| For the incident where Spider-Man fought with Vulture, see Duel at Coney Island |
- "I have eyes on the target. He appears to be enjoying himself on this tilt-a-whirl."
"If you can isolate the kid, you should be able to trap him in the photon grid."
"You cover the trap. I'll handle the boy." - ―Black Panther, Mar-Vell and Ant-Man[src]
The Skirmish at Coney Island was a conflict in which the Avengers apprehended Peter Quill, the son of the Celestial Ego, who had been running amok in New York.
Background[]
- "He's on the move, heading towards Coney Island."
- ―Peggy Carter to the Avengers[src]
Ego, a Celestial, wanted to spread his reach across the cosmos. In order to do so, he began having children with females from many different species in hopes that one of his offspring would inherit his Celestial powers. Ego soon had a child named Peter Quill with the human Meredith Quill on Earth.
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Peter Quill's ship crashed in Manhattan
Having left Earth but having learned that Peter had inherited his abilities, Ego hired the Ravagers to kidnap his son and deliver him to Ego. However, Peter escaped and used Ego's ship to travel across the galaxy in an attempt to return home, laying waste to solar systems and realms on his way. Eventually, Peter was able to reach Earth, but he crashed his ship in Manhattan when he was attacked by the United States Air Force.
The team readies for the upcoming battle
The peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D. learned about the damage and swath of destruction Peter was leaving across New York and realized that they needed to put a stop to it. In response, the agency decided to assemble a team of superpowered individuals to stop him. They learned that Peter was on his way to Coney Island, so the newly-assembled team boarded the Asis, Mar-Vell's spacecraft, in order to intercept and contain him there.[1]
Skirmish[]
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Goliath stations himself at the perimeter
The Avengers arrived at Coney Island at night, where they quickly located Peter Quill enjoying himself on a tilt-a-whirl. Goliath grew to his giant form and stationed himself at the perimeter of the park while Ant-Man controlled some of his ants to crawl over Quill's cotton candy, causing him to drop it and exit the ride in fear.
Peter Quill shatters the mirror maze
Ant-Man used the ants to chase Quill, luring him towards Black Panther, who was at the ready with a tranquilizer. Quill, seeking refuge from the swarm of ants, ran into a mirror maze, where a laser trap activated around him. Black Panther emerged, telling the boy that the situation would only be made more difficult with his resistance, but Quill used his powers to shatter the entire maze, creating a massive explosion.
Goliath tries to contain Peter Quill
Black Panther was thrown into the Ferris wheel by the blast, but he was able to catch himself on the structure. Quill began shooting bolts of cosmic energy at Black Panther, who managed to dodge them all, until Quill was contained within the top of a water tank by Goliath. However, Quill caused another explosion that allowed him to break out. Quill was able to land several bolts on Goliath, causing him to shrink down and request help.
Coming to Goliath's aid, Winter Soldier, who was piloting the Asis, spotlit Quill, but was warned by Mar-Vell to not fire at Quill from the ship as the Tesseract would be in danger of being hit. Quill launched a blast of energy at the ship, but Winter Soldier dodged it; instead, it hit Ego's ship, which had been piloted from its crash site by Mar-Vell. Mar-Vell jumped out of the ship and attempted to activate her jetpack, but it malfunctioned.
Winter Soldier provides his team with cover
Goliath noticed Mar-Vell falling and returned to his giant size to catch her, and Mar-Vell thanked him for the save. Quill blasted Goliath, who began shrinking, and Mar-Vell and Goliath were joined by Black Panther and Ant-Man, the former of which asking if anyone had a plan. Ant-Man replied that they needed to retreat. The team quickly returned to the Asis as Winter Soldier repeatedly blasted Quill with a grenade launcher, which did no damage.
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Thor stands over the defeated Peter Quill
As Mar-Vell activated the ship's piloting systems and began to lift off, Quill used his telekinesis to keep the ship in place. As much as Mar-Vell struggled, the Asis' thrusters could not overcome Quill's power. However, a bolt of lightning conjured by Thor then struck Quill down where he stood, much to the Avengers' surprise. The Asgardian flew to the ground and had a short exchange with the disoriented Quill, who mistook the God of Thunder for Eddie Van Halen, before the boy passed out.[1]
Aftermath[]
Peter Quill and Hope van Dyne form a bond
With Peter Quill defeated, the Avengers brought him to the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility, where they imprisoned him. However, Quill was soon approached by Hope van Dyne, who connected with him about the loss of their mothers, helped him escape his cell, and gave her walkman to Quill to replace the one Ego had crushed.
Peter Quill decides to help the Avengers
Due to Quill not responding to Ego's attempts to communicate with him, Ego traveled to Earth himself to finish his expansion. The team came up with a plan that involved pitting Ego and his son against each other as they knew they could not fight two Celestials at once. Black Panther, Goliath, Thor, and S.H.I.E.L.D. forces stalled for time while Ant-Man traveled to Missouri, where Quill had escaped to to visit his mother's grave, and swayed him to their side.
Peter Quill defeats his father with a blast
Ant-Man and Quill were then brought to site of the battle by Mar-Vell, where Quill retrieved Ego's seedling, the item that Ego intended to use to begin his expansion, and used it to amplify his powers. Quill then confronted his father and used his powers to destroy his corporeal form, ending the threat he posed. The Avengers celebrated their victory at Ant-Man's house, where they resolved to stay together to end Ego for good.