The Amazing Avengers Issue 16

“Sinister Forces” is the 16th 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
 * Mantis
 * Songbird / Sally Stark (joins team)
 * Prowler / Aaron Davis (joins team)

Supporting Characters

 * Ghost Rider / Johnny Blaze (first appearance)
 * 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
 * Liz Allan
 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Tony Stark
 * Maria Hill
 * Henry "Hank" Pym
 * Marla Maddison (mentioned only)

Villains

 * Sinister Syndicate (single appearance; disbands)
 * Dark Goblin / Harry Osborn (first appearance as Dark Goblin; dies)
 * Doctor Octopus / Otto Octavius (joins team; dies)
 * Rhino / Joseph "Bone Saw" McGraw (joins team; dies)
 * Electro / Max "Soulpower" Dillon (joins team; dies)
 * Living Brain / Luxias Crown (joins team; dies)
 * Crimson Spider / Flash Thompson

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
 * Betty Brant
 * Robbie Robinson

Premise
Looking for revenge on Crimson Spider for the death of his father Norman in the previous issue, Harry Osborn injects himself with the same serum and equipment as his father, becoming the Dark Goblin, and forms the Sinister Syndicate, a group of villains (consisting of himself, Doctor Octopus, Rhino, Electro and Living Brain) who seek revenge on Crimson Spider, in order to battle and kill the vigilante. Knowing that the villains' hunt for their common foe will lead to collateral damage, the Avengers work to battle and thwart both Crimson Spider and the Syndicate before any innocent life is put at risk. The heroes are also joined in their hunt by Ghost Rider, who seeks to make both Crimson Spider and the Sinister Syndicate atone for their sins.

Plot
Following the events of the previous issue, news about Norman Osborn's death have sprung across New York City. However, he is not given a funeral due to his previous crimes as the Green Goblin. And his body, against Harry Osborn's wishes, is cremated by the police. Enraged with the comments of citizens (with excepion of Liz Allan, who refuses to voice her opinions in public) that no one will miss Norman after his death, Harry finishes designing his armor as he injects himself with more of his father's Green Goblin serum, causing him to get hideously mutated into a monstrous goblin-like creature as he dons his armor, ready to get revenge on Crimson Spider.

Meanwhile, Liz Allan is watching her favorite stunt rider performer Johnny Blaze perform in a show hosted by Betty Brant. Right in the end of the show, Blaze shares some helpful words with Liz before setting out for an "important assigment". At the same time, the Avengers (now officially joined by Songbird and Prowler) are out to seek and destroy the last remaining science resources of Oscorp while still seeking to arrest Crimson Spider before his next battle will result in collateral damage. They are contacted by a mysterious agent, who offers to help capture Crimson Spider. Back in the last remaining Oscorp Building, Harry (now dubbed the Dark Goblin) has recruited Living Brain and broken Doctor Octopus, Electro and Rhino out of S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, planing to form a team with them with the purpose of revenge on Crimson Spider. While the others accept, Doctor Octopus declines, as he already had too much trouble dealing with their common nemesis. Octavius evidently gets on Harry's bad side by claiming that everything Oscorp created (including the Crimson Spider himself) was Norman's mistake, leading Harry to attack Octavius as the two engage in a fight across the streets.

After several experiments destroyed and every last Oscorp agent arrested, the Avengers are approached by their agent, who turns out to be Blaze. In response of the heroes asking him what he can do, Blaze approaches one of the Ravencroft convicts who was test-subjected by Oscorp and, to the heroes' surprise, shows them his power to "burn criminal souls", leading the heroes to accept his help. Meanwhile, Dark Goblin gains the upperhand on Doctor Octopus and kills him and takes over his bionic tentacles for himself as the other villains follow him on the pursuit for Crimson Spider. In the, Flash Thomspon is setting to take a plane and leave the country out of shame for his failures, but he is ambushed by Dark Goblin and his "Sinister Syndicate", forcing him to switch to Crimson Spider in front of witnesses and fight back. The Avengers and Blaze continue searching for Crimson Spider until they hear news of a riot in the International Airport (as well as Crimson Spider's identity having been exposed by himself to all over the city) and set out to stop the villains. Also watching the news from her home, Sally Stark also sets out to end Thompson's vigilance once and for all.

As the fight continues, Living Brain, Electro and Rhino are killed and Thompson attempts to reason with the fallen Osborn, who refuses to listen and voices his intentions of getting revenge on those who wronged him and his father, includng Thompson for killing his father and Liz for having rejected him. All the sudden, the two are attacked by Sally (in her guise of Songbird) as Dark Goblin is confronted by the Avengers. Thompson attempts to reason with Sally over the past incident, but Sally still refuses to forgive him and, after beating him under submission, injects him with a serum she and Doctor Marla Madison developed to cure him of his powers. Dark Goblin continues fighting Captain America and the police while summoning an army of Oscorp Robots to attack New York. While the Avengers, the Avengers Academy students, and S.H.I.E.L.D. forces set out to stop the robots, Captains America and Marvel fight off against Dark Goblin until his heart fails because of the strain the chemicals put on his body. As he watches his friend die, Thompson attempts to take one of his chemicals to regain his powers and get revenge on the Avengers until he is stopped by Blaze, who reveals his nature as the host of the Ghost Rider, a supernatural demonic soul hunter, the Devil's Spirit of Vengeance. Seeing evil on Thompson's soul, Blaze immobilizes him with the Penance Stare (a power which allows the Ghost Riders to make any evil mortal experience all the pain they caused on their victims, burning away their very soul). As the powerless and haunted Thompson is taken to prison for his crimes, Blaze rides away on his motorcycle, resuming his hunt for damned souls, and the Avengers enjoy themselves with their children and take them and the trainees for a field trip in Groot's home world as they are content that Justice is done.