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Avengers vs X-Men Battle Report # 6 (Super Sized)

 

  Welcome Ladies & Gentlemen. Battle Report comes back with a MASSIVE update and return. We will catch up to date on all things AvX. We are gonna catch you up on all the hard-hitting action and events since the last battle report. There is a  LOT of ground to cover. So, sit back, hold on tight and brace yourselves cause this will be a bumpy ride.






Avengers vs. X-Men Round 6

       If you thought things were crazy before, the first part of the second arc of Avengers vs X-Men will make you go nuts. The Phoenix Five (Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Magik & Namor) lead the X-Men into helping the world proactively. They grew crops in deserts. They end wars. The Phoenix Five, under Cyclops' direction, mean business. They  rebuild Utopia into a stronger country ... more so than it ever was; which gives Magneto glee while Charles Xavier does not seem to fond of the methods of the Phoenix Five.
   The Avengers, particularly Captain America, Iron Man and Black Panther, are finding all the work that the Phoenix Five are doing disturbing and set the Avengers to go after Hope. Yet, before they go, there is an exchange on how to KILL the Phoenix Five if need be. At which point, Beast is disgusted and quits; stating that he no longer has a home on either side.
    Back on Utopia, Hope talks with her grandfather, Cyclops, about how the Phoenix still calls to her but Cyclops tells her that she does not deserve the power; even though she was chosen to be the true Phoenix host. The Phoenix Five start an attack on the Avengers, stating that the Avengers are now looked upon as renegades. Yet, before they can collect Captain America ... Scarlet Witch arrives. Cyclops touches her, which hurts him. The Avengers escape while Cyclops orders for Scarlet Witch's head after they escape with Hope, who is more than willing to leave with the Avengers.


New Avengers # 25-27 

    The Phoenix/K'un L'un Connection is established as a former Iron Fist was also the host for the Phoenix at one point. And there are legends of the Phoenix fighting a crimson demon ... who points at a particular heroine on the Avengers. It moves from past to present as the Avengers are able to get Hope and have her, Spiderman and Iron Fist take her to the city of K'un L'un.


Secret Avengers #28

    The final part of the Kree connection in Avengers vs. X-Men as Captain Mar-vell has some long words with Carol Danvers. This issue helps set up Carol as the new Captain Marvel.


AvX:Versus #4 

    Psylocke vs. Daredevil. Phoenix Emma Frost vs. Thor. And that fight get brutal as Emma gets shattered during the battle.


Avengers vs. X-Men Round 7 

   Almost picking up where the last issue left off, the Phoenix Five are after the Avengers. Yet, the Avengers know that the Phoenix Five are not found of Scarlet Witch or her powers. They hatch a plan to use special disguises to make multiple people look like Wanda as they fight the X-Men on multiple fronts. Several Avengers are taken captive while Hawkeye is also burned alive. Scarlet Witch, once again, proves herself being able to hurt the Phoenix Five, teleporting Namor back to Utopia from the other side of the world. Yet, at the end of the issue, Emma makes out with Namor and convinces him to go attack Wakanda.

Avengers Academy #32 & # 33

    Emma Frost, powered up by her portion of the Phoenix Powers, decides that it is time to go to the Avengers Academy and make an example of the students there; particularly the young student that controls a  Sentinel. Emma Frost does end up killing the Sentinel but also contends with a hard battle; not only fighting the Avengers Academy staff but also the students themselves; including former New X-Man X-23. X-23 threatens to kill Emma but Emma ends up retreating.

Uncanny X-Men # 14 - #16

  UNIT's control of Danger has her taking down the Generation Hope kids and rewriting their memories. Meanwhile, the main story of these issues deal with Sinister making his ultimate play against the X-Men, hoping to get the Phoenix Five in order to control them. And he attacks the Extinction Team with legions of Sinisters, Madelyn Pryor & Gambit clones. His castle bases rests on top of a clone of Krakoa. And it looks that he is enough of a match for the Phoenix Five; leaving Psylocke, Storm, Magneto and Danger to the rescue.


X-Men Legacy # 268 

    While there are some details of the Phoenix Five dealing with a countries issue of war, this issue focus's on Frenzy and her brother. Readers get a good look to see where Frenzy's head is at these days.

Wolverine & the X-Men # 12 

   Focused on Rachel Grey, Rachel fends off the Avengers as she is tasked with hunting down Wolverine and the Avengers. Rachel is definitely not happy about this as she wonders if she did the right thing. After a disturbing talk with her father, Cyclops, Rachel ends up tracking down Hope ... then letting her go. (Good job Rachel. You are an awesome aunt.)

