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| Series | The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes | ||||||||
| Release Date | May 6, 2012 | ||||||||
| Season Number | 6 of 26 | ||||||||
| Episode Number | 32 of 52 | ||||||||
| Writer | Dan Abnett Andy Lanning | ||||||||
| Director | Boyd Kirkland Frank Paur (Supervising Director) | ||||||||
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- For the character see Michael Korvac.
The Avengers meet a mysterious man who claims to have escaped from an alien prison and seeks help. But when they are confronted by a team called the Guardians of the Galaxy, they discover there's more to Michael Korvac than they know.
Story[]
It's a peaceful night in Central Park near the Bethesda Fountain. Couples walk about, two police officers speak to a woman on a bicycle, a man walks his dog, and a runner goes by.
Suddenly a strange ball of energy appears. Every turns to look. As it grows the people flee. The ball lowers onto the ground causing dirt and debris to fly everywhere.
The ball dissipates and the two officers walk to the edge of the crater it made. They look down seeing a naked man hunched at the bottom with strange markings on his back.
The man stands and, turning to the two officers, begs them to help him. He only says that "they" are coming for him. When the officer asks who he means, the man points up to the sky.
Meanwhile at the Avengers Mansion, Wasp sits in the war room talking to a hologram of Ms. Marvel. The S.W.O.R.D. agent points out that Wasp is supposed to be on monitor duty in case of a supervillain attack.
Wasp responds that she asked JARVIS to let her know if anything happens. She then wonders how she and Hank could fall apart. She wonders how this happened to her.
Ms. Marvel points out that Wasp isn't so different. She wonders if anything new happened between the couple. Wasp responds that Hank can be frustrating to deal with, but that she was mean to him last they talked and feels bad. Ms. Marvel retorts that if he really cared about her he would not have left.
Realizing she is right, Wasp rests her head on the desk. Just then the doorbell rings. Footage of the front door appears and Wasp sees two officers and the naked man now wrapped in a blanket.
Wasp stands and excuses herself, saying she hopes the newcomers are better at cheering her up than Ms. Marvel.
At the front door, Wasp asks if this is a drop-off since the man does not look like a supervillain. The officer states that they found him in a crater talking crazy things about being abducted by aliens.
He turns the man around and removes the blanket to reveal the strange marks on his back. Wasp gasps and asks if they contacted S.W.O.R.D., but they don't know what that is.
The man puts his blanket back on and turns. When he sees Wasp, in his vision, she changes into a brunette woman he called Corrina. He tells "Corrina" that she is not safe.
Wasp tries to interrupt but the man continues saying that "they" keep coming after him and that she cannot be there. She finally introduces herself as Janet and asks if he is alright. The man begs her to protect him.
She leads the man inside telling the officers that the Avengers will take it from there. She asks if he has a name and he tells her it is Michael Korvac.
As the two ride the elevator down, Wasp tells Michael and she called a friend named Jane who will check him out. She asks what happened to him and he begins experience traumatic flashbacks that worry Wasp.
Some time ago, Michael was driving his car along a mountain road at night when it stalled and the headlights went dead. He tried the ignition but nothing happened.
Suddenly the roof of the car was torn off. He looked up to see a strange ship shining a bright light down blinding him. He tried to shield his eyes but a figure came out of the light reaching for him.
Michael begins screaming and Wasp calls out to him. He tells Wasp that they took him into their ship, then calls Corrina again.
Flashing back again, Michael was stripped naked and tied to a large mechanical bed. He struggled but could not move. Looking up he saw two strange aliens with horrific devices coming for him.
Michael once again screams and punches the side of the elevator. Wasp shrinks down and calls to him saying he will hurt himself. Not listening, Michael threatens her to get away so Wasp flies back and blasts him.
He slumps against the wall and falls unconscious. She flies to him and apologizes.
Later in the infirmary, Jane Foster ties Michael to a bed and hooks up monitors to him. Wasp watches from the room above. Hawkeye walks up feeling he saw this thing in a movie.
