ARMAGEDDON HAS ARRIVED! Red Hulk’s devastating tear across the globe must be stopped… but it will take a colossal gathering of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to do it! Calling in the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Wolverine and more…but who will survive this super-powered cataclysm?! There will be a pre-Armageddon Marvel Universe and a post-Armageddon Marvel Universe. Be here to bear witness to the transformation. Avengers: Armageddon #1 kicks off the latest Marvel event that promises to be as big as Avengers: Disassembled.

It’s been months leading up to this event. Writer Chip Zdarsky has laid the groundwork in his run of Captain America as well as Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon. Each has had a different role, with Captain America introducing us to a “new” Captain America who took on the mantle in the early 2000s and Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon followed up with a “where is he now” for that “new” Captain America story. Captain America also showed us the turmoil in Latveria post “One World Under Doom” where a vacuum of leadership now exists. In has stepped Thunderbolt Ross, the Red Hulk, who has decided to bring democracy to Latveria… and elsewhere. And with that, Avengers: Armageddon #1 feels like the flipside to the recent “One World Under Doom.”

In “One World Under Doom,” Doctor Doom took over the world bringing it both good and bad. Though the environment, education, freedom of movement, quality of life all improved, it was under the authoritarian rule of Doom. Dissidence was stamped out. It was an exploration of the promises of authoritarianism and what we the people are willing to give up to get the peace and prosperity we supposedly crave. Avengers: Armageddon is the swing of that. Instead of global authoritarianism, Ross and his team of Hulks want to bring democracy to all corners of the world. That includes the “faux” democracies that exist and who knows where he’ll stop. But, his democracy is also under the rule of an individual, with the threat of his wrath to ensure whatever his vision is.

Ross’ “peace through strength” mentality is a worldview we see today. Trump, Putin, Netanyahu, and more have all waged war in recent years to create “peace” and whatever vision they have for those nations after, likely a broken form of democracy. And it all extends beyond those trio of individuals, we’ve seen a massive swing in nations and people as they reject the current system for something else as it hasn’t delivered what has been promised, at times through violent means. Much like the Marvel Universe events are swinging from authoritarian vision of Doom to whatever idea of democracy Ross wants to implement. It’s similar to the whiplash of ideology we’ve seen this past decade and more.

Zdarsky goes beyond all that with a United Nation and its members exacerbated by recent actions of heroes and demanding they stand down against Ross. A group of nations have decided to stand up to take on this threat, an echo of both nationalist movements and rejection of the extended world cooperation. In other words, Zdarsky is setting up what will be a stark different Marvel Universe at the end of this than what exists going in. Heroes may not have the leeway and acceptance they once did and they may be forced to think how they approach threats going forward.

The art by Delio Diaz and Frank Aplizar is good. With color by Jesus Aburtov and lettering by Cory Petit, the comic has a tense feel about it as the heroes attempt to figure out how to approach the sitation. You get their feeling of frustration but also their sense of duty. Small interactions really make clear the mindset of many going into this. At the same time, we visually get to see the destructive power of Ross and his team and that these aren’t individuals liberating nations and rising up against dictators, but conquerors. They come off as threatening, creating the ominous warning we all know and expect.

Avengers: Armageddon #1 is a good start. It is a lot of set up and by the end, readers should have a good understanding of the situation and what the Avengers are up against. But, it so far feels like a rehash of “One World Under Doom.” It doesn’t feel original enough and almost a “Part 2” of that recent event. Still, Marvel has made it clear this is an event which will have reverberations long after it’s over, so for those who care about the status quo of the Marvel Universe, this is one to pay attention to.

Story: Chip Zdarsky Art: Delio Diaz, Frank Alpizar
Color: Jesus Aburtov Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle