Two Avengers Heroes Were Just Killed In The Battle To Save The Multiverse
*Contains spoilers for "Avengers Assemble Omega #1" by Marvel Comics*
The battle to save Marvel's Multiverse has officially concluded with a dramatic final stand for the heroes against the biggest threats they've ever faced. In Avengers Assemble Omega #1 by Marvel Comics, the greatest Avengers from across take on Doctor Doom Supreme, Mephisto, and the remaining Multiversal Masters of Evil. While the Multiverse's Mightiest Heroes do a great job in stopping the waves of deadly attacks from the villains, their victory doesn't come without major loss as two Avengers are killed while trying to ensure that time itself doesn't fall in the battle.
When "Avengers Assemble Omega" #1 reaches its conclusion, and the future of the Marvel Universe is teased, two main heroes who have been part of Jason Aaron's Avengers team reach their demise in two different ways. For Starbrand, who has been a key Avenger in their current battles, she merges with the Phoenix after her powers continue to drain her of life. For Robbie Reyes, he proves he deserves his All-Rider title as one of the most important heroes in the Multiverse, as the usual Ghost Rider is instrumental in the Avenger's victory but at a serious personal cost.
The Avengers current threats is their biggest ever
In Jason Aaron's "Avengers" run, the Multiversal Masters of Evil — a group of the deadliest variants of major supervillains from different timelines — come together to conquer the Multiverse. To stop them, the Avenger Prime, an alternate version of Loki, calls on his Deathloks to help assemble an Avengers team capable of taking out the powerful foes. The subsequent fight at the God Quarry at the edge of the universe is filled with chaos, as Doctor Doom Supreme has unleashed his variants in the battle after watching some of the Masters of Evil fall. At the same time, Mephisto has also made a power play, absorbing the Council of Red and every Mephisto from across time to become the strongest and only version of himself remaining.
With the main Avengers team and many versions of heroes from the Multiverse banding together to put an end to the villains, the Multiverse's mightiest heroes received a major assist from unlikely sources. As the battle unfolded in the God Quarry, the Omni-Avengers revealed Galactus had joined their fight as the newest Avenger, as his planet-eating powers make him the perfect weapon to take down Doom The Living Planet. Meanwhile, a Celestial version of Deathlok controlling the old Avengers headquarters also emerges to help them. However, even with the powerful forces on their side, the Avengers still faced a challenge to save the Multiverse, as a flood to end all space and time forces them to give everything they have — including the lives of two of their teammates — to stop the brewing storm.
The Avengers fight as the Multiverse is at stake
In "Avengers Assemble Alpha" #1 by Jason Aaron, Aaron Kuder, Dexter Vines, Ivan Fiorelli, Javier Garron, Jim Towe, Alex Sinclair, and VC's Cory Petit from Marvel Comics, Death-Waves at the God Quarry crash around the heroes, as the flood threatens the existence of space and time. The Avengers fight on as the Celestial Deathlok uses his giant size to try to plug the eruption of a geyser. The original Phoenix, Maya Lopez's Phoenix, and Thor (drawing from his Phoenix heritage) unleash a fiery attack that drives the waters back. But, with the dam still not plugged, and the Multiverse facing extinction, Robbie Reyes' Ghost Rider intervenes. He calls on his powers to create a Planet of Vengeance and uses it to plug the dam.
But, even with Thor's daughters and other Multiversal gods using hundreds of Mjolnirs to keep the dam contained, it doesn't fully stabilize. Facing another possible eruption, Robbie Reyes, once again, takes matters into his own hands. The Ghost Rider drives his car into the waves of the God Quarry, detonating himself in a massive explosion that seals the gap in the Multiverse and saves the day. The Ghost Rider lives up to his status as the All-Rider, as his great sacrifice is what ultimately saves the Multiverse and beyond. While happy to see the fight end, the heroes are devastated by losing their fellow Avenger, noting it doesn't feel like much of a victory with Robbie's demise.
