The West Coast branch of the Avengers were recently divided over Mockingbird killing the Phantom Rider. Since that time, the Vision and Scarlet Witch joined the West Coast team, but Mockingbird, and Moon Knight have left the group.
Now, following battles with some oddball villains, the Avengers are about to face a genuine threat – one that will drastically change more than one member of the team – and see some new and returning faces at Avengers Compound…
Meanwhile, Steve Rogers only recently resumed his Captain America identity after the U.S. Government replaced him with John Walker. But is Walker really dead?
Related Events: The introduction of USAgent in ‘Captain America’ leads to his membership in ‘West Coast Avengers’ but the two stories can be read separately.
Must-Reads: Issues in bold in the Core List or marked with a ✔ in the Full Reading Order are must-read stories from this event; in the Fallout section, issues marked with a ✔ are the stories that are most heavily impacted by this event.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- DOOMSDAY (1966-1967) – Fate of the original Human Torch
- THE CELESTIAL MADONNA SAGA (1974-1975) – Vision’s connection to Ultron is revealed
- AVENGERS WEST COAST DISASSEMBLED (1989-1989) – The WCA are split in two
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- West Coast Avengers #42-43
- Captain America #354 (tie-in)
- West Coast Avengers #44-45
- Avengers Spotlight #23 [2/2] (tie-in)
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | West Coast Avengers #42 The Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) wakes to discover her husband, the Vision, is missing. She and Hawkeye (Clint Barton) soon come under attack from Ultron on Avengers Compound! Hank Pym shrinks Wonder Man (Simon Williams) who flies inside Ultron, then returns to normal size to rip the robot apart from within. Turns out this false ‘Ultron’ wasn’t made of Adamantium. Wanda recalls the revelation that the Vision was created by Ultron from the body of the original android Human Torch (see THE CELESTIAL MADONNA SAGA, 1974-1975). Hank Pym finds out a virus has erased every Avengers, Fantastic Four and SHIELD file on the Vision! Just as Hawkeye surmises someone has betrayed the Avengers, Mockingbird makes her return! |
| ✔ | West Coast Avengers #43 Mockingbird (Bobbi Morse-Barton) admits she betrayed the West Coast Avengers, having been tricked by Cameron Brock of a group called Vigilance who had concerns over Vision’s return to the Avengers. The Vision and Scarlet Witch left the team after the Vision tried to take over the world’s computers (departing during THE WAR TO END ALL SKRULLS, 1985). After Vision rejoined the Avengers, Vigilance became concerned he may pose a threat again. Bobbi created a plan for them in case that should ever happen, but Vigilance betrayed her and made their move against the Vision, anyway. It seems Vigilance are connected to the KGB, rather than SHIELD! The Avengers head to the Vigilance headquarters, with the Wasp sneaking inside first. The rest of the Avengers head in and split into two teams. Mockingbird leads the Scarlet Witch to a lab where they discover the Vision completely dismantled! 1st appearance: Miss Bach, Cameron Brock, Vigilance |
| ✔ | West Coast Avengers #44 (pp.1-14) Cameron Brock reveals Vigilance are a worldwide joint venture by numerous security agencies to erase everything the Vision learned of their secrets when he took over the world’s computers. Hank Pym (having once explored the Vision’s interiors during THE KREE-SKRULL WAR,1971-1972) acknowledges that rebuilding the Vision won’t restore his memories. The creator of the original Human Torch, Professor Phineas T Horton, emerges claiming the remnants of the Vision aren’t his work! Hawkeye calms Tigra when she loses control. The Avengers return to the Compound where Thomas & William Maximoff’s babysitter claims the boys have vanished, but Wanda immediately finds them! At Absolom College, Texas, plans are made to use the Scarlet Witch as a test subject… 1st appearance: ‘Phineas T Horton’/Space Phantom, Absolom College |
| ✔ | Captain America #354 (pp.1-9) (tie-in) In New Jersey, Captain America (Steve Rogers) investigates Machinesmith’s possible return, obtaining one of his robotic heads. He then hires Fabian Stankowicz as the Avengers’ resident inventor! In Georgetown, DC, Battlestar looks for clues that John Walker may be alive, reporting his findings to Val Cooper. In Massachusetts, Cap and Fabian locate the Red Skull’s fourth Sleeper robot… |
