In the aftermath of their epic confrontation against the Challenger and the closing of the cosmic game room, the Avengers must pick up the pieces of their lives. But what does this mean for the future of the Avengers?
Avengers #690
Writers: Mark Waid, Al Ewing & Jim Zub
Artists: Pepe Larraz
Color Artist: David Curiel
Lettering: VC’s Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
What You Need to Know:
The cosmic game is over at last. The Avengers defeated the Grandmaster and the Challenger and restored their planet to its proper place in the universes, saving billions.
But not everyone made it through the final battle intact – and as the survivors pick up the pieces only to find some missing, they’ll have an important question to answer. What does this mean for the future of the Avengers?
What You’ll Find Out:
In the aftermath of the battle against the Challenger, Earth’s mightiest heroes attempt to return to their normal lives. Beast and Wasp escort a recovering Jarvis back to the destroyed Avengers mansion, and although they are returning to ruble, they are happy to have made it through alive. Thanks to some forward-thinking on behalf of the Human Torch, the mansion can be rebuilt with ease.
Inside the wreckage, Captain America, Thor, and the remaining Avengers confront Voyager. Captain America thanks her for her courage and offers her a place on the Avengers. Voyager declines though. Although she hopes to earn her place soon, she teleports away, thanking them for a hopeful future.
Now lost to the Avengers, the Black Order escapes to Angargal where they meet the Grandmaster himself. He congratulations Corvus Glaive in their all but certain victory and offers them a new opportunity that is sure to appeal to their need for destruction. Meanwhile, on the planet Knowhere, the Lethal Legion hides in a local bar discussing their future. It isn’t long before they decide to join their forces with the Grandmaster’s new plans though…
Inside the Avengers Auxiliary HQ, the Iron Patriot works to restore Vision as she details to Roberto her plans for moving forward and preparing for what comes next. Roberto exits the building, explaining the current situation of the Avengers to someone on the phone before telling them he is leaving to return to his roots, then he tells his goodbye to Citizen X.
At central park, Doctor Voodoo and Scarlet Witch talk with Synapse about the possibilities of recovering Quicksilver, who they believe to be lost in another dimension. Without much hesitation, Synapse agrees to offer her help. Meanwhile, inside a local diner, Bruce Banner talks with Hawkeye about their arrangement that was supposed to have killed him so long ago. He is struggling with his own decency as a human, and despite Hawkeye’s attempts to reassure him, he leaves the diner solemnly with his knuckles clenched.
As Rogue, Human Torch, and the others continue to begin the rebuilding process at the Avengers mansion. Deep inside a warehouse, however, a team works diligently to build a magnificent statue piece by piece. Finally completed, their work shows Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fighting to save the world once again, commemorating their greatest triumph…
***Pick up the issue for yourself to see the fantastic teaser epilogue!***
What Just Happened?
As the Avenger’s No Surrender arc finally comes to a close, readers are given a follow up after the battle that shows the Avengers picking up the pieces of their lives. Although it does follow some of the more influential characters throughout the arc, I couldn’t help but find myself growing jaded with regards to their plotlines. The interaction between Bruce and Hawkeye is clearly the most emotionally impactful scene in the issue, and unfortunately, the rest just seems like a routine wrap-up before the next creative team reboots the Avengers with a brand-new roster.
The artwork while not terrible, really doesn’t offer anything memorable outside of the final page featuring a splash of the Avengers’ commemorative statue. Luckily, the pacing of the story is able to keep the reader engaged in the various final scenes of all the combatants.
All in all, the No Surrender arc featured quite a few shocking and inspiring moments alongside exceptional artwork, but never truly finds its footing despite having sixteen issues to tell the story. The cosmic game room offered an opportunity for some interesting gambling scenarios that turned Earth and its mightiest heroes into merely a game board but ended with a predictable brawl against a somewhat cliché challenger (pun intended).
The Avenger’s No Surrender arc was certainly an interesting read, but I am excited to see where they will take the team next with a new roster that gets back to the core of the Avengers with a few exciting additions.
Rating: 6/10
Final Thoughts: The “No Surrender” arc has been an undeniably entertaining read, especially as the cosmic game room began to unravel. With all of its emotional turmoil and action-packed brawling, the story unfortunately ends with a fizzle. The conclusions, future hints, and farewells are nothing groundbreaking, but in the context of the entire event it does wrap things up decent enough.
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