Uncanny Avengers Vol. 3

This volume collects issue #3 of Marvel's Uncanny Avengers, the series launched in 2013 during the Marvel NOW! era. The single issue is titled "Skull & Bones," written by Rick Remender and drawn by John Cassaday. By this point, the Red Skull has stolen the telepathic power of the late Professor Charles Xavier and wields it as a weapon: on the streets of New York he calls out to ordinary citizens, whipping up human fear and violence against mutants, and the unrest quickly escalates into a street-level massacre of mutants. His Inhuman squad known as the S-Men appears alongside him, and their origins are revealed in this issue. The Avengers Unity Squad, led by Captain America and Havok (Alex Summers), rushes to the scene but finds itself at an extreme disadvantage: Scarlet Witch and Rogue are controlled by the Red Skull and paraded before the crowd; Wolverine, his healing factor neutralized by the enemy, is struck down by Thor; and Thor himself, manipulated by the Red Skull's false vision of Odin, turns against his allies. Captain America resists the mind control through sheer will and breaks free with Havok's help, but the situation does not turn: the Red Skull withdraws with Thor and a gravely wounded Wolverine, seemingly winning the round. Beyond the action, the issue also uses narration to record the fates of ordinary mutant victims, giving this conflict concrete human weight. This is Vol. 3 of the series.