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thebibliomancer · 1 year

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Essential Avengers: Avengers #280: FAITHFUL SERVANT

June, 1987

"To serve no more...”

No Jarvis!

Say it ain’t so!

Tell these floating judgement heads that its a lie!

You are a delight and a boon to this book called Avengers!

On the other hand, he got beaten pretty seriously by Hyde when the Masters of Evil stormed Avengers Mansion and took him prisoner.

Compared to Hercules, who is in a coma and possibly godnapped by this time, Jarvis is doing okay. But it turns out that when you’re a normal if capable butler man and a super-powered dude that tussles with Thor beats the shit out of you, the shit stays beaten out of you.

Hyde beat Jarvis so severely that he’s 90% blind in his left eye, will need a mobility aid indefinitely for leg injuries, and the doctor can’t rule out brain damage.

Because Jarvis was punched in the head repeatedly by a dude that fights Thor.

Considering that Jarvis spends this issue uncontrollably flashbacking, the doctor may have a point.

(Although he only predicted short-term memory loss from time to time. Dunno if uncontrollable flashbacking is a symptom of anything except LSD usage.)

Anyway, despite how severe his injuries are, the doctor doesn’t see a reason why with physical therapy, Jarvis couldn’t return to a fairly normal life. But he advises Jarvis to find a less dangerous job.

Which brings us back to: Say it ain’t so!

Okay, this read through gave me (and Jarvis) some time to collect ourselves.

Jarvis’ employer (and secretly?) Iron Man, Tony Stark comes to visit. All the way from California!

Because in a very Tony Stark way, Tony Stark is blaming this all on himself.

Tony Stark: “Jarvis... I came to say... I’m so sorry.”

Jarvis: “You have nothing to apologize for, sir.”

Tony Stark: “Jarvis, it was I who got you involved with the Avengers. I never realized how wrong i was. Avengers Mansion is no place for a normal man. The Avengers have too many deadly enemies. It’s only sheer luck you haven’t been hurt before and now... I’ve talked with the Avengers. You know your agreement with the Maria Stark Foundation stipulates that you can retire at any time with full salary and benefits. You needn’t worry for money. Think about it. You could take your mother to Florida. You could go and be safe. Please think about it and call me.”

Jarvis: “I will. Thank you sir.”

YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE MY SIDE, TONY STARK!

Jarvis considers the offer but he also remembers (in red tinted panel vision) Hyde beating the shit out of him and wonders if he’ll ever feel safe again.

Trying not to think about it, Jarvis instead thinks about when the Avengers just started out and trips right into an uncontrollable flashback.

OF WHEN HE FIRST MET THE AVENGERS!

This is the flashback content that I’m here for.

Fun fact: Stark Mansion used to actually have a staff. Like a full staff, as a nebulously big mansion would need.

Except when Tony Stark scheduled a dinner with all his new Avengers buds, the staff all quit in protest aside from Jarvis.

The cook that the mansion used to have: “The Hulk?! Mr. Jarvis, are you crazy or somethin’? We don’t want nuthin’ to do with those super hero types. We got respectable families!”

Jarvis: “But Mr. Stark has offered the hospitality of his home to these ‘super heroes’ as you call them! As his employees, it is our duty.”

The cook that the mansion used to have: “I say pooh pooh to duty. No, sir, Mr. Jarvis, we quit!”

And THAT is why Jarvis runs the entire mansion on his own.

Because when the entire rest of the staff quit, Jarvis just rolled up his sleeves and started cooking the dinner himself.

And I guess... I guess Tony never got around to hiring more staff. Or couldn’t find anyone that wanted the job or could be trusted with it. Considering how the Avengers would soon have a bunch of access to classified government databases.

Either way, that answers the question that I never thought to question but am amused by the answer to.

When the Avengers start showing up for dinner, its also pretty amusing. Because Jarvis isn’t yet the unflappable seen it all butler.

