Avengers (Vol. I) #44
The Valiant Also Die!
The
Avengers attack a commie base to rescue many teammates and of course Captain
America comes face-to-face with the Red Guardian. Hercules breaks free of the
Psychotron and a memorable free-for-all brawl ensues. Former spouses Widow
and Guardian protect each other and get shot. The base blows up. Another fiendish
scheme to enslave the Free World is thwarted.
The Black Widow receives more depth as we learned that she's the wife of the Red Guardian. They would've made an intriguing team. He remains one of the best one-shot villain in comic book history. Others would take the mantle in the future, but he remains a classic figure.
So, Captain America has one of his better fights against his Communist counterpart,
the two displaying their own code of honor in believable fashion.
Even the gals look alike: the Widow looks like Jan, lying on her hospital bed! A great issue.
The team can next be seen in the Captain America adventure in Tales of Suspense #92.