Wasps punches him and he notes that she was the one who blasted him. Iron Man, sans helmet, walks up behind them. Hawkeye doubts the man's story about alien abductions and experimentation. Wasp feels that Michael believes the story. Black Panther stands behind her.
She notes that he is scared while going in and out of consciousness. She explains that she and Jane have been able to piece some of his story together. Apparently Michael was abducted by aliens, but has running from other aliens and now he wants to get back to Corrina.
Down below, Michael thrashes about while Jane takes notes. Wasp wonders if Corrina is his wife or girlfriend and how long Michael has been gone.
Black Panther notes that Earth has been of interest to several alien races, but notes problems with Michael's story. He wonders how a seemingly normal man could escape advanced aliens and come back to Earth. Wasp offers to ask when he wakes up.
Hawkeye then notes that the man will be panicking when he wakes. He points out that the abductee is now strapped to a bed in a strange lab to be examined. He asks what she was thinking. Wasp realizes that is a good point.
Tony speaks up noting that there is a crater in the park so some of the story is true. He orders Hawkeye and Black Panther to check it out. Wasp shrinks down saying she will find Corrina.
She tells Tony that Corrina is probably looking for Michael. She suggest using facial recognition software to match Michael with missing persons reports then flies off.
At a diner in the mountains, a waitress clears off a table. The door opens and Wasp calls out then flies to the woman. She notes the nametag and asks if she is Corrina.
Corrina stammers until Wasp reveals that they found Michael Korvac. She immediately drops the tray breaking all the dishes.
In Central Park, Hawkeye and Black Panther stand at the edge of the crater, which has been roped off by police. Black Panther scans the area with a small device. Hawkeye still doesn't believe Michael's story about being abducted by "little green men." Black Panther adds that they could be blue.
Hawkeye continues saying that something is wrong with Michael. Black Panther stands saying that anyone could be considered wrong after weeks or possibly months of experimentation by aliens.
The two start walking away and Hawkeye believes that his teammates is just messing with him. Black Panther agrees with him.
After the two leave, a group of strange creatures appear under some stairs in a flash of light. One man steps forward, a jewel in his forehead glowing, and he realizes that Michael is nearby.
Back at the mansion, Michael stares down at a plate of food while sitting in the kitchen. Tony stands nearby noting that the man appears fine physically. He tells Hulk, who is chowing down, that the scars on his back are fine and he has no internal problems.
He goes on to say that Michael is malnourished and dehydrated. Tony displays a hologram and shows Hulk that Michael is emitting a strange energy, something Tony hasn't seen before.
Hulk huffs at him and Tony apologizes for going over his head. Hulk explains that it's a form of cosmic radiation then takes a big bite out of his turkey leg.
Tony is surprised then pulls up the hologram again noting that Hulk is correct.
Black Panther and Hawkeye enter the room and the Wakandan king notes that there was cosmic radiation at the crater. Tony states they found the same thing with Michael. Tony says he contacted Ms. Marvel, as she is the S.W.O.R.D. liaison and they should be handling this.
Hawkeye wonders where Captain America is. Tony says the elderly soldier went to look up some World War II buddies, or something.
Wasp contacts the team and Black Panther answers. She explains she is five minutes out and asks them to bring Michael to the foyer. Michael perks up at hearing his name.
Michael enters the foyer as Wasp opens the door to let Corrina in. She and Michael are shocked to see each other.
Michael flashes back to some time with her. The two walked up to each other staring into each others' eyes. They smiled and kissed.
In the present the two run to each other and embrace. He is happy to have finally gotten back to her. She explains that he was gone almost two years, and she thought he was never coming back. He is shocked at the length of time and she asks what happened.
He promises that they will never be separated again and that he will never let them take him again. Corrina asks who he means.
Just then a flash of light illuminates the room. The Avengers look around until a strange group of people appear comprised of the jeweled man, a woman in a cloak, a tree-like creature, masked man, and a small raccoon. The raccoon jumps down and hisses at them.