He hasn’t seen it all. He especially hasn’t seen the Hulk.

This is just good stuff.

We’re so far from those early days now but its so nice seeing the original roster all just come together for dinner and to hammer out the charter that they keep referring to in later stuff.

(What’s funny is that Wasp, who will become one of the top chairpersons in Avengers’ history, just wanders off during this part of the dinner and has no say in what everyone agrees to. While Hulk does. Hulk helped write the Avengers’ charter.)

Anyway, Wasp gets bored when the conversation moves away from how hunky Thor is and has Jarvis take her on a tour around Notyetavengers Mansion.

On the tour, she compliments some artwork in glowing terms by comparing it to Ant-Man and Jarvis wonders what the business with Thor was then.

Wasp: “That? I was only teasing! Wanted to make Ant-Man jealous!”

Jarvis: “Forgive me, but is that kind?”

Wasp: “Oh, Jarvis, you just don’t understand lovebirds like Ant-Man and me!”

I get the feeling Jarvis saw the cracks in this relationship long before anyone else.

Or maybe not because he reflects on how in love they were and how he never would have believed it would end so tragically.

Y’know, with Hank (then Yellowjacket) building a robot to kill his friends to prove how good an Avenger he was and Wasp divorcing him?

Which just makes Jarvis reflect on how much Wasp has grown as a person and a leader through her time with the Avengers.

Jarvis: When the Wasp came to visit me here a few days ago, I could not help but notice how little like the giddy young girl I met so long ago she had become. She was a woman... the leader of the Avengers. But she could not forgive herself for their defeat by the Masters of Evil. She told me she was leaving the Avengers... how sad she was. But she had the courage of her convictions... to know when her time was done. Can I do any less?

Stop talking yourself into leaving!

But now he’s thinking about whether it was being Avengers that destroyed the Pyms’ marriage and starts thinking about when the first and a half roster (the one that traded Hulk for Captain America) all quit.

To be replaced by three former supervillains, to Jarvis’ shock. Especially since Hawkeye had recently tied him up.

(And yes, he’s slipping into another series of flashbacks)

But Jarvis stayed on when Hulk came to dinner, so its not like he was going to leave just because Hawkeye was moving in.

Jarvis: “Interesting”? Goodness, what an understatement that turned out to be! The new Avengers were a new world for me... younger than their predecessors, so much more volatile. But that comes with youth, I suppose. The media doubted that these three reformed criminals would survive. They even dubbed them as “Cap’s Kooky Quartet”, a rather embarrassing term, I must say. But Captain America rose to the challenge and forged them into a team... one that fought as nobly as those who just deaprted. But it was not an easy transition. Change often is not. And I felt as if I was needed more than ever...

Because, I don’t know if you remember, but there was a lot of testosterone in Cap’s Kooky Quartet. Hawkeye and Quicksilver shouting at each other or shouting at Cap that they would run the zoo better.

After a shouting match caused by Hawkeye making a mistake in training that he and Steve severely disagreed on the severity of, Cap(tain America) confides in Jarvis, asking if Hawkeye is right about him being a shitty old man not fit to lead. And roping in his continued guilt over Bucky’s death for good measure. Steve did, I mean. Hawkeye didn’t.

Steve wondered if Bucky had been a pain in the ass like Hawkeye and didn’t jump to every order, whether Bucky would still be alive.

Jarvis: “Sir... I know Master Barnes’ death still haunts you. But tragedy comes to all eventually. We all lose loved ones. It is up to us to either accept the loss and go on... or to dwell on the might-have-beens. The latter choice is by far, the most seductive route... and the most destructive.”

Captain America: “And I’ve been following that path, Jarvis? Dwelling on what might have been?”

Jarvis: “I’m sorry if I offended, sir!”

Captain America: “You don’t ever have to apologize to me, Jarvis. I value your opinion and... you’re right. I know grief can turn to self-pity and I think you for reminding me.”