Avengers vs. X-Men Round 8

      It is devastation. It is gore. It is a Phoenix Namor, bringing a large tidal wave into Wakanda. Wakanda is devastated by this attack and the Avengers Assemble, with Scarlet Witch as they go all out against Namor ... and win. Finding that once they defeat a Phoenix powered member of the Phoenix Five, it leaves them and splits between the remaining hosts. Plus, Professor Xavier threatens Cyclops to stop this and Cyclops decides NOT to heed his old teacher.

New Avengers #28

   We see Spiderwoman, Hawkeye and Luke Cage escaping from their cells on Utopia as they fight off Magma, the Cuckoos and more, only to be stopped by Phoenix Colossus, Havok, Polaris, Gambit and Psylocke. They look as if they still are going to escape when .... oh no. It was a dream. Made by Unit and Danger. Nice try though.

Wolverine & the X-Men # 13 

   The origin of Warbird. Plus, an angry Gladiator, who is the Emperor of the Shi'ar. The Death Commandos and more. Gladiator takes on the Phoenix Five ... and Loses.

X-Men Legacy # 269 -270

  Rogue takes center stage these issues as we look at how far she has come. It is the long anticipated rematch between Rogue  and Ms. Marvel ... which she wins. When Phoenix Magik shows up, she introduces Rogue to the new prison they have been sending the Avengers . .. a mountain that Magik has transformed to be part of Limbo. This leads to Rogue deciding to help Ms. Marvel ... only to have them fight Phoenix Magik ... and lose. Ms. Marvel is put back to her hellish prison while Rogue is banished to another dimension.

Avengers #28 

   Red Hulk deals with why he's even involved in this conflict then decides to try to assignate Cyclops. And he gets his big Hulk self beaten badly by the Phoenix Five for his trouble. They even break Red Hulk's arm!

Wolverine & the X-Men # 14

   Phoenix Colossus drops by the Jean Grey School, being looked after by Kitty Pryde with flowers. The two go on a date and Colossus pops the question. And Kitty says ... NO. Meanwhile, Iceman, Rachel, Angel and more decide to defect from the Phoenix Five's side.

The King and Queen of Mutants Take a Stroll.

Avengers vs. X-Men Round 9 

    Wakanda starts to work on healing itself as Black Panther annuls his marriage to Storm after she admits that he was right. (BOOOOOOOOOOOO!) The Avengers numbers are dwindling till Scarlet Witch works her magic while Spider-man gets his moment to shine as he takes down BOTH Phoenix Colossus and Phoenix Magik by himself. Now, the Avengers got most of their comrades back: Spiderwoman, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, Thing & Thor. The stage is being set for the final showdown. And the only 2 Phoenix bearers left are Cyclops and Emma Frost.


AvX Battle Results: 

Red Hulk vs. Phoenix Five    Winner: Phoenix Five
Psylocke vs. Daredevil      Winner: Draw
Magik vs. Hawkeye        Winner: Magik
Spiderwoman, Hawkeye & Luke Cage vs. Utopia   Winner: Danger & UNIT

Dogpile Phoenix powered Namor.

Rachel Grey vs. Thor   Winner: Draw
Rachel Grey vs. Iron Fist   Winner: Rachel Grey
Rachel Grey vs. Black Widow   Winner: Rachel Grey
Scarlet Witch vs. Namor       Winner: Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch vs. Magik      Winner: Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch vs. Cyclops & Emma Frost    Winner: Scarlet Witch
Gladiator vs. The Phoenix Five     Winner: Phoenix Five
Death Commandos vs. The Phoenix Five   Winner: Phoenix Five
Wolverine vs. Cyclops    Winner: Cyclops
Rogue vs. Ms. Marvel          Winner: Rogue
Rogue & Ms. Marvel vs. Magik    Winner: Magik
Captain  America & Black Panther vs. Emma Frost  Winner: Emma Frost

Emma Frost vs. Avengers Academy Staff    Winner: Emma Frost
Emma Frost vs. Sentinel                Winner: Emma Frost
Emma Frost vs. Entire Avengers Academy   Winner: Avengers Academy
Emma Frost vs. Thor    Winner: Emma Frost
Iceman vs. Spiderman   Winner: Spiderman
Sinister vs. The Phoenix Five    Winner: Sinister ... kind of.
Namor vs. The Avengers     Winner: The Avengers
Spiderman vs. Magik & Colossus Winner: Spiderman




Injuries

 Where do I begin?