Iron Man puts on his mask and orders the Avengers to defend Michael. Black Panther leaps forward and the team readies for battle. The woman creates an energy sword out of thin air while Iron Man readies his repulsor beam.
Iron Man asks if Hawkeye still disbelieves Michael's story. Hawkeye responds that he's still on the fence.
The masked man pulls out a gun and addresses Michael in a strange language. Michael cries out begging the Avengers to help. Hawkeye notes that the tree and raccoon are scowling at them and asks if they should fire.
Iron Man suggests waiting as they seem intelligent. However, Wasp readies her blasts and when the masked man reaches for his helmet she fires at him.
The alien group steps forward and Hawkeye fires an exploding arrow at the tree-thing. The other Avengers race forward.
Black Panther engages the jeweled man, who creates a staff out of the air. Black Panther pulls out his Vibranium blades and the two fight. Black Panther slashes at the man who backs away.
Iron Man fires at the woman who shields herself.
Hulk runs forward but is confronted by the small raccoon. It hisses at him so he roars in return. The small creature then pulls out two large guns. Hulk looks confused until it starts firing at him.
Hulk backs away as the blasts pepper him. He reaches a table and throws it at the creature who dodges. The table bounces hitting the tree-thing who scowls and turns towards Hulk.
The tree passes the masked man who is trying to watch Wasp buzz around him. He pulls out his gun and fires at her but she flies away. He turns but his gun is knocked out of his hand by Hawkeye's arrow. He fires but Hawkeye dodges. Wasp fires in response.
As the tree approaches Hulk, Michael shields Corrina away.
Iron Man flies around blasting at the woman. She shields herself then flies up to meet him. She punches him through the skylight into the sky beyond.
Wasp flies to Michael and Corrina saying that they need to go. She instructs them to the elevator behind them while blasting the broken glass.
Above, the woman starts blasting at Iron Man who dodges and flies up. He scans her and realizes she is using quantum energy. He says he is impressed, and she responds with the alien language.
She then conjures up an enormous sword and swings it at Iron Man. He dodges noting that she didn't say she would surrender. When the sword comes back he flies up.
He notes that he has shielding too and her sword won't hurt him much. Just then she conjures up eight more weapons including an ax, mace, crowbar, sickle, and other swords. He then fears those will hurt.
In the mansion, the jeweled man is still dodging Black Panther. Black Panther combines his weapons into a staff of his own. However, the man continues blocking every one of Black Panther's attacks.
Black Panther realizes the man is in his mind and sees the jewel glowing. He kicks the man who falls against a couch. The man turns to fire out of his jewel but Black Panther dodges.
As Black Panther gets close, the man disappears in a flash of light.
Out in the foyer, the tree smashes Hulk into the ground. The jade giant grabs the even larger tree's arm and breaks it apart. The tree tries to smash him with its other arm but Hulk smashes it apart.
The raccoon leaps onto the tree then fires down at Hulk. Hulk thunderclaps disintegrating the tree and knocking the animal back.
Hulk walks over and looms over the small creature. Suddenly, in an Australian accent, the raccoon warns Hulk to look behind him. He looks back to see the tree reforming itself.
The raccoon leaps away so the tree can introduce itself. The tree looms over Hulk, announces that its name is Groot, then grabs Hulk. Groot lifts him up and slams him into the ground.
Down below, Wasp follows the fleeing Michael and Corrina instructing them to the hanger. As they round a corner, Wasp tells them to go the other way.
They stop when Hulk crashes through the ceiling. Wasp flies to Hulk who warns her to look out behind her. She dodges the energy blasts from the falling raccoon.
Hawkeye enters the kitchen the the masked man right behind shooting at him. He hides behind the center island and readies an arrow. He looks up at the swinging pans and sees the reflection of the masked man, who lifts his mask to reveal a human face.
