—Amanda StrongYou said you wanted to offer me a recording contract... and now you want to make me an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.... you do see how this all sounds crazytown?
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
- Amanda Strong (First appearance chronologically) (Joins S.H.I.E.L.D.)
Supporting Characters:
- S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Agent Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
- Agent Dum-Dum Dugan (Cameo)
- Agent Gabriel Jones (Cameo)
- Jude (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Ollie (First appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Amanda Armstrong's father (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- George Henry Martin (Mentioned)
- A.I.M. (Mentioned)
- Ian (First appearance)
- Elton John (Mentioned)
- The Beatles (Mentioned)
- John Lennon (Mentioned)
- God (Yahweh) (Invoked)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- United States of America
- Germany
- Hamburg
- Indra Club (First appearance)
- Berlin
- Fernsehturm Berlin (Cameo)
- Berlin Hotel (First appearance)
- Hamburg
Synopsis for 1st story
Young musician Amanda Armstrong playing in a pub in Greenwich Village. Following her performance, she's approached by a woman who had watched her sing. Amanda misinterprets the woman's invitation for dinner as an attempt to make a move on her until the woman clarifies she wants to offer her a recording contract, even though she admits she's not representing any label neither is she a manager herself.
At a diner, the woman introduces herself as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Fontaine reveals that Amanda's late father was a federal agent, and she wants Amanda to become an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. but remain a musician so she can do missions undercover while on tour. Fontaine leaves the diner after giving her a phone number.
One year later, Amanda has become a moderately successful performer. One night after a concert, she's notified by her bandmates that she's gotten flowers from an anonymous person with the message "Your father would be proud." Later that night, Amanda approaches a man in a nightclub and they countersign. The man praises her, and introduces himself as Jude, to which Amanda can't help but reply "Hey Jude." Jude gives her a package disguised as a blues harmonica, which is to be delivered to Germany.
In Hamburg, Amanda and her band arrive to the Indra Club. She walks towards the backstage and enters one of the dressing rooms, where she's confronted by an armed man who claims to know she's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He whips her with his pistol, Amanda retaliates with a few hits and runs away, but the man shoots at her, grazing her leg. The assailant demands files from her as he prepares to kill Amanda, but he's shot in the head from behind. Amanda enters in shock and sees Jude approaching her before fainting.
Amanda wakes up and finds herself in a bed where the Berlin skyline confirms she's still in Germany. She notices Jude armed and sitting in a couch nearby drowsing. Amanda calls his attention. He instinctively points his gun at her but calms down immediately. Jude informs that they're in a hotel laying down, and that her attacker had been a professional assassin named Ollie. Amanda questions Jude's presence in Germany, and he admits that he wanted to see Amanda's show and ask her out after the concert, until he discovered her cover had been blown. Amanda asks what are they going to do next, but they are interrupted by an explosion from behind the room's door.
Solicit Synopsis
• Tony is reeling from the reveal of who his biological parents are as his past and present collide in ways that will define his character for years to come.
• But will any of this change Tony’s tune as relates to the monumental events of CIVIL WAR II?Notes
- This issue was originally solicited with a cover featuring the Avengers. This illustration was later repurposed into a variant cover for Avengers (Vol. 7) #1.1.