New Marvel Comic Reveals the Final Fight of the Marvel Universe

The past, present, and future of the Marvel Universe is revealed in Timeless (2023) #1.

By Cameron Bonomolo - December 27, 2023 08:35 pm EST

Spoiler alert for Marvel's Timeless (2023) #1. What if Power Man wielded the powers of the immortal Iron Fist, the golden guardian Sentry, and the Incredible Hulk? The answer comes far in the future of the Marvel Universe in this week's Timeless #1, the annual year-ending one-shot setting the stage for upcoming stories — including the rise of the next Moon Knight in Vengeance of Moon Knight, the new Spirit of Vengeance in Ghost Rider: Final Vengeance, the vampire apocalypse in Blood Hunt, and the X-Men's rebirthfrom the ashes.

The story begins in the time of "yesterday," when heroes for hire Luke Cage and Danny Rand — a.k.a. Power Man and Iron Fist — shake hands to form an unbreakable pact: "Heroes for life." But in the time of "tomorrow," Luke Cage is the last-living hero. This is how the age of heroes ends.

A caravan of survivors walk to behold the ritual of Khonshu, god of gods, at his lunar temple of the moon. The Void — a malevolent persona and the darker half of Robert Reynolds, the Sentry — takes hold of Cage as memories of the past flood into his mind like a "screaming graveyard."

"The age of heroes is over," Cage thinks. "All the others are dead." Khonshu's plan is in motion and can't be stopped. All Cage can do is avenge. He's an amalgamation of three heroes: "I am the last confessor of the Sentry, bequeathed the power of a million exploding suns and the darkness beyond the endless Void. The blood of the Hulk flows through my veins. I have looked through the Green Door. I have faced the one who stares back. My resolve is made of steel... and a dragon burns in my iron fist." He is the Living Weapon. He is POWER MAN.

Summoning the power of the Sentry, Cage shatters Khonshu's sacrifice machine as the god prepares to reap the planet to the cheers of his cult. As gamma-irradiated blood regrows his mutilated arm, Cage confronts this world's ruler: the Immortal Moon Knight. "When everything fell apart, when we were all grieving from The White Sky Event, you're the one who bought Stark Unlimited," Cage tells Moon Knight. "You're the one who mastered the Eye. The famous self-made Eternal, the thief of the Iron Fist! And what did you do with all that power? You turned the world over to a monster."

He is Danny Rand, avatar of Khonshu. He is the IMMORTAL MOON KNIGHT.

Cage feels another tremor in the fabric of time. Tombstone, apparent victor of Gang War, towers over New York City. Earth's mightiest heroes kneel to Victor von Doom and battle a legion of blood-sucking vampires. Johnny Blaze's last ride as the Ghost Rider. It's Power Man vs. the Immortal Moon Knight, a clash of the titans that sends both combatants careening into the depths of space. Moon Knight's scythe severs Cage's glowing iron fist. Reality is as he wills it. The Power Man is powerless to stop him.

"Why would you even think about standing against the moon?" Moon Knight. "'Cause I'm a hulk," Cage answers, his eyes glowing green, "AND HULKS SMASH." Cage craters into the moon with an exploding burst of gamma energy. "I'm sorry, Danny. I never wanted to be the one to kill you." But the Immortal Moon Knight reveals his broken, bloodied visage, and snarls through blackened teeth: "Don't worry, Luke. I killed him first."

Cage again recalls the throes of the age of heroes as he battles Khonshu, possessing Danny Rand's corpse like a puppet. Cage vows to kill Khonshu, but the god has begun culling Earth's survivors for one final sacrifice. It's a day epochs in the making. Inevitable. "Marc Spector built a faith from madness. Daniel Rand built an engine from technology and magic. But neither were capable of being anything more than paladins," Khonshu tells Cage, his eyes glowing white. "Congratulations, Carl Lucas. God has noticed you. And he has found you worthy. You will be the last of your people. The unconsumed witness to my feast. My herald."

Cage tries to fight the all-powerful Khonshu, a cosmic Celestial consuming all of time and space. "Everything that has existed or ever will exist. Just food for a final god," Cage thinks. Power Man is all that's left, and the memory of a promise: heroes for life. Cage's chain envelops his remaining hand. It glows with the power of the Sun. Cage channels his Chi into an iron fist. He's the last one who remembers every moment of heroism, every great defeat. "They all walk with me. And they all say the same damn thing. There's always something left to save." The Avengers — Jessica Jones, Spider-Man, Captain America, Sentry, Spider-Woman, Captain Marvel, Ronin, Wolverine, Iron Man — assemble in spirit as Power Man punches Khonshu through the heart. The Heart of the Dragon glows, illuminating the shadow of the moon.

Power Man saved the world. As Cage falls away through the current of time for the final time, Timeless ends in "today." Power Man becomes a "ping" as Tony Stark monitors extraplanetary energy readings — high speed debris that burned out near Jupiter. "Another win for the good guys," Stark says, as Cage's gamma-green body drifts through space... and begins to regenerate. "This is how it begins."

The end.

Timeless (2023) #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.

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