This episode turns its gaze inward, exploring the quiet, corrosive doubt that can undermine even the greatest of heroes. It’s not simply a clash between the Avengers and Baron Zemo’s criminal legion — it is a story about leadership under pressure, and the fear that one’s best might never be enough. Hank Pym finds himself caught between expectation and insecurity, measuring his own scientific mind against Captain America’s effortless command, and wondering whether he truly deserves to lead the team he helped build.

The arrival of Captain America sharpens that tension. His presence is inspiring, but it also casts a long shadow, forcing Hank to confront the uncomfortable truth that brilliance does not always translate into confidence. The episode uses their dynamic to explore how heroes define themselves: by comparison, by instinct, or by the courage to trust their own judgement even when others doubt it.

Zemo’s attack becomes the crucible in which these questions are tested. The Masters of Evil strike with precision and power, exploiting the very technology the Avengers rely on. As the base falls into chaos and the team’s armour fails, the episode asks whether leadership is born from strength or from clarity — from the ability to stand firm when everything familiar collapses.

By the end, Command Decision reveals that doubt is not a weakness but a crossroads. Hank’s quick thinking and scientific insight save the day, proving that leadership comes in many forms and that the Avengers are strongest when they trust the unique strengths each member brings. It is an episode about finding confidence in one’s own path, even when standing beside legends.

A top‑secret weapons convoy travelling by train is ambushed by the Masters of Evil, a criminal strike team led by Baron Zemo. His operatives — Whirlwind, Moonstone, Cardinal, Absorbing Man and Boomerang — board the train to steal a classified device. The Avengers intervene, battling the Masters carriage by carriage, but the fight escalates when Captain America arrives and swiftly turns the tide. Zemo and his crew escape with a stolen piece of technology, leaving Hank uneasy about how effortlessly Cap assumes command.

When the train reaches the Government facility, liaison Sikorsky chastises the Avengers for allowing Zemo to flee and openly praises Captain America’s tactics, dismissing Hank’s scientific approach. Meanwhile, Zemo activates the stolen device — an Electro‑Magnetic Pulse generator — plunging a nearby city into darkness. Fuelled by a desire to avenge his father’s death, he plans to use the EMP to cripple the base and seize its weapons, even as his obsession begins to fracture the Masters of Evil from within.

Zemo launches his assault, knocking out the base’s defences and disabling the Avengers’ armour. Captain America rejoins the team and urges them to follow Hank’s lead. Using his scientific expertise, Hank recalibrates the EMP’s frequency, weakening the Masters’ advantage and forcing them into retreat. Zemo refuses to flee, determined to confront Captain America directly.

As the base’s own technology turns against the Avengers, Hank shrinks down and manually cuts the power, restoring control and ending the threat. The Masters of Evil are captured, bickering all the way into custody. Captain America commends Hank’s ingenuity and leadership, reaffirming his confidence in the Avengers — and in the man who leads them.

This episode was written by comics writer Len Wein.

Baron Zemo and his first iteration of the Masters of Evil first appeared in the Avengers #6. By the time this episode was produced they were masquerading as the superhero team known as the Thunderbolts – a team of which recently became Avengers in the MCU’S Thunderbolts*.

His team in this episode contains Boomerang (oddly with a ridiculously stupid Australian accent – he’s American!); the Absorbing Man Crusher Creel, seen in the Incredible Hulk episode They Call Me Mr Fix-It; Whirlwind, clad in his Iron Man armour; Sub-Mariner villain Tigershark, Ani-Men member Dragonfly; the psychiatrist in need of therapy, Moonstone; and Cardinal, an obscure New Warriors villain.

Falcon and Captain America reminiscence over their partnership in Sam’s early career, as seen in the Captain America comic book. Despite appearing on the opening titles and receiving an action figure in the toy line, this is the only episode in which Cap appears.

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