An arrow flies over the island and lands near the man. He looks down and wires come out electrocuting him. The man falls down and his helmet comes off.
Hawkeye stands over him with an arrow ready noting that he looks human for an alien. He wonders what they want with Michael. The man introduces himself as Star-Lord and warns that the Avengers do not know who Michael Korvac is.
Up in the sky, Iron Man blasts three of the energy weapons then dodges two more. He fires two rockets which destroy the rest. The woman claims this is impossible.
She conjures another sword but Iron Man blasts it and her with his unibeam. As she falls he notes she was speaking English and flies after her.
Down below Wasp and the couple enter the hanger and head towards the Quinjet. Corrina begs him to stop saying that he is hurting her. He replies that he needs more time and will not be taken again.
Just then the jeweled man appears warning that he cannot let them do that. Wasp blasts him and they flee the other direction. She is stopped by the gun-totting raccoon. Hawkeye and Star-Lord enter and the archer warns Wasp that they need to listen to the strange people.
Iron Man flies out of the water with the woman wondering what Hawkeye is doing. He begs the leader to listen to Star-Lord.
Star-Lord claims that Korvac is a wanted fugitive and insane. He explains that the man has killed thousands of sentient lives. Corrina turns to stare at Michael in horror.
Just then Hulk lands in the hanger and grabs the raccoon. He holds up the creature and Groot's head, who reiterates that he is Groot.
Above in the sky, Ms. Marvel flies down to the mansion. He enters through the broken skylight and sees the damaged foyer. She notes that this is not good.
Down below, Wasp refuses to believe the alien team. She retorts that Michael is the victim in the situation. Suddenly his scars begin to glow.
She turns to see Michael's whole body suddenly glowing, his eyes pure white. Michael cries out as energy pulses out of his body knocking Wasp back.
In the foyer, Ms. Marvel hears the screams and is rocked by the shockwave.
Star-Lord readies his gun while the jeweled man prepares himself. However, the group is overwhelmed by Michael's energy.
Corrina wakes up to see both teams down. She looks to the side to see Michael glowing and laughing.
Ms. Marvel enters the hanger to find both teams still down but Corrina and Michael gone. She flies over and tries to wake Wasp. She hears crying and sees Corrina off to the side sobbing into a wall.
Corrina looks over at her, who turns around to find Michael right behind her. Ms. Marvel blasts Michael but he stops midair and begins absorbing the blast.
Ms. Marvel flies up and starts blasting him but he is unhurt. He glows brighter and releases a shockwave that knocks Ms. Marvel out of the air and breaks all the windows.
The blast knocks Ms. Marvel into the Quinjet, which is knocked over into the water. As she falls Michael swoops in and saves her. He lands near Corrina and reaches out for her while holding the unconscious Avenger.
Wasp wakes up in a large white space. She calls out to the others when it suddenly clears up to reveal a lab. She sees Hulk rising near the jeweled man.
She flies to Hulk who looks around to see a desert. Black Panther calls out saying that this is not Wakanda. Hawkeye wonders what is going on as he sees a room with a large atomic bomb hanging from the ceiling.
The alien group appear, in Tony's office to Iron Man's eyes, and the raccoon tells the Avengers that they need to knock off the fighting. Star-Lord asks the woman, Quasar, to do something about the shifting environment.
She walks over to the jeweled man, Adam Warlock, and calls out to him. She places her hands on his head and the jewel glows. Suddenly they are all in field.
Iron Man, having enough, demands to know who the people are and what is up with Michael Korvac. Wasp wonders where they are and why the aliens can suddenly speak English.
Quasar states that they are speaking mentally through Adam's Soul Gem. Star-Lord notes that explanation didn't help at all. He introduces himself as Peter Quill and he is the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The raccoon tells him that they should respect the Star-Lord, exasperating Peter. He continues saying that the Guardians are a peace keeping force for the galaxy. Iron Man lifts his faceplate noting that they are like Space-Avengers.
