DISTANT SONS (1995-1996)

Every super-team in the '90s needed their Wolverine - a maverick character with a mystery past. And if one wasn't available to suck into your line-up, you had to invent one. Century filled that position in Iron Man's Force Works team, but he wasn't the kind of guy a teenage reader wanted to aspire to. But who was this mystery alien and why should we care?

• Force Works #15
• Force Works #16 (also see THE CROSSING)
• Century: Distant Sons #1

Force Works #15
USAgent returns to Force Works' HQ - the Works - to discover alien invaders have shut the entire base down and placed the team in portable cryo-chambers. Century teleports USAgent to a chamber below the Works none of them knew existed, discovering Iron Man has been ordering in tech from Timely, Wisconsin. Century reveals their enemy is the Broker, his former owner. USAgent tricks the Broker and Century cuts his hand off, freeing his other slaves. Century agrees to return the other aliens to their home planets, heading into space in the hope of learning about his past...

Force Works #16

In space, Century continues his journey with the Broker's former-slaves, trying to stop them from killing the Broker as they go and continuing to search out the secrets of his own past. On Earth, Spider-Woman trains with new team-mate and love-interest, Moonraker. USAgent tells the Scarlet Witch about the secret room and strange technology he found below The Works and wonders if Iron Man's up to no good.

Century: Distant Sons #1
The Broker convinces his former slaves to betray Century and take him to the moon that used to circle his home planet Hodomur until it was destroyed by a world-devouring creature called Lore. The remnants of Century's people turned Century into a being capable of destroying Lore, but he was captured by the alien Scatter and used by them to raid what was left of the worlds Lore had ravaged. 

The Broker sells Century to Imogen who uses his dimension-hopping powers to take her to Azimuth's stronghold to steal an artefact called the Crucible. Azimuth is about to reveal more of Century's past to him when Imogen magically assaults her, wiping her mind. The Broker tries to steal the Crucible from Imogen, but Century beheads him. Imogen escapes with the Crucible. The freed slaves agree to band together, while Century decides Earth is now his home and he wants to go back...

Avengers: The Crossing #1 (1995)
Iron Man is revealed to have betrayed Force Works and the Avengers during THE CROSSING.

Force Works #19 (1996)
Century rejoins Force Works during THE CROSSING.

Force Works #22 (1996)
Force Works disband, leaving Century with nowhere to go during THE CROSSING.

Avengers Forever #8 (1999)
'Moonraker' is revealed to be a Space Phantom during THE DESTINY WAR.

New Avengers Annual #1 (2011)
Century joins the Revengers (a team made up of people who believe had their lives destroyed by the Avengers) during REVENGERS.

Avengers/Iron Man: Force Works

Includes Century: Distant Sons #1 and Force Works #15

Avengers: The Crossing Omnibus

Includes Force Works #16