Avengers: Twilight Is A Perfect Avengers Story

The Avengers have more than earned their reputation as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, whether it be on the comic page or the big screen. The Avengers have starred in some amazing stories over the decades, comics that have showed off some of the greatest heroes doing amazing things. There’s a certain formula to Avengers stories; showcase the most prestigious superheroes in the Marvel Universe, pit them against the most dangerous threats imaginable, and throw in some expert world-building and character work. However, even with that formula, it’s been very hard to find actual perfect Avengers stories but readers got an example of one in 2024 — Avengers: Twilight, by writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Daniel Acuna.

Marvel has created some great alternate universe stories, but few of them can match Avengers: Twilight. The story combines everything great about the Avengers, while mixing in a rather frightening and prescient taste of fascism coming to the United States. It’s a superhero story that is wonderfully political, and yet also extremely exciting at every turn. It reimagines the role of the Avengers in a world gone mad, and shows off one of the darkest and most realistic Marvel stories of the last twenty years. Avengers: Twilight takes all of the ingredients and gives readers an amazing meal unlike any they’ve had before.

Avengers: Twilight Is a Superhero Tour de Force

Avengers: Twilight takes place in a future after the terrible day known as H-Day. The Avengers villain Ultron was able to take control of multiple villains and attack the world. Many of the heroes were killed in the ensuing battle and by the time the dust settled, the world had changed forever. Superheroes were outlawed and placed under governmental control. Captain America willingly gave up his supersoldier serum, living a normal life for the first time in years. Iron Man was thought dead, survived by a son he had with the Wasp, who was also thought dead. Thor disappeared from the Earth, leaving behind the people of the world of Midgard. The rest of the heroes went away as well, disappearing into their civilian identities.

Of course, this leads to fascism, which is abetted by James Stark, Iron Man and Wasp’s son, and Kyle Jarvis, a heretofore unknown brother of Stark family/Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis. Luke Cage approaches Steve Rogers, who has become bored with his civilian life and fed up with the America he sees everywhere. Cage offers him a way to change all of that, his rebel group of Defenders having found a new batch of supersoldier serum. Captain America re-emerges, and the Avengers follow. The government throw the Thunderbolts at the new Avengers, giving them a Hawkeye, and Thor returns. However, James and Kyle have their own plans, with Kyle holding a secret that could doom everything.

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Avengers: Twilight does everything right. Chip Zdarksy is one of the best writers working today, and he brought it heavily with Avengers: Twilight. It’s not only a great superhero story, but a great political thriller. The fascism of the US in Avengers: Twilight feels like something that could — or is — happening right now, as lies are transformed into truth, and that twisted truth is used to take power. There’s a sense of 2025 jingoism in Avengers: Twilight that is often missing from Avengers stories; the Avengers have rarely been this political and it works beautifully. On top of that, Zdarsky has a grasp on the characters that is amazing. His Captain America is one of the best versions of the character to appear in years, which is definitely why the writer was given the helm of Star-Spangled Avenger’s upcoming solo comic.

The art is out of this world. Acuna has been working in the comic industry since the mid 2000s. While his style isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, it’s perfect for this story. His highly stylized pencils and colors do an amazing job of bringing this terrible future world to life.The action of the book is phenomenal, and Acuna gives the fight scenes a sense of motion and weight that gives something that many comic fight scenes — and even the vast majority of live-action superhero fight scenes — lack. He’s able to capture the grandeur of Marvel’s heroes, and the evil of their most terrible villain, a monster hiding in plain sight throughout the book. This book has art on par with future DC masterpiece Kingdom Come, with Acuna joining Alex Ross as one of the best superhero artists ever with his work on Avengers: Twilight.

Avengers: Twilight Is the Most Impressive Marvel Book in Ages

The Avengers may have been having banner years in the multiplex, but the same can’t be said for the comics. Since 2015, the Avengers’ comics haven’t exactly been the greatest. Oh sure, there have been some good Avengers stories, but it’s been ages since readers have gotten the Avengers the way they really wanted them. Avengers: Twilight changed that. It takes all of the elements of classic Avengers storytelling and adds in some real world commentary to create something unlike anything Marvel has put out.

Marvel is great at superheroes, but they don’t always do a great job with superheroes and social commentary. Avengers: Twilight is an example of that sort of thing done right. It’s exactly the kind of superhero comic readers need right now, not just because it’s a great Avengers book, and not just because it’s a smart treatise on the future of the United States. It’s exactly what superhero comic readers need because it shows just how perfect a storytelling medium that comics can be. Avengers: Twilight isn’t just peak Avengers or peak Marvel; it’s peak superheroes.