A terrorist organization called Hydra attacks the United Nations while all of the worlds leaders are present. Tony Stark aka Iron Man, enters the scene to halt the rampage. After the skirmish, he comes to words with SHIELD commander Nick Fury, and learns that the threat of super-villains are increasing and he's only one man. As the super-villain activity increase, solo superheroes attempt to stop the madness. These random attacks are only the beginning of something bigger in the works.

Previous Volumes:

The Avengers Volume One - Heroes Assemble!

The Avengers Volume Two - Captain America Reborn!


The Avengers Volume Three - Iron Man Unleashed

While in pursuit of the recently escaped villain Whirlwind, the Wasp corners him into an ambush and is quickly defeated. Baron Zemo has completed the formation of the Masters of Evil, and there mission is to take down the Avengers, which leads to a big battle between the two super groups. But the Avengers come to the realization that something larger is in the works. -summary


The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes continue to keep things interesting and this volume opens up pretty strong, by pitting the team against the Masters of Evil; a super-villain team that not only caused the Avengers a great deal of trouble in the comics, but also under Baron Zemo II's leadership, defeated the entire team in one of the most memorable arcs ever, Avengers - Under Siege. Since that storyline is among my favorites, I did come into this one with high hopes. This incarnation of the Masters of Evil is made up of Baron Zemo II, Enchantress, The Executioner, Crimson Dynamo, Wonder Man, and the Abomination. Not completely as evil as past groups, but still pretty evil though. The episode is very action packed and entertaining, but like the very beginning of the first season, this episode appears to be the beginning of something larger in the works. The later episodes continue on into a story where the ground work was laid out early in the beginning, and this begins the struggle against the Avengers newest threat, The Master of Time, Kang the Conqueror.

The Avengers battle against Kang in a three episode arc beginning with The Man Who Stole Tomorrow. Kang comes to present day time from the 41st century and attacks with hopes on fulfilling his personal mission; the result is an awesome battle with the Avengers trying to overcome his vast weapons and superior technology. This battle brought back memories of their brutal fight with Graviton which took place in the first volume. The battle indeed escalates and I'll leave that part open. I will say that the battle against Kang is worth the price of admission alone. There are other story elements that begin here, such as the Avengers being made aware on the existences of both the Kree and Skrull Empires, as well as the long bloody war between the two alien races, and how the Earth will be caught in the middle of it. There are also some cameo appearances from popular faces in the Avengers line up such as Mockingbird and Black Knight. The episodes are pretty well written, and the focus isn't always on the entire team, as certain individuals are given time to be developed. I also enjoy the fluidity when bringing in the comedy. It never feels forced and it just works almost like magic.

The music is still one of the stronger aspects, as it does enhance the action scenes a great deal, and the opening theme Fight as One performed by Bad City is still intact. I think the animation is still strong with some very fluid action segments, and they are plenty. There are many moments with the screen filled with multiple fights, and the choreography is still just as good. The character performances are still great, and I enjoyed Jonathan Adams as Kang; he clearly got into his role.
 

Avengers Volume Three contains episodes 14-19 and it ends by setting the ground work for another future story arc. The series is still entertaining and gripping. Fans of the comic will probably see where a lot of these story lines are going but I don't think it dampens the experience. Casual fans will be able to get into this and they may enjoy it a lot more, since they'll be completely in the dark on these developments. In any case, this is one series that I highly recommend. This volume has a 135 minute run time.

Pros:
-Lots of action, story development, cool villain

Cons:
-Starts a little slow but nothing to really complain about