Dark Circle

The 7th episode of the alternate third season of Avengers Assemble TV Show, originally entitled Avengers: Ultron Revolution, here entitled Avengers: New Heroes' Time.

Featured Characters

 * Avengers
 * Captain America / Steve Rogers
 * Iron Man / Tony Stark
 * F.R.I.D.A.Y.
 * Thor
 * Hulk / Dr. Bruce Banner
 * Black Widow / Natasha Romanoff
 * Hawkeye / Clint Barton
 * Falcon / Sam Wilson
 * Redwing
 * Tigra / Greer Grant
 * Captain Marvel / Major Carol Danvers
 * Ant-Man / Scott Lang
 * She-Hulk / Jennifer “Jen” Walters
 * Arsenal

Supporting Characters

 * Dr Strange / Dr Stephen Strange
 * X-Men
 * Wolverine / James “Logan” Howlett
 * Phoenix / Jean Grey
 * Professor X / Professor Charles Xavier
 * Nightcrawler / Kurt Wagner (first appearance)
 * Rogue / Anna Marie
 * Beast / Dr. Hank McCoy
 * Emma Frost (first appearance) (joins team) (gets and loses Dark Phoenix Gem)
 * Storm / Ororo Munroe
 * Cyclops / Scott Summers
 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Nick Fury
 * Sophie Cuckoo (first appearance) (leaves Stepford Cuckoos) (joins team)

Villains

 * Dormammu
 * Inner Circle
 * Sebastian Shaw (only appearance) (Death)
 * Selene (first appearance)
 * Azazel (first appearance)
 * Riptide / Janos Quested (first appearance)
 * Stepford Cuckoos (first appearance)
 * Celeste Cuckoo (first appearance)
 * Esme Cuckoo (first appearance)
 * Irma "Mindee" Cuckoo (only appearance) (Death)
 * Phoebe Cuckoo (only appearance) (Death)

Other Characters

 * Phoenix Princess / Mary Jane Watson
 * Light Phoenix
 * Dark Phoenix (mentioned only)

Plot
As they explore details about the Dark Phoenix Gems, the Avengers battle the Stepford Cuckoos, mutant sisters with telepathic abilities who work for a criminal organization of mutants known as the Inner Circle and are willing to capture their deserting sister Sophie, who had agreed with former member of the Circle Emma Frost that Light and Dark Phoenix cannot exist together. The four sisters are defeated when Thor and Doctor Strange (who were discussing about what to do with the Infinity Stones) and Jean Grey arrive and help the Avengers, forcing them to retreat. The Avengers get more information about the Gems from Sophie, who tells them that her sisters were also sent by the Circle’s leader Sebastian Shaw to find the Gem so that they can use it to free Dark Phoenix from her prison.

Sophie also agrees to help the Avengers on learning more about the Gems in exchange of a place her sisters cannot find her. The team is approached by Jean’s fellow X-Men Wolverine, Cyclops and Professor X, who request their assistance in a challenge they are facing: the Inner Circle is searching for one Dark Phoenix Gems and working on a way to free the evil entity from the Infinity Vortex. Using a fragment of the Gem the Avengers previously destroyed during their last stand with Ronan, they track the Gem’s location which happens to be somewhere across the Dark Dimension and they decide to search for the Gem before both the Circle and Dormammu do. Unknown to them, the Inner Circle (consisting of Sebastian Shaw, Selene, Azazel, Riptide and the Stepford Cuckoos), allied with Strange’s nemesis Baron Mordo, also arrive in the Dark Dimension.

The Avengers and X-Men fight their way across the Dimension until they finally reach the Gem, which is discovered to be fused with Emma, who is working hard to destroy the Gem by any means necessary and struggling to keep holding on her Diamond Form. As the heroes offer their help, they are confronted by Shaw, Mordo and the Circle, who demand them to surrender Emma and the Gem so that they might let them live. The heroes refuse and a fight issues. Their fight is interrupted when Dormammu arrives and attacks both sides. Two of the Cuckoos are killed by the evil demon and Emma loses her grip and submits to the Gem’s dark power to everyone’s shock.

As the heroes are kept occupied by Dormammu and the Mindless Ones, Shaw attempts to absorb the Gem’s powers, but is overwhelmed and killed. Using one of Azazel’s blades, Black Widow separates Emma from the Gem and Hulk destroys it right before Mordo can take its powers. Thor and Doctor Strange defeat Dormammu and teleport everyone else back to Earth, leaving the remaining members of the Circle and Mordo as prisoners and slaves for Dormammu. As a better way to help Emma redeem herself from her services with the Circle, the X-Men grant her a place in their team while Sophie is given a place in S.H.I.E.L.D. by Director Fury. As the Avengers and X-Men get along with each other, Emma mentions she heard that Light Phoenix has bonded with a human host, which is one reason Dark Phoenix will not be forcing its twin to bond with mutants like it did before. Captain America confirms this fact to be true by introducing her to Mary Jane Watson, who also introduces herself saying: “But you can call me Phoenix Princess”.

Previous Episodes

 * Thor and Doctor Strange had been discussing about what to do with the Infinity Stones after Mysterio was separated from the Dark Phoenix Gem in the Ultimate Spider-Man and the New Avengers episode Circus of Illusions.

Next Episodes

 * The decisions about the fate of the Infinity Stones are concluded in the Multipart Series Finale The Infinity Saga.