The big event shaping the Marvel Universe right now is Age of Ultron. Heores and villains face the aftermath of Wolverine’s shocking event in next week’s issue. At Marvel’s Age of Ultron panel at C2E2 in Chicago Marvel creators teases what’s next as the second half of event rolls ahead and face fan questions.
Uncanny Avengers #8AU by Rick Remender and Deadpool writer Gerry Duggan will tie in to the current Uncanny Avengers arc and Age of Ultron as Kang takes out the Apocalypse Twins to do some killing.
In Fearless Defenders #4Au Phil Jimenez joins writer Cullen Bunn for a issue focusing on the new member of the team: Hippoylta, Warrior Woman.
The big finale, Age of Ultron #10 by Brian Michael Bendis will have an all-star team of artists (Bryan Hitch, Butch Guice, Carlos Pacheco, Alex Maleev, Brandon Peterson, David Marquez and Joe Quesada.)
“Everybody in the book is drawing sequences that are tailored for them.” said Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort.
The finale is huge and marks the return of Neil Gaiman to Marvel and introduction of a major new character. Angela (from the Image book Spawn) is coming in to the Marvel Universe in Age of Ultron #10 and will immediately go into Guardians of the Galaxy #5, co-written by Bendis and Gaiman.
The Age of Ultron really began with founding Avenger Hank Pym creating the artificial intelligence. If you’re read Age of Ultron #6 you’ve seen Hank’s fate or have you?
“The aftermath focuses heavily on Hank Pym,” said Brevoort, “He goes through a fairly transformative experience… given that he’s dead. Age of Ultron #10 AI is a deep dive into the history of Hank Pym.”
As a founding Avenger Pym has had a major influence on the Marvel Universe and generations of fans and writers.
“I had a full run of Tales To Astonish. Pym was my guy,” said Remender, “At the retreats, there’s no shortage of Pym ideas. There’s a lot of love for the guy.”
Marvel has already revealed one new title coming in the aftermath. Avengers A.I. #1 starring Victor Mancha of Runaways spins out of Age of Ultron with “a resurgence of the Vision and Brevoort calls its “a completely different Avengers title and I think it will be a lot of fun.”
What consequences will Logan face for going back in time and gutting Hank Pym? That’s too soon to tell but the panel did have thoughts on the X-Man’s role in the Marvel Universe:
“Wolverine is the ultimate pragmatist of the Marvel Universe,” said Brevoort, “Who will make the choice to do something horrendous in the Marvel Universe, for the greater good? That’s Wolverine.”
So many Marvel heroes and their loved ones have died in the event but could time be rewritten?
“Age of Ultron is a human story. It’s about how people deal with the consequences of this enormous, traumatic event,” said Brevoort.
For the entire liveblog here’s the link.