For even the Avengers, sometimes when you can’t beat them, you have to join them. That’s the plan in the newest episode of “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble,” as Captain America and Iron Man go deep undercover to join the Red Skull’s Cabal, and soon find themselves facing the deadly villains alone. Join me after the jump for my thoughts on “In Deep.”
The Ruse
We begin with Captain America and Iron Man taking down Crossbones (nice tie in to the new Captain America movie) and Grim Reaper (at last, an Avengers villain!). Anyone who’s reading the above, or the synopsis of this episode beforehand, knows what’s going to happen. They trade places.
As Crossbones and Grim Reaper, they deliver Iron Man’s armor to the Red Skull. Once on board the Skull’s sub, our heroes in disguise discover the unknown might and scale of their enemies – M.O.D.O.K. (housed inside the Super-Adaptoid), Dracula’s vampires, A.I.M., Attuma, but of course, duh, then they get found out.
Frenemies
While hiding and observing, we get an intriguing dynamic from Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, it’s the new dynamic. Maybe it’s been around for a while but I never cared for it. They’re bickering. It began as a minor subplot back in the 1970s of Iron Man not feeling he was as good a leader as Cap and finally escalated a decade ago into Civil War. Things have never been the same since. I liked Cap and Shellhead much better as buddies.
The other dynamic we see as our two heroes bicker, is their commenting on the villains doing the same thing. And while the Cabal is formed on the same foundation on which the Avengers is, only for evil, they still argue like schoolchildren, just like the Avengers. Ah, there is, as they say, no honor among thieves.
The Better Ruse
The best part of the episode, and what actually sets this one slightly above the others, is that Steve and Tony get their crap together, and use the above against the baddies. By pretending to fight each other, they drop hints that the Skull is planning to double cross the others. Ha, it doesn’t take much. Everybody wants the Trident.
Attuma, trying to be a team player, had brought the Trident of Neptune on board. It’s an object of power from the Silver Age Sub-Mariner comics. He is supposed to have it, which brings into question – where’s Namor? As I mentioned before, rarely does Attuma appear without Namor somewhere in the wings, especially in TV animation.
In the end, the good guys get away, the bad guys go down with the ship, and why is Hawkeye wearing Captain America’s uniform? Next, in a few weeks, what’s it take to take down the Hulk? See you then!
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