Avengers #42: Review

In New Avengers #30 the Beyonders killed loads of celestial beings. This issue has dragged in the major Marvel alien races. Next issue will probably feature a knock-down drag-out fight with the kitchen sink. Unless they're saving that for Secret Wars. I didn't synopsise last issue, wherein the Cabal escaped from the incursing Earth they destroyed in #40 and found themselves on Ultimate Earth. Which is why the Ultimates were on the cover, although they didn't appear within. Cyclops' mutant haven Nation X was seen in #38. There he mentioned that his plan involved a Phoenix egg. The idea that destroying Earth will save this universe is a cornerstone of the incursion problem:- 2 parallel universes meet at their Earths, and destroying 1 Earth will save both universes. The whole point of the Infinity event was that the Builders were out to destroy Earth because without Earth there could be no more incursions in this timeline, and so this universe would be safe in the future. Of course this theory has been negated by recent findings. We have seen several Earths destroyed, and we understand that there have been many more. This should have left many universes safe. (Except that presumably the hastened end of the multiverse would doom them all anyway.) But in NAv#29 we learned that there are less than 2 dozen timelines left. (The drastic reduction is probably the work of the Beyonders.) Rocket Raccoon says there are 5 empires involved in the attack on Earth. The cover shows Annihilus, Brood, Kree, Shi'ar and Skrulls. The armada inside includes the Brood's living Acanti ships and some that look like insectoid ships of the Annihilation Wave.

I haven't followed the Ultimate universe but from what I can piece together the Ultimate Mr Fantastic became a villain, or at least someone amoral who wasn't bothered about the collateral damage of his plans for the good of the world. Amongst other things he created the futuristic City, which was later embodied in an AI of the same name (which was strangely seen last issue under Manhattan). Last issue revealed that Nick Fury has hired Reed to counter threats to the Earth, including the incursions of other Earths.