Synopsis
A.X.E.: Judgment Day #5 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Last issue the Celestial Progenitor rejected the deal Starfox had cooked up with world leaders for promises of peace on Earth because he didn't believe such promises. So he decided to kill everyone now. We saw the people around Captain America turned to skeletons. Cap survived beneath his shield but not the person he was trying to protect.
But now it seems that for the rest of the world doom happens more slowly but they can see it coming. We look in on the 6 ordinary humans singled out in #2 who we saw judged individually last issue. Tom asks why him as his son prepares to confess his deep secret. Katrina ignores her negative judgement in favour of helping people around her. Kamali, widow of Arjun of the 6, waits patiently for death. Daniela is with her mother who wonders why other people are looting shops when they're all going to die. Jada brings a cup of coffee to Cap. Young Kenta's parents comfort him.
Steve Rogers had believed the world was going to make it. Jada always knew they'd fail but appreciated Cap's effort. She says she's estranged from her family but Steve urges her to use the time left to contact them. Jada laughs that he just can't stop being inspirational. And she admits that the vague hope that the world isn't as bad as she thinks is the only thing that kept her going.
Then Nightcrawler appears and suggests that CA should inspire everyone afresh by visibly giving this false god a piece of his mind. And Kurt Wagner bamfs them to the North Pole at the feet of the Celestial. Professor X and other mutant psychics broadcast what happens to the whole world as Cap tells Progenitor how mankind has stood up to tyrants before and defeated them. He declares that the whole world are now Avengers and urges them to assemble and avenge. Then the god kills him and Kurt.
Nightcrwaler is resurrected on Krakoa and Jean Grey informs him that the ploy was successful - the populace is calmer and their anger is focussed on the Celestial. Kurt suggests the resurrection team prepare another egg for him because he and Wolverine are going out to annoy the god again.
The Krakoan Quiet Council plus some others are meeting to discuss a plan of action. They have support from many world leaders but they haven't actually decided what to do. Cyclops suggests they hit Progenitor's disabling node (as they tried in #3) after evacuating nearby cities. Tony Stark points out that the whole thing was an illusion generated by the Celestial, but Marvel Girl insists that the node itself is real. Sersi and Starfox remind them that the Eternals are hard-wired to protect Celestials, but they reveal that many Eternals have turned off their psychic firewalls so they can be 'possessed' and used in the attack. The precog Destiny claims this is the only chance of success, with a few tweaks.
Progenitor is aware of all this planning as superheroes and armed forces unite in an assault. The six giant Hex Eternal warriors are designed to combat cosmic enemies and they have the most effect. The Celestial counterattacks, but more heroes arrive accompanied by demons(?). This all leads up to the masterblow by Avengers (Captain Marvel, Phoenix, Starbrand and Sub-Mariner), X-Men (Exodus and Marvel Girl) and the Eternal Ikaris. Paving the way for Thor to strike the vulnerable spot with Mjolnir. But Progenitor kills them all, including Iron Man and the mutants controlling the Hex.
A spaceship full of mega-rich tries to flee Earth to another star system, but the god blows it up with a glance. It destroys the Eternals' resurrection system and that of the mutants on Krakoa, along with the rest of the island. Now it tries to close down the Eternals' Great Machine that is the Earth, but meets fierce resistance.
But we see that most mutants had escaped from Krakoa by a gateway to what appears to be Avengers Mansion. This was Destiny's addition to the plan which included leaving some people, including herself and Mystique, on Krakoa to die (temporarily) as a smokescreen. But they've only got a small number of resurrection eggs so they have to choose carefully who they need to bring back. Iron Man, Nightcrawler, Phastos, Sersi and Starfox confer as Progenitor continues to assault the Machine. Kurt Wagner opines that it's time for the stealth approach. They go to recruit Wolverine who's just emerging from an Egg, but he recommends the Eternal Jack Of Knives as a better man for the job.
Phastos assembles the team with those 2 plus Iron Man, Marvel Girl, Mister Sinister, Sersi and the Eternal Priests Ajak and Makkari. Phastos has arranged for Jean Grey to be able to control Ajak, Makkari and Sersi (but strangely not JOK) if their Celestial inhibition activates. Jack points out that all this would have been unnecessary if he'd succeeded in killing Hope Summers (in #1) to stop all mutant resurrections.
They teleport to near the Celestial shrouded by a ghost field, but the omniscient god knows they're there. They abandon stealth and Jack distracts Progenitor into killing him while the rest 'port inside. Jean Grey lets Prof X know back at the Mansion ...
... where they are preparing to resurrect a special player. Exodus objects to this heresy but Nightcrawler says that all rules must be breakable. And for the 1st time a non-mutant emerges from an egg - Captain America.