Star-Lord introduces the woman as Quasar, the animal as Rocket Raccoon, and the tree as Groot. Groot bows saying his name once again.
Star-Lord continues saying that anytime an imbalance is detected thanks to Adam the Guardians intervene. He notes that in this case it is Michael. He warns that the abductee is a bigger threat than anything they have ever seen.
Quasar explains that Michael is a Kree test subject who escaped. Iron Man notes they know of the Kree. Quasar continues saying that whatever the Kree did it changed him, possibly unleashing some hidden gene in humanity. The Kree had never seen anything like that.
They flashback to a Kree lab. Scientists walked over to Michael and inserted something into him. He cried out and his eyes glowed. Quasar explains that the ship had been destroyed by Michael.
Star-Lord explains that they found out Michael was on a space station, which was also destroyed along with a large section of the planet. Ships flew around the station until it was engulfed in light. The blast increased destroying much of the ringed planet nearby.
He continues saying that a Rigellion recorder spotted Michael hovering in the debris. A camera zoomed in on the destroyed section. Michael sat glowing while piece of the station and planet floated around him. He sat there laughing.
Star-Lord claims he then disappeared. They tracked the energy signature across the galaxy to Earth.
Adam opens his eyes and floats to a standing. He claims to sense Michael and warns that his power and madness are growing. He explains that Michael would have destroyed them all if he had not pulled them into the Soul Gem.
Iron Man asks if they can beat Michael, but Adam replies that they cannot physically defeat him. Star-Lord claims that their plan was to distract Michael long enough for Adam to pull him into the Soul Gem.
He continues saying it did not work out so well. Hawkeye then wonders where Michael is if they are in there.
In Central Park, a bright ball of light appears over the area Michael appeared. A blast of energy shots out and Ms. Marvel crashes to the ground. Another blast shoots out and Corrina lands on a bridge.
Michael hovers down near Ms. Marvel. She looks up and Michael blasts at her. She rolls to the side and fires at him. However, his blats overwhelm hers and overtake her. She is blasted back.
He hovers near her sensing the Kree technology that created Ms. Marvel. He theorizes that she is a Kree come to take him back. He raises his arms and readies a blast saying she will not take him.
Just then Michael is blasted forward by a repulsor beam. He lands and the Avengers and Guardians appear surrounding him. Iron Man flies near them and Michael claims this is impossible.
Wasp appears and says that they can help him, but warns he needs to stop. Michael claims that he will not let anything like what happened to him happen to anyone else. He claims he can stop them.
Ms. Marvel stands and runs to join her teammates. Corrina watches in horror from the bridge.
When Michael charges up again, Iron Man tells the two teams to attack. He fires his repulsor, Quasar her energy, and Star-Lord his guns. However, nothing affects Michael who shields himself.
Ms. Marvel flies in shooting blasts while Rocket and Hawkeye fire. Michael then blasts the teams away.
Hulk lands near Michael and smashes the shield down, but is blasted back by him. Groot nears but is disintegrated. Iron Man flies behind Michael and tackles him.
Iron Man states that they can protect him from the Kree if they stop fighting. Michael stands claiming the Avenger is lying. Hulk runs up and grabs Michael. Iron Man calls out to Adam.
Adam runs up and activates the Soul Gem. Michael cries out and knocks both teams down again.
Standing among the defeated, Michael sees Corrina nearby and calls out to her. She backs away asking him to stop as she is scared of him. Tears stream down her face.
Michael approaches wondering why she is scared of him. He claims he will protect her as it is all for her. He wants all the monsters to go away.
Corrina claims he is the only monster there.
Michael begins to cry and backs away from her.
He moves back towards the now risen Guardians and Avengers. As he glows brighter his glow disintegrates. Adam warns them to stop him. The teams move forward but are consumed in a flash of light.
When the light dissipates, there is nothing but a crater where Michael stood. Wasp flies over to Corrina who falls to the ground crying. She returns to normal size and comforts her. Adam walks up and Iron Man lands nearby.