 - Emma as shatter and put herself back together.
- Hawkeye was burned alive then healed by the Phoenix Five
 - Namor got a few concussions after that battle in AvX Round 8
- Red Hulk's arm was busted with some other parts of him.
- Almost everyone has cuts and bruises
- Storm & Black Panther's marriage is pretty much broken
- Wolverine has burns, cuts, broken bones and more.
- Colossus's mind must be so messed up as he has the Phoenix & the Juggernaut in him. Well, had the Phoenix.
 - Rachel is hurting mentally because of being forced to hunt down the Avengers and her own niece.
 - Iceman was shattered several times.
- Rogue must deal with demon power and getting thrown into another dimension.
- Sentinel is dead.
- Hawkeye, Spiderwoman, Luke Cage & Gen Hope all got mind fucked by Danger & UNIT

Spidey gives Hope a pep talk about a person's moment in time.

- Danger being a slave to UNIT

- The Avengers egos got hit hard.

And those are just for starters.






NOTES

  We are seeing the beginning of the end.

- The Illuminati are coming back together for this event which means they may use the Infinity Gauntlet.

- What will Professor Xavier's role be if he goes up against Scott and Emma.

 - The X-Men seem to be leaving Scott's side. Which means ... WOLVERINE WAS RIGHT.

- The Avengers Academy might be ending soon with the recent announcement from Tigra and Hank Pym that they are closing the school.

- No matter what happens, both the X-Men ... well, Scott's X-Men more than the others and the Avengers are gonna need some major looks into their leadership. It is clear that this whole situation could have been avoided with better leaders.

- What the hell is up with Havok & Polaris showing up but no lines?  And siding with Scott?

- Spiderman proves why not only he deserves to be an Avenger but why the group NEEDS him.

- Scarlet Witch is a BAD BITCH! Werk it mija!

She is saying "Yes, I'm Back. And I'm a Baaaaaaaaaad Bitch!"

- Vision seems to be lightening up on Wanda ... a little.

- Where are Scarlet Witch's sons? I would figure they would want in. Well ... Speed more than Wiccan.

- Carol giving Rogue the benefit of the doubt and said that she proved herself speaks volumes on how far these women have come.

- Emma maybe getting too corrupted by the power, hmm?

- Storm and Black Panther's annulment is pure BULLSHIT!

- Again, Scarlet Witch is a BAD BITCH!



In 2 Weeks: More Battle Report. I promise.

Marvel NOW Updates - Behold ... the Uncanny Avengers & More.

Uncanny Avengers by John Cassidy

 There has been A LOT of buzz around Marvel's upcoming relaunch, Marvel NOW. Marvel NOW, for those of you who have been gone all holiday weekend, will be a 22 title relaunch initiative that Marvel will start this October and will have 1 title, every week, till February 2013. Yep. 22 new titles. So it is not a complete, line wide restart.

  Now more news has come out recently about Marvel NOW ... as I am sure it will throughout the next several months as we do not have full confirmations of what all the 22 titles are. In the previous article, we heard that Avengers, All -New X-Men and Uncanny Avengers are among the relaunch titles. It has also been confirmed that Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca will move from Iron Man to Fantastic Four at the end of Jonathan Hickman's run on the title.



 What do we have now? First, as you can plainly see, the full roster of the Uncanny Avengers, which will be written by fan favorite writer, Rick Remender with art by John Cassidy. The roster will include Captain America, Thor, Scarlet Witch, Wolverine, Rogue and Havok. Yep. The book will start with this group coming together, in the aftermath of Avengers vs. X-Men, as a way to make peace between the two teams. Also, they will have to face off against the Red Skull.

Also, remember we mentioned All-New X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis? Yep. We confirmed that it will open with the original 5 X-Men going into the present from the past. And boy, it is gonna be a shocker. But what is even more interesting? Here are comments from Marvel EIC, Axel Alonso made to CBR:

When we first entertained a story that would bring the Lee/Kirby X-Men into the present, Brian was the one who immediately latched onto it. That shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who reads Brian's work because he has a special gift for writing compelling, nuanced stories featuring young characters that either come to terms with new powers or deal with strange new situations, or both. No one tells a better ground-level story that introduces readers to a world through a young person's eyes -- and that's apparent from the first two scripts Brian's already written -- yep, already written! [Laughs] This is young Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Iceman and Angel traveling into the future and seeing what happened to Xavier's dream. And some of them will find out they didn't even make it this far! [Laughs] Imagine you're 17-year-old Jean Gray and you crash-land in the present. It'd be, like, "Why is everyone looking at me so strange...?"

