Avengers #12 details how Earth’s Mightiest Heroes join the X-Men’s battle with the Anti-Mutant organization Orchis. This surprises the leadership of Orchis, who somehow never saw this coming. Indeed, it is revealed they were far more concerned about one particular Mutant hero than the likes of Tony Stark or Carol Danvers.
Written by Jed MacKay with art by Francesco Mortarino, Avengers #12 details a two-pronged attack. One team, made of Captain America, Scarlet Witch, and Black Panther, set about freeing Mutant captives from Orchis’ concentration camps. The other team, made up of Iron Man, Thor, Captain Marvel, and Vision, focuses on dismantling Orchis’ infrastructure.
Adding a comic undertone to this action is the ranting of an ineffectual MODOK. It is made clear that the frequent Avengers enemy failed to take the team seriously as a threat, despite the warnings of his consultant, 3-D Man. However, this was less because of MODOK’s incompetence and more because of Orchis fearing a battle with one particular Mutant.
Orchis Was More Afraid of Storm Than Avengers
While taking down one of Orchis technical outposts, Thor complains that the battle would be over faster if he simply struck it with lightning. Iron Man agrees, but notes that Orchis had protected all of their bases with extensive electrical shielding. Vision guessed this was because they were worried about the X-Men Storm, and Tony confirmed that was the case. This left the Avengers having to disassemble the EMP shielding physically before Thor could fry the electronics.
Ignoring how short-sighted Orchis appeared, this story does speak to the power of Storm without the hero making an appearance in the issue. As an Omega-Level Mutant, Storm is one of the most powerful X-Men, able to create changes on a global level. Given that, Orchis’ precautions make sense, though they still should have been better prepared to fight Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Avengers #12 is now available online and in comic shops everywhere.