Wasp asks what happened. Adam claims that Michael sensed the doubt in Corrina's mind, and that despite all his power all he wanted was to be with her. Ms. Marvel kneels near Corrina.
Iron Man asks where Michael went. Adam can no longer sense Michael on this plane of existence. Iron Man thinks that if this is the kind of thing the Guardians deal with then the two teams should talk.
Star-Lord says that they should not and puts his faceplate down. He warns that there are things out in the galaxy that humanity is best left not knowing about.
Out in space, a star twinkles in the distance seen by Michael who is now comprised entirely of energy. He floats near a nebula, alone in the universe.
Quotes[]
"Help me. Please, someone. They're coming. They're coming for me!"
"Who's coming for you?"
[Points up]
- -Michael Korvac, first lines, and Police Officer
"Aren't you supposed to be watching out for supervillains? Isn't that what monitor duty is?"
"I told JARVIS to let me know if anything blows up. I just can't believe that Hank and I are falling apart. I mean...I'm me. How can this be happening?"
"Cause you're so completely different? What, did something new happen?"
"He's just so...so frustrating. But I was really mean to him last time we talked, which I feel kinda bad about."
"I know, but Jan, if Hank really cared he wouldn't have left."
"Gotta go. Someone's at the door. Hopefully someone who's better at cheering me up than you are."
- -Ms. Marvel and Wasp
"Corrina? Corrina, we're not safe here."
"Uh...um..."
"They keep coming after me. You can't be here. I can't..."
"Uh, sir. My name is Janet. Are you okay?"
"Please, you have to protect me."
"The Avengers will take it from here."
- -Michael Korvac and Wasp
"I'm pretty sure I've seen this movie before." [Wasp punches him] "Ow! What was that for? You're the one who zapped him into unconsciousness."
- -Hawkeye
"When he wakes up he's gonna flip out. You realize you put Mister Abductee here in a med-lab, strapped him to a table to be examined. What's the thinking?"
- -Hawkeye
"I'm going to find Corrina."
"Uh, not exactly what I was going to say."
"She's probably been looking for him this whole time. We can use some facial recognition thingamajig and see if anyone put a missing persons report on him. Because it's probably her."
"Okay then."
- -Wasp and Tony Stark
"Excuse me, are you Corrina?"
"I...yes. I'm Corrina. How-how..."
"We found Michael Korvac."
- -Wasp and Corrina Walters, first line
"I don't buy it. Maybe the guy did get abducted by little green men."
"Or blue."
"Stop it. What I'm saying is there's something off about this guy."
"Perhaps after weeks or even months of experimentation by alien creatures anyone would be off."
"Now you're just being difficult to mess with me."
"You are right."
- -Hawkeye and Black Panther
"Korvac."
- -Adam Warlock, first line
"Corrina, I did it. I got back to you."
"Michael, you've been gone almost two years. I thought you left. I thought you weren't coming back."
"Two years..."
- -Michael Korvac and Corrina Walters
"Still think he's making this up."
"I'm on the fence."
- -Iron Man and Hawkeye
"There's a tree and a raccoon scowling at us, man. Are we firing?"
- -Hawkeye
"Better look behind you, mate. Let me formally introduce you, yeah."
"I AM GROOT!"
- -Rocket Raccoon and Groot, first lines
"You look pretty human for an evil alien. Who are you? And what do you want with Korvac?"
"I'm called Star-Lord. And you have to listen to me. You have no idea who Michael Korvac is."
- -Hawkeye and Star-Lord, first English lines
"Impossible!"
"Wait, was that English?"
- -Quasar, first line, and Iron Man
"Michael! Michael, stop. You're hurting me."
"No! I need more time. I have to have more time. I can't let them take me."
"I cannot let you do that."
- -Corrina Walters, Michael Korvac, and Adam Warlock
"Korvac. He's a wanted fugitive. He's insane. He's wiped out thousand of sentient lives."
- -Star-Lord
"I am Groot."
