Posted in: Comics | Tagged: avengers, avx, brian bendis, Comics, marvel, new avengers

The Avengers Vs The US Government

Published Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:15:06 -0600

WARNING: There are spoilers for the first few pages of Avengers #23 and New Avengers #22 below.

Kieron Gillen has said that everything he is writing on Uncanny X-Men is leading up to Avengers Vs X-Men. But how to get Avengers ready for it?

There's a scene in the first issue of AVX that sees the Avengers addressing the US cabinet. It all seems very chummy. The Avengers have all-but-always been a government approved superhero team, but briefing the executive branch of government seems like taking it further than usual. What could have bonded them all so?

Today's issues of Avengers and New Avengers seems to lay that in place. In rather different ways. Oh and word to the wise, read Avengers before New Avengers. They don't say you should but… you should.

Because in Avengers, we have Madame Hydra standing down the US government…

And recognising one of the better tropes of superheroes vs supervillain showdowns – that the best bad guys believe they are the good guys. Hell, in The Authority's case most of the readers did too.

See, Madame Hydra is on of the 99%, apparently. So then we also have Captain America holding the line like he always does and President Obama making the right, if difficult choice.

It all goes to hell directly afterwards of course. But over in New Avengers, it seems that some of those allegations of holding people without trial, even torture, can't be as easily dismissed and have stuck, and the government is taking no chances.

Something between here and then is going to make the government come down on the fully on the Avengers side. I wonder what it could be?

Also, kudos to Brian Bendis for a more unusual cliffhanger to New Avengers. I've suddenly decided to call it the Bad Wolf ending. It's not often used, it's a pleasant twist to see it appear so well here.