And let me be very clear: Once the Lee & Kirby X-Men come into the present, they're here for the long haul. They're here for the foreseeable future, and that's something they -- and the rest of the Marvel Universe -- will have to come to terms with.

  So yeah. The original X-Men are here to stay for a while. So, Jean Grey is back ... sort of. It is before she died though. And the original 5 will be here for a WHILE. Time paradox anyone?


And Jumping back into the Avengers, Jonathan Hickman will be joined by Jerome Opena for the bi-weekly main Avengers book while it has been confirmed that former Avengers artist, Steve Epting, will return to the Avengers franchise as the new artist on New Avengers. It has been confirmed that all these titles will have new #1s. And the only Avengers that we know for sure on the Avengers will be Captain America, Thor & Shang Chi.

I know you've seen this already but just one more time. Let it sink in.

Any other Avengers, we will have to wait and see down the road how that goes. Yet, before we part, many have often compared Marvel NOW to DC's New  52. Here's Axel Alonso talking about that in his own words to CBR:

Well, one thing we did learn is that slapping a #1 on a bunch of cover sure gets you noticed! [Laughs] Look, DC does what it needs to do; we do what we need to do -- and we've been building toward this for some time. Marvel NOW! hearkens back to 11 years ago, when "NuMarvel" employed the simple strategy of "Great writer, great artist, great character, great hook...GO!" Only this time, we're embracing the #1 on the cover -- and we're determined that each issue is earns it -- and we're very conscious that these stories take place in one universe. We're leaning into the concept of shared-universe; while each title tells an independent story, they're part of a larger whole. 


And a couple things I want to emphasize: Marvel NOW! starts with the creators, so don't expect writer shake-ups across the line by the fourth or fifth issue, or half the titles to get cancelled and replaced by a new #1. We aren't throwing $#!# at a wall, seeing what falls off and then replacing it with more $#!#. [Laughs] We're building books we expect to last. Retailers that order them, and fans that read them, will be purchasing new ongoing titles, not limited series. Also, Marvel NOW! unfolds across four months, not one. Each week, we will be offering at least one new entry-point into the Marvel Universe for readers -- old, lapsed and new. It's a patient rollout that demonstrates respect for the fan and his wallet. 


Hmm .... sounds like fighting words to me. Let's see how it goes. Keep your eyes peeled here, in the Infinite, for more on Marvel NOW and other comic book news.

THE TOP 10 GREATEST AVENGERS STORYLINES

As we continue this months' Avengers month, we are gonna to cover the storylines that made the Avengers what they are today. In all of their various incarnations: Avengers, Avengers West Coast, New Avengers, Dark Avengers, Secret Avengers & even Young Avengers, we are gonna to examine the milestone stories that solidified their legend.

10: Under Siege: Avengers #273- #277


    We start with a hard hitting story from the Stern days of penning the Avengers. And it is simple. Baron Zemo was tired of losing. So he reforms the Masters of Evil, invades the Avengers Mansion.

  Sounds simple right?

   Well, Jarvis gets tortured. And then the Masters pick off Avengers left and right till Thor and Captain America arrive. The Masters put Hercules into a coma. Wasp and several other Avengers had to step down from active duty because of how bad the Master beat them. A rare, hard defeat that the Avengers turned into a win. But not without scars.

9:  Ultron Unlimited - Avengers #19-22 (Volume 3)

        Ultron. The robotic creation of none other than Hank Pym, Ultron has always been amongst one of the Avengers greatest enemies. And as such, when Ultron returned with his second mate, the devious android known as Alkhema aka War Toy, ends up giving the most vicious attack he has ever done: slaughtering the Baltic nation of Slorenia. 

      With the entire nation dead, the Avengers move in to attack him but only find that they play into Ultron's hands as he kidnaps Vision, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Eric Williams (aka Grim Reaper) & Wasp to use them to give brain patterns to new children that he has been cooking up. 

     Hank Pym and the rest of the Avengers have a grand showdown, with Justice, Black Panther & even War Toy giving big assists but this nightmare of a storyline by Kurt Busiek & George Perez left the Avengers wondering how they failed as an entire nation was killed by Ultron. 

8: Dark Reign/The Seige: Dark Avengers (Volume 1), New Avengers (Volume 1)

       After Norman Osborn became the top cop on the planet (cause of him doing something on tv during Secret Invasion), he gathered many of his Thunderbolt teammates, the son of Wolverine & Avengers Ares and The Sentry and formed his new Dark Avengers team. And while they were in charge, the New Avengers, lead by Clint Barton (then Ronin), were outlaws on the run from Osborn's H.A.M.M.E.R. (still have NO clue what that means) while still defeating other baddies. 

