Random Happenstance

Well, I had the previous issue, then didn't recall reading it; pretty sure I had this issue too, but yeah. From 1992, Avengers #351, "Retribution" Written by Bob Harras, pencils by Kevin West, inks by Bud LaRosa.

Continuing from the prior issue, Raza of the Starjammers has apparently fatally stabbed the Black Knight, in retaliation for the Knight's slaying of the Kree's Supreme Intelligence, and to get the whereabouts of the son taken from him years ago. Hercules is about to put Raza's head through a wall to avenge his teammate, but Ch'od stands by his teammate and fights his way out with Raza. The Starjammers' leader Corsair has no idea what's happening, but Hepzibah, wanting the Kree's bounty on the Knight's head, clams up.

With the Starjammers' medic Sikowsky and an Inhuman doctor working on him, the Black Knight's condition is updated from "dead" to "mostly okay," partially because the wounds didn't seem like Raza really wanted the Knight dead. (Sure, he stabbed him, but his heart wasn't really in it!) With Binary, the Avengers catch up to Ch'od and Raza; with Thor being dismayed at having to hurt Ch'od, since he was a likable guy. Raza tells Binary about his missing son, but she explains the medallion the Kree gave him wasn't his son's, but a Kree memory implant device. Or, at least that's the story she's going to give the Avengers: it's a lie, but Carol felt Raza wasn't responsible for the suffering he had endured, or the Kree exploiting it. Meanwhile, Hebzibah seems more than willing to sell out and poison the Knight, but doesn't get the chance. As the Starjammers go back into space, Raza knows he'll have to live with the guilt, the hope of finding his son, and the knowledge that Hebzibah may not be a good person...

A couple other subplots show up here: instead of rejoining the Starjammers in space, Carol opts to stay on earth and reintroduce herself to her family. It would be about six years until she would rejoin the Avengers. Crystal is distraught over the Knight's injuries; and while Pietro was nice enough to get medical help for him, he doesn't seem super worried about him. I'm not sure how estranged Crystal and Pietro were at this point, or if Pietro realized Crystal and Dane had been crushing on each other; but over the years Pietro and Dane really start to hate each other. The Vision, still white and emotionless, has a disturbing emotional reaction: rage. Raza warns the Knight that the Kree weren't going to stop coming after him, although I'm not sure it came up much after that, or if Raza ever found his son.