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Infinity War #5

Oct 1992
Jim Starlin, Ron Lim

Story Name:

Psychomachia!


Synopsis

Infinity War #5 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 3 stars
The Magus has the Infinity Gauntlet in his possession and Adam Warlock as his prisoner. The mystic heroes arrive on Earth to build a telepathic resistance to Magus’ encroaching reality. Dr.Doom and Kang the Conqueror seize the opportunity to try to take the Infinity Gauntlet from the Magus but fail; during this confrontation the Magus discovers that his Cosmic Cubes are gone. The Living Tribunal defers the decision to the catatonic Eternity; Galactus uses Gamora to enter and cure Eternity, who grants that the Infinity Gauntlet be re-empowered, unaware that the device is in the possession of the Magus. With his new godlike power, the Magus stops Quasar from activating the Ultimate Nullifier and traps Warlock upon a mystical cross. The Earth heroes take this opportunity to attack while Magus is still unaccustomed to his new powers but they are diverted into a trap. Thanos, though, manages to get through to the Magus’ fortress only to confront his double. A gloating Magus raises his Gauntleted hand to finally destroy Warlock.

Also in this issue: Pip the Troll, Moondragon, Drax the Destroyer, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Sleepwalker, the Silver Surfer, Nova, the Watcher, and many others (from the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, X-Factor, New Warriors, Alpha Flight).

 

Review / Commentaries


Infinity War #5 Review by (February 15, 2010)
Hulk’s participation in this issue is minimal, largely joining in battles and standing around in a group.

Comments on tie-ins by Rob Johnson:-

Alpha Flight #112 completes the team's involvement with Infinity Wars. The bulk of the issue takes place while Prof X, Moondragon, Psylocke and Jean Grey are trying to wake the populace of the world from the stasis inflicted by the Magus. The release of the Ska'r in Toronto has stopped the stasis affecting it's populous and the The Master Of The World expects them to spread through Canada. Meanwhile he detects the 4 telepaths' efforts.
Gamma Flight fight MOTW's Omega Flight. Talisman sees the Ska'r living off human evil 1000's of years ago, and discovers that it was a previous Talisman that banished them from Earth, until Omega Flight forced her to release them in #110. MOTW takes a direct hand and defeats Gamma Flight with the power of Firebug from last issue. But the Ska'r turn on him, until Talisman mentally contacts the team from her hospital bed and guides them to send the Ska'r back to their exile. And Magus' stasis overwhelms Toronto.

Sleepwalker #17 isn't bannered or listed as part of IW, but in the last couple of pages Rick Sheridan's date Janine starts acting strange.

In SLEEP#18 we learn that Prof X and co have taken over Janine and a local gang to kidnap Rick and then the telepaths put him to sleep to release Sleepwalker. They tell Sleepy about the Magus and Doppelgangers and ask him to be a conduit for their minds to awaken the world. But he suspiciously refuses and sets out to see for himself what's occurring. He fight Dops who are checking for awake people and attacking sleepers for fun. He fakes death and later joins them pretending to be his own Dop. But they find Rick's 'possessed' date still awake and intend to kill her. So the telepaths leave allowing her to fall into the stasis. But SW now realises they were telling the truth and destroys the Dops. And he lets the telepaths into his mind and they imbue everyone in the world with the hope and strength to resist Magus. They are still asleep but Magus' takeover is halted.

The opening section of Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #46 belongs here with the above issue. The mystics Agatha Harkness, Dr Druid, Dr Strange, Scarlet Witch and Shaman arrive on Earth to find the populace in stasis and 2 Moons in the sky, and Agatha senses a 2nd Earth too. They meet Sleepwalker who DrS knows (from his involvement in Infinity Gauntlet) who tells them he's helping the 4 telepaths make the sleeping people resist the Magus. They leave him to it.


Warlock & Infinity Watch #9 relates what happened while Gamora was inside Eternity. We see Galactus bond with Gamora and send her into Eternity to heal him. His mind will accompany and guide her. Big G confirms that he's sent her as his pawn because she's expendable.
While on her mission Gamora remembers a time in her teenhood when she wandered a spaceport confident that Thanos' fight training would keep her safe. But a gang attacked her and horribly beat and mutilated her. Thanos found her and rebuilt her into the invincible warrior she is now. From then on she swore no-one else would use or abuse her again. But now she's Galactus' puppet.
Meanwhile she sees a blockade of solid sound surrounding something. Inside she finds Eternity's core essence held in black mystic bands, but Eternity appears to be breaking out. So Gamora/Galactus lend a helping hand to free Eternity, and also his twin/opposite Infinity.
Gamora returns to where Galactus is with Eternity and the Living Tribunal.

Quasar #40 tells us what happened when Q tried to use the Ultimate Nullifier. He concentrates on Nullifying only the Magus, but when he activates it he vanishes himself instead.
Quasar finds himself in a white zone ruled by Oblivion who conjures up Kid Reaper to fight him. KR drags the fight out to avoid being sent back to nothingness. Q evades KR and attacks Oblivion. The plan doesn't work but he's deduced he's somewhere in the Dimension Of Manifestations and quantum jumps to the Contemplator there. But KR follows him and kills him. Then the quantum bands disappear and reappear in reality where Caregiver is looking after the embryonic Origin.
Meanwhile Thanos calls on the fake Marvel Boy to take Q's place as Protector Of The Universe.
(In this series' other plotline Her continues to attack the Black Fleet while Makkari and the Mourners watch, and she decides to change her name to Kismet. On the planet Scadam Kayla Ballantine has returned from the dead, and Holly Steckley finds the Starbrand on her neck. Kayla levitates them both to where they see the Chief Examiner's giant construct fighting the Black Fleet.)

Near the end of the issue there are the opening pages of 2 more issues:-
In Fantastic Four #370 Magus has the Infinity Gauntlet and a crucified Warlock (just before he decides to kill Adam at then end of our issue).
In Wonder Man #15 Rage and violence fuel WM in the fight against the Dops.



> Infinity War comic book info and issue index

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Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.