)
- Hank Pym (Mentioned)
- Janet Pym (Mentioned)
- Thor (Mentioned)
- Clint Barton (Mentioned)
- Ororo Munroe (Mentioned)
- Spider-Man (Mentioned)
- Ultron (Mentioned)
- Fantastic Four (Mentioned)
- Reed Richards (Mentioned)
- Susan Storm (Mentioned)
- Johnny Storm (Mentioned)
- Ben Grimm (Mentioned)
- The Invaders (Mentioned)
- S.H.I.E.L.D. (Mentioned)
- Nick Fury (Mentioned)
Locations:
- Earth-3116
Items:
Synopsis for "Well Played"Edit
The issue starts in Genosha with the children of the X-Men: GeNext, and the Blue and Gold teams were all in the common room relaxing on what was a somewhat normal day off. The X-Kids all watch Michael as he flips through the TV channels. Most of them were interested in seeing what would be on television since Beast had finally reinstated worldwide broadcasts for the first time since they moved to Genosha. Nothing was interesting to the team, and Michael didn't stop flipping channels until he noticed the familiar red, white, and blue of an American icon. After that, the kids' interests increased exponentially.
The TV was tuned in to a news channel, and the reporter was taking about the upcoming presidential election, confirming that the U.N. were indeed forcing the American people to speed up the process and find a suitable candidate for this election. It told the kids that Evander Worthington is the U.N.'s top pick for the presidency, and that while many people are questioning the legitimacy of the U.N. picking a leader for the people, the U.S. has still been given the chance to pick their own candidate, who should be announced soon. The news reports that James Rogers' statement on the mission to Madripoor was up next.
They all continued to watch as James told the reporters that ever single one of their missions were unsanctioned, and that this wasn't any different than before. He also told them that in time, the truth would be revealed.
Jessica told the group that this was crazy, and Ray agreed, and told them that she guessed he wasn't kidding when said that they needed the X-Men's help. Jimmy scoffed somewhat obnoxiously before simply telling all of them that that was obvious. Olivier, however, wasn't having it and said that that also wasn't fair. He believed the X-Men should totally help the Avengers, but how could any of them expect them to deal with this? It was politics.
Megan wondered if it was even legal to choose someone else's president, as it seemed all types of sketchy and wrong. They all agreed, and Miguel explained that while most of the time she would probably be right, they were in unprecedented times, and that it was no surprise that men in suits would do whatever they could to make decisions for everyone. Lily-Rose said she didn't understand this, it only took one mission gone wrong for all the goodwill the Avengers earned over the years to disappear. And T.J. simply told her that adults can be weird, and Thomas jumped in saying that they were stupid, and that most of those people wouldn't be alive without the Avengers. Jessica agreed once more and said that the truth is that those people have probably been waiting for a reason to shackle up the Avengers and control their every move. They probably never had any good will in the first place.
Pavel brought up the point that because of that, then, maybe the X-Men had a good point about staying out of things, and Olivia asked why. Pavel said that if the Avengers, who saved the world from Ultron's thirteen years of world dominance, aren't allowed to make one mistake, then how fast would the government try and take them out? Jimmy believed that Pavel's point was irrelevant, and explained to all of them (especially Olivier) that this wasn't about them. They had to realize this was only possible because of the age of the Avengers. The U.N. believed they were too young to be left unchecked. In reality it was an abuse of power. It wouldn't be possible to do the same with them because they had Emma, his sister, Hank and Kitty.
Olivier pointed out that they had Tony Stark, and Jessica retorted that if they knew that Tony Stark was partially at fault for Ultron, then didn't he think that whoever was masterminding this knew that too? Olivier admitted that she has a point, but they also had to admit that the longer this went on, the crazier things would get, and that it's getting harder to figure out how exactly the X-Men can help. Jessica agreed and said that this was why they had to get to America as fast as possible. For all they knew, they could be helping them with something but instead they were over there, not doing anything.
