Avengers (2010 series) #6

The time-travelling Avengers (Captain America (Bucky), Iron Man, Protector and Wolverine) confront Ultron in a desolate future, just before Kang is due to attack him with an army of Marvel superbeings. They warn him of the impending attack, and he senses they are telling the truth.

He tells them it is futile to attack him. If this body is destroyed, his consciousness will live on. And anyway he calculates that he will win the fight against Kang. But Iron Man asks him to lose.

Ultron rapidly deduces what will happen. Kang will repeatedly attack with new armies, until the concentration of elements from multiple alternate realities shatters spacetime (or at least that's my interpretation). Ultron will be affected, along with everyone else. This is why the Avengers want him to deliberately lose.

Ultron wants to see the results for himself. Protector offers to take him forward in time. Ultron doesn't trust the Avengers, and wants to use Noh-Varr's time-machine alone.

There is an impasse, which Ultron resolves by trying to destroy the Avengers. But Protector's Kree technology protects them.

Then the Avengers leave Ultron to his thoughts.

We now move to the scene from the end of #1, as Kang returns from warning the Avengers. He reports to Maestro and the spiky-haired woman as before. But this time we see future Iron Man as well, and also the young Next Avengers. Maestro blames the Avengers for Ultron. Kang says the plan is for the Avengers to find their way here to see what's happening, then go back in time to ask Ultron to avoid breaking the timestream with his escalating war with Kang. Which amazingly is just what they did.

Kang reminds them that his younger self will soon be making his first strike against Ultron. The Next Avengers sneak out to watch. They see Ultron just standing there where the Avengers left him. Ultron notices them, but doesn't attack.

Then Kang arrives with the first of his super-hordes. They all launch into attacks on Ultron. Who hardly resists, and lets himself be cut to pieces.

Kang sends his army back where they came from. But then he expresses his disappointment at Ultron's performance. Kang lives for the thrill of conquest, and this was just too easy. So he leaves to find a more rewarding struggle.

Back in our time Hawkeye, Maria Hill, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman and Thor find all the time-lost beings who infected New York have gone. Except inexplicably for Killraven.

The time-travelling Avengers reappear with future Iron man, who confirms that everything's worked out. Before they leave, old Tony Stark has a word with younger Tony. They may have stopped the breaking of time. But Ultron still conquered the world beforehand. He says that the Avengers must stop Ultron. After all, they created him.

And he gives younger Tony the ultra-dangerous dark matter accelerator that Kang had in #1. Old Tony created it, and younger Tony must use it against Ultron if necessary.

This issue says that the girl in the Next Avengers with the large sword and presumably lightning powers is Thor's daughter. But it doesn't name her, or explain who the others are.

After the Avengers have gone back home, Maestro turns to 'Kang' and refers to him as Immortus. Kang's costume has subtly changed. Immortus thanks them for showing him how they would defeat him. And appears to kill old Iron Man, Maestro and his white-haired sidekick.

He then attacks the Next Avengers, but they repulse him. Then we get a replay of the opening scene of #1, as Immortus is struck by lightning, presumably caused by Thor's daughter.

In an epilogue, Protector formally joins the Avengers.

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Story #2

Avengers Assemble: The Oral History of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes Chapter 9

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis. Penciler/Inker: .

Synopsis

Henry Pym, Clint Barton, Jan van Dyne and Steve Rogers discuss the return of Pym (as Goliath) and Wasp, starting from #28, and the new Pym-particle formula that stuck Goliath at 12 feet tall for a while.

There are comments from scientists Reed Richards, Curt Connors (Lizard) and Bill Foster (Pym's assistant and a later Goliath) about the inadvisability of a scientist experimenting on himself.

It is suggested that Hank's later mental problems stem from a personality-change begun by this new formula, making him more irritable. These problems eventually led to Hank and Jan's divorce.

One irritability effect is claimed to be Goliath's opposition to Black Widow joining the Avengers. This leads to discussion here of her suitability, and Hawkeye repeating that she refused to be interviewed for this book, and that she wouldn't like them discussing her now.