Avengers (Vol. 4) #6 (Story 1)

Background

Alrighty, it's the last issue of the first storyline for the newest volume of the Avengers. The Avengers are trying to stop an apoocalytic future battle between Kang and Ultron that breaks time itself, thus destroying all reality, future and past. At the end of last issue, a team of Avengers, led by Iron Man, were meeting with Ultron to try and avert the catastophe before it happens...

Story Details

Iron Man tries to convince Ultron that he should lose the coming battle with Kang on purpose and thus avert the time catastrophe. Iron Man suggests that Ultron can afford to lose the battle and thus live to fight another day. Iron Man and the Avengers leave without receiving an answer...

Back in Maestro's lair, the time loop has began again and Kang/Immortus arrives explaining that he has completed his task. The "little" Avengers (as future Iron Man calls them) go to witness the battle between Ultron and Kang. Ultron loses the fight and Kang is disappointed with the outcome.

In the present day, all of the threats caused by the time catastrophe have disappeared. It seems that Iron Man's ploy was successful. Killraven is still present though and hasn't returned to his proper place and time...

Iron Man and his team visit the furture again and talk with Maestro and future Tony. Future Tony gives Iron Man a strange device and urges him to prevent the Ultron's rise to power, no matter the cost. As Iron Man and his team leaves, Immortus turns on Maestro and the others, killing Maestro and future Tony quickly and then turning on the "little" Avengers. The kid Avengers defend themselves and kill Immortus, thus bringing the partially completing the vision/warning that Immortus originally gave the modern day Avengers back in issue 1!

In the present day, the Avengers celebrate their victory, but Iron Man is reflective and is holding the device given to him.

General Comments

As is the case with most time travel stories, they are only as good as their endings. This one ends fairly well, but I think the thing it does best is set-up a feeling of foreboding in regards to an upcoming confrontation with Ultron. Will this be a furture Marvel event on the scale of Secret Invasion and Civil War? Bendis certainly started laying seeds for Secret Invasion early in his Avengers run. With a new volume, is he doing the same again? Or is this just going to be a more confined story that will just play out in the Avengers? Either way, I'm looking forward to Ultron returning and what may happpen.

I liked the way Iron Man solved the problem this issue and the scene with Ultron at the beginning of the issue was very tense. I would of loved to see Romita been let loose a bit more in the Kang vs Ultron fight, with Ultron putting up more of a fight and mowing through Kang's forces before finally falling. It could of been really cool. I guess that there was a fair bit to wrap up this issue though. There was a lot of padding in earlier issues that I would of preferred to be cut, so that there was more room for events in this issue.

Overall Rating

The anticipation for a return of Ultron that this issue builds up, definitely knocked the rating up a web for me.