Marvel Comics has announced a Last Annihilation event, promising to transform their entire cosmic range. Until 2006, Marvel's cosmic books had always seemed like something of an afterthought. Cosmic characters kept coming back to Earth because readers only seemed to relate to these heroes when they visited familiar territory.
And then, in 2006, "Annihilation" changed everything. That was a busy year for Marvel, with America's heroes locked in a superhero civil war. But the cosmic heroes had a crossover of their own, one that threatened to consume the entire galaxy, and it relaunched the cosmic range to spectacular effect. What made the story particularly impressive was the sheer scale of it all; when Nova returned to Earth shortly after "Annihilation," he rightly harangued Tony Stark for being preoccupied with Earth's affairs at a time when galactic civilization almost collapsed. It was breathtaking in its scope, and "Annihilation" gave heroes like the Guardians of the Galaxy greater prominence than ever before. It's not much of an exaggeration to say that Marvel would never have made a Guardians of the Galaxy film without "Annihilation." The comics have revisited the "Annihilation" brand several times since.
Now the new Guardians of the Galaxy.
The story will then continue in SWORD #7, which is set in the aftermath of the Hellfire Gala. SWORD invites Doctor Doom to stick around for dinner so he can catch up with an unidentified "old friend." Unfortunately, the meal is interrupted by the Last Annihilation - suggesting this time the cosmic affairs will threaten to consume the Earth. SWORD is Earth's first line of defense, and they're set to be drawn into the conflict.
Al Ewing is one of Marvel's most accomplished writers, and he's particularly good when it comes to cosmic stories. "Guardians and SWORD have been building their own unique gravity for a while now, and in space, when two objects have gravity, there's a pretty good chance they'll crash into each other - or get sucked into the orbit of something even bigger," Ewing explained in a press statement. "Marvel Space these days is a fragile coalition of worlds that chose peace over war, a little bubble of hope in a cruel void - but there's an enemy nobody ever suspected readying an attack that'll either cement all those frail alliances or tear them to pieces." No doubt he's been sowing the seeds for this story for quite some time.
Marvel will be well aware of the power of the "Annihilation" brand. That name is a promise; an assurance that this is a story of unprecedented scope and scale, one that promises to launch a new range of cosmic stories. With Al Ewing in charge, this news could be the most exciting in Marvel's 2021 slate.
Source: Marvel
