Essential Avengers #9

In "Assault on a Mind Cage!", Yellowjacket and Ant-Man launch a daring infiltration of a high-security mental asylum, racing against time to rescue the Wasp before she's lost to whatever mind-altering forces hold her captive. With the rest of the Avengers standing by, the duo’s mission quickly turns perilous when they're captured—leaving their fate, and the Wasp’s, hanging in the balance.

In "Prelude of the War-Devil!", the Avengers find themselves trapped in the Mansion’s elevator, leading to unexpected moments—Captain America proposes Jocasta as a full-time member, Wonder Man and The Beast hit the town for a night out, and Ms. Marvel shares a personal revelation. Meanwhile, Dr. Cowan, having repaired Red Ronin at Stark International, has taken the robot for his own, setting a dangerous course just beneath the surface of the team’s quiet chaos.

In "Better Red Than Ronin!", the sudden arrival of the Red Ronin in New York City triggers a high-stakes showdown as the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.—led by Nick Fury aboard the relic Behemoth helicarrier—rally to stop the mechanical menace. With Captain America and Iron Man's attacks failing, Fury devises a desperate plan to harness the Behemoth’s power through Iron Man to disrupt the robot in the Hudson River, but the victory proves fleeting when the unconscious pilot’s absence allows the machine to awaken and resume its rampage on its own.

In "Last Stand on Long Island," the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. face off against the rampaging Red Ronin, a once-loyal machine now out of control. With Iron Man severing the robot’s weaponized shield-sword, the team struggles to contain the relentless threat—until Jocasta and The Beast, having infiltrated the machine from within, make a final desperate push to shut it down. The story builds to a tense climax as the team confronts the machine’s unyielding will, only to return to Avengers Mansion moments later, where they’re met with an unexpected and dramatic turn: a very pregnant Ms. Marvel is about to go into labor.