Writer: Stan Lee
Penciller: Jack Kirby
Inker: Dick Ayers
Letterer: Sam Rosen
Plot Summary
As The Avengers make their way to Avengers Mansion, the team is greeted by a crowd of adoring fans. Regrettably, The Avengers have little time for the adoring masses, as they have been summoned urgently by the Pentagon. After making their way inside, our heroes make contact with an Army general who informs them that a UFO has landed in northern Virginia. After systematically destroying all of the tanks that arrived on the scene, a man emerges from the vessel, introduces himself as Kang, and demands to speak with world leaders. Upon seeing the footage of the encounter, The Avengers rush to the airport and are whisked away to Virginia.
On arrival, The Avengers find Kang relaxing, waiting for the world leaders to come and treat with him. When it is clear however, that The Avengers are here for a different purpose, Kang quickly demonstrates his superior technology, hoisting most of the team with an anti-grav ray and sending Mjolnir hurtling through subspace. Just as The Avengers begin to recover from their initial encounter with Kang, the Under Secretary of Defense arrives on the scene and begins questioning Kang. Although reluctant at first, Kang eventually tells the assembled persons that he is from the year 3000 and has travelled into the past and future before arriving where he is now. He also reveals that he was once known as Pharaoh Rama-Tut, who battled the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #19) and who met Doctor Doom (Fantastic Four Annual #2).
Unfortunately, Giant Man quickly bores of Kang’s tale, and attacks him, only to be immediately rebuffed. The rest of The Avengers join in the battle, but are once again bested by Kang’s advanced technology. This time The Avengers are taken prisoner inside Kang’s ship and held in place by a paralysis ray. The ray causes Thor to transform back into Donald Blake and begins to interfere with Iron Man’s life saving chest piece. Kang then delivers an ultimatum to world leaders, requiring their submission within twenty-four hours!
Although most of her team members have been captured, Wasp managed to avoid imprisonment and works with Rick Jones to plan a rescue of the captured Avengers. While Wasp travels to Giant Man’s lab to obtain a ray gun of their own, Rick and his Teen Brigade rush past the military cordon towards Kang. Once they arrive at his side, the Teen Brigade pledge to serve Kang and are immediately welcomed aboard Kang’s ship. A few moments later the Teen Brigade busies themselves with trying to locate The Avengers. Shortly thereafter Kang tasks several of his new servants with bringing him a canister of pure energy force. The wily teens intentionally drop the canister, causing a distraction and buying their compatriots time to finally located The Avengers.
With the team finally free, Wasp arrives just in time so that Giant Man can use the gun to spray Kang with an acid based solvent, rotting his armor and all the technology contained on his person. Undeterred, Kang summons a neutrino missile to finish off his foes, only to have it deflected by Iron Man. Giant Man makes quick work of Kang’s remaining weapons with his gun, and the team rapidly surrounds Kang. In a last ditch effort, Kang’s mask emits a massive concentration of deadly radiation. Unbeknownst to Kang, Thor’s hammer Mjolnir is capable of absorbing the radiation and fires it back at Kang. Though he is from the future and immune to most radiation, this concentrated blast is more than even he can handle and Kang is forced to retreat before he is killed. Boarding his ship, Kang disappears into time.
Avengers
Ant-Man
Captain America
Iron Man
Thor
Wasp
Some Assembly Required 