“Nobody dies,” said Wolverine.
Ironic that those orders came from Logan.
The time-twisting, multiple super villain packed epic reached what might be the biggest WTF moment of the year! Let’s just make a new acronym: WTFRR?
Rick Remender again shows why he’s one of the most ambitious, relentless and crazy comic book writers out there in Uncanny Avengers #14 which just hit shelves and is blowing minds.
Artist Steve McNiven joins Remender for this pivotal chapter of Ragnarok Now and captures every brutal fight, cosmic effect and most importantly, the emotional moments, especially Wolverine in a brutal confrontation with his resurrected son Daken.
Let’s recap:
An Avengers Unity Squad was formed to heal the bad blood between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and mutants after Avengers vs X-Men.
The Red Skull was reborn and stole Professor X’s brain. This was my review/reaction to the premiere issue.
The Red Skull is the new Onslaught.
The Apocalypse Twins (yeah the children of the immortal mutant monster) is raised and manipulated by Kang the Conqueror.
A new Four Horsemen (Daken, Banshee, Grim Reaper, Sentry) are unleashed!
Catch your breath!
The Apocalypse Twins have convinced Scarlet Witch to create a mutant “rapture” to lift the mutants off Earth into a haven ruled by the Twins.
Wanda agreed but has her own agenda. Only Wonder Man knows Wanda is hoping to save the mutants from the Twins.
The theme of the Unity squad has been distrust and discord. The tension between Rogue and Wanda has been building since issue one. Rogue decides she must stop Scarlet Witch once and for all.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
If you don’t want to know what happens in Uncanny Avengers #14 stop reading now.
Seriously.
Here it comes.
Just as Wonder Man and Scarlet Witch are about to summon the mutants to stop the Apocalypse Twins, Rogue (armed with Logan’s bone claws) guts Wanda.
Rogue’s actions are less than heroic. She may be stopping what she thinks is Wanda’s next betrayal of the mutant race but this strike is for all the pain and suffering caused back in the House of M finale when Wanda decimated the mutant race.
Then the resurrected Grim Reaper guts and fries Rogue while Wolverine watches in horror.
Uncanny Avengers draws on layers on continuity, huge elements from Remender’s Uncanny X-Force run and tiny moments (Stryfe, Ahab!) of Marvel history to make the hardcore fanboy or girl giddy.
Poor Wanda. Just when you think she’s on the road to redemption, Remender guts her, literally. In Wanda’s final (?) act has she saved the mutant race and joined her great love Simon in a cosmic death almost as tragic as Jean Grey’s on the moon long ago?
The story still has many chapters to play out. There’s a ton of time manipulation so this may not be the end of Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man and Rogue but all these heroes and the Marvel Universe will be impacted by this incredible showdown.
With Scarlet Witch appearing in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it’s hard to believe she will stay dead for long but with a writer like Remender, the thrill is in seeing how he’ll do it.
By Editor