As we’ve known for some time, Marvel’s Phoenix Force is on the hunt for a new host on Earth and she’s hand selected a group of characters to battle it out for the title. This whole throw down is taking place in the pages of Jason Aaron‘s The Avengers and the list of potential contenders is shrinking every week. In this week’s issue, Avengers #42, we see the elimination of Echo by Namor and Shang-Chi by Captain America (who was actively trying to lose, but by the effort, still won the match-up) but one character makes a push for why they should be the host and it would be wise to listen.
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This same character is one that was previously teased to be the winner in another Jason Aaron comic, as Wolverine was hosting the Phoenix in the far future of Aaron’s Thor (and we do mean FAR future). Between each fight, each of the remaining competitors finds themselves in a blank space waiting for the next battle, this time an argument breaks out about who should take on the Phoenix as its host and Wolverine makes his claim for why it should be him. To that end he finds himself in another fight at the issue’s conclusion, revealing what his Phoenix costume looks like.
Wolverine’s closing narration in the issue, which extends beyond the pages of his own fight, makes the case for why it should be him as well and frankly it’s hard to argue with his logic.
“All these people out here acting like they don’t wanna be The Phoenix,” he says over fights like American Eagle vs Shanna the She-Devil and Vaklyrie vs She-Hulk. “The Phoenix may be the sweetest fruit that eve plopped down outta the stars. but the juice still ain’t worth the squeeze. This fruit comes with a deadly Price. And too many times I’ve watched others pay it. Jeannie going dark, Rachel’s family getting massacred before her eyes, Hope sacrificing her own childhood to try to be a messiah. I’m done letting good people step in front of me to take big flaming bullets. Taking bullets is supposed to be MY job.”
He concludes, “Name’s Logan. Weapon X. The Wolverine. And now I’m the damn Phoenix.”
The bad news for Logan is major though since his next fight as him going up against T’Challa, the Black Panther, who the Phoenix previously claimed was her personal pick to be her host. Things are about to get dicey for both of them depending on how this fight goes. You can find the full solicitation for the next issue of Avengers below!
Avengers #43
(W) Jason Aaron (A) Javi Garron (CA) Leinil Francis Yu
THE FIGHT TO BECOME THE ALL-NEW PHOENIX HEATS UP!
As the greatest heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe are trapped within the battle to decide the all-new Phoenix – a bloody battle that has narrowed to a handful of desperate combatants. Thor leads the rest of the Avengers in the fight to contain the Phoenix Force on Earth, in a quest complicated by the Thunder God’s own mysterious connection to the cosmic firebird.
Rated T+
In Shops: Mar 03, 2021