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Captain America #354 (pp.10-22) [Captain America] (tie-in) Cap and Fabian take the Sleeper to Avengers Island where Machinesmith assumes control of it and gloats to Captain America that’s he’s returned! Cap tries to stop Machinesmith from jumping his consciousness from the Sleeper, but it’s unclear if he succeeded… |
| ✔ | Captain America #354 (pp.10-22) [USAgent] (tie-in) In Cincinnati, Stane International try to sell the U.S. Military the Iron Monger suit. General Lewis Haywerth presents the USAgent to the Commission on Superhuman Activities, allowing them to watch him prove his worth against the Iron Monger. Haywerth reveals the USAgent is really John Walker, who agreed to fake his own death! The USAgent makes short work of the Iron Monger. 1st appearance: Iron Monger II/Gregory Smoot (true identity unrevealed) New identity: Captain America/John Walker as USAgent (named) |
| ✔ | West Coast Avengers #44 (pp.14-22) Two days after the confrontation with Vigilance, the Avengers still doubt if they met the real Phineas Horton. Wonder Man questions Immortus’ revelations about the Vision (from THE CELESTIAL MADONNA SAGA, 1974-1975). The partially-reconstructed Vision goes on a rampage, but Wanda won’t try to stop him. Vision is shut down by Hank Pym. Government liaison Raymond Sikorsky sends in the team’s newly-appointed member – someone to take over as leader and keep an eye on the Vision – and it’s not Captain America! New identity: Captain America/John Walker as USAgent (unnamed) |
| ✔ | West Coast Avengers #45 Hawkeye quits the Avengers over USAgent being forced onto the line-up! And he’s followed by Mockingbird. The Scarlet Witch is reintroduced to the now-colourless Vision who has no emotional memory and only knows Wanda as an ally. She needs Wonder Man to give Vision his brainwave patterns to try to restore his emotions, but he refuses as his emotions are his own – and it’s clear his feelings for the Scarlet Witch match the original Vision’s. But Wanda doesn’t understand that Simon is in love with her. In anger or by accident, she drops the side of a cliff on him. USAgent orders the Vision to ‘get some clothes on’, so he creates an all-white costume. Hank Pym confirms there’s no way the Vision was built from the body of the original Human Torch. |
| Avengers Spotlight #23 [2/2] (tie-in) The emotionless Vision ventures out into Los Angeles and overpowers the hi-tech criminal trio Smog Alert! The police don’t recognise him, so Vision heads to Hollywood and interrupts the recording of the Johnny Carson show. The West Coast Avengers – even the Scarlet Witch – find this hilarious, for some reason, despite her truma. 1st appearance: Smog Alert |
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | 1989-145 West Coast Avengers #46 (1989) Hawkeye and Mockingbird begin to rekindle their affection for one another while forming their own team, the Great Lakes Avengers! | GREAT LAKES AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! |
| Captain America #358-362 (1989) USAgent continues to follow direct orders from the Commission, as proven when he protects the Power Broker from the Scourge of the Underworld. | ||
| ✔ | 1989-170 Avengers West Coast #47-49 (1989) Jeremiah Random at Absolom College manipulates the Scarlet Witch during her grief, turning her against the Avengers. | GREAT LAKES AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! |
| ✔ | 1989-257 Avengers West Coast #50-52 (1989) The original Human Torch returns and joins West Coast Avengers alongside the Vision; the reason for Thomas & William Maximoff’s disappearances is explained, causing the Scarlet Witch further distress when she loses them both to Master Pandemonium. | |
| ✔ | 1989-278 Avengers West Coast Annual #4 (1989) Thor Annual #14 (1989) Fantastic Four Annual #22 (1989) The Scarlet Witch becomes a pawn of Ghaur, becoming one of the Brides of Set; the Scarlet Witch collapses. | ATLANTIS ATTACKS |
| 1989-317 Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #7 (1989) SHIELD officially reform under Nick Fury‘s complete authority. | ||
| 1989-329 Avengers #311 (1989) Fabian Stankowicz and the rest of the Avengers’ support team are unable to prevent Avengers Island from sinking when it’s sunk by Doctor Doom. | ACTS OF VENGEANCE | |