       After over a year of comics and multiple storylines, it culminated with Osborn,as a member of the Anti-Illuminati known as the Cabal, ordering the strike on Asgard, fooling Loki into thinking that he was doing it in order to help him gain control over it. And boy, was he wrong. The New Avengers, Nick Fury's Secret Warriors and more gathered in secret to help Thor defend his home of Asgard (now over a town in the midwest) being lead by then-former Captain America, Steve Rodgers. The Avengers won the day and took down Osborn but not with out some casualties as Ares was killed by Sentry and Thor ends up killing the Void, who had over taken Sentry's body. 

7: World Trust:  Avengers # 57 - #61 (Volume 3)

    I know people are surprised that this story got on the list. Even more so than other classics like Under Siege, Hank Pym's fall from grace or the Kree/Skrull War. Allow me to explain. World Trust did something very different for the Avengers. When every capital city disappears in another dimension alongside the World's leaders, the UN decides to put the Avengers in charge .... or the entire planet.

  Yep. The Avengers get put in charge of the entire world. Why would they do this? Well, it is cause of a particular victory that is actually on this countdown. Here's a hint ... check #5.  So, the Avengers, with Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, Captain America, She Hulk, Warbird, Ant Man Scott Lang, Jack of Hearts, Iron Man, Namor and more end up becoming the leaders of the planet while also finding out what was going on.

  Come to find out, a brand new Zodiac is behind the kidnappings and dimension hopping. Each Avenger got to shine as they worked together to not only save the planet from villainy but also, run the planet. And for their service ... Avengers Mansion is considered a sovereign nation of it own. Yep. Avengers Mansion was considered its own country. It was different. It was pretty damn dynamic. And it made being an Avenger that much more important. Yet, this gets thrown all out cause of Dissembled.  

6: The Avengers/Defenders War: Avengers #115-118, Defenders # 8-11

      In a bid to take care of both their enemies and to conquer Earth and have it be absorbed into the Dark Dimension, Loki had teamed up with Dormanmu and set up both groups in order to fight each other. Yes. Avengers vs. X-Men isn't the first time that the team faced another super hero team in a major storyline.

   The Defenders had two former Avengers, Hulk and Namor, in their ranks and they were not happy with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, thanks to the manipulations thanks to both villains. And the Avengers were not pleased with the Defenders either as both teams raced to gain control of the mystical Evil Eye. 

5: The Kang Dynasty: Avengers: The Kang Dynasty # 1, Avengers # 41-55

        I want to say this right now. Kang had won. He had conquered Earth. With the help of his son Marcus, Kang had finally succeeded in his goal of many years against the Avengers. Kang had taken Earth. He had attacked and decimated the United Nations. He had set up prison camps. Kang had truly become the ruler of the planet. 

      In that time, the Avengers continued to fight as the resistance against Kang. For the first time in decades, there was a long standing Avengers storyline that lasted OVER a year. And did the Avengers every assemble for this: Ms Marvel (then Warbird), Thor, Firebird, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Iron Man, Vision, Captain America, Wasp, Wonder Man, Jack of Hearts and more were all apart of this epic storyline as an Avenger killed, friends died and more. 

     And while it ended with a smash mouth battle between Kang and Captain America, the Avengers will always remember one of their biggest defeats. 

4: Operation: Galactic Storm :  Captain America # 398-#400, Avengers West Coast # 80- #82, Quasar # 32- #34,  Wonder Man # 7 -#9, Avengers # 345-#347, Iron Man # 278 & # 279 and The Mighty Thor # 445 & #446 . 

     The Shi'ar Empire and the Kree Empire have gone to war. And their war became so vast that it was going to effect Earth. As Quasar tried to prevent issues of war with the Shi'ar, Wonder Man and other Avengers seem to be having issues with the Kree. 

    So the war has begun and the Avengers ... both East Coast and West Coast Branches had mobilized to stop them. With the Avengers even framed for murder, they teams backs are against the wall and when the Nega Bomb is launched ... their entire galaxy was put into chaos. With manipulations from Kree, Shi'ar & even Skrull, this war takes more and more prisoners from both sides than the Avengers wanted. Yet, how the Avengers overcome these odds prove they are Earth's Greatest Heroes and more.

3:  Avengers: The Children's Crusade #1- #9 
    Funny how dangling storylines end up getting tied up. For years, fans had clamored for more from the Young Avengers since their debut. With the mysterious appearance of the heroes named Wiccan and Speed, Wiccan surmised that they were the missing sons of Scarlet Witch and the original Vision. As time passed, we found that that indeed that they were the sons of the Scarlet Witch, who had lost her memory. When Wiccan and the Young Avengers, alongside grandfather Magneto search and find Wanda, they find Dr. Doom with her ... and in love.

