The previously page summarises the expansion of the Avengers and the revival of the Illuminati (in New Avengers) - both involving Captain America and Iron Man. It shows new Avengers members Abyss & Ex Nihilo, Nightmask & Starbrand, Cannonball & Sunspot, Hyperion and Shang-Chi, plus some of the more regular members Black Widow, Cap, Spider-Man and Thor. It doesn't explain about the incursions in New Avengers and the imminent death of the multiverse, but does show the Illuminati making Cap forget what's going on. And it reiterates the idea that the expanded Avengers was the brainchild of Steve Rogers (representing life) and Tony Stark (death).
But we don't see the Avengers/Illuminati clash that was threatened last issue. Instead we jump forward 8 months.
We start in the Alpha Whaan System where an assembly of Ex Nihili fail to stop its star dying, at the cost of 5 of their number. This star should have lived for billions of years more, and they could find nothing wrong with it. But like many others it just went. Abyss repeats what she has been telling them for a while, that the stars choose to die because they know the universe is about to end.
What's more she has detected that the centre of the universe collapse is Earth, a planet they know well. The group decide to return there.
Next we see Manifold teleporting business-suited Sunspot to where Cannonball is. Sam Guthrie is surprised to learn that Eden Fesi is working for AIM, and even more so that Roberto DaCosta bought the company. Bobby claims that the science-guy workers were OK once the evil management was gone.
We are then surprised when some of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard show up outside complaining about unauthorised teleportation onto the planet. It turns out Sam emigrated here (presumably the Shi'ar throneworld Chandilar) with Izzy Dare (Smasher) and their baby (who knew?).
Meanwhile in yet another part of deep space, the Orisian Field, Nightmask and Starbrand are dealing with an Aleph robot - which are supposed to be extinct in this universe since the Builders left (at the end of Infinity). Nightmask extracts data from its brain, and they discover it is the only thing that made it through when a Builder frigate tried to cross to this universe through the Bleed. Nightmask says the Bleed is impassable now, and Starbrand figures they must have been running from something really big, like the end of their universe.
Then they get a garbled call from Sunspot to come home - something about the collapse of the multiverse. They don't want to go, but they have information and a plan that might be vital. (We also learn that Nightmask has been growing younger.)
Back on Chandilar Bobby updates Sam on what's happened since he left Earth. Cannonball already knew that SHIELD took over the Avengers. But since then the others who didn't want to work for SHIELD followed Sam and Izzy's example and quit - often leaving Earth too. Those that stayed have been "obsessed with the Tony problem".
DaCosta has been keeping Guthrie up-to-date with what he's been having built. Now is the time to put the plan into operation. Sam agrees to come home, and Izzy will come too. (It turns out that it was Sam not Izzy who wanted to stay away all this time.)
At last we get to Earth, in particular the Savage Land, where AIM are building whatever it is. The zebra-striped Origin Bomb kids are now young adults (accelerated growth rate), and probably geniuses. They are helping/running the project, still under the watchful eye of Hyperion. They can only test the machine as individual components, because they'll only get 1 shot at running the real thing.
Thor is also there, carrying a large axe (probably Jarnbjorn from Uncanny Avengers) instead of the hammer Mjolnir, and not wearing his traditional costume. Hyperion joins in him in drinking (but probably not getting drunk like him). (I note that Hype has grown a beard, moustache and long hair like Thor.) The plan is for just the 2 of them to 'go through'. So they're building some sort of portal.
Our next scene is outside Avengers Tower, renamed SHIELD Station Golgotha, but which appears to be abandoned. The SHIELD craft keeping watch have detected an intruder. Maria Hill wants them to do nothing until they've determined who it is. But the subject's mind resists psychic probing.
The guy inside is Amadeus Cho, and he's transmitting data from the Avengers' computers to someone outside. (They don't have access to Tony Stark anymore, but it's the next best thing.) He calculates that he's probably not going to escape just as SHIELD works out who he is.
SHIELD surround him with a null field that stops him from using a translocator to escape. So he jumps through a window and uses flying SHIELD troopers as his way down to the ground. Hill orders the troops to evacuate, and Cho is face with SHIELD's Avengers:- Captain Marvel, Hawkeye and a drone War Machine armour.
Amadeus can't detect a big enough power source nearby to run a very large null field, and calculates that he can get out of range in 15 seconds and then translocate. To buy himself the time he takes over the drone, which attacks the other 2 Avengers. Until CM smashes it.
The operation is being controlled by someone (who might be codenamed Archangel). All is going according to her plan. But as he's pursued by more WM drones, Cho worked out that he's being herded somewhere, by being given a way out of each situation. But it's too late as he is caught in another, localised containment field.
Archangel joins her troops and starts interrogating him. She wants to know where Tony Stark is (a hologram shows him in the upcoming Superior Iron Man armour). Cho says he doesn't know (truthfully it seems to us). Carol Danvers asks about Bruce Banner, now known as Doc Green, and Hawkeye wants to know about Hank Pym. Archangel adds Captain Britain, Dr Strange, Beast, Black Panther and Black Bolt. Cho refuses to answer.
Archangel insists that he will spill the beans about the Illuminati. Especially the whereabouts of her husband Mr Fantastic, as she takes her helmet off to reveal Sue Richards.