| ✔ | 1989-397 Avengers West Coast #53 (1989) The Scarlet Witch returns to her senses to defend her teammates from the U-Foes. | ACTS OF VENGEANCE |
| ✔ | 1989-397 Captain America #368 (1990) Machinesmith returns, operating a ‘Magneto’ robot and facing Captain America once again. | ACTS OF VENGEANCE |
| ✔ | 1989-403 Avengers #311 (1990) Avengers West Coast #55-57 (1990) The real Magneto takes the comatose Scarlet Witch into space, then subverts her and weaponises her against the West Coast Avengers; the Avengers fail to pull the subverted Scarlet Witch from Magneto’s clutches. | ACTS OF VENGEANCE |
| 1989-409 Captain America #368 (1990) Machinesmith restores the Sleeper robot. | ||
| ✔ | 1990-005 Avengers West Coast #60-62 (1990) The Avengers defeat Magneto, but the real culprit behind the Scarlet Witch’s descent into madness is revealed to be Immortus, intent on becoming the master of time! | |
| 1990-015 Iron Man #253 (1990) Gangster Slagmire is the next person to wear the Iron Monger armour. | ||
| ✔ | 1990-035 Avengers #314 (1990) The Vision transfers over to the East Coast branch of the Avengers. | |
| 1990-050 Captain America #372-378 (1990) Battlestar finds out John Walker is still alive, but the mind-wiped Walker believes himself to be ‘Jack Daniels’. | ||
| ✔ | 1991-075 Avengers West Coast #74 (1991) Wonder Man apologises to the Scarlet Witch for letting his own feelings for her prevent the full restoration of the Vision. | |
| ✔ | 1990-160 Avengers Spotlight #38 (1990) Agatha Harkness helps Tigra overcome her uncontrollable transformations which are linked to her old foe, Tabur of the Cat-People. | |
| ✔ | Avengers Spotlight #40 (1991) The Vision adopts the brain patterns of deceased scientist Alex Lipton, which begins to restore his emotional capabilities. | |
| ✔ | Avengers #360 (1993) Proctor and his Gatherers kidnap the Vision and swap his consciousness into the body of the Vision (aka Anti-Vision) of Earth-932 so that he can infiltrate the Avengers; Vision retains the more colourful body of his alternate universe counterpart. | |
| Avengers #11 (1998) Following his apparent death, the Scarlet Witch channels Wonder Man’s love for her to help restore him to physical form. | ||
| ✔ | Avengers Forever #8 (1999) Immortus reflects on his rationale for manipulating the Scarlet Witch; the reason why the Vision and Human Torch appear to be linked is revealed to be all a part of Immortus’ plans for the Avengers. | |
| Avengers ’99 Annual (1999) It’s revealed that, having become the Mechonaut, Fabian Stankowicz was driven mad by mentally operating numerous Avengers Robot mechs on his own while the Avengers were believed dead. | ||
| ✔ | Avengers #23 (1999) The resurrected Wonder Man’s new relationship with the Scarlet Witch becomes a problem for the Vision, causing them to come to blows. | |
| ✔ | Avengers #500-503 (2004) Recalling the loss of her children, the Scarlet Witch goes mad and turns against the Avengers. | AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED |
| ✔ | Young Avengers #10-12 (2006) Wiccan and Speed of the Young Avengers begin to believe they’re the lost sons of the Vision and Scarlet Witch. | |
| House of M #1-8 (2005) The still-struggling Scarlet Witch is manipulated into massively reducing the mutant population. | HOUSE OF M | |
| ✔ | Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #1-9 (2010-2012) Wiccan and Speed of the Young Avengers learn they are the Scarlet WItch’s children; Wanda Maximoff restores the mutant population’s lost powers. | THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Avengers by John Byrne Omnibus | Avengers #305-318 Avengers Annual #18 Avengers Spotlight #23 [part] Avengers West Coast #47-62 Avengers West Coast Annual #4 West Coast Avengers #42-46 What The–?! #6 [part] |
| Avengers: West Coast Avengers – VisionQuest | Avengers West Coast #47-50 West Coast Avengers #42-46 |
| Avengers West Coast Epic Collection: Vision Quest (vol.4) | Avengers Spotlight #23 [part] Avengers West Coast #47-52 Avengers West Coast Annual #4 West Coast Avengers #38-46 West Coast Avengers Annual #3 |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Captain America by Mark Gruenwald Omnibus vol.2 Captain America Epic Collection: The Bloodstone Hunt (vol.15) | Captain America #354 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2026
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