- -Decapitated Groot
"I am never going to let them hurt me again."
- -Michael Korvac
"What's going on?"
"What's going on is that you ape-people need to knock this off."
- -Hawkeye and Rocket Raccoon
"We are speaking mind-to-mind through the power of Adam Warlock's Soul Gem."
"Okay, that probably didn't help explain things."
- -Quasar, last line and Star-Lord
"Look, my name is Peter Quill. I'm the leader of the Guardians."
"He's the Star-Lord. Respect him."
"Uh, Rocket. We're an intergalactic peace keeping force. We work together to keep the known galaxy stable."
"Guardians of the Galaxy. Sort of like Space-Avengers."
- -Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, last line, and Iron Man
"This is Quasar. Mister Personality here is Rocket Raccoon. The big tree is Groot."
"I am...Groot."
- -Star-Lord and Groot, last line
"I can feel him. Korvac's power grows, as does his madness. He would have destroyed us all had I not pulled us into the Soul Gem."
"Can we beat him?"
"Not physically."
- -Adam Warlock and Iron Man
"You're one of them, aren't you! One of the Kree! You've come to take me, but I won't let you."
- -Michael Korvac to Ms. Marvel
"Korvac, we can protect you from the Kree if you stop fighting us."
"You LIE!"
- -Iron Man and Michael Korvac
"Corrina."
"Please, Michael. Stop. You're scaring me."
"Scared? Of me? No, oh no. Corrina. I'm going to protect you. I'm doing all of this for you. To make the monsters go away."
"You're the only monster here, Michael."
- -Michael Korvac and Corrina Walters, last lines
"Warlock, what happened?"
"He sensed the woman's fear of him, her doubt in him, and despite all his power all he truly wanted was to be with her."
"Where is Korvac?"
"I cannot sense him on this plane of existence."
- -Wasp, Adam Warlock, last line, and Iron Man
"If this is the kind of thing the Guardians deal with we should talk."
"Yeah, I don't think so. There are things out there in the universe you're better off not knowing about."
- -Iron Man and Star-Lord, last line
Trivia[]
- Korvac arrives in New York in much the same way the title character did in The Terminator, which stared Grim Reaper actor Lance Henriksen who was originally up for the title role.
- Korvac is taken to the Avengers Mansion in much the same was Louis Tully was in Ghostbusters, possibly the movie Hawkeye refers to. Both characters were good people who possessed terribly destructive powers.
- In the comics, Corrina's name is spelled Carina.
- During the melee between the two teams, Groot fights Hulk. Groot's first appearance in Marvel Comics, he had previously appeared once when the company was Atlas Comics, was a clone of him fighting Hulk in The Incredible Hulk Annual #5.
- Carol Danvers and Phyla-Vell have both used the name Captain Marvel in the comics.
- There is no music over the end credits, likely because of Kirkland's dedication.
Goofs[]
- The real Bethesda Fountain is much different. The lower levels of the fountain are different. Also, the statue seen here is more like the Lady Justice statue.
- When Hawkeye and Black Panther are at the crater in Central Park, the wide shot shows the sides to be steep like a pit rather than curved like a crater as it is in every other shot.
- For some reason no one gives Michael a shirt after the tests are done.
- When the Guardians first come to the mansion and Star-Lord readies his gun, Groot disappears from behind him between shots.
- Groot's clothes regrow along with him.
- When Hulk lands and grabs Rocket, for one frame part of Rocket's head disappears.
- Corrina's tears don't follow the laws of gravity. It goes straight down her face tilted face.
Continuity[]
- The series' only appearance of the Guardians of the Galaxy and its members Adam Warlock, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Quasar, and Star-Lord as well as the only appearance of Michael Korvac and Corrina.
- First appearance of Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Star-Lord, Quasar, Corrina, and Korvac outside the comics.
- The Kree were last seen in "Welcome to the Kree Empire".
- While Ronan and Captain Marvel would be seen in "Assault on 42", the Kree race is next seen in "Operation Galactic Storm".