Love this before now unseen on what a cool, emotional support Jarvis has been to the Avengers.

There was a time when him appearing was a rare treat because the writers often forget that he exists.

But doing a focus issue on Jarvis deciding whether or not to retire from being Butler of the Superheroes requires making a case for what Jarvis has meant to the Avengers all along and vice versa.

Anyway, he’s also having maybe brain damage flashbacking so he’s jumping around like a stream of consciousness.

Thinking about the Kooky Quartet has made him think how far the non-Cap people from that team have come.

Hothead Hawkeye who always wanted to lead the team has mellowed out and is leading a team of his own with the West Coast Avengers.

Scarlet Witch found love with Vision and made some magic babies who are entirely real (preemptively shakes fist at Byrne).

And Quicksilver.... oof, well, he’s gone far too in his own way. His own flirting with being a supervillain way. Remember how he framed the Avengers for treason? And then tried to kill them with lasers? He’s apparently still just wandering around wastelands hating the world because his wife cheated on him and his sister married a robot.

But thinking about how Quicksilver is a traitor reminds Jarvis of when Jarvis did a treason.

Woo! Getting into some extra context on some big Jarvis content!

Remember the Masters of Evil story from issues #54 and #55?

It looked like Jarvis was the Crimson Cowl but then it turned out that it was Ultron and Jarvis only sold the Avengers out to help his sick mother get expensive medical treatments? And for reasons he didn’t ask rich employer Tony Stark when Tony’s whole thing is throwing money at people?

Well, that’s getting a retcon.

In this retroactively canon version of events, when Dr. Bernstein tells Jarvis that his mom will need expensive chemotherapy, Jarvis is like pssh money is no object I work for Tony Stark!

Jarvis: “My employer Anthony Stark, is a most generous man. He has already informed me that he will help my mother and me financially during this crisis!”

In fact, because Tony is such a swell guy, he was willing to just give Jarvis the money but pride and whatever so Jarvis insisted it be a loan instead.

In fairness, it fits with Tony’s response to Hank Pym building a murder robot and then disappearing off in a fugue state. He decided ‘I’m going to get him the best therapists and dangit if he won’t take the charity, I’ll have him work it off!’

But now that its been established that Tony Stark, swell guy, wouldn’t let loyal butler Jarvis be crushed in the uncaring American health care system, Jarvis goes for a walk and gets attacked by Ultron.

And Ultron, fiend that he is, hypnotizes Jarvis with the encephalo-beam to think that Tony Stark, unfeeling employer, would never help with Ma Jarvis’ treatment!

Ultron: “You are hopeless and desperate! No one can help you. The Avengers care nothing for you! You are merely their houseboy. They detest you for the weakling you are, only I can help you!”

Jarvis: “My mother...”

Ultron: “Yes... your poor mother who will die without me. Let that thought sink into your mind. Let it become reality. You will not remember any of this until I call again. And when I do, underling, you shall help me bring down the Avengers.”

Ultron: What a dick.

Given he can mind control people apparently, I wonder why he went the more subtle route of convincing Jarvis to think he had to sell the Avengers out, rather than just controlling him.

I mean, end of day the Doylistic answer is because we already saw a version of events where Jarvis did betray the Avengers.

Anyway, Ultron’s post-hypnotic suggestion took effect and Jarvis stole the Mansion defense plans and gave them to Ultron.

Ultron took great joy in rubbing it in the Avengers’ faces that someone they trusted betrayed them, because he’s a dick.

Despite the mental control, Jarvis is a good enough dude that he regretted his actions and got the Black Knight to help save the Avengers.

In this version of things, I wonder if Tony was confused why Jarvis betrayed the Avengers for money when he had already agreed to give money but Iron Man wasn’t on the team at this point so who knows how information eventually filtered to Tony anyway.

Anyway, the Avengers took Jarvis back but were confused why he didn’t go to Tony for the money which would have been the obvious thing to do. Jarvis didn’t really understand it himself.

