Beware The Power Of... The Ultimate Ultron!

THE STORY SO FAR:

• The Vision goes missing (apparently)!
• A cylinder of the new, impenetrable metal called adamantium has been stolen (definitely)!
• Iron Man is injured when an Avengers training session is sabotaged (shockingly)!
• The Vision returns and admits to the theft, the sabotage, and attacking the Wasp (collectively)!
• Ultron-6, returned to inhuman life by the Vision, crashes into Avengers Mansion and attacks (destructively)!
• Because Ultron is now made of adamantium, the Avengers are helpless to stop him (regrettably)!
• The Vision discovers his actions are the result of a mental command infused by Ultron at the time of his creation (surprisingly)!
• At his former base on the lower east side of Manhattan, Ultron prepares to detonate nuclear devices which will destroy New York City (horrifically)!

But now, as the power of the metal monster's equipment builds to deadly release, there is one Avenger who may yet turn the tide against him--his own creation, who seeks to atone for the horror he has unleashed this day.

Yet as we wrap up Part 2 of this story and segue to Part 3, it's fair to wonder: Will the Vision and the rest of the Avengers, not to mention the population of an entire city, survive the mad revenge of Ultron-6?

Elsewhere beneath the demolished tenement on the lower east side of Manhattan where Ultron is based, the rest of the Avengers begin to feel the tremors of Ultron's initial attack on the Vision--as does a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who have tracked the stolen adamantium to the same location and are prepared to recover it at all costs. Unfortunately, they have no idea as to the circumstances of the Vision's theft of the adamantium--and the only hostile they're searching for happens to be the one risking his life to stop their mutual foe!

Meanwhile, as the Avengers make their way through the complex, they find evidence of a battle that seems to have taken place only recently--an indication, they now believe, of the Vision's attempt to stop Ultron, a perplexing shift of opinion on the Avengers' part. In Part 1, it fell upon writer Roy Thomas to quickly stack the deck against the Vision's loyalties in the eyes of the Avengers, since it was crucial for the team (and for readers, to an extent) to be taken by surprise at the unveiling of Ultron-6 as the true villain; now, however, as the story's climax begins to take shape, their suspicions against their newest member begin to make a remarkable turnaround in order to restore their sympathies for their wronged member in record time. The scene of a recent battle is the perfect example: In this instance, the Avengers have little reason to think that, because they see evidence of a battle, the Vision has done an about-face and is now acting as an Avenger again (which is exactly what has happened, though they're as yet unaware of the circumstances for his going off the rail). But they have little time to consider the matter further, as they recoil at another shock wave that indicates Ultron's nuclear detonation is imminent. And as for the Vision, have they arrived too late to save him?

In this story's climactic issue, Barry Smith relinquishes the art chores to another newcomer to Marvel, Sal Buscema, who had already made waves at the company by inking his brother John on Silver Surfer #4. Here, inked by Sam Grainger, he jumps right into setting up a finale that first sees Ultron pulling the trig... er, handle on his plan to decimate the city, followed by the details of the heroic reason for that plan's failure.

With the Vision incapacitated for the duration, Henry Pym decides to use what appears to be the same memory probe device that would be employed in later issues--you remember, the one which the Avengers agree to haul out no matter how much discomfort it brings to the victim patient.

Fortunately for the Vision, however, he doesn't happen to be a god--and so the "Achilles' heel" the Avengers are hoping he knows of which will stop Ultron is revealed, and Pym devises a plan accordingly.

From what we've seen of Ultron's power, it's a fair bet he can crush all resistance against him and achieve his ends at the United Nations; in any event, it's difficult to believe that the Avengers would endanger so many civilians gathered in one place in order to bait a trap for Ultron. But whatever the details of their plan, the Avengers couldn't be prepared for what they would face, as Ultron uses the power of the molecular rearranger to create a new and no doubt formidable version of himself in which to face those he knows lie in wait.

In his debut issue for the book, Buscema is certainly demonstrating a feel for this team's dynamic, visuals which must have stunned both Thomas and Stan Lee with delight. (And who must have found themselves wondering if there were any other Buscemas in the family tree who might have an affinity for comics art.)

At this point, it's fair to ask what exactly the Avengers hoped to gain by this plan of theirs. The only thing that's been accomplished is the baiting of Ultron in order to draw him out to confront once more--but to what end, if the Avengers aren't in possession of the rearranger and remain at such a disadvantage against him?* Other than that, all signs are pointing to the missing Henry Pym, whose absence is conspicuous--yet Pym being M.I.A. is indeed crucial to the Avengers' plan, particularly when Ultron makes his move on Dr. MacLain/MacClain (the spelling goes back and forth) by use of another memory probe. (Those things must be selling like hotcakes.)

*Perhaps the Wasp could make herself useful by, just off the top of my head, slipping in to access and activate the rearranger in Ultron's body in order to render him inert? She seems to have had nothing to do throughout this entire story except relay dialog when necessary; in each engagement with Ultron, she's either fretting on the sidelines at her full size, or fluttering uselessly while charging into battle with the others. It seems that Thomas has found his Sue Storm.

With the Avengers hamstrung, MacLain's resistance indeed seems futile. But then, there is evidence of the Avengers' true plan being executed--and in true comics fashion where good triumphs over evil, we see the story's villain crippled by values which he can't hope to comprehend. (Apparently neither high-tech mind probes nor Ultron's mind can sift through and ignore irrelevant data, something we humans can do almost by reflex.)

Obviously the Avengers depended a great deal on Ultron being driven mad by one of the Ten Commandments (would "Remember the sabbath day" have been successful as well?), while also planning for the possibility of Ultron choosing to self-destruct. Regardless, they're terribly negligent in (presumably) departing the scene in the assumption that Ultron was reduced to atoms; no explosion, however powerful, would have even made a dent in Ultron's adamantium form, though Maximus is only able to retrieve Ultron's decapitated head to use in a subsequent scheme to conquer the Inhumans. (While also enlarging Ultron's adamantium head to fit the body of Omega--love to know how Maximus managed that.) As three-part stories go, however, Thomas and his artists turned in a fine piece of work--while "our pal" Sal pivots to begin work on another celebrated three-parter which features Kang the Conqueror, and sees another Avenger added to the ranks.