Jimmy agreed, saying that they had the power and that they had to make sure they used it. He doesn't feel like being dominated by another wannabe. It was bad enough living in Genosha because of a robot, and he hoped they didn't make the same stupid mistakes their parents did. Jane ended the conversation by saying that if they had a chance to go help, they were taking it. It was clear where the Blue team stood, and it made the Gold Team and GeNext share a couples of glances. They could only hope that they didn't do anything stupid.
Back in the Arctic Circle, a week had passed since the issues in Madripoor, and it hadn't done much for the morale of the time. It seemed like every single day, a new piece of information was being revealed. At times, it was obvious the Masters of Evil were pulling the strings, other times, it felt like it was just the United Nations doing what they did best. According to Bruce, for the Avengers that meant screwing things up.
For what felt like the first time in a while, they had grouped up in the meeting room and they were going over everything they knew. Francis started off the conversation by telling the team that he wasn't going to lie, as they learned new things and more information was released, things began to look more and more out of their reach. James told Francis that they couldn't afford to think like that. Francis replied that he understood, but James was the guy with the plans, and that he didn't have a solution, and Francis didn't blame him. Who could solve this? What once was a problem between them and the Masters of Evil now included them and the entire world, at the very least the entirety of America. He wasn't even sure if James' dad could solve this problem. James admitted that it looked bad, but that it was going to take a lot of strategic planning. Yeah, he didn't have the answers at the moment, but he was confident that all of them together could get something because they had to.
Pym agreed with James and said they needed to figure out where to start, and so once again the Avengers looked to James. In these moments, James wished he had all the answers. Everyone, even Bruce and Tony, were looking curiously for what he was going to say. Francis had said that he wasn't sure if his father could solve this but James knew his dad could. It was just what he did, he felt like he needed a bit of that at the moment.
James came up with the idea that they needed to have their own candidate. It was really the only way to beat the Masters of Evil. The problem was that all of them were too young to run. If Bruce tried, it was common knowledge that he was the Hulk. And while he was thinking that Tony could try, he and Tony both agreed that the man had too many skeletons in his closet. He though that if Tony ran, it would probably be immediately leaked that Tony had created Ultron. Tony said that this was all true, but that didn't mean everything was lost. None of them were politicians, and that wasn't really a problem. America already had chosen their candidate, and if she was how Tony remembered her, then they were in good hands.
Francis questions that it was a she, and Tony confirmed that it was, and pulled up the file of Valerie Cooper. Tony told them that she would be the next president if things went right. Pym questioned if Tony knew this woman, and inspected her profile, noting that it's nearly perfect, but he had also seen Evander Worthington's profile, and there hadn't been any blemishes either. Tony said that he did know her and that she was one of the few government officials he'd known since before the Ultron Revolution.
The reason why they trusted her so much was because of her extensive work with the X-Men. She was head of mutant affairs for years and developed a unique perspective for the X-Men. She always did her best to make sure mutants and the X-Men had their rights, regardless of who was opposing her. She was determined that everyone got the best. Azari noted that this was the reason why Tony wasn't as worried as the rest of them, and that this was a pretty interesting development.
Francis guessed that this was good, but it still wasn't in their hands, and that they were at a disadvantage because Valerie was a girl. Torunn immediately told Francis that that was sexist, and Francis told her he knew, and he's not sexist, but they should understand that would be the mindset of many, putting them at a disadvantage. Pym agreed that this could potentially be a problem, but it would be impossible to tell. It had been thirteen years; who knew how things had changed since then. James shut this idea down quickly, however. He told everyone that gender, sex, or race wouldn't play a part in this. He believed the only thing that could maybe affect things would be being a mutant. He was confident that in the current state the world was in, an octopus could run and if they showed any semblance of intelligence the people would pick it. He said that even though the people weren't happy with them right now, he himself could run and still get over ten million votes despite being sixteen. Being a woman wasn't going to make Valerie lose, especially if she was as good as Tony insisted. The only thing to worry about was sabotage.
