Avengers: Armageddon #5 Is the Perfect Way to Kick-Start a New Era (Review)

Avengers: Armageddon promised to be an event that would shake the Marvel Universe to its core. It started off like any other major event, this time letting Red Hulk rise to prominence as the major villain, but it took things in a direction nobody saw coming. From the hard focus on the politics of superheroics to Colton’s reveal as Miracleman, it questioned superheroes’ place in the world and what the responsibility of these people was when push came to shove. Ultimately, it might not have been a universe-shaking revelation like it was pitched, but it did implement a ton of massive, far-reaching consequences that every hero in Marvel is going to have to live with.

This issue is the final chapter of the “Armageddon” event, but it doesn’t read like a final chapter. Rather, this is the first chapter in a new era and direction for Marvel as a whole. In much the same way that the All-In Saga has touched every corner of the DC Universe, this new status quo and mounting threats and allies are guaranteed to completely change how Marvel works for the foreseeable future. Everything might not change right away, but a whole ton is shifting very, very quickly, and it all happened in one intimate, human finale.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Pros	Cons
Grounded exploration of emotions and the fallout of the event	Definitely more of a set-up chapter instead of a finale
Best hype-building I’ve seen in a Marvel comic in years	Absolutely massacred Captain Marvel
Constant twists that make builds off of everything set up

The World After Armageddon Is Grim

This entire issue explored the fallout of Red Hulk’s explosion. It sufficiently turned the world’s governments against superhumans, with only the USA choosing to abstain from passing anti-hero laws because they cannot enforce them on the massive population of heroes. Meanwhile, all the main players are exploring their grief and failures. Captain Marvel absorbed most of the explosion, but it left her massively depowered and traumatized. Sam Wilson is in shambles after Bucky’s supposed death, and with Iron Man leaving town, it falls to Spider-Man to hold onto hope and humanity to reform the Avengers. Colton goes to Wolverine seeking death, but finds a new path forward, while both Nick Furys gather their armies for the war to come. It all ends with Doom’s prophecy machine finding the key to everything, which is Mephisto holding Spider-Man’s broken body.

So much happens here that it’s impossible to talk about it all, but all of it has far-reaching impacts on the comic book world. More than anything, this issue, and this series as a whole, is dedicated to bringing the Avengers down from the clouds and onto the ground. From depowering Captain Marvel to its focus on Spider-Man to making the next Avengers’ strongest member an ex-soldier looking for his way in the world, this issue has effectively forced a situation where only the most human and down-to-earth heroes can carve a path forward. It makes the argument that Marvel Comics as a whole has forgotten the human heart that drives these heroes, and makes a massive step in forcing the top heroes to return to that reality.

The best scenes, as they always are with Chip Zdarsky’s projects, are focused on Spider-Man, whom he imagines as the heroic ideal. He’s a flawed man, sure, but he never hesitates to leap into action to help others and never loses sight of the little people that so often get swept up as numbers in these events. This issue understands everything that makes Spider-Man work, and the scene where he speaks with Anya felt real and heartbreaking in just the right way. Now, I’m still hopeful that Marvel will eventually reverse “One More Day,” and while I can’t say that this issue promises that, at the very least, seeing Spider-Man fight Mephisto would be incredible and is the closest we’ve come to that since Nick Spencer’s run. This issue gives me hope.

Not everything is perfect, of course. My biggest concern is that this new street-level crew of Avengers might stray too far into the grounded ideal and forget that superheroes are allowed to be fun and whimsical as well. After all, Carol’s new costume legitimately looks like she’s just wearing a Captain Marvel T-shirt with her jeans, and Wolverine isn’t wearing a costume at all. Grounding the Avengers like this could lead to some incredible stories, but it also leaves me just a bit worried that it will forget its superhero roots in favor of just drama. Either way, that’s an issue for tomorrow, but the seeds of it are planted today.

Beautiful But Sometimes Stiff Art

This massive comic featured art from three distinct pencillers, including Ario Anindito, Delio Diaz, and Frank Alpizar. Having three distinct artists sounds like it would be overwhelming, but none of them ever stepped on each other’s toes, and the whole story stayed consistent and beautiful-looking. They definitely went for a more realistic style to match the tone of the story, aiming for what it would be like to bring these heroes into the modern real world. For the most part, this works really well. There’s almost no action in this issue, but the tension is maintained through excellent paneling and grief and uncertainty that are palpable in every motion and body language.

The one problem that I have with this art style is that it puts a bit too much emphasis on being clean, and thus is afraid to get expressive. The body language is often great, but the actual expressions are often dull or locked. Emotion is mostly conveyed through dialogue and actions, because if it solely relied on the faces, there wouldn’t be much to say at all. Nothing here is bad, but it spends so much effort making sure that nothing is bad that it’s afraid to be something more than good. I didn’t notice this too much on the first read-through, but subsequent reads did make it more obvious. This isn’t a major issue, but it does detract from the otherwise stellar art.

Overall, this issue has been a massive turning point for the Marvel Universe. We didn’t even discuss how it confirms that Miracle Man is present in the main Marvel Universe and everything that means. It’s a massive shakeup, but what do you think of this new direction, and how much it changes versus how little? Let us know in the comments below!

Avengers: Armageddon #5 is on sale now!

These 5 Avengers Are Powerhouses but Everyone Forgets About Them