Issue(s): Captain America annual #7
Cover Date: 1983
Title: "The last enchantment!"
Credits:
Peter Gillis - Writer
Brian Postman - Penciler
Kim DeMulder - Inker
Mark Gruenwald - Editor

Review/plot:
The Cosmic Cube kept at Project Pegasus becomes active again, causing AIM, the Shaper of Worlds, and Aquarian all to converge there.

Captain America also shows up to investigate. He finds that Aquarian has the Cube. Cap knew Aquarian back when he was Wundarr, before the Cube transformed him from a Superman parody to Jesus. But Cap doesn't trust Aquarian and they have a misunderstanding fight that lasts until AIM steals the cube from them while they fight.

AIM is currently being led by Bernard Worrell, whose mentor was Dr. George Clinton (seen previously in Super-Villain Team-Up #17). Apparently these two funkadelic AIM scientists were instrumental in creating MODOK, who in turn was able to discover (not build, as previously thought) the Cosmic Cube.

These AIM agents are wearing blue versions of the beekeeper suits, which i initially thought was a coloring mistake, but i've realized they are a rogue faction of AIM not loyal to MODOK. We've seen the yellow/blue split in Ms. Marvel #7, and Marvel Two-In-One #81-82.

Captain America and Aquarian are on the losing side of a battle with the cosmic-powered Bernie Worrell...

...but eventually Bernie loses control of the Cube as it starts to mature and become a strangle sphere with tentacles.

The Shaper of Worlds shows up to calm the cube down.

The Shaper tells Cap and Aquarian that the cube is about to 'hatch'.

He also reveals that he himself was once a Cosmic Cube that was created by the Skrulls. As a Cube, he helped a Skrull emperor destroy two-thirds of the Skrull empire before he matured.

Meanwhile, the Kree build the Supreme Intelligence so that he could create a Cube for them, but he refused to do so.

Supremor did, however, plant knowledge of the Cube in the head of Rick Jones so that he could monitor the Earth's cube via his link with Captain Mar-vell (not sure exactly what the point or relevance of that last revelation is, exactly; see References and Michael's comment).

The Shaper takes the Cube off into space where it can hatch.

At the very beginning of this story, the Shaper of Worlds is with the Supreme Intelligence when they detect the activation of the cosmic cube. Interesting to see the Kree and Skrull constructs hanging out together.

Some interesting reveals, but not a great story.

The sentient Cube will eventually take the name Kubik.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 4 - secrets of the Cosmic Cube, the Shaper of Worlds, and the Supreme Intelligence revealed. This story will be picked up on in a few issues of Peter Gillis' Defenders run.

Chronological Placement Considerations: The MCP places this in a gap between Avengers #232-233. I think it also makes sense to place this before Hulk #289, when the AIM rebellion comes to an end; as far as i'm aware, the blue AIM outfit is retired at that time.

References:

• Captain America feels responsible to help out at Project Pegasus due to the fact that he was briefly their head of security in Marvel Two-In-One #42-43 (incorrectly footnoted as #43-44).
  
• Wundarr was transformed by the Cosmic Cube into Aquarian in Marvel Two-In-One #58.
  
• The Cosmic Cube was first seen in Tales Of Suspense #78-79. The Cube was thought destroyed by Captain Mar-vell in Captain Marvel #33.
  
• Captain America has heard of the Shaper of Worlds from the FF, who met him in Fantastic Four #137.
  
• Rick Jones was in the presence of the Supreme Intelligence during the Kree-Skrull War in Avengers #89-97. It's not explicitly said but this must have been when the Intelligence began monitoring the Earth's Cosmic Cube via Rick.
  
• Although there's no footnote for it, the revelation about Rick Jones is an explanation for how he knew the location of the cosmic cube in Captain Marvel #27.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The point of the revelation about the Supreme Intelligence and Rick was to explain why Rick knew where the Cosmic Cube was in Captain Marvel 27. In Captain Marvel 27, it's explained that the Intelligence implanted the Cosmic Cube's location in Rick's mind. Mar-vell wonders why the Intelligence would do that, but this plot point is later forgotten about.

There's an interesting contradiction between the scans that you posted and MODOK's account of his own origin in Captain America 133. First Worrell makes it sound like MODOK turned against them because he went crazy from monitoring the Cube and MODOK's own account explains that he turned against AIM because they turned him into MODOK against his will. This can easily be explained as Worrell not wanting to accept the magnitude of his crime. But aside from that, MODOK's account makes it sound like he turned against them instantly while Worrell's account makes it sound like he turned against AIM after a couple of weeks.