Posted - November 5, 2015

Previous: Avengers 37 & 38


Avengers 39 & 40 : Avengers Assembled




We start with a beautiful location shot of Spain.


Cadiz, Spain

This is where the Illuminati are currently "hiding". Let's take a peek shall we?


The Illuminati in their base

Look at that panel. I don't care how big or how numerous the S.H.I.E.L.D. Avengers are, the Illuminati has the Hulk. And the brainpower, omigod, Richards, McCoy, Banner. Throw in T'Challa, Captain Britain - my money is on this team. Looks like they know it too since they know that Steve Rogers and his team are coming but they're just hanging around, waiting around. Like, you want it? Come and get it.

Now for the S.H.I.E.L.D. Avengers. Let's take a look at these guys.


Sexy S.H.I.E.L.D. agent

Okay, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Avengers have the sexy women. Maybe brainpower and brute strength aren't everything after all.

It's interesting that the Illuminati team is organized around one spearhead - the Hulk. The S.H.I.E.L.D. team is built on a foundation made of War Machines.


War Machines being launched from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier

Who's inside you ask? No one. Rhodey is controlling every single robot.


Rhodey's nose is bleeding from
	controlling all the war machines

As the panel above states, the mental effort of controlling all these robots at once has dangerous physical ramifications. Makes me wonder why Steve doesn't just assign one S.H.I.E.L.D. agent per War Machine.

No matter. The S.H.I.E.L.D. Avengers are right on top of the Illuminati and it's game on!

First move.


Hulk takes on the War Machines

Wow. The big guy is huge! The Hulk proceeds to take apart the War Machines like they were tinker toys. Just goes to show, always bet on the team with the Hulk unless the other team has another Hulk or Thor.

As if the Hulk wasn't enough, Captain Britain goes Jedi.


Captain Britain hacking War Machines apart

Okay, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Avengers "foundation" team is keeping the enemy, well, busy (at the cost of millions of dollars of junked War Machines it looks like). Time to send out the heavy hitters. Here's the heaviest hitter of them all against the Green Guy.


Ms. Marvel slams into the Hulk

Wow. But that's not all. Carol simply doesn't let up.


Ms. Marvel punching the Hulk part the first
Ms. Marvel punching the Hulk part the second

Result?


Hulk smiling up at Captain Marvel

Speaking as the guy who bet his money on the Illuminati, I feel like the world's smartest investor. Hulk knows Carol is basically invincible so . . .


Ms. Marvel hits the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
	on her way out the the atmosphere after being hit by the Hulk

In Captain Marvel's scrapbook the picture above will be captioned "Getting hit by the fucking Hulk!".

Did I say that the S.H.I.E.L.D. Avengers had heavy hitters? I meant 'heavy hitter'. And she just "exited the atmosphere". After Captain Marvel, the only one Steve can send out (other than Sam) is this guy.


Hawkeye aiming an arrow

Who knows? Clint has pulled some rabbits out of a hat over the years, maybe he can make a real impact here.


The Beast and Mr. Fantastic getting
	hit by Hawkeye's arrows

Nah.

At this point, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Avengers are about to lose. At least that's what I think. We'll never know because something happens.


An A.I.M. ship looms large over two S.H.I.E.L.D.
	Helicarriers

Looming large over the two Helicarriers is an A.I.M. ship. Who would have thunk that A.I.M. could outbuild S.H.I.E.L.D.? But they clearly have. This isn't really A.I.M. approaching though. Not the old A.I.M. Advanced Idea Mechanics has been bought by Roberto DaCosta, leader of . . .


The New Avengers on the bridge of the A.I.M.
	ship

. . . the New Avengers. Now. all three Avengers teams, except the Multiversals, are within hitting or talking distance of each other. I wonder what they'll choose?

Talking.

First point:


The Avengers decide to deal with the Cabal

No more bickering. Form a united front to stop the Cabal's world-destroying rampage.

Second point:


Steve Rogers insists on full accountability

After all is said and done: Justice for all actions taken.

Third point:


Reed's machine shows an incursion in two
	hours

There is no more time.

Fourth point:


Namor is needed to set up the Cabal's destruction

The Avengers are going to use the upcoming Incursion to destroy the Cabal. This bears some explaining. What the Cabal does during an incursion of two Earths is to blow up one Earth (and it's universe) to save the other Earth (and it's universe). Whether the Cabal is ruthlessly right or ruthlessly wrong is a debate I'll leave for another day. The important thing is to note the Cabal's standard operating procedure: (a) Set up a world-destroying bomb in in World 1 (b) Teleport to World 2 (c) Blow up World 1.

What the Avengers are planning to do is use this.


The A.I.M. shield device

A shield between worlds


Diagram showing the A.I.M. shield 	device between two Earth during an incursion

This will prevent the Cabal from teleporting to World 2 and thus, ensuring they get annihilated by their own bomb in World 1. In order to make this work, Namor - a member of the Cabal - will make sure everything is coordinated.

That's the idea. Let's see this plan in action . . .

We are in World 1 and the Cabal gets into a tussle.


The Cabal in a fight

The A.I.M. shield is launched.


The A.I.M. shield is launched

Namor primes the bomb


Namor arms the bomb

Namor escapes and leaves the 'doomed' Cabal.


Namor leaves the Cabal to die

Namor makes his way to the space between worlds, ready to jump to safety, and here is where the Avengers train starts to derail. Here's the picture that paints a thousand words.


The Black Panther stabs the Submariner

Of course, some of those words might be organized into questions. To the point: The Atlantean owes the Wakandan a blood debt and the Panther has chosen this time - this terribly important time - to settle the score. My question is: How did that knife manage to get through? Namor is bulletproof. That question aside, a knife, no matter how formidable, cannot kill the Submariner, so T'Challa has brought a human weapon:


Black Bolt shouts at the Submariner

Or rather an Inhuman weapon. issue 40 of the Avengers is titled "Three Kings", and here they all are - the Three Kings. Atlantis. Wakanda. Attilan. So here we have Namor getting shouted at by the man who must never make a sound, or else.

We end this tale with yet another question: Did we just see the death of Namor the Submariner?

Next: Avengers 41 & 42