Avengers- Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2018) # 6

By Mark Rodriguez

With giants falling from the sky, alien insects bursting from underground and the world about to end at the hands of the Dark Celestials, a new team of Avengers have teamed up to stop them. Iron Man is piloting a mech called The Godkiller Mark II, Ghost Rider possessed a Celestial to also become giant sized, and Thor and She-Hulk are powered up thanks to the Blood of Ymir. The Avengers are ready to take the fight to the Dark Celestials.

The issue opens with several beings in the Marvel Universe affected by the current battle with the Celestials. The Unseen One on the moon can sense the events transpiring, Starbrand is wandering without a vessel to host and the Shi'Ar can only watch and do nothing. Jean Grey and Iron Fist can also sense these events, the people of Wakanda pray to their god, the All-Father Odin can only wait in despair for a battle they cannot win.

The Avengers fight against the Dark Celestials, their battle for the fate of their very existence being brought to Russia. Captain America, Captain Marvel, Black Panther and Doctor Strange now use specialized weapons designed to take down the alien insects. Strange tells Loki that his plan is failing, but the God of Mischief says it's not ever yet. He once wanted Strange's mantle to reveal a truth that the people of the world were still not ready to face.

As the Avengers fight, Ghost Rider reveals that as long as he's possessing the Celestials, he now even knows their names. The one She-Hulk is fighting is called Obliteron, the fire Celestial is called Valknar the Exhumer and the death looking one is called Callus The Void. Even though the Avengers are giant sized, the Celestials are still more powerful. Callus headbutts Ghost Rider off him and manages to slice Iron Man's giant mech arm off. Just then the entire horde of alien insects is unleashed upon the heroes as well as all over the world.

Ghost Rider feels overloaded with all of the visions he sees while possessing the Celestial. Iron Man grabs Callus The Void and tries to fly him into space, hoping that if he can destroy one the others might leave. Just then Iron Man gets attacked by the previously killed Celestial (the ones the Dark Celestials killed before). They have risen as zombies and fight alongside their Dark counterparts. The heroes are seriously outnumbered and Thor and She-Hulk's magic is wearing off, turning them back to normal size. Iron Man is forced to eject from his giant mech armor and let it explode.

Ghost Rider keeps chanting that 'We are all god's vomit' and Iron Man asks what that means. Captain America explains that Loki told him how the First Celestial was infected by The Horde and how that led to everything unusual about their world, and themselves. The Avengers finally realize that the reason the Celestials left the Horde on Earth millennia ago was because they saw the potential in humans to adapt and find the cure for them. This explains why certain humans were able to adapt into mutants or superhumans to one day be able to defeat the Horde. Loki blasts Black Panther and tells them that he will stop them. Just then She-Hulk stomps on a huge enough swarm of insects to wash Loki in their guts and take him out of the picture (or something like that?)

Black Panther says they have to channel the Horde's energy back at them and overload them. Iron Man remembers the secret of the Uni-Mind, shared to him by Ikaris before his death. They're going to have to be of one mind to stop them. The Avengers combine all their power and their minds into Ghost Rider.

Ghost Rider can feel the Ebony Blade bleeding, but also his little brother scared of everything that is going on. He slams his hand on the ground and sends the Celestials flying back. Thor and She-Hulk are making out again. Iron Man asks Carol if they can mend fences that way, and Carol tells him to go to hell.

Ghost Rider is now back to normal, but all of the Horde has now been destroyed. However, the only insects left, are the ones inside the Final Host. They will have to be yanked out by the roots. Doctor Strange tells the gang that Loki has been defeated. Ghost Rider asks if they're right back where they started, trying to beat the Final Host. Captain America says, not exactly, because this time they have the regular Celestials on their side to help with the fight. The Avengers assemble and charge towards the Final Host.

I don't know what happened here.... Some of the characters look like they were drawn rather rushed or something.

As the Avengers continue the battle, the rest of the world is at ease, knowing they will survive. Odin smiles and says they have redeemed the very first of their sing.. and hopes they never learn of the rest. As the Dark Celestials fall and all of Loki's plans go down in utter defeat, the God of Mischief can only laugh with pride and says 'Welcome back, Avengers'.

My Opinions-

Oh man, this is kind of crazy insanity that makes me love comics. Big battles, incredible powers, and big bright and colorful splash-pages of just all out action with your favorite beloved characters.

There a few snags here and there. The comic did an interesting job mentioning how people around the world were reacting to the end of the world, but it does raise the question why the ten thousand other Marvel heroes don't come in to help? I would have liked maybe a quick panel of the X-Men or Spider-Man fighting off the alien insects instead of just dialogue boxes name dropping Jean Grey and the Hellfire Club. There are some cameos of characters like Iron Fist and Gladiator but most of them were characters not on the planet that could only sit and watch.

The other snags were some confusing panels like the splash-page of the regular Celestials attacking Iron Man which made me have to re-read it to understand what the hell was going on. All the dialogue boxes happening on that page made me think Iron Man was flipping out and seeing visions of the world dying or something. It didn't helped one of the Celestials in the far off background kinda looked like Galactus. Then the panel where She-Hulk... um... stomped on Loki? Kicked him into the bug guts? Splashed bug guts all over him? I don't know! But it took out Loki, and he's lying in a pool of squished insects.

Also not sure we needed Tony Stark to remind us that herpes exists in the Marvel Universe. Wow. That's just something I really didn't expect to see in a comic, and in a joking manner no less. I'm sorry, that line randomly slapped me in the face.

I guess this is the kind of thing Tony Stark would say, but something tells me if any Marvel character would make a herpes joke, it woulda been Deadpool.

The revelation that the Celestials are meant to destroy the Horde, but let the Earth to rot in hopes of future generations of heroes would someday rise to stop them was a bit weird. I mean, it does explain why so many superheroes gained their powers in accidents that should have outright killed them, but it was weird to know it all led to this. Or maybe not as Odin knows there are more sins out there that might need to be cleaned up eventually. I hope they don't let that plot thread die and bring it back later on, in a year or so.

The battle seems to be over, but is it? The next issue deals with the very first Ghost Rider and it might still show more backstory on the Celestials.