Avengers: Armageddon #5 is here. This is the comic book that will set the stage for where the Marvel Universe will stand the rest of this year and in 2027. We already got a hint at how important this issue will be as we ended the previous issue of Avengers: Armageddon with the long-awaited debut of Miracleman. That alone has made this latest Marvel event a big deal. But with one final issue left there is still a lot to get done to solidify what the event will mean for the Marvel Universe. Let’s find out how things end with Avengers: Armageddon #5.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artists: Delio Diaz, Frank Alpizar, and Ario Anindito
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: Cory Petit
AVENGERS: ARMAGEDDON #5 SOLICITATION
“DARKNESS BEFORE THE DAWN: THE FALL OF THE AVENGERS… The point of no return! After the cataclysmic events of AVENGERS: ARMAGEDDON #4, the world is torn asunder. Humanity turns against super heroes. And for David Colton, what is the price of all that great power? See where the pieces fall in preparation for Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto’s AVENGERS #1!” – Marvel Comics
REVIEW
Avengers: Armageddon #5 is not the traditional final issue of a big event. There is no big action sequence that puts an end to the conflict that goes on in this story. That all happened in the previous issue. What this final issue of Avengers: Armageddon is all about the battle that comes from the state of the world when the dust settles after the Red Hulk-sized Gamma bomb was set off. It’s an ending that certainly leaves a lot to discuss for where the Marvel Universe could go.
While Avengers: Armageddon #5 puts an emphasis on superhumans being out of control that appears to be more of a blanket term for both superheroes and villains. We see that it is not just those with powers that are impacted by the United Nations creating a global ban on the use of superpowers. This decision makes the ramifications of what Miracleman and Red Hulk did that led to Russia’s attack to be arguably as severe as what we’ve seen from any Marvel event.
What makes this global ban by the UN big is that unlike other events the decision was out of the heroes’ hands. They had no say in what all the countries decided on. They could only be witnesses while they were still taking in the damage that was caused by this event. Especially events like Civil War, One World Under Doom, and Armageddon have been big public spectacles that have engulfed the world. These and other events didn’t end with the continuity resetting or the public being able to see past.
Making things even more intriguing was how Zdarsky choose to separate the United States from this decision. USA was the only country to not institute the global ban not because the government didn’t agree but because it is not that simple of a decision. Through the scene with Sue Storm and the Secretary of State it is firmly established the US has 80% of the superhuman population. That fact puts the US in a different spot to police superhumans as there are also non-super powered people like Iron Man that they also must worry about.
That fact along with U.N.’s decision makes the result of Avengers: Armageddon leading to the full return of SHIELD under the control of Nick Fury Jr. a bigger deal. This is the first time Nick Fury Jr. gets to establish himself as a character in the Marvel Universe rather than just a background character at best. He has the power given to him by the U.N. investing in his new SHIELD and the connections with the US government to be the most powerful person on Earth.
Making things even more intruging on this side of things is that Avengers: Armageddon #5 ends with the return of the iconic Nick Fury, Jr’s father. This development shows that there are even bigger things going on than just the global super-human ban. Zdarsky fully utilizes Nick Fury’s aura to present him as someone who knows more than anyone else to get across this new direction is more than just a temporary status quo shift.
Through all this Zdarsky does a very job of using Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, and others to establish the severity of the current state of the world. This event did more to break them than other big events. There is a feeling that this was edge that the heroes were put on because of One World Under Doom and Armageddon was the tipping point that sent them over it.
All of this makes the fact we end without the Avengers back in action make sense. At this point we have Steve Rogers is in a coma, Sam Wilson shaken by Bucky Barnes believed death, Tony Stark going the loner route after what he saw in the Probability Machine, Thor currently MIA, and Black Panther dealing with the UN’s decision. With these core Avengers members out it further puts into question if they should be around. Those that do form the new team will have to answer for that.
One part where this story falters are with David Colton’s narrative. While there is a reason why he was written the way he is, the fact is even as Miracleman David still comes across as robotic with his dialogue. Its not even the God complex that he has. There is a tone in his voice that even Wolverine calls out that you aren’t left thinking you want to see what is next for his character. He is to stale in the way he is written to really get across his complex nature as Miracleman.
The other thing that does not work for Avengers: Armageddon #5 is the artwork. Individually Delio Diaz, Frank Alpizar, and Ario Anindito are talented artists. Unfortunately, because of the artists by committee the quality of the art does not always look like it is at its highest level. There are clear differences in their art styles that you feel like the art is rushed rather than there being a change in artist. It leaves this final issue having way to many points of inconsistencies in detail from page to page.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Avengers: Armageddon #5 does a lot to establish what the new status quo for the Marvel Universe will be. Chip Zdarsky writing gets over how this status quo shift will be the new normal for a long time. The world turning against all super-humans creates a strong foundation that all the comics that take place in the Marvel Universe can build intriguing storylines around. If it wasn’t for some inconsistencies created by the art-by-committee approach this final issue would have fully solidified this event as one of the best Marvel big events in recent years.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6.5 Night Girls out of 10
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