Avengers, The #177

Issue Details

Synopsis

"The Hope... and the Slaughter!" Twenty-two superheroes back away from the nigh-omnipotent Michael (whom they’ve come to realize is the villain from the future, Korvac) in all his cosmic glory as well as his beloved Carina. Michael tells the Avengers that by exposing him, they have ruined everything he hoped to accomplish. Before their arrival, he had veiled his existence from the great powers of the universe, but a battle between them will certainly draw their attention. He relates his certainty how the Asgardians, the Olympians, Uatu the Watcher, and even Mephisto and his damned forces will join together in unison to oppose him. Lost in his own thoughts of sorrow and regret, Michael ignores the Avengers. The heroes themselves do not dare to make the first move. Meanwhile, Moondragon telepathically summons the Guardians of the Galaxy to the battle. The Guardians arrive, much to the alarm of neighborhood residents who are unaware of what is going on inside the house. Charlie-27 knocks down the door. But Michael is unimpressed to see his former enemies. Projecting an image of Drydock, their orbiting space station, on his ceiling, Michael projects a blast of energy that utterly destroys it. (A narration caption reveals that Vance Astro dies screaming in the explosion.) Furious at the death of Vance, Nikki attacks Korvac. He swats her aside, killing her instantly. Quicksilver then attacks but he too is killed immediately. The rest of the Avengers and Guardians follow Pietro's lead, attacking en masse -- all except Moondragon who stands away in the corner transfixed and overcome by a silent horror. Wave upon wave of heroes rush at Michael, but he quite easily picks them off one by one. The battle is more like a massacre. Throughout all of it, Michael waxes dramatically as he laments the loss of the noble, heroic Avengers whom he actually admired. Meanwhile, Moondragon observes with the ongoing melee from the corner with tears in her eyes. As their numbers dwindle, Iron Man decides it is time to change tactics. He orders Black Panther to take Carina hostage. He hesitates, however, since he feels taking a hostage is dishonorable. Yellowjacket grabs hold of her instead. Carina fails to defend herself and Yellowjacket realizes that she is actually terrified, but not of him or the Avengers. Enraged that Carina is being threatened, Michael lashes out and kills Yellowjacket. Captain Marvel thinks to himself that from Korvac's perspective they are moving in slow motion. His cosmic senses can perceive it, but he has no solution to this problem. Finally, every one of his opponents is either dead or knocked out. As he powers down and resumes the form of a normal human, he states that those still living he will terminate mercifully. He fails to note, however, that Captain America has revived. Cap takes him by surprise and manages to get a few good blows in. He declares that while there is still one Avenger left, they will continue to fight him. But Michael rallies himself and kills Cap as well. Wonder Man has also regained consciousness by now and attacks as well. As he pummels him, he confesses that he shrank away from Michael, fearful of dying. But seeing Cap in action has instilled him with the courage to keep fighting, regardless of the possible price he’ll pay. Nevertheless, Michael takes him down too. While Michael tangled with Cap and then Wonder Man, four heroes -- Iron Man, Starhawk, Thor, and the Vision -- regain consciousness and attack him as one. The assault overwhelms Michael and he turns to Carina for support, but she hesitates and recoils from him. At that moment, Michael inexplicably falls dead. The four remaining heroes are baffled by his abrupt death. Despite the amount of sheer power they pummeled him with, he should have been able to withstand it. Yet, it seems he had abruptly lost the will to live. Suddenly, Carina manifests her own cosmic power to attack them. The Vision, Starhawk and Iron-Man all fall before her. Thor is the last Avenger standing, facing off against her. He claims he will not hesitate to strike her down, but actually does. Carina herself forces Mjolnir to strike her down with a bolt of pure energy. In her dying moments, she stumbles toward Michael. She falls dead just short of grasping his hand. Thor and Moondragon are the last two standing. Moondragon tells Thor that Carina wished to die, explaining as well that in the heat of the battle she probed Michael’s mind. By her own reckoning, Michael was not evil as they had all assumed and that he did not wish to rule them or interfere with their free will. He wished only to free them from the capricious whims of Eternity. Thor asks whether they should have died instead of him. Moondragon replies that his fate was inevitable but that the Avengers are to blame for it. Moondragon also goes on to reveal that just before dying, Michael used his power to restore the Avengers to life. They are all alive although their injuries are grave and they need immediate medical attention. She reveals that she is aware of Thor's secret identity as Dr. Donald Blake and he transforms into his mortal form and goes to work saving the lives of the heroes. Meanwhile, Moondragon erases Thor / Blake’s memory of what she has revealed to him. Thor will recall nothing of the Avengers' terrible deed. He and the other Avengers will believe that they won a great triumph. Only she will remember forever.