The pressure of being the leader of the Avengers is finally getting to Steve Rogers! Find out the fate of the Avengers when Captain America has finally had enough!
Back on Earth, after an apparently lengthy debriefing session, Captain America shocks everyone by asking to vote for his removal as CEO and field leader of the Avengers. No one will vote for that, though they did just vote not to punish the "renegade Avengers" who assassinated the Supreme Intelligence. Before adjourning the meeting, Cap encourages everyone to attend an optional "superhuman ethics" seminar he is giving that night. Quasar confronts Cap outside after the meeting, resigning from the Avengers to better fulfill his role as Protector of the Universe, departing with some encouraging words for Cap which he is not ready to believe. While Cap goes to his office to prepare for his seminar, his thoughts continue their pessimistic path, as he laments his seeming inability to effectively lead a generation of heroes with his pre-World War 2 values, contrary to the "violent superheroes" so popular and effective today such as Cable, Wolverine, and the Punisher. Unbeknownst to Cap, Crossbones makes his situation worse by taking Diamondback out of her subway captivity and into the countryside, far away from easy detection and technology.
Only the Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the Scarlet Witch attend Cap's seminar. As soon as he enters a roomful of empty chairs, Cap despondently ignores the halfhearted excuses the others make for the absentees then apologizes for wasting their time, since they aren't the Avengers who needed to hear his thoughts. Shocked by Steve's actions again, his three friends rally together to figure out some way to cheer up their friend and leader. Hawkeye agrees to take him out for an evening of relaxation and fun. Clint convinces Steve to go in an unorthodox yet humorous manner. Diamondback calls Avengers headquarters to assure Cap she is okay (under duress from Crossbones), but even though they haven't communicated for weeks, Black Widow won't allow the message to get through, since Steve needs the time to unwind.
At the bar, Clint tries every technique he knows to convince Steve he is still needed and admired by all the Avengers, but Steve is reluctant to accept it at first. Just as Steve appears to be coming around, Tony Stark shows up to talk to him privately. They talk through the recent series of conflicts and antagonisms, dating back to Iron Man's Armor Wars up through the recent Operation: Galactic Storm. Tony admits he still wants to be Steve's friend and wants their antagonism to end; he's not as perfect as Steve is, he claims. Steve waves this blandishment off but readily agrees to resume his friendship with Tony. Things are starting to improve for the less-weary Avenger. Upon returning to headquarters from the bar, Cap sees Falcon and U.S. Agent have successfully retrieved his old friend Dennis Dunphy (D-Man), lightening Steve's mood even more to the point of calling Agent his pal (much to the Agent's surprise). Cap is revivified and refreshed again, knowing he will be able to continue his role with the values he has always held, doing it all "with a little help from my friends."
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