Azari agreed, that if Valerie was a good woman then all they could do was have faith that she could string together a good campaign. They knew that Worthington was a Masters of Evil pawn, and most likely Hydra. In the grand scheme of things, he was irrelevant, but people didn't understand that. If they could find a way to make that known, they could influence the polling without being unethical. They all agreed that this was the best way to do things, and that they should also try and get in contact with Valerie and let her know what she was up against. James than gave them an inspirational speech, telling them that they had lost a lot more battles in the last weeks than they ever had, but they were still fine. They hadn't lost the war yet. After this they went their separate ways.
After everyone left, we see Riri in her lab working on her prototype Iron Man-like suit that was basically finished, it was only missing an arc reactor.
The issue switches to a couple of hours later and we are with James who is in the training room. He fights against tons of attackers in Hydra colors and defeats them, before fighting a hologram of Taskmaster and defeating him in record time. For the first time in a long time, James gets an A+ on his training regime, and he finally feels like he's back where he should be.
He was going to leave the training room, when Daisy came in and asked for a quick spar. James agreed, even though he was also kind of freaking out, as this thing between him and Daisy was obviously developing. Things between the two did reach their apex as they shared a kiss post spar. Daisy asked if it was too much, but James insisted that it was fine. Before they could decide on anything more, an announcement was made for all the Avengers to come to the meeting room by Amadeus, and James told Daisy that this time, no matter what, they were going to finish what they started.
All the Avengers got to the meeting and James asked what the situation was, and Amadeus told them that they were going to love him. Francis, immediately annoyed, said that they'd better, because he thought there was actual work they had to do. Amadeus hesitantly said they could reschedule, but James insisted that they could all make time for this as no one was doing anything important, at which Torunn and Francis shared a look that only Azari seemed to notice.
Amadeus said he would get right to it, and told them that he cracked the Ultron Files, and everyone was shocked. Francis said there was no way, and Amadeus said that he hadn't cracked all of it, but he had cracked 9% of it. Torunn questioned the number but Tony reminded her that Ultron basically took over the entirety of the Internet. 9% may not sound like a lot, but in reality it was a ton, and of course 9% more than anyone else had managed. Amadeus admitted that a good portion of it was useless since it was from more than thirteen years ago so it wasn't inherently important, but he did unlock some more information pertaining to Ultron and the Avengers.
He showed them that he had extensive files on how Ultron conducted business, some of the people he did business with, and schematics on certain cities and countries. From what he unlocked, they could get a look into the mind of Ultron. They could understand why he destroyed New York but not any other city in the entire world. The information they could pry from this would be huge.
Tony admitted that it was interesting, but he's also interested in the information Amadeus had gotten on the Avengers. Amadeus said that he had that too, but this stuff was a little more personal. Amadeus had found the files of the Avengers' personal journals, and quickly had them printed. He said that he knew they were really young when a lot of the stuff happened, so hopefully this could give them a different perspective on things.
James was the first to move and actually take one of the books, and he opened it, finding himself immediately immersed in the pages. The contents read:
Yesterday it was April 18, 1945. I died. Or at least I thought I had. Our men stormed Nazi Germany's front and I successfully stopped the a-bomb from hitting America. The last thing I remember was dropping like a fly over the icy waters of the Arctic. I could only hope that my efforts were enough to sway the results of the war.
Today it's May 23, 1985. Supposedly 40 years have passed since that day. The war is nothing more than an old memory in the minds of today's people. How am I alive? I've been asking myself the same question for the past 38 hours.
From what I understand, I was found by an organization named S.H.I.E.L.D. and its director, Nick Fury. The name feels familiar. They told me they found my body in suspended animation. This means that while I was in the ice for forty years, my body never aged. I might technically be a 65-year-old man, but my body is 25.
Everyone I ever knew has either passed or is in a retirement home. My mind is telling me to go to Germany, to find the Invaders and truly make sure everything is okay. But when I take a look outside, when I see the large buildings and happy smiles, the people taking pictures with "cell phones" and driving cars that would have been used to storm warfronts years ago, I understand that I don’t have to. The people are okay.
