Issue(s): Iron Man #55, Captain Marvel #25, Captain Marvel #26, Captain Marvel #27, Captain Marvel #28, Captain Marvel #29, Captain Marvel #30, Marvel Feature #12
Published Date: Feb 73 - Jan 74
Title: "Beware the... Blood Brothers!" / "A taste of madness!" / "Betrayal!" / "Trapped on Titan!" / "When Titans collide! / A clash of Titans! / ...Mind-slave!" / "Metamorphosis!" / "...To be free from control! / A time for confrontation! / End of an empire!" / "The bite of the Blood Brothers!"
Credits:
Mike Friedrich / Jim Starlin - Script
Jim Starlin - Plot
Jim Starlin - Penciler
Mike Esposito / Chic Stone / Dave Cockrum / Pablo Marcos / Dan Green / Al Milgrom / Joe Sinnott - Inker

Review/plot:
Friedrich scripts to Starlin's plots, but Starlin assumes full writing duties for Captain Marvel #29-30.

You can watch Starlin's art evolve as this story goes on. He starts off a little scratchy and his characters have baby faces. He quickly becomes more sophisticated within the course of this arc. Thanos especially evolves from a poorly drawn skinny dude to the classic character we know. Part of the evolution may actually be due to the inker. This run of Captain Marvel includes some very early work by Dave Cockrum on inks, and then Al Milgrom.

The plot starts off in Iron Man #55, mainly because Starlin had an idea and that was the book he was assigned to. During a board meeting where Stark is discussing his company's transition from weapons manufacturing to ecological research, Iron Man is contacted by an alien named Drax the Destroyer, who is a prisoner of the Blood Brothers, who are working for Thanos. Drax was created by the god Kronos of Titan in order to destroy Thanos, at the request of Thanos' father Mentor and his brother Eros. This is the first appearance of all of these characters. Iron Man rescues Drax and the Blood Brothers are seemingly killed, but Thanos gets away.

The story then continues in Captain Marvel. This comic was cancelled in August of 1970 with issue #21, but it was revived with issue #22 two years later. Starlin came on as artist in #25 and continued his Thanos plot. It begins with Rick and Mar-vell being manipulated by a combination of Skrulls, including the Super-Skrull, and Rick's girlfriend, who it turns out is under the sway of the Controller. All are working for Thanos, who is interested in probing Rick Jones' subconscious mind. It seems that after the Kree-Skrull War, the Supreme Intelligence implanted the location of the Cosmic Cube into Rick's head, in case Rick was ever needed again (it is said that the power that Rick tapped during the Kree-Skrull was couldn't be used again). They are rescued by Mentor and Eros, who recruit Mar-vell into their two person resistance force against Thanos, who has taken over Titan. Mar-vell gets a rematch with the Super-Skrull and wins.

Meanwhile, Rick's girlfriend has made her way to the Avengers Mansion per Rick's direction in order to get help with her control disc. Mar-vell/Rick arrive as well, and while they trade notes, the Avengers are picked off one by one by a shadowy figure with a silhouette that is meant to make us believe it is Thanos. However, it turns out to be the Controller. The Controller has enslaved a thousand people with his control discs, including people in important places in government and business. Thanos has improved his technology, as well. Thus, with the strenght of a thousand people, the Controller is able to defeat Captain Mar-vell.

At that moment, however, he is transported to another dimension by a Dikto-esque floating being named Eon. Eon provides a history of the Titans, and then causes Mar-vell to face the ramifcations of his warlike past, including a visit from the lifeless corpse of Una. Mar-vell agrees to change his ways and become a peacemaker and a protector, and he is granted the power of Cosmic Awareness. At this point his hair also turns blond and there are minor alterations to his costume (so minor that i can't identify them!).

