Infinity Abyss (2002 series) #5

Thanos created a bunch of android/clone/mystic doppelgangers (Thanosi) but they didn't perform well so he decided to scrap them. But 5 of them got released by someone:- Armour, Mystic, Omega, X and Warrior designed specifically to counter Iron Man, Dr Strange, Galactus, Prof X and the Shi'Ar Gladiator. They all share the nihilistic view that Thanos used to have and have set about destroying the universe. And whoever released them implanted the notion that Adam Warlock was key to their success. 1st they had to trick Moondragon and Pip The Troll into waking him from a coma in his cocoon where he'd been for 2 years, and he woke with no memory of how he got there. Adam and Pip's mission to find out what happened 2 years ago led them to an inexplicably-merged Eternity/Infinity and then Warlock relived his suppressed memory (in his old costume) of meeting a being called Atlez who is the anchor for this reality. Unfortunately he's dying and he needed Adam to bring his successor Atleza Langunn before this reality sank into oblivion.

Meanwhile Thanos himself survived attack by a mini-black hole and met up with Gamora at his home base where the Thanosi had escaped from. They were attacked by Armour but killed him. Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell) and Dr Strange were independently investigating the appearance of white cubes of nothingness swallowing bits of reality. Stephen Strange's trail led him into mystic realms where he fought MD who had been mind-controlled by X. DrS won but collapsed from exhaustion. Mystic and Warrior followed him and then carried on towards the Anchor, as Strange revived enough to see them pass by. CM's trail led him to a farmhouse in Upstate New York where he encountered Spider-Man and the Langunn family with twin 2-year old daughters Atleza and Ruby. After an attack by a nihilist cult of aliens the house became surrounded by a sphere of white nothingness, kept at bay by Atleza. Then X and elite nihilists turned up. Now read on.

X sends his troops into the farmhouse but CM and SM repel them, watched remotely by Thanos and Gamora. X mentally takes the duo over and compels Spidey to stand still while he tries to make Genis blast him. But then G comes through a portal to stab him in the back with a poisoned dagger - but to no avail except to free the duo. Then X telekinetically takes control of the bodies of all 3, not their minds so they'll be fully aware of how he kills them. Thanos thinks it's time he intervened personally. He contacts Pip, who's been left with Eternity/Infinity, via a communicator he implanted in him sometime without Pip's knowledge.

Adam Warlock is still reliving his 2-year old memory where Atlez gave him an info-dump. For a very long time (even before dinosaurs roamed the Earth) this reality has had an anchor. The post has been filled 1 at a time by many alien beings of whom Atlez is the current (serving since the dawn of the Roman Empire). But he was dying and his replacement was due. Normally the candidate is mature when called but due to a recent conflict between Immortus, Kang, the Time-Keepers and the Avengers (the Av Forever limited series) a serious rift in the time-flow means his successor was only just born. He had prepared a tutorial which would over 6 months raise Atleza to the level needed. He then transferred that info to Warlock's Soul Gem. But the knowledge drove Adam mad and he retreated into his cocoon for 2 years.

Dr Strange recovers from his battle with Moondragon. She does too but doesn't seem to know what's going on. Then Pip teleports in and teleports her away. Stephen wastes no time trying to figure out what that meant and heads off after the 2 Thanosi he saw earlier.

Warlock exits his memories and returns to Atlez in the present (and his new costume). Atlez explains that after the trauma led Adam to an insane asylum and then his cocoon he was forced to an alternative plan. He settled on the nihilistic Thanosi and implanted the idea of Warlock being the key to oblivion. Then he diverted a meteor to crash next to the Titan's base knocking out its defence system. He intended only to activate Armour but 4 even more deadly Thanosi woke too. Unfortunately they plotted universal destruction and are well on the way there. Adam must now take the knowledge in his Soul Gem to Atleza and bring her here. But just then Mystic and Warrior burst in to Atlez' pavilion, threatening to destroy the anchor and thus the universe.

Back at the farmhouse X telekinetically causes our 3 heroes' bodies to explode, granting them the oblivion he himself desires. But he sees his nihilist troops vanishing into the surrounding nothingness, and the house fade away too. He assumes that Mystic and Warrior have succeeded in bringing about doomsday. And he allows himself to succumb to oblivion.

Then we see our heroes alive and X dead with a smile on his face. Moondragon and Pip are there and she reveals that she had psychically given him his fantasy triumph. Remotely-watching Thanos has to assume that Warlock will succeed in *his* quest too while he himself prepares to deal with Omega, the most powerful Thanosi of all.

But Adam is finding it difficult to cope with the 2 Thanosi together and they have him at their mercy when Dr Strange turns up to fight Mystic leaving Warlock to face just Warrior. But even so Adam was weakened and Warrior beat him up. DrS banished or killed Mystic but then the other KO'd him with 1 punch. Warrior then advanced on Atlez to end his life and that of the universe, and the anchor could only try to talk him out of it. However Warlock recovered and called on the power of his Soul Gem. After giving a warning he used it to steal the Thanosi's soul, killing him in the process. But what Adam feared might happen does - Warrior's desire for oblivion becomes his own.