What does that mean for me? Well, according to Nick Fury, there’s never been a better time to be alive. Especially for Captain America. They are calling it the age of heroes. People like me, all around us.
I had not believed him until I grabbed a paper last morning. Men in metal suits with the firepower of nukes. A family of heroes right in the heart of New York City. A man the size of a skyscraper and a woman the size of a wasp.
Of course, who could forget the man claiming to be the Norse God of Thunder and a hulking green mass of rage and destruction. My personal favorite is the colorful spider themed hero down in queens, though he seems to be the newspaper's most hated.
And so what does this mean for Captain Steve Rogers? Fury has already outfitted me with a new shield that supposedly can stop anything, and newer gear that can allow me to reach newer heights. They want me to be the face of the superhero community. Join some group of Avengers. And I’m going to do it, but...
It was just three days ago I was talking to Bucky about what we were going to do after the war. A day after that, we lost a squadron of great men, and Peggy had been one of the only things to keep me sane.
It feels like just a couple of hours ago, shrapnel was flying by my face, bullets were zipping through the battlefield as men laid down their lives for their countries. Nothing feels right. I am a man out of time. And I have no idea what to do.
James was pulled out of his reading by Azari, and he asked what he missed. Azari and Francis explained that Pym was hesitant to take the books, and Torunn was doing her best to convince Pym it was alright. James said that it made sense: Pym was really the only one who couldn't remember spending any time with his parents, he wouldn't want to change the image he had of his parents.
Francis said this didn't make sense, because he remembered the stories his dad told about Pym's parents. He said they were model Avengers, and Azari agreed. James didn't say anything, but he also knew that wasn't exactly true. From what he could remember, his Uncle Hank and Aunt Janet were good people, but from what he understood they had their fair share of problems, and they were pretty open about them as well. They weren't perfect, but Pym shouldn't be scared to get to know them. As sad as it was, he wasn't going to get to know them any other way. Still, James realized things needed to move on and so he asked Amadeus if that was all, and Amadeus hesitantly told them no.
There were a couple of other things. A list of those who were terminated by Ultron during his reign, and it was not exactly complete. There was also a video that had the date of the day Ultron destroyed NYC. Amadeus said he couldn't watch it. Tony told him that it's fine, and they all understood. Despite being shocked by this news, Azari, Francis, and James tried to take it in stride, and said they would deal with that later. They all went off on their own, and James ended up putting the books away and heading for Daisy, and after talking for awhile, he and Daisy became official.
A couple of days later, Azari convinced Tony to let him go to Kenya to find out more about his mother. Tony allowed Riri to go to, and told Azari to bring Vision as well, just in case he needed protection. Riri told Tony she wanted to go to fly the Quinjet, but Azari and Vision felt it was for a different reason. When they arrived, she revealed that she went to test out her Mark II Ironheart armor. While Azari and Vision chided her for not telling Tony, they couldn't help but be impressed. Riri certainly made the most impressive Iron Man suit they've seen in a long time.
Azari only spent little time finding his mother's family, and they talked extensively about his mother. While he did learn a couple of new things, it wasn't anything conclusive about her possible whereabouts. And with everything going on, Azari said that he would have to focus on other things now.
NotesEdit
This Issue of A New Legacy was the first to promote the new series History Of... the second in a line of many stories that would be coming out of the A New Legacy line. The History Of series is a group of stories that would be 1-4 issues and explain things that happened in the universe of Earth-3116, from beginning up until current day. This was in accordance to Amadeus unlocking the Ultron Files and the heroes in Universe learning new things about the old world. It would run simultaneously with A New Legacy.
The issue reveals the date that Ultron killed the Avengers and blew up New York City as March 12, 1998.
TriviaEdit
- No trivia.
See AlsoEdit
Recommended ReadingEdit
- None.
Links and ReferencesEdit
- None.