- Captain America is mentioned but not seen.
- Star-Lord hints at something humanity is best left not knowing about. He may mean Galactus, who is seen in the finale "Avengers Assemble!".
Background[]
In the original comics, Korvac comes from an alternate universe where Earth and humanity are conquered by the Badoon. Korvac was a traitor to humanity and collaborator to the aliens. As punishment for falling asleep on the job, the Badoon turned him into a cyborg. Grandmaster teleported him through time to fight Doctor Strange and the Defenders. He purposely lost so he could analyze Grandmaster's powers and copy them. He was then defeated by the original Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor. He later scanned Galactus and got the Power Cosmic turning him into the God-like person seen here.
In the comics, Carina is the daughter of the Collector. She was sent to Earth to seduce Korvac, but actually fell in love and married him. She and Korvac were apparently killed in a fight with the Avengers, though he came back. Later, Hank Pym confused her energy with that of his wife and used Jocasta to recreate her. Korvac came back for his wife, but Janet's memories caused her to turn against him and become a hero.
The concept of Kree experimentation on humans is the basis for the Inhumans.
The members of the team are based on the first iteration of this version of the team, with the exception of Drax and Gamora, not counting an earlier unrelated team of the same name.
This is the only fictional work of Steve Downes that isn't a video game.
Dedicated to the memory of director Boyd Kirkland, as this is the first episode to air following his death on January 27th, 2011. All subsequent episodes he directed are also dedicated to his memory.
Cast[]
Actor Role Eric Loomis Iron Man/Tony Stark Greg Ellis Rocket Racoon Moira Quirk Quasar Troy Baker Michael Korvac
GrootColleen O'Shaughnessey Wasp/Janet van Dyne Fred Tatasciore Hulk Jennifer Hale Ms. Marvel/Carol Danvers
CorrinaKirk Thornton Adam Warlock
Cop #1Steve Downes Star-Lord/Peter Quill James Mathis III Black Panther/T'Challa Chris Cox Hawkeye
Reception[]
"RoyalRubble" of Marvel Animation Age did not know much about the Guardians and its members. He liked the designs of the characters and felt the voices fit the characters. He enjoyed the changes to Korvac's origins as it tied into the cosmic theme of the season. He liked the opening scene with Wasp and Ms. Marvel, hoping to see more of the two of them together, same with Hawkeye and Black Panther. He praised the fact that not all the Avengers appeared to give time to the guest stars. He liked Hulk pointing out the cosmic radiation, but felt it should have been Bruce Banner. He enjoyed seeing Foster again. He appreciated the tragic story of Korvac and how it was his love that ultimately stopped him. He also hoped that the Guardians would have returned at some point. He also noted how sweet the tribute to Kirkland was, comparing it to the Jack Kirby tribute in the Superman episode "Apokolips... Now!". "Overall, this episode was another great addition to the series: some new pretty awesome characters are introduced, the fight scenes are great as usual, some short scenes that really show some character development for the Avengers, and a very tragic ending. It also continues in a grand way the cosmic theme this season aimed for. And now the Avengers have another reason to hate the Kree, for what they did to Korvac, so I'm looking forward to the inevitable return of the Kree."
Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave the episode a nine out of ten. He also felt Korvac was handled quite well, that streamlining the origin worked for the episode. He felt the Guardians were the one who stole the show. He did think that the two teams fighting each other before teaming up to fight the greater threat was predictable but fun. He enjoyed the fights between the heroes. He also liked the guest stars, though he never thought of Raccoon with an accent. "This episode may not have had quite the epic scale and sense of doom the original Korvac Saga did in the comics, but it ended on a suitably tragic note that leaves the door open for the villain's return. On a more somber note, the episode was dedicated to the memory of its director, the late Boyd Kirkland. At least Kirkland was able to go out in style with one of the better episodes the series has seen to date." [1]
The episode has a 8.1 on the Internet Movie Database.