“Killing Time before the End”

In 1919, Irish poet W. B. Yeats wrote his poem, The Second Coming, the first section of which aptly describes the tenor of what is forthcoming in this column and in the Marvel Universe from the end of the Infinity story arc through to the 2015 Secret Wars storyline:

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

The Preamble: The world is changed. When we begin the story, the evil robot Ultron has already succeeded at last in his plans to crush humanity beneath his metal heel. Few heroes remain, but they have a desperate plan: Save their world by changing time itself!

10. Age of Ultron

The Players: Much of the Marvel Universe is extinct at the beginning of this storyline, so the Main focus falls on one of the hardest to kill superheroes, the X-man and Avenger: Wolverine. In fact it focuses so much on him that the pentultimate battle is actually Wolverine versus Wolverine, to the death.

The History:  Ultron is a killer robot who was created by Hank Pym (he didn’t intentionally create him to be evil, though he HAS intentionally created robots to attack the Avengers before). He has emerged several times, and you MAY have heard about a movie that bore the same title as this storyline (and no other resemblance, other than both have killer robots and super heroes fighting).

The Story: In the near future, Ultron has secured his victory over mankind. From there, he is using what I can only assume is Time Lord technology to tell his former self (in the present) how to kill the heores and take over. Does that make sense? No, especially when you consider how time travel works in Marvel (as covered last article). That said, it could arguably be the collapsing of the multiverse that allows his plan to work, as the very rules of reality break down.

The Verdict: Despite some interesting visuals and cool post-apocalyptic moments before we really get to the main plotline, this storyline is so convoluted, nonsensical and unimpactful to Marvel history that already most people wouldn’t remember the story’s name if Joss Whedon hadn’t named a movie after it (one that bears a resemblance ONLY in having robots and super heroes in it). The final score is the same as the number of Wolverines who battle to the death: 2 (out of 5 stars).

The Preamble: With the end of history on it’s way, why not delve into the mistakes, regrets, and unrevealed secrets of the Marvel Universe, as though the Universe itself was somehow aware it was close to death, and infusing that feeling of laying in hospice care waiting for the end into everyone of the heroes we love! (Point: that isn’t actually why this happens, within continuity, but is actually a more interesting idea than the actual plot, which should tell you something).

11. Original Sin

The Players: There are really no “stars” of this series, just a whole lot of dirtied heroes stumbling around like a drunk in the dark. Maybe Nick Fury? Meh.

The History: Strangely, given the plot, almost none. Except it requires you to understand who Uata (the Watcher) is, which you’ll find in the prior article. All other history discussed in this storyline is of the sort we call “retconned”, which means it WASN’T history, but is now being retroactively added into the history, sometimes in ways that ruin it. Yay…

The Story: Remember the Watcher, that big bald alien who lives on the moon and constantly watches everything that happens on Earth? Too bad he didn’t see what was happening on the moon, because it looks like someone murdered him!

The Verdict: A poorly written and nonsensical attempt at a mystery (but success at a misery)which fails in the same way as non-superhero mysteries do: by building the eventual reveal upon clues that were never presented to you until the denouement. MY solution: 1 out of 5 stars.

The Preamble: As the actual story of the 616 Marvel Universe plays out and draws towards completion in the Avengers titles, elsewhere the editors are pulling out all the stops to take stories in different and unusual directions (Falcon becomes Cap! A Muslim girl becomes Ms. Marvel! Iron Man is evil! Thor is a woman! Wolverine dies! No seriously, he’ll totally stay dead too!), knowing that within a year everything they do will be wiped out and have no consequences, unless people really like it, which offers them the opportunity to throw everything they can think of against the wall and see what sticks.

12. Axis

The Players: A bunch of heroes and villains become villains and heroes for the duration of the story. Of primary note storyline-wise are Red Skull, Iron Man (who manages to avoid getting switched back at the end), and Magneto. Of primary note because he doesn’t usually show up and DO anything during cross-overs: Deadpool!

The History: Remember when I mentioned at the end of part 5 of this series that Red Skull steals Charles Xaviers brain, and uses it to cause problems? THESE are those problems. In a turn of events that is at BEST morally gray, Magneto kills Red Skull (keep in mind, Magneto was a jew taken prisoner in a concentration camp, and tested while his parents were murdered there, and Red Skull was a high ranking Nazi who ran several camps. Hard not to beon Magneto’s side on that one), causing him to evolve to what we assume to be his “ultimate form”, Red Onslaught (just wait until Red Onslaught learns to go Super Saiyan, though, and does the fusion dance with Super Saiyan level 3 Apocalypse!).

The Story: To defeat Red Onslaught, Scarlet Witch (oh HERE we go!) and Doctor Strange try to cast a spell that will put Charles Xavier’s mind in charge, but which switches all the heroes and villains present from good to bad and vice versa. Somewhat comedic violence and hijinks ensue. Eventually almost everyone gets turned back to normal and Red Onslaught is destroyed.

The Verdict: This story, a weak and idle theme, no more yielding than a dream, actually has a saving grace, in that it is played partly for laughs, and a good number of the jokes land well. Overall: 2 out of 5 stars.

                                                                                                     Next: There is only… SECRET WARS

RATING:

2 0ut of 5