Random Happenstance

Along with the conclusion to the Black Knight two-parter, I got this one, the conclusion to the Spider-Woman two-parter, at the last comicon. With all the set-up out of the way, how will this one roll? Um...into several pages of recap. From 1984, Avengers #241, "Dark Angel!" Written by Roger Stern, with story consultant Ann Nocenti, breakdowns by Al Milgrom, finishes by Joe Sinnott and Andy Mushinsky.

Jessica Drew is still in a coma, with her spirit trapped in the astral plane; and the Avengers are trying to save her, with the help of Dr. Strange, the Shroud, and the not-entirely-forgiven Dr. Pym. Morgan Le Fey makes a mystic appearance, to tell the collected heroes to step off, she's going to return to the physical world in Jessica's body. Since no one gets to stepping, Morgan then attacks; as Dr. Strange puts it, "she's unleashed some of the very substance of the astral plane into the physical world!" (By the way, I haven't watched Runaways yet, but casting Elizabeth Hurley as Morgan le Fey is nice work.) Strange is occupied keeping Jessica alive, so it's up to the Avengers, since this is their book and all. With the Shroud's darkness covering them, they attempt to take the fight to Morgan, with not a lot of success: she makes a giant body for herself, the better to throw She-Hulk around.

Meanwhile, the astral body of the sorcerer Magnus wakes up, and realizes he sent Jessica into a trap. Dr. Strange was using the light of the Eye of Agamotto as a lifeline, for Jessica to follow to her body, but she was losing strength. Magnus tells his origin: he and Morgan used to be a thing, until she went from insanely hating the king to full-on Darkhold evil, and when he stole the Darkhold from her she killed him while he was astral projecting, leaving him a bodiless spirit, that eventually worked up enough strength to occasionally return to earth, as he did in Spider-Woman #13. Magnus fell in love with Jessica, but also felt guilty for setting her against Morgan, and sacrifices himself to save her. Jessica returns to her body, much to the joy of Dr. Pym, who really didn't do much, but needed a win.

Furious over losing a perfectly good potential body, Morgan threatens to take She-Hulk's instead, but is stopped by Dr. Strange, since he no longer had to divide his attention. She swears vengeance on him as the Avengers escape. Dr. Pym does have to give Jessica the bad news: her spider-powers were gone. Still, she's undeterred, planning on continuing her private detective career. Of course, that wasn't the last we saw of her, and her powers weren't even all gone at that point: I remember her return in Wolverine, I think she still had her wall-climbing powers then. Which she thought of as kind of dumb without the other powers, but still. I don't think much else from this one comes up, except it would be great if Magnus was the great love of her life, and Jessica was always going on and on about her dead wizard-ghost boyfriend with the Friar Tuck haircut...