Recap: Avengers: EMH "Breakout, Part 2"

Last time, it looked like things couldn't get any worse. Let's see if they do when you add a madman with gravity powers.

The smart money's on beardy.

The episode opens up on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, ten years ago. Nick Fury is recruiting a scientist to continue the work of Abraham Erskine, the man who created Captain America’s super-soldier serum. In little time at all, the scientist manages to create a blue version of that thing Doc Ock was trying to make in Spider-Man 2. Fury yells at him to shut it down, but he refuses and cranks it up instead. This being the Marvel universe there's an accident and he wakes up in a hospital bed being looked after by people who appear to be Richard and Mary Parker. He yells at them to demand his chart, but ends up shooting waves of energy out that slam them into the walls and ceiling. Uh-oh. Looks like little Peter will go have to live with his aunt and uncle.

After realizing that he’s controlling gravity, he demands to see Nick Fury before getting gassed. In the present day, he finally wakes up. After the titles, we pick up right where we left off last time, where he wants revenge.

Graviton: “I’m going to take years off of your life!”

Sorry, a Nazi beat you to it.

Changing his mind, he instead opts to crush Fury with gravity waves. Thor finally arrives on the scene and gives him a good smack with his hammer, while Wasp flies in to rescue Fury. The Raft crashes back into the sea, causing a big ol’ wave, but the more pressing concern in the Graviton/Thor fight. They both talk big, but not even Thor can resist the pull of gravity forever. Iron Man crashes in a cornfield and activates the Chicago armory, sending a new armor his way.

"Hey, Tin Man! Ya lookin' fer the Scarecrow?"
"Never heard that one before...."

Back in New York, Fury refuses to tell Ant-Man and Wasp what’s going on, preferring to mobilize S.H.I.E.L.D. and take control over the entire U.S. military. After a bit more pushing from Ant-Man, Fury reveals that “Graviton” is really Dr. Franklin Hall, a physicist. Anything else is classified.

Wasp: “Really. Because I think it’s about to get un-classified really quick.”

The skies rumble with thunder as Thor fails to land a hit through Graviton’s shields. Over in Nevada, at a diner, the news reports on the incident as Hulk arrives to order his unconscious friend a meal.

Hulk: “Chicken soup. Take care of him.”

Hulk sees the fight on TV, and a hallucination of Bruce appears in the booth behind him.

Bruce: “You could help.”
Hulk: “What do you want?”

Bruce: “You could make a difference. You could save Thor. Just like you saved Samson. In the Cube.”

Bruce convinces Hulk to help to improve his public image, but on one condition. Hulk wants to stay the Hulk. No more of that turning into Bruce Banner crap. Funny, Jeph Loeb demanded the same thing for the Marvel Animated Universe.

In New York, Wasp refuses to stay on the sidelines and goes to join in the fight between the god and the guy who controls gravity. Speaking of which, he increases Thor’s weight a thousand fold, sending him to the bottom of the sea. Wasp flies up and orders Graviton to stop. When he laughs in her face, she flies around and starts zapping him before he can catch her. In the words of Star-Lord, he can’t hit what he can’t hit.

As Iron Man flies over, Graviton finally knocks Wasp out of the sky. Iron Man shows up to land a good hit on Graviton and trade notes with a relieved Janet.

Wasp: “I wasn’t sure if you were on the West Coast, or….”

Pff. Why would Iron Man be on the West Coast?

Statement withdrawn.

Wasp suddenly remembers Thor, but Graviton comes back before they can save him. He knocks Iron Man into space, and Fury tells Ant-Man that Graviton’s power limits are unknown. Having finally decided that it’s the time for violence, Ant-Man activates his belt and adds a couple letters to his name, putting his hands around Graviton as Giant-Man.

Wasp: “Hank! You went big.”

…

Yeah, say it with me.

That's what she said.

But Graviton soon breaks free and knocks down Giant-Man as Thor wakes up. Nick Fury yells up to Graviton, saying that he’ll surrender if Graviton stops destroying everything, but Graviton refuses, preferring to destroy New York and take over the world, starting with Fury. Unfortunately for him, ”Nick Fury” was a robot decoy the whole time. Now even angrier, Graviton lifts all of Manhattan out of the water, earning the continued wrath of Thor, who knocks him out and sends Manhattan back where it came from with a little steering. Iron Man manages to overcome the anti-gravity and head back to New York as Thor and Graviton keep fighting. Iron Man helps a bit, and Giant-Man and Wasp arrive.

Graviton: “You are nothing compared to me! I’m stronger than all of you! I'm the strongest one there is!”

Cue the new arrival.

Hulk: “You sure about that?”

Hulk punches Graviton across town, and the others rush over.

Giant-Man: “The Hulk?”
Wasp: “Isn’t he supposed to be, you know, the bad guy?”

All the heroes join in to attack, but are quickly subdued by Graviton, who goes crazy with power and makes a gravity tornado in the skies. Giant-Man shrinks down and talks to the ants, sending them into the air as Hulk manages to get back up, despite all the gravity pushing him into the ground. Changing tactics, Graviton sends a few hundred shipping containers at Hulk. As the ants finally swarm Graviton, he loses focus and the Hulk attacks again. The other heroes leap into gear as Hulk realizes what happening.

Hulk: “You’re… helping me.”
Wasp: “Yeah! Now hit ‘im!”

With a bit of teamwork, Graviton is taken out as the heroes land bigger and bigger hits on him, culminating in a gigantic thunderbolt from Thor. Looks like the day is saved!

Oh. Well, they saved most of New York.

Thor, being a Viking, invites his new pals to celebrate.

"Let us consume shawarma!"

But S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up to take down the new threat. The Hulk.

Iron Man: “You want the Hulk, you go through me.”

Fury tells the troops to stand down, because there are bigger fish to fry. Namely, the 74 supervillains on the loose across the world. Fury offers them the chance to join S.H.I.E.L.D. but they all decline.

Ant-Man: "No. This is your fault, isn’t it? S.H.I.E.L.D. created Graviton. Whatever you had Hall doing changed him. You kept it under wraps. And this happened.”
Iron Man: “Fury’s right.”

Uh, I said they all decline.

Wasp: “You of all people are going to work for S.H.I.E.L.D.?”
Iron Man: “No. He’s right about us making a difference. Together. One-on-one, we can each take down a villain or two, but seventy-four… None of us can do it alone. Together, we have a chance. What we did here, it can change things. The world needs us, and not as S.H.IE.L.D. agents. As a team, on our own, together we can avenger the wrongs caused by all these villains.”
Wasp: “We can be avengers.”
Hulk: “Huh. Good name.”

'Nuff said, True Believers.

Over with S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Quartermain reports that the security shows Graviton not waking up until after the system failure. He wasn’t responsible.

Nick Fury: “And if he wasn’t, who was?”

And the episode ends.

Time to review this series premiere and see if it was worth the wait.