After two issues of ‘Age of Ulrton’, we’re in a completely different Marvel Universe these days. In issue seven, after Wolverine and the Invisible Woman went back in time to eliminate Dr. Hank Pym before he could create Ultron, they returned to the present to discover that their world was still intact and evil robot free, but another technological force seemed to be very prominent and a whole new threat was plaguing the world. But before they could really learn what was what, Logan and Sue were subdued by a group of familiar but different faces known as the Defenders and were taken to one of the many flying bases belonging to the man in charge: the Armored Avenger, Tony Stark.
Now, in issue eight, Iron Man, after consulting with the alive again Charles Xavier and Emma Frost, interrogated his prisoners to find out who they “really are” and why they suddenly popped into their lives out of nowhere. Meanwhile, because of the Thing’s strong feelings about his old friend coming back and because his doesn’t trust Stark, the Defenders go back into the base to break out the time traveling duo from custody. But neither Iron Man nor Doctor Strange and company have much time to deal with each other because they are all suddenly attacked by an old foe.
Business is starting to really pick up and rightfully so. We’re already well into Act II of the story, but with only two issues, a few tie-ins, and two epilogues, there’s still a lot of story to be told. I’m hoping that the story gets the necessary time it needs to fully developed and the last pieces aren’t rushed over because all of this is supposed to be happening in the here and now and there are so many things that have yet to be addressed.
I’m also really concerned about how the Marvel Universe will look after this is all over. Writer Brian Michael Bendis recently shared a list of events potentially undone by the death of Hank Pym. You can see the full list at his Tumblr page, but some of the things that stood out to me were such huge things. For instance, the Young Avengers as we know them never formed because the Vision was never created, which means that he never married the Scarlet Witch, who is the mother of Speed and Wiccan. Also, Star-Lord’s latest version of the Guardians of the Galaxy would never form because he gets recruited to be a member of the Defenders after the Avengers break up. There’s so many things that result from Pym not being around that it’s incredibly difficult to imagine what this world will be like if Bendis keeps him dead.
But aside from the massive ramifications of the events taking place in ‘Age of Ultron’ that are running around in my head, this story has become immensely more fascinating to me, especially since they’ve introduced the idea of magic vs. technology in this issue and how much weaker the science camp is without Hank Pym. I love it when these stories take me beyond what’s on the page and really make me think about what is and what is about to happen. Bendis has always done a good job of doing that for me and I’m anxiously awaiting the next thing he has to throw at me.
Final Score:
AGE OF ULTRON #8
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Brandon Peterson & Paul Mounts
Cover by Brandon Peterson
