The Amazing Avengers Issue 15

“Thunder” is the 15th issue and chapter of The Amazing Avengers.

Featured Characters

 * Avengers
 * Captain America / Peter Parker
 * Redwing
 * Captain Marvel / Mary Jane Watson
 * Jocasta
 * Black Panther / Felicia Parker-Reilly
 * Black Widow / Teresa Parker
 * Winter Soldier / Jack Parker
 * Mecha-Hulk / Amadeus Cho
 * Quasar / Gayle Watson / Phyla-Vell Neramani
 * Hulkling / Theodore "Teddy" Altman / Dorrek VIII
 * Star-Lord / Kevin Quill
 * Groot (flashback and main story; origins revealed)
 * Mantis

Supporting Characters

 * Avengers Academy
 * Silver Owl / Marina Morbius
 * Ms. Marvel / Kamala Khan
 * American Son / Gabriel Stacy
 * Spider-Boy / Miles Morales
 * Spider-Girl / Gwen Stacy
 * Inferno / Dante Pertuz
 * Sandboy / Finn Marko
 * Wasp / Cassie Lang-Van Dyne
 * Reptil / Humberto Lopez
 * Prowler / Aaron Davis (first appearance) (joins and leaves Thunderbolts)
 * Songbird / Sally Stark (first appearance as Songbird) (joins and leaves Thunderbolts)
 * Liz Allan

Villains

 * Oscorp
 * Green Goblin / Norman Osborn (dies)
 * Harry Osborn
 * Truman Marsh (single appearance; dies)
 * Thunderbolts
 * Citizen V / Baron Helmut Zemo (single appearance)
 * Meteorite / Karla Sofen (single appearance)
 * Techno / Norbert Ebersol (single appearance)
 * Mach IV / Abner Jenkins (single appearance)
 * Atlas / Erik Josten (single appearance)
 * Rhino / Joseph "Bone Saw" McGraw (first appearance) (flashback and main story)
 * Crimson Spider / Flash Thompson (flashback and main story)

Other Characters

 * Ben Parker-Watson
 * Phillip Parker-Watson
 * May Parker-Watson
 * Anna Parker-Watson
 * Felicity Parker-Altman
 * Luke Parker-Watson
 * Lyla Parker-Watson
 * Richard Parker-Quill
 * Julie Allan-Stark
 * Katie Allan-Stark
 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Tony Stark
 * Maria Hill
 * Henry "Hank" Pym

Premise
The Avengers work to solve the secrets surrounding Groot's origins while working to protect him from the Thunderbolts, a group of super-powered mercenaries working for Oscorp executive Truman Marsh, who wants to brainwash Groot as a living weapon for "human evolution". Things get more serious when the Green Goblin returns to Norman Osborn's mind and launches an attack on both the Thunderbolts and the Avengers.

Plot
Captain America, Star-Lord, Black Widow, Mantis and Groot are battling Rhino, an immensely strong rhinoceros-themed villain who is on a rampage in the city. After defeating Rhino, Captain America has Redwing analyse Rhino, who is confirmed as Joseph McGraw, a former wrestler nicknamed "Bone Saw" whose career was ruined by Crimson Spider, who defeated and humiliated him in a match for $3,000. Groot is able to protect images of McGraw's memories, showing the group that McGraw was met with Truman Marsh, who (having learned of Crimson Spider's past as a wrestler and Bone Saw's wish for revenge) injected him with a serum which turned him into a nearly mindless humanoid rhinoceros, and McGraw agreed to work for Marsh's Thunderbolts Project in exchange of resources to get revenge on Crimson Spider. As the Avengers takes Rhino to custody, Marsh, who was watching the event from a micro-camera implanted on Rhino, voices interest about what Groot can do.

Back in the Avengers Tower, the Avengers watch footage of Groot showing off other amazing features and attributes within himself, to which Mary Jane tells them that, during hers and her siblings' travels in the galaxy, she once had visions of Groot's past as a member of the Flora colossus, humanoid trees from Planet X. The Avengers set out to Planet X to learn more about Groot's origins. At the same time, Marsh has organized the Thunderbolts (Meteorite, Techno, Songbird, Prowler, Atlas, Mach IV and field leader Citizen V) and sends them to seek and capture Groot. On the middle of their journey in space, the Avengers are soon alerted by their secret agents of Marsh's plans and advise them to be prepared. At the same time, Norman Osborn is making things up with his son despite their past conflict about Liz Allan, who refuses to renew their relationship because she is now a married woman. But as he has a moment alone, Norman overhears a creepy voice saying: "Hello, Norman".

The Avengers arrive on Planet X and, after wondering around, they head to the hill where it was once Groot's home and find the World Pod, a powerful substance which grants life to the planet and its inhabitants. The heroes soon encounter more Groots who take immediate liking of them. Just then, the Avengers witness the arrival of the Thunderbolts, who come to take Groot in. Knowing that Marsh might plan to take not just their Groot, but the other Groots (even the children and teenagers) as well, the Avengers battle the mercenaries while their Groot conjures a Bifrost Gate with Mjolnir which sends both the Avengers and Thunderbolts back to Earth, where the fight continues as Redwing is sent to infiltrate the Oscorp Building and collect footage and evidence of Marsh's schemes. Meanwhile, Flash Thomspon is having another house party in his saloon until he is assaulted by Green Goblin, whose mind has returned to Norman Osborn's mind and is now back to continue his plans for chaos. Thompson dresses up as Crimson Spider and fight back, but fails to save his saloon, which is destroyed during the fight.

Enraged, Thompson chases Goblin into his lair and, after a destructive fight, kills him there. All the sudden, Thompson is shocked to learn Goblin's identity of Norman Osborn and that Goblin's lair is beneath the Oscorp Building where Norman's son Harry is living on. Norman's death causes a detonator, which was wired to Norman's heartbeat sensors, to trigger a bomb which the Goblin set on the first floor of the building and cause it to collapse. Crimson Spider survives the explosion, but the authorities soon assume he was responsible and chase after him. Meanwhile, Marsh continues overseeing the battle between his mercenaries and the Avengers until Songbird (who turns out to be a double-agent working for the Avengers all along and is revealed to be Tony Stark's daughter Sally wearing a Bird-based Vibranium armor provided for her by Peter Parker) and Prowler (also a double-agent working for the heroes and happens to be Miles Morales' uncle Aaron Davis) betray the Thunderbolts as Redwing successfully exposes Marsh's criminal schemes. Marsh attempts to runaway, but he is ambushed by Crimson Spider, who blames him for betraying Norman and kills him before forcibly running away from the authorities for Norman's manslaughter. As the other Thunderbolts are arrested, the Avengers work on a teleporter which will allow them to visit Groot's home world while vowing to stop Crimson Spider at any cost. As he mourns his father, Harry Osborn finds footage of his father's battle with Crimson Spider and vows revenge. A close-up in his eyes reveals that he is infused with tbe same formula which turned his father into the Green Goblin.

"'To Be Continued...'"