Baron Zemo, now powered by the Super Soldier Serum copied by his father, recruits a group of small-time criminals called the "Masters of Evil" for a chance to get back at the Avengers.
As the Avengers investigate their next location, the criminals infiltrate the tower, where only Hawkeye remains. Though he believes they haven't been much of a threat, he learns how much of a mistake it is to underestimate them when they are under new management.
Tropes:
- All Your Base Are Belong to Us: The Masters manage to hack into Avengers Tower and take it over.
- The Baby of the Bunch: In case her being smaller than the rest of her team wasn't a hint, Screaming Mimi is clearly the youngest and, let's be honest, stupidest of the Masters.
- "Die Hard" on an X: Part of the episode is "Die Hard, in Avengers Tower!" Accordingly, it's Hawkeye up against an all-star team of supervillains (and Screaming Mimi) led by a German man no less, in a downtown skyscraper, and he's even barefoot.
- Diving Save: Falcon pushes Screaming Mimi out of the way of a falling piece of Avengers Tower. And they get a Held Gaze...
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Screaming Mimi doesn't get why Hawkeye left the Circus of Crime, figuring he must've done it simply for a score, or because the Avengers pay better.
- Facepalm: Moonstone, when Screaming Mimi surrenders in the beginning.
- Flawed Prototype:
- Hawkeye's white noise arrow doesn't quite work against Screaming Mimi. He did say it was a work in progress.
- Zemo's target is not the Avengers themselves, but rather a piece of Stark's tech that never worked properly.
- I Resemble That Remark!: Fixer claims Tony Stark fired him for anger management issues. Clearly, attacking Tony in his house for revenge proves he's perfectly sane!
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Dumb she may well be, but Screaming Mimi is smart enough to pack it in when outgunned by the Avengers.
- Literal-Minded: The episode begins with Hawkeye upbraiding F.R.I.D.A.Y. for not informing him about a call to arms because she took what he told her (not to bother him unless the world was ending) literally.
- Mythology Gag: The name is taken from one of the more famous Avengers storylines from the comics, but with a lot of differences.
- Shooting Superman: Fixer tries to kill Iron Man with a Stark made weapon. Tony just looks it up in his databases and disables it with his know-how.
- Took a Level in Badass: With Zemo's backing, the Masters of Evil go from nigh-ineffectual bunch of goons to... semi-effectual bunch of goons. Progress, not perfection.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Zemo escapes with exactly the doohickey he was after, leaving the Masters behind to be arrested.
