I'm still surprised he hasn't turned up in the MCU--no, not Korvac.

After all, Korvac doesn't get the cover this issue, even as he draws "First Blood!" From 1978, Avengers #168, written by James Shooter, pencils by George Pérez, inks by Pablo Marcos.

The Avengers were returning from the S.H.I.E.L.D. space station, with most of the original Guardians of the Galaxy visiting from the future: Vance Astro had to stay on the Guardians' ship in space, since if he encountered his younger self it would have bizarre effects, between his psychokinetic powers and time distortion. The Quinjet returns to Avengers' Mansion, to find the alarms going off--all of the alarms. Even though the house was probably soundproofed, it feels like it'd be heard in a six-block radius. The team finds their rooms searched and tossed, as well as Jarvis tied up, by government-issue asshole Henry Peter Gyrich. Gyrich was from the National Security Council, and felt the team was maybe abusing, or not deserving, their "A-1 security clearance," possibly because he was able to get in through a big-ass hole in the wall. Even when Gyrich has a point, he's still a colossal dick: it's generally impossible to take his side, ever. He also harps on the team members that didn't have security clearance (Wonder Man!) as well as the four new weirdos. (For the Guardians, this is like when you were a kid, at a friend's house, and they get chewed out by their folks.)

Captain America and Iron Man had not been getting along at this point, and Cap calls Shellhead on "treating your chairmanship like a part-time job!" Cap didn't know Iron Man's secret identity at that time (I think Thor was the only team member that maybe did know?) and considered him "moonlighting," since being Tony Stark's bodyguard had to be a full-time job. When it comes to blows, the Scarlet Witch steps in, pointing out the team might not have had a great batting average lately, but Cap hadn't been hitting on all cylinders himself. (To mix some metaphors!)

Hawkeye and the time-displaced Two-Gun Kid make a brief appearance, where Two-Gun mysteriously disappears. Back at Avengers' Mansion, Starhawk has also disappeared: the other Guardians were kind of used to him taking off on his own, and don't seem especially concerned. They should be. As Aleta--half of Starhawk--she visits a nondescript home in Forest Hills, home of Carina and Michael...Korvac. Both Starhawk and Korvac had cosmic-level perceptions, and recognized each other immediately. Starhawk was gambling Korvac wasn't yet ready for him; while Korvac recognized Starhawk as one of the few that could perceive him, and had to head that off. The fight was more than merely physical, stretching into astral planes; although locally it did a number on the weather and triggered Peter Parker's Spider-sense. (This might've been the first time some big cosmic scuffle triggered that!)

Korvac manages to defeat Starhawk on multiple fronts, triggering further cosmic shocks felt by Doctor Strange, Captain Mar-Vell, and the Silver Surfer; before Korvac kills him. It's a clean victory for Korvac, since while those few heroes felt something off, none of them--or the higher powers of the universe--yet knew he was there. To keep his presence secret, he then resurrects Starhawk, exactly as he (and Aleta) was, except for one minor change: Starhawk would not remember this encounter, nor would he be able to perceive Korvac later. (Colossal plot point siren sounds!) Korvac's plan would continue, and this plotline wouldn't wrap until #177, although there was a fill-in or two in there.