New Avengers, The (2025 series) #7

These new New Avengers have been fighting the Killuminati, clones of the Illuminati created by clones of the Jackal working for a mystery boss. They've killed some Killuminati (but probably not as many as they think) and last issue the remainder blew a very big hole in the centre of Osaka. 2 days later our team went after Guru Strange, clone of Dr Strange, in his Shamballa 2 levitating palace in Norway. But they were also met by Luke Charles, clone of Black Panther, and 2 new Killuminati Lord Britain, clone of the Brian Braddock Captain Britain, and Rapunzel, clone of the Inhuman Medusa. Along the way the not-dead Iron Apex, clone of Iron Man, showed Winter Soldier a video revealing that the NAv's leader Black Widow was actually working for the mystery boss.

This issue starts with another flashback to (2) days before the Osaka event, this 1 with Luke Charles in San Francisco impressing a woman with the (formerly) royal status of the real Panther. Their flirtation continues to his penthouse suite where later he kills her. Iron Apex reveals his presence but Luke claims to have known he was there all along. They continue to verbally fence as we see a wall rack of human skulls. IA says that (last issue) he tracked down a Jackal and confronted (a fuzzy AI hologram of) his boss