Ghost Rider isn't the only major Avenger lost that day
Despite the fight for the Multiverse coming to an end, the greatest Avengers team ever assembled actually loses another key member besides Ghost Rider as the dust settles
Brandy Selby, who began Jason Aaron's "Avengers" run as an infant who gained the amazing powers of the Starbrand, has continued to age due to using her powers. Readers have seen her evolve from just a baby to a teenager to an old woman, as each time she unleashes her incredible abilities, it rapid-ages her. After assisting Robbie Reyes in his last battle, she is left as a frail, old woman. However, Brandy still sees an important task left to complete for Starbrand, as she meets with the original Phoenix and determines they need to make the Multiverse right. In order to help restore reality, Starbrand combines her powers with the Phoenix from the Avengers of 1,000,000 BC. When they join their powers of fire and life, it sends a shockwave throughout the Multiverse.
Starbrand and the Phoenix take on god-like forms as the Multiverse heals around them. Both heroes meet their end as their full power is unleashed. In a beautiful moment, Old Man Phoenix watches as life and love incarnate spread across the different worlds, and the timelines begin to heal. Both the Starbrand and Phoenix fade as the Multiverse transforms. At the conclusion of the battle, the Multiverse is saved thanks to Robbie Reyes, Starbrand, and the Phoenix's heartbreaking sacrifices.
The Avengers' sacrifices puts the pieces of the world back together
The issue's final pages are spent revisiting the Multiverse and where each hero in the great battle finds themselves. The Avengers of 1,000,000 BC continue in the Stone Age together amidst new Ghost Riders emerging and new mutants arriving in the world. A million years ago from the present, Odin puts down Mjolnir once and for all. In Midgard's far future, Thor's granddaughters are back together, as Old Man Phoenix has abandoned his past and embraced a peaceful retirement. On Asgard in the present, Thor welcomes a depowered Maya Lopez to the realm and introduces her to Lady Gaea and Lady Freyja. On the North Pole, the Avengers form once again, admitting the torch will be passed onto a new Avengers team following the disappearance of their former Celestial Avengers Mountain, as a statue of Starbrand and Robbie Reyes is revealed. The Celestial remains at the God Quarry, where the Avenger Prime has assembled his own team of heroes. In Hell, Mephisto laments losing his battle as he's forced to deal with the constant talking of the Orb.
But the most shocking revelation is that deep beyond the God Quarry, Robbie Reyes is somehow alive and underneath the darkness that stretches into Infinity. The Ghost Rider shines a light within the darkness and tries to rebuild his car, At the same time, he tries not to forget who he was in the process. So, while the Avengers believe Robbie is dead, he's alive but stuck in a place that won't be easy to escape.
What's coming next for the Avengers?
Marvel Comics has already dropped key details about what's next for the Avengers following their greatest battle in the Multiverse.
A new team of Avengers, handpicked by Captain Marvel (the leader), Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Vision, Black Panther, and Scarlet Witch will take on Terminus in "Avengers" #1 by Jed MacKay and C.F. Villa, as future Tribulation Events, disasters to the Marvel Universe, will keep Earth's Mightiest Heroes busy. The Avengers will also take on the Ashen Combine, a monstrous group of villains who get off on destroying cities like it's a sport. As they deal with the new threats, they'll also have to be cautious of another new challenger, Myrddin, who recently defeated Kang the Conqueror during his quest to find the Missing Moment, a moment in time the time-traveling Avengers bad guy couldn't access. Myddin claims to have heroic intentions, but his brief appearance in the "Timeless" one-shot suggests they can't be trusted.
Readers can see the Avengers' final stand to save the Multiverse and the heroic sacrifices made by Robbie Reyes' Ghost-Rider and Brandy Selby's Starbrand in "Avengers Alpha Omega" #1 by Jason Aaron, Aaron Kuder, Dexter Vines, Ivan Fiorelli, Javier Garron, Jim Towe, Alex Sinclair, and VC's Cory Petit from Marvel Comics, which is in comic book stores now.