Ewww.

    What ends up happening because of this search? Well, since Scarlet Witch's powers were responsible for the near extinction of mutantkind, some  people, like Wolverine, wanted blood. So we had Avengers vs Young Avengers. We had Avengers vs the X-Men, which served as a prelude to the current AvX maxiseries event. We had the big reveal that Dr. Doom was the guy that drove Wanda insane and made her take away the powers of mutants and caused House of M. We get a resurrected Ant Man and Jack of Hearts (for him, it was like 2 minutes) only to watch in horror as Scott Lang gets to see his daughter die. We see Iron Lad's dark road open towards his destiny as the future Kang. We see Wanda try to make up for her past sin by giving Rictor back his powers. And ... we see a family reunited ... at such a steep price. Stature and the new Vision were killed. The X-Men scoffed at Scarlet Witch. The Young Avengers seemingly disbanded. Through it all, the story proves so many endings and opens new doors as well. And while many felt that the story was lackluster compared to the original Young Avengers series, this proved to be a story which will have impact for decades to come. Fans complained at Bendis over what he did to Wanda and when Heinberg REDEEMS the character, it does seem to be enough. Still, a great story with families at the heart of it all.

2:  The Korvac Saga : Avengers #167-#177 (Volume 1)

     This is arguably the Avengers greatest defeat. And it was all to one man, Michael Korvac. Well, there are issues with Ultron but he's not the main protagonist in this saga. When Quicksilver disappears and the first appearance of young Vance Astrovick (former New Warrior and Avenger known as Justice) get saved by a humanoid named Charlie-27, the things really begin to flare up. Korvac has come. 

 Korvac was a scientist from the 31st century who helped Earth to get enslaved by the aliens known as the Badoon. Yet, after they betray him and graph him to a cybernetic module, all he wants was revenge. He goes back in time to the present day after he fights Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy in the 31st Century. When he does come, he finds Galactus's ship and absorbs data and energy from it, becoming a god-like being with data and cosmic power. 

    As he comes to Earth, he falls in love with The Collector's daughter, Carina. She returns his feelings yet he is determined to destroy the Badoon in the past. The Guardians team with the Avengers to find Korvac ... with Starhawk going off on his own ... and getting killed for his trouble in the astral plane. Yet, Korvac recreates him but makes sure Starhawk's powers can't detect him. 

    The Collector begins to kidnap the Avengers to save them from Korvac but was killed for his help. Then, the Avengers and Guardians took on Korvac ... and DIED. Let me repeat that. Korvac killed the majority of the Avengers & the Guardians of the Galaxy. As Thor, Starhawk, Iron Man & Vision were the only ones left standing, Korvac wanted support from Carina. Yet, she was feeling guilt and doubt. Korvac noticed this and gave him. He COMMITS SUICIDE in his depression, allowing the Avengers to kill him in battle. Carnia then KILLS Iron Man, Starhawk and Vision, leaving Thor alive but she then allows Thor to kill her, cause she didn't want to live without her love. Korvac's final gift is to give enough life in all that died so that Thor's alter-ego, Donald Blake, could bring them all back to life.  

   Remember, this is the greatest defeat in the Avengers history.

1: Civil War  (Various)

    This event changed 616 Earth  . . . honestly, forever. Think about it.  We had government intervention with Super Heroes on such a large scale. We had registration of super heroes. We had Civil Rights trampled on because someone wants to put on a costume and help people. On one side, we had Iron Man, leading heroes who were for registration of heroes. On the other, we had Captain America, who felt that the law that  was being introduced was trampling on the civil rights of the people who were being defended.

   This event caused such a great change in the landscape of Marvel, characters are still feeling its affects. Spider-man being chief among them. Cause let's face it ... if it wasn't for Civil War and his unmasking, there would have NEVER been One More Day.

Let that sink in for a minute.

   Civil War caused One More Day which caused OMIT which caused Dan Slott's current (and Exceptional) run on Amazing Spiderman.

Civil War almost destroyed the Fantastic Four more than any villain ever could. It broke up Sue and Reed Richards to the point where divorce was looming.  And the Thing, not wanting to have anything to do with it, went to France.

  It caused Norman Osborn's rise to power.

  It had pretty much turned the New Warriors into pariahs.

   It had made Tony Stark into one of the biggest douchebags of the Marvel Universe.

   It had Tony Stark, Hank Pym and Reed Richards create a clone of Thor ... who ended up murdering Goliath, which ended up having his nephew join the Anti-Avengers group, The Revengers while the Thor clone, Ragnarok, ended up in Norman Osborn's hands and part of the recent incarnation of the Dark Avengers.

  It caused Luke Cage to step up, becoming leader of the New Avengers for the very first time.

  Captain America Steve Rodgers ended up dying because of these events, which then brought forth Bucky Barnes recent stint as Captain America and which ultimately becomes a catalyst for Steve Rodgers for wanting to form the Secret Avengers.


 And it was the key point Marvel event which created how Marvel events are done from this point on. It effected everyone on Earth. The only escape from Civil War seemed to be in space.




  

Countdown: Top 10 Avengers

by Darryll YTC Carter

Two weeks ago I posted my top 10 mutants showing the people I'm rooting for during the Avengers vs X-Men event. This time its the Avengers' turn. Let's get to it.

Captain America

     Without any contest remotely, Cap is my number one Avenger. I mean…. He’s Cap. He earned my respect from the pages of the Ultimates back in my high school days. I’m pro-American and Cap is as pro-America as it gets (before it becomes unhealthy or just racist). He is pure American everything that we should be. Everything that any self respecting and aspiring hero wants to be.  Then there is the shield. He’s surgical with that thing. Not to mention till this day he’s the only man I’ve seen literally walk up to the Hulk and just slug him one.

 Hulk

     If you would have seen me when I first saw the Incredible Hulk or maybe the time I saw the Hulk jump out of a nuclear explosion, you would know my appreciation for the Hulk is borderline orgasmic. That’s right I swoon folks, swoon when I see the Hulk go on his rampages and exert his power and the devastation it relinquishes upon the battlefield or an unsuspecting alien’s face. “Hulk Smash!” = Me happy.

Spider-Man

     Good ole Parker. My favorite superhero tied for first place with none other than Bruce Wayne himself. He’s got the jokes, he’s got the smarts and he had the girl… redhead that is. She’ll be back again don’t even worry about it Pete. We’ll be okay. We’ll be okay… Maybe you can hook up with Patty Spivot, she looks a lot like your recent ex, especially since she wants nothing to do with Flash.

Scarlet Witch

     

      Mmmm, Wanda. I said why I liked her in the Mutant countdown and interestingly enough she clutches the #4 spot again. I like her enough that she appears on both lists. Here’s an excerpt from the Mutant countdown on Wanda:

Often viewed as the favorite child of Magneto, Scarlet Witch is a top tier mutant not to be trifled with. Scarlet Witch manipulates probability fields and reality via her hexes. While she has been deemed unstable on more than one fair occasion, Wanda once firmly warmed a seat in the Avengers alongside her love, Vision. To put into perspective just how powerful Wanda is, I only need to mention House of M. Don’t know what that is? Google it or go buy it. Man I love women with power.

Valkyrie

      Valkyrie is pretty much what I’d go for if I were a superhero. Like Wanda she is a mesh of power and beauty. Besides riding shotgun and being the resident strongman for the first version of the Secret Avengers she has a very poetic and archaic way with words. And who doesn’t like a girl who can wield a big ass sword. Ring Ring. Hello? Valk, it’s for you. Cloud wants his buster sword back.

Iron Man

      Tony Stark would probably have been number three or four on this list before Civil War went down. While his side did come up on top, we all know he regrets the brunt of his actions. Downey and the Iron Man films saved Tony for me. Saved him from the abyss he was doomed for in my mind. That said, Its hard to hate the guy. It is like really hard. You have to try. Like discover a new element try.

               

Black Widow

     Scarlett Johansson.

She Hulk

      Banner’s cousin Jennifer Walters; experienced and great lawyer by day, big green, sexy, muscle pounding machine by choice. The beauty of She Hulk’s character is that she chooses to be She Hulk. She’s in perfect control of her transformation, thanks to the opposite effect it had on her as opposed to her cousin.

Wasp

     I’m not sure how to explain how or why I like the wasp. Is it that I like the Wasp or is it that I like what happened to the Wasp? Vague? I’ll explain. In the Ultimates, the Wasp was married to Hank Pym, Giant Man, who also happened to be abusive. One day after an argument he decided to spray her with some bug spray and have his mind controlled ant army ravage her. (Not like that…) They roughed her up a bit… a lot. Cap handled that nasty business. I’ve always thought that was an amazing writing choice. To put that in there. A hot head hero, who abuses his mutant wife, who can shrink down to the size of an insect and sprout wings, with bug spray. It was near genius.

