[Spoilers] Return in "Avengers Standoff: Welcome to Pleasant Hill" #1

[CBR News]

Marvel's Avengers event kicks off with the surprising return of multiple characters not seen for a while.


Full article here.

[MindTricked]

I loved this book. Plenty of misdirects, some very "Wayward Pines"-esque atmosphere, and that ending... complete surprise. Nicely done.

[Baron Hauptman]

Yes I liked this too, I guessed something of the nature of Pleasant Hill from early on so apart from the actual villain identities the ending didn't come as much of a surprise, it put me in mind of an episode of Charlie Brooker's 'Black Mirror' T.V series 'White Bear' though in Pleasant Hill the focus seems to be rehabilitation rather than punishment. I'm guessing the little girl who everyone was warned about is a personification of the cosmic cube, I also predict she'll be the 'Minority Report' MacGuffin when this Avenger's Stand Off series leads in to Civil War 2.

[Harpoon]

I also predict she'll be the 'Minority Report' MacGuffin when this Avenger's Stand Off series leads in to Civil War 2.

It's already been stated this event isn't really a lead-in to CWII. The girl's already going to be part of the new Thunderbolts.

[Baron Hauptman]

It's already been stated this event isn't really a lead-in to CWII.

I read somewhere it's supposed to be an intro to CWII.

[mjayg]

Just kidding, loved the twist at the end. It hit me... like lightning.

[XPac]

I liked this issue a lot. And I'm definately on board with the event now.

I wonder if they borrowed this from the whole Tahiti project thing from Agents of SHIELD.

[AngelJD]

I liked this issue a lot. And I'm definately on board with the event now.

I wonder if they borrowed this from the whole Tahiti project thing from Agents of SHIELD.

I was thinking about that as soon the reveal happened in the training video. I watch the show and this comic quickly reminded me of it. Forced forget and putting in fake memories never works out well (unless the person willingly wants to forget to have a 2nd chance at a new life). On the show it was a powder keg for Coulson (it pissed him off) and it usually never works out right. I have to wonder how comicbook version of Coulson might think of this and does he know and supports this? Maria Hill is a person of extremes and ends justify the means person that in comics never goes well for such characters. After this disaster I can see Maria Hill being forced out of SHIELD and a new director setup.
As for the girl I have wild guesses about her but she still remains a mystery.

[Knives]

A new step violating civil rights but smart.

Wait a second, this means the bad guys are the good guys in this story?

The road to hell is paved with good intentions .

[Stars & Stripes]

I was thinking about that as soon the reveal happened in the training video. I watch the show and this comic quickly reminded me of it. Forced forget and putting in fake memories never works out well (unless the person willingly wants to forget to have a 2nd chance at a new life). On the show it was a powder keg for Coulson (it pissed him off) and it usually never works out right. I have to wonder how comicbook version of Coulson might think of this and does he know and supports this? Maria Hill is a person of extremes and ends justify the means person that in comics never goes well for such characters. After this disaster I can see Maria Hill being forced out of SHIELD and a new director setup.
As for the girl I have wild guesses about her but she still remains a mystery.

Comics Coulson isn't too happy about someone using his knowledge of heroes as a weapon to take them down, so I imagine he won't be happy with the Pleasant Hill project. This whole thing might even end with him as Director of SHIELD.

[XPac]

A new step violating civil rights but smart.

Wait a second, this means the bad guys are the good guys in this story?

The road to hell is paved with good intentions .

In the least it makes the bad guys victims... whether or not that makes them good guys is somewhat more questionable. Though the ones getting their own book in Thunderbolts essentially are good guys I suppose. I doubt that will include Zemo.

I think Hills actions are morally and legally wrong and she obviously needs to be stopped... but even in her case I think bad guy is somewhat strong.

[XPac]

I was thinking about that as soon the reveal happened in the training video. I watch the show and this comic quickly reminded me of it. Forced forget and putting in fake memories never works out well (unless the person willingly wants to forget to have a 2nd chance at a new life). On the show it was a powder keg for Coulson (it pissed him off) and it usually never works out right. I have to wonder how comicbook version of Coulson might think of this and does he know and supports this? Maria Hill is a person of extremes and ends justify the means person that in comics never goes well for such characters. After this disaster I can see Maria Hill being forced out of SHIELD and a new director setup.
As for the girl I have wild guesses about her but she still remains a mystery.

Phil is the director of SHIELD on the TV show, so I wonder if we won't essentially see the same thing here.

Probably a downsized version of SHIELD.

[Harpoon]

I read somewhere it's supposed to be an intro to CWII.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/ar...pocalypse-wars

Also this week, readers learned a bit more about a story announced a few months back: "Avengers: Standoff." That's starting just a couple months before "Civil War II" -- is that event in any way thematically connected to "Civil War II"? It looks to involve potentially a lot of the same players.

Alonso: Not really. Tom Brevoort and ["All-New Captain America" writer] Nick Spencer concocted this story before we started our "Civil War II" discussion. It's an event that spans some of the "Avengers" titles, and it has developments and revelations that will reposition some key characters before "Civil War II" starts -- particularly Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers. But "Standoff" is not a prelude to "Civil War II." It's its own thing.

[The Cool Thatguy]

In the least it makes the bad guys victims... whether or not that makes them good guys is somewhat more questionable. Though the ones getting their own book in Thunderbolts essentially are good guys I suppose. I doubt that will include Zemo.

I think Hills actions are morally and legally wrong and she obviously needs to be stopped... but even in her case I think bad guy is somewhat strong.

Are they though?

As Hill points out, villains escape again and again, wracking up body counts that serial killers would envy. 'The villain will escape and kill again and again, spilling blood by the bucket full' is a lampshade that almost every comic book writer has used. Hell, the end of this issue concludes with...wait for it...a jail break.

I imagine that writers think they're being creative or meta when they invoke the whole serial nature of hero vs villain, but it's been done for so long that it's not creative and frankly pulls me out of the story. It's not a lampshade any more, it's a stop sign. And in this instance, undermines the ending because Hill is 100% correct.

Are we supposed to feel sorry for the villains, who have broken out of every jail thus far?

[Penance]

Are they though?

As Hill points out, villains escape again and again, wracking up body counts that serial killers would envy. 'The villain will escape and kill again and again, spilling blood by the bucket full' is a lampshade that almost every comic book writer has used. Hell, the end of this issue concludes with...wait for it...a jail break.

I imagine that writers think they're being creative or meta when they invoke the whole serial nature of hero vs villain, but it's been done for so long that it's not creative and frankly pulls me out of the story. It's not a lampshade any more, it's a stop sign. And in this instance, undermines the ending because Hill is 100% correct.

Are we supposed to feel sorry for the villains, who have broken out of every jail thus far?

No we shouldn't feel sorry for them but we also should not condone the actions of hill with the whole kobik situation she has proven the fact that she is not better than the villians shield is supposed to fight, when standoff ends I hope tha hiil will be out of shield and preferably in jail.