Uncanny Avengers #1 Review: Already Divided

It seems a little strange to be launching a new volume of Uncanny Avengers right into the teeth of Secret Wars, which we know is going to disrupt pretty much everything. It’s even more unusual to prove that an unorthodox lineup belongs together by immediately splitting it up.

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Still, it’s not that hard to figure out what Rick Remender is going for in Uncanny Avengers #1. A big theme of the previous volume was the Avengers and X-Men who came together to form the Avengers Unity Squad had to learn the hard way that they needed to form something that is more than the sum of its parts. That’s still in play here, but with heroes (and one inverted villain) who all have something to prove, they’re going to need to handle some individual trials before they can even think about being a team.

Where these challenges await is probably the most interesting part of the story. There’s a bit of a rescue mission that needs to be done, as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver have gone looking for answers to the recent revelation that Magneto is not their father. Their search begins at Wundagore Mountain and leads them somewhere I wasn’t sure was still in play in the Marvel Universe. The villain only appears on the final page, but he’s one that’s always interesting when he shows up.

Along the way, Remender carries over his AXIS habit of making just about everyone a skilled practitioner of witty banter, though not to the point where it gets overbearing — and truth be told, I like this Quicksilver more than the straight jackass he so often has been in the past. The cast has enormous potential, and you can see it right from the beginning.

Artist Daniel Acuna has some new toys to play with compared to the last time we saw him on this title, including a mostly new roster and a few new uniforms. It’s funny that you don’t automatically think of him as a guy who does a ton of detail work, but if you look at things as simple as the inside of the Avengers’ Quinjet or the various environments he gets to draw, you’ll see a lot more intricacy than you might expect.

Who knows if this book is fated to just be a single arc before getting swallowed up by Secret Wars, but I’m on-board to find out.

SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT!

As we learn from their internal monologues, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are determined to find out the truth about their past and their ancestry. It’s clear they’re on Counter-Earth and up against some of the New Men, but they’re taken out by an unseen assailant.

The rest of the team assembles due to Rogue’s concern for them and Vision’s worrying about how Wanda’s power could fall into the wrong hands. I seem to remember it doing that before.

The trail turns cold inside Wundagore Mountain, though Vision is able to talk (literally) to the computer there to learn that the twins opened up a portal to the Counter-Earth that orbits the sun opposite Earth. Since the transporter was destroyed, the Avengers ask Brother Voodoo to teleport them there. He’s in the process of doing so when a big robot attack him.

Did he finish his spell? Well, the Squad ends up on Counter-Earth, but scattered to different locations. Voodoo gets asked for help by a spirit, Vision runs into a robot who sort of claims to be his mate, Rogue is held prisoner by a creepy doctor who tries to feed her apple sauce and says he’s working on pulling Simon Williams out of her head, Captain America is being held captive by some plant-things, and Sabretooth runs into the High Evolutionary himself. Got all that?

Favorite Moment: I’m actually okay with Sabretooth getting the best quip, because he probably would crack wise if he was inverted. When Vision says the twins opened a portal to a world he thought long since destroyed (as did I, by the way), here’s what he gets as answers:

Sabretooth: “World o’ pure imagination?”

Captain America: “Given the luck of this team, a trip to Wonka’s factory doesn’t seem likely.”

Sam, you’re not wrong, but the joke isn’t as funny when you explain the punchline.

Final Thought: If Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver turn out to be Inhumans, the Avengers Unity Squad can really bring groups together: Avengers, X-Men and Inhumans. Plus voodoo houngans, which is a bonus.

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