IM 330-331 and the Onslaught event

[robfj]

This is what got me looking into Onslaught and resulted in my last 5 topics.

The Avengers get involved in the Onslaught event in the last page of A 400 when X-Man comes to them for help. The last issues of the series A 401-402 are embedded in the event, with Avenger apps also in other titles.

The Big 3 keep their series mostly out of Onslaught. Captain America's final issues all happen before Onslaught. Thor only has his last issue 502 within Onslaught. For Iron Man only his last issue 332 is labelled part of Onslaught. But MCP also places the 2nd half of IM 330 plus 331 within Onslaught.

In IM 330(8-22) Teen Tony/Iron Man, War Machine and Abe Zimmer try to keep Tony Stark's Iron Man tech from Fujikawa. Abe is killed, and IM & WM are attacked by Morgan Stark's super-team. The fight continues in IM 331(1-19).
Then IM 331(20-22) supposedly 4½ hours later has Teen Tony at University when on the last page 1 of Onslaught's Sentinel lands nearby. It is this last page which puts everything within the Onslaught event.

I wondered if this would actually fit within Onslaught, and even if it would is it necessary to put it there.

The Avengers involvement in Onslaught is pretty continuous.

X-Man comes to recruit them (including IM) on the last page of A 400. He tries to convince them in a double-page spread within ONS:X. He brings them to meet some X-Men in UX 335. The Av and X-Men split into teams to pursue various aims.
In A 401 IM's team find Joseph (amnesiac, rejuvenated Magneto) with Rogue. IM 330-331 are inserted after this. Meanwhile others have apps in C 34 + IH2 444, FF 415 and in XF 125 where the Sentinels are launched.
In X2 55(1-10) the Sentinels invade New York and the various Av and X-Men re-assemble, including IM.
Then we have ASM 415 + SM 72 fighting Sentinels and XM 19 fighting Onslaught.
In X2 55(11-23) IM + others help the FF salvage stuff from the ruins of their HQ, while others fight Sentinels and Onslaught.
The event continues in UX 336, C 35, IH2 445, FF 416, IM 332, T 502, A 402, X2 56, ONS:MU.

2 things begged me to investigate them.


1) IM sees the Sentinels arrive twice.

IM sees a Sentinel land in the 331 epilogue. But he (with the other Avengers) then sees them invade New York at the very beginning of X2 55.

However I did find a resolution for that.

X2 55 begins with 4 pages of the Sentinel invasion. Then it moves on to the assembled Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four watching it. We could place the IM 331 epilogue between those 2 sections. Ie Tony goes to class, the Sentinels invade, Tony sees 1 and he suits up and joins the teams in time for the their 1st panel in X2 55. (In our terms that just means our placement of the IM 331 epilogue before X2 55 is correct. We don't describe the chronology of a group so we don't record that the Sentinels app at the start of X2 55 precedes the IM 331 epilogue.)

It does raise the question of why Teen Tony was attending classes in the middle of a crisis. My justification would be that the Sentinels are the 1st time Onslaught overtly threatens the public. Previously the heroes have been investigating what's going on, including IM being part of the group that locates Magneto/Joseph. Tony could have thought things would continue at a low level for a while and he could get on with his life until called on.

Also, previously he hadn't been very active in the Avengers. He got dragged into the fight against Zodiac in the First Sign crossover (IM 326 and A 396). He stayed out of A 397-399 (whereas Thor was in all 3 and Cap was in the last 1). They were helping him get used to his armour in SMTU 4. And he got involved when all their old enemies seemed to come out of the woodwork in A 400, which led directly into the Onslaught event. So it seems like he considered himself as a 'reserve' Avenger, only a member when necessary.


2) A sore thumb

The events that are placed between UX 335 and X2 55 are mostly directly connected to Onslaught and mentioned in UX 335 and/or X2 55. This applies to A 401, C 34, IH2 444, FF 415 and XF 125. But IM 330-331 don't fit either category (apart from the Sentinel at the end). They were obviously *written* as occurring before Onslaught but with a plug for the event tacked on at the end.

However I can use my argument above to justify Tony's actions here. He doesn't actively seek the adventure. He's just sitting musing on his life (but with no mention of Onslaught) when War Machine arrives and sucks him into it.

But I would find it *more* believable to separate the University/Sentinel epilogue from the rest of the tale, and move the bulk of IM 330-331 to before the Avengers and IM join in the Onslaught event.

This would also explain why War Machine doesn't join the New York fight against the Sentinels and Onslaught. James Rhodes says he's only visiting from California specifically for the mission with Abe Zimmer. So if it happens earlier he can have gone home before the Onslaught thing emerges.



Teen Tony's existing chronology is

IRON MAN V/TONY STARK | EARTH-96020
----
IM 329
IM 330-FB
IM 330
A 400
ONS:X
UX 335
A 401
IM 330
IM 331
X2 55
UX 336
IH2 445
IM 332
----

Note IM 330 is listed twice without specifying how the issue is divided up. The 1st part (1-7) ends the story in 329. The 2nd part (8-22) begins the story in 331.

My proposal is

IRON MAN V/TONY STARK | EARTH-96020
----
IM 329
IM 330-FB
IM 330 ** combining both parts of this issue
IM 331 (1 - 19) ** moving this part from the other part
A 400
ONS:X
UX 335
A 401
IM 331 (20 - 22) ** splitting the issue up
X2 55
UX 336
IH2 445
IM 332
----

This doesn't affect anyone else. Edwin Jarvis is only in the 1st part of IM 330 followed by A 400, and not in IM 331 so he's OK. War Machine and 3 villains are next seen post-Heroes Reborn. And all other chars have only before and afters in the Iron Man series.