The history of the Titans is interesting. In Olympia, the tyrant Uranus was overthrown by Kronos, Oceanus and other younger Titans. Uranus was exiled to the planet which now bears his name (To father the people seen in the Golden Age Marvel Boy stories?). After Kronos's consciousness became one with the Universe, Olympia was split between warlike Zuras and peaceful A'lars. Zuras forced A'lars out of Olympia, and he settled on Titan, the moon of Saturn, where he mated with Sui-San, one of the few survivors of a war ravaged civilization there. A'lars became Mentor, and Titan became a world of great peace, ruled by the super-computer ISAAC, until Thanos was born. This history is interesting to me because the name and appearance of Zuras matches the leader of the Eternals that Jack Kirby won't create until 1976. Much later in Roger Stern's Avengers run the link would be picked up on, establishing the Titans as Eternals, but it's eerie how the seeds are established here, as if it were the plan all along.

Meanwhile, Drax has failed to stop Thanos from acquiring the Cosmic Cube.

Captain Marvel returns to Earth and, after taking a break, tracks down the Controller with help from Iron Man. Due to being a kinder, gentler protector instead of a warrior, Captain Marvel now attempts to talk his opponents out of fighting first. Needless to say, this doesn't work against the Controller. Still overmatched in power, Mar-vell's cosmic awareness allows him to wear down the Controller, but it is Thanos, seeing that his lackey doesn't meet his standards, who ultimately seemingly destroys the Controller using the Cosmic Cube.

Thanos says that those before him used the cube "foolishly for many absurd and, in the end, useless boons." Thanos says he won't make the same mistake, but don't believe it.

While Mar-vell was focuses on the Controller, Iron Man heads out to where he first found out about Thanos: the desert compound where he fought the Blood Brothers. On his way through the desert, he passes the Thing, who has been walking home since Marvel Feature #11. That's just... mean. The Thing follows Iron Man on foot. Iron Man finds that the Blood Brothers are active again, and he actually tries to flee, knowing that last time he fought them he had the help of super-powerful Drax the Destroyer. While fleeing he winds up crashing into the Thing, and they both are captured. However, they eventually escape and manage to beat the Brothers, who are revealed to be space vampires. Like he did with the Controller, Thanos rewards the Blood Brothers' failure by zapping them away with the Cube. Iron Man tells the Thing that due to the amount of energy he expended during the fight, he won't be able to carry the Thing home. Wowah wah wah waaaaaaah!

Quality Rating: B

Historical Significance Rating: 9 - Thanos War. First Thanos, Drax the Destroyer, Starfox, Mentor, ISAAC, Blood Brothers, Eon. Captain Mar-vell gets a power up, becoming the universe's cosmic protector.

Chronological Placement Considerations: The Marvel Chronology Project has the Avengers appearance in Captain Marvel #27-29 taking place during Avengers #119. I don't see any reason why it couldn't just as easily take place afterwards. The Thing's appearance in Marvel Feature #12 takes place directly after his appearance in Marvel Feature #11.

References:

• Rick received photon ray treatments in Captain Marvel #22 in order to save his life. These treatments subsequently caused Captain Mar-vell to lose power when he's not in sunlight. The doctor who gave the treatment is killed and used as bait by the Skrulls in issue #25.
  
• When the Skrulls are messing with Captain Mar-vell's head, they take the form of a number of his past enemies, this includes Ronan, who at this point is still meant to be frozen as a result of the Kree-Skrull War. We also see ("From various mags. Take our word for it - R.T.")Megaton (Captain Marvel #22-23), Hulk (Captain Marvel #21), Zarek (last 'seen' in Captain Marvel #16), Metazoid (Captain Marvel #5), the Sub-Mariner (Captain Marvel #4), and an Aakon alien (from Captain Marvel #8).
  
• The Cosmic Cube was last seen Sub-Mariner #49.
  
• The Kree-Skrull War was depicted in Avengers #89-97.
  
• Iron Man first faced the Controller in Iron Man #12-13
  

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: The Life & Death of Captain Marvel TPB