Thor

     “By Odin’s beard!” That’s pretty much the extent of my appreciation. LMAO. Who says that? Thor, that’s who. Oh and Mjolnir. It doesn’t take much to please me folks.

Countdown: YTC's Top 10 Mutants

Countdown: YTC’s Top 10 Mutants

by Darryll YTC Carter

      Happy New Comics Wednesday Clashers.  With Avengers Vs. X-Men going on, it seemed appropriate to take a look at both sides.This week's countdown is a list of my favorite mutants. We'd love to see your favorite mutants as well. Drop us your list in the comments below.

1. Rogue 

     Undoubtedly my favorite mutant by a landslide. Rogue has been the apple of my eye since my early days watching Fox Kids. She introduced me to the lure of a southern belle and the attraction of a woman who can toss a forklift like a soft ball. While I do really miss her 90’s jacket fashion, they’ve kept her in good form and her character has really evolved from a member of the team to a leadership position at the Jean Grey School.

2. The Phoenix

      The Phoenix is a force to be reckoned with. While the read head is a strong point, the Phoenix has reached the top of this list by making Jean Grey a legend. Jean came a long way from the girl who buckled every time she employed her abilities, to a flaming celestial goddess immortalized and honored with a school in her name and a tenacious daughter who honors her original moniker.

3. Cyclops

     Former Ward Cleaver incarnate, Scott was the leader of the original X-men and leader of the remaining mutants until they split during Schism.  I love stand up traditionally heroic characters that fight with honor. (Captain America is also the ish.) While I somewhat detest Scott’s current demeanor I have to applaud him for stepping up to the plate and trying to get things done. He was always a good leader and he would always do what needed to be done to help his team. Is that Cyclops really gone? Or is he just finally looking at a bigger picture?

4. Scarlet Witch

     Often viewed as the favorite child of Magneto, Scarlet Witch is a top tier mutant not to be trifled with. Scarlet Witch manipulates probability fields and reality via her hexes. While she has been deemed unstable on more than one fair occasion, Wanda once firmly warmed a seat in the Avengers alongside her love, Vision. To put into perspective just how powerful Wanda is, I only need to mention House of M. Don’t know what that is? Google it or go buy it. Man I love women with power.

5. Domino

     Domino, the female Longshot with an edge. Domino stands out from the rest as a mutant who uses her abilities to augment the tools of her trade. Not to mention the alabaster/grey skin tone with the black spot on the eye individualizes her and makes her memorable.

6. Wolverine

      He’s the best at what he does, but what he does isn’t very nice. You darn skippy it isn’t. (Who says skippy anymore?) Wolverine has proven time and time again that he can make the hard call and cut off your head if it needs to happen. While Wolverine is the X-men’s resident badass the bulk of my appreciation for his character comes from the many layers of emotion and compassion that lay under his cool fierce waves of his surface.

7. Mystique

     Manipulator supreme, Mystique is a bonafide femme fatale. Mystique uses everything at her disposal to accomplish her goals, from guns to people. Her best tool is her shape shifting ability. She can be any woman or man you want. I like blue women myself. Who do you think my love interest was in Mass Effect?

8. Shadowcat 

    Kitty Pride… She had the cutest nose on X-Men evolution. But she was sort of a tool. However, Kitty redeems herself in the regular Marvel continuity having been trained in various martial arts by Weapon X himself, Wolverine.  Her spot was cemented when she decided it was a good idea to date the amazing Spider-Man of the Ultimate Universe. Till this day, I think that was the best relationship Peter ever had.

9. Forge

      There are two powers that would totally suit my personality. One is the power that comes from being a Green Lantern (or probably a yellow or red lantern) and all the constructs I could create with my mind. The other is the Forge’s ability to literally create anything he can think of. I mean his power is ridiculous. I could think, “I need to forge world peace. But how do I do it? Frick’n Voltron!” Boom, it’s done. I know exactly how to make it and get it to perform the way it needs to. I won’t really know how until I reverse engineer it, but hey. Who the hell would take the lions apart once they had them anyway?

10. Magneto

      Last but not least is the master of magnetism, Magneto. Magnus first reared his tactically villainous head before me on the Fox Kids X-Men cartoon. Back then I saw the world in a more black and white tone. Good and evil. Right and Wrong. Magneto showed me that it wasn’t that simple. When you look at the world from Magneto’s point of view things start to make sense. You start to see why he thinks and does the things he does. You see the genius and you see at his core a man whose purpose is to ensure that his people survive. I can relate to that and I respect that.