Synopsis
Infinity Countdown: Champions #2 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
The Champions went into space to help their member Nova (Sam Alexander) bring Warbringer of the Chitauri to justice after his attacks on Nova Corps bases. They caught up with him on the Chitauri homeworld which is currently controlled by Thanos. Warbringer had previously sought the Power Stone (in Infinity Countdown #1-3) to help his free Chitauri forces defeat Thanos and win freedom for his captive people. But when that failed he decided on another plan - to kill the captive Chitauri (give them freedom or give them death!). What he found intolerable was that Thanos didn't use the fierce Chitauri warriors to attack other planets - he just kept them hanging around.
Thanos wasn't bothered about the fate of the Chitauri but the Champions couldn't just stand by and watch genocide. So they are now fighting Warbringer's Chitauri army and his Leviathan living spaceships to save Thanos' Chitauri army, who won't fight back unless Thanos tells them to.
While Nova tackles his foe Warbringer directly Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) and Snowguard (Amka Aliyak) fight the troops. Snowguard's mix'n'match animal shapeshifting allows her to grow wings as well as animal claws. But her wings get damaged by weapon fire so she retracts them. Giant-size Ms Marvel catches her in midair and tosses her at another bunch of Chitauri soldiers where her slashing claws can continue to do damage. Ironheart (Riri Williams), Viv Vision and Wasp (Nadia Pym) are dealing with the warships. Wasp shrinks some while Ironheart and Viv blast others. But Riri's armour is taking damage.
As Nova battles Warbringer he realises something about Chitauri psychology. Just as the warriors on the planet will only fight if Thanos tells them to, Warbringer's army only obeys *him*. If the Champs take Warbringer out of the picture his forces will stop fighting. So he calls the others to change tactics. Giant Ms Marvel stamps on Warbringer. Then Nova takes him into the sky where Ironheart and Viv Vision combine firepower with his Nova blast. Nova throws the foe to the ground in unconscious defeat. And as 'the winner' he successfully orders hostilities to cease.
Thanos laughs at the sight of heroes technically fighting and winning for *him*. Riri Williams sees red and flies to confront him. But the Mad Titan grabs her by the throat and causes her armour to crumble around her. He says he could now kill her, but lets her live as she's been marginally useful and amusing.
The team leave the planet with the unconscious captive Warbringer in their Mobile Bunker, again powered by Nova pushing it from outside. They may have achieved their objective but they've still left Thanos in charge of Chitauri-Prime and plotting to destroy the universe. (That last bit seems to be an assumption based on that's what he usually does.)
Riri in particular is despondent. She's lost her armour, and anyway it turned out to be useless. Viv tries to cheer her up by pointing out her positive contributions. And anyway she can always create new armour. They agree to work together on that, and Riri has some ideas based on Chitauri armour. (They don't realise they are being watched by the Ultron spy drone we saw last issue.)
They deliver Warbringer to Nova Outpost Wheeler-Delta, and Ms Marvel and Wasp hand him over to Nova Commander Scott Adsit. But Adsit wants to know about their member Nova Sam who contacted him last issue. They claim that Sam had to leave them but Scott can detect the presence of his Black Nova helmet - and at the push of a button the helmet brings Sam Alexander to him. Adsit confiscates it as Nova property, and because Sam hasn't had the proper Nova training. Then he uses a matter transmittter to send them and the Mobile Bunker to Earth, where the the rest of Sam's Nova armour dematerialises.