Sometimes sueprhero teams need to let their hair down. For the Avengers that’s where Jarvis comes in. The man is the team butler, but he’s much more. He knows their wants, their comforts, and it’s his time to shine now that the Avengers use the Impossible City as home base. Jarvis’ inclusion in Avengers #11 makes the issue feel classic in some respects, reminding us these superheroes are just people underneath it all. It also has a classic feel because a classic villain takes center stage.
That villain is revealed in the Avengers #11 preview as the Mad Thinker. He may be locked away, but he always seems to get off a scheme or two. That scheme is directly tied to Jarvis, who enters Jed MacKay and Ivan Fiorelli’s issue as a kind of teacher. The Impossible City can take care of the team but needs some training. That makes for a playful story that’s filled with fun moments.
Along the way, this issue also reminds us that the Ashen Combine are a problem that needs to be secured or they may rise again. Captured in the Impossible City, Captain Marvel points out they aren’t cops, and she doesn’t want their base to be some kind of prison. Each of these villains could easily defeat a few Avengers, so something must be done. I’m sure MacKay is reminding us of their threat level while also setting the stage for another attack.
Well said, Captain Marvel.
Credit: Marvel
The main conflict of this issue is great to unpack, with plenty for the Avengers to fight off. Fiorelli, who you might note has drawn a few great issues of Fantastic Four written by Ryan North, brings the same sense of vibrant energy and dynamic action to this adventure. Each Avenger gets a moment to punch, kick, and do their thing.
MacKay also gets a few character beats into the issue, like a conversation between Thor and Black Panther, as well as Captain Marvel and Iron Man. Vision and Scarlet Witch also get a nice little moment, and people who ship them will love the implication of Vision’s joke. Jarvis and his assistant are also a ton of fun, and it’ll be interesting to see this new duo do their thing in future issues.
My biggest complaint is how Mad Thinker fits into everything. Likely there was little time to explain how he managed to get the threat to do anything from a cell, but he’s more of a bookended promise of a threat, in both the end and the beginning.
Avengers #11 feels like a classic thanks to the humanizing of its heroes through Jarvis and efficient writing that gets the action and character beats mixed in well. If this issue is any indication, we’re in for a real treat with Blood Hunt this May.
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