Even though the Avengers forgave, they didn’t forget. And they kept Jarvis at a distance because they couldn’t wholly trust. Wasp especially has a panel where she’s shunning Jarvis with her cold indifference.

That’s premium cold shoulder.

The added flashbacks of Jarvis being a confidant to the team really does add to the betrayal they would have felt. And the difficult in getting over it even when learning the whys.

Anyway, the effects of the encephalo-beam clear months later and Jarvis remembers being attacked by Ultron and a little mind controlled. Which cleared up the tension now that the Avengers knew that Jarvis didn’t betray them in sound mind.

But since he’s free associating these flashbacks, this period of being isolated from the team maybe helped him understand a little when another pawn of Ultron joined the Avengers.

THAT’S RIGHT, VISION TIME!

Like previous Jarvis flashback sequences, we get a never-seen-before interaction building his connections to the team.

In this case, Vision does Jarvis a startle and then they bond over poetry.

Vision: “I find poetry... most relaxing, Jarvis. Often as I fly over the sleeping city, sonnets come unbidded to my mind. I do not recall reading these works... as I recall little of my existence... but they soothe me in the night.”

Jarvis: “Yes, I know exactly what you mean. Often, I read poetry well into the wee hours, it gives one perspective.”

Just the first of many conversations Vision and Jarvis would have about literature. Vision would come to Jarvis to share a book he enjoyed, “a kind and gentle human gesture that may have surprised some of his teammates...”

So there we go. Jarvis knew a side of Vision that the other Avengers may not have.

IN MORE WAYS THAN THAT

When Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver rejoined the Avengers after an absence, Jarvis was the first to notice the chemistry between Wanda and Vision. Maybe even before the two of them.

Jarvis ships it.

Jarvis also didn’t say anything to anyone because it wasn’t his place.

How very butler of you.

But given the book club connection between the two, Vision eventually approached Jarvis with his doubts on his own humanity.

Upon which Jarvis, in a great fit of self-restraint, didn’t shake Vision by the shoulders and sing LA LA LA LA KISS THE GIRL. But instead told him the feelings he felt were real and should not be denied.

Good guy, Jarvis.

Because possible brain damage stream of consciousness, Jarvis then starts thinking about how after Vision and Scarlet Witch did manage to be open about their feelings, of course something happened to shake things up.

Aka the arrival of Swordsman but more importantly Mantis.

Hi, Mantis!

Missed you!

Jarvis was less of a fan.

Maybe because she almost immediately ambushed him with a lot of pushy questions about Vision who she was entirely thirsty for.

Mantis’ thirst, in Jarvis’ eyes, really messed up the team harmony. Caused fighting between Vision and Scarlet Witch, because Wanda blamed Vision for being so sexy that women threw themselves at him. And caused Swordsman’s self-esteem to drop off a cliff, because the woman that dragged him out of the abyss had found a new bad boy to moon over.

Annnd then, Swordsman died. First and a half Avengers casualty, depending on how you count Wonder Man.

Since Jarvis was the man who does everything at the Mansion, he had to clear out Swordsman’s room when he died.

He found a picture of who he assumed were Swordsman’ parents. Jarvis thought he should write a letter of condolence letting them know their son was dead. But he couldn’t find an address and had no way of locating people based off a photo.

Jarvis: “That always bothered me... that we could never contact his family. Such a sad end.”

Jarvis is a good dude.

Anyway, there’s only so many pages and some Avengers didn’t stick around as long or as happily as others.

So Jarvis muses on how there have been so many Avengers over the years that its difficult to remember them all.

Jarvis: “Hercules, the Beast, the Falcon, Hellcat, poor Ms. Marvel... I tried to serve them all well, to make their stays as pleasant as possible. After all, the life of an Avenger is not easy. That’s why I’m here... to take care of little things, such as supervising the clean-up crews that were called in whenever a battle in the mansion had gotten out of hand. More often than not I dealt with Henry Peter Gyrich, the Avengers’ acerbic liaison with the National Security Council. I decided the Avengers should be spared his bellicose rantings. And of course, it was I who attended the Quinjets. I felt useful when the mansion ran like a well-oiled machine.”

Good god, Jarvis really does it all!

I don’t know what they’re paying him but he deserves a raise. He is way outside job expectations!

He is literally refueling the super science jet!

I mean, hell, if ALL he did was deal with Henry Peter Gyrich so the Avengers didn’t have to, he’d deserve all the money.

But Jarvis wonders about how often he hasn’t been useful.

As the One Civilian in the Mansion, he’s had his share of being taken hostage. He’s been captured by Hawkeye, by the Circus of Crime, by Yellowjacket, and even by fuckin’ Henry Peter Gyrich.

Geez, ignominious.

Despite this, Jarvis had always avoided serious injury... until Mr Hyde beat up his everything.

Jarvis: “Mr. Stark may be right... Avengers Mansion is no place for a gentleman’s gentleman.”

Even so... he can’t commit to resigning.

He’s resigned before, from Tony Stark’s employ when Tony was having his demon in a bottle problems.

But Tony fixed his shit, pulled his life back together even though his alcoholism cost him everything he owned. Even though so many people had given up hope.

Jarvis: “But isn’t that what the Avengers truly symbolize? That despite all the odds to the contrary... there is hope for all of us. Hope that the very best of humanity will surmount all obstacles. Didn’t Captain America beat the odds in building a new life for himself? Haven’t the Wasp and Master Pym at long last put aside their differences to become friends? They rebuilt their lives... Can I?”

“I know what I’ve been doing. Trying to concentrate on the negative side of the Avengers... to make my decision easier. But I cannot do that for long, can I? I can’t... because the Avengers have been my life. I’ve been with them since the first day and I have stayed with them since then. No single Avenger can claim that.”

“Yes, I’ve been hurt... but I knew the risks when I took the job. The fear will always be with me... but I expect that fear is always with the Avengers as well. It’s part of being an Avenger...”

So Edwin Jarvis makes up his mind and calls Tony Stark.

Jarvis: “Mr. Stark. Good evening. It’s Jarvis. Yes, I’ve made up my mind. As soon as my rehabilitation is finished, I should like to report back to work. You should know better than most, sir. Things really can’t go on without me, now can they?”

Heck no they can’t, Jarvis!

I’m feeling this emotional journey!

With the Mansion trashed, Jarvis is, as mentioned, the most stable fixture for the Avengers.

And sorry, Alfred, I think Jarvis is my favorite superhero-adjacent butler. Sure, you’re Bruce’s real dad but Jarvis is Everyone’s Friend.

As I said, its nice to get this single issue laser focused on Jarvis and his retroactively explored bonds to the Avengers.

It almost feels like a modern comic in that sense (although so much more dense, modern comics are so breezy...), spending an issue to focus on one character and what makes them tick. You see it a lot with event tie-ins because there’s often not enough plot for an event to have twenty different tie-ins so they zoom in on character instead.

I’m glad Jarvis isn’t leaving.

I suspected he wouldn’t or that if he did, it wouldn’t stick. I’ve seen him in the future.

But after something like Avengers Under Siege, its nice to take some time to decompress and let Jarvis make the decision that the Avengers couldn’t function without him.

Do they even know how to refuel the Quinjets??

Because Jarvis does!

Follow @essential-avengers for more good posts as soon as I start updating it again. Like and reblog because maybe it’ll make the Avengers hire some more staff to help Jarvis out.

#essential avengers #avengers #essential marvel liveblogging #Edwin Jarvis #history's greatest man #iron man #the wasp #the vision #captain america #mantis #Masters of Evil #there's a lot of people in recap land #but its mostly just Jarvis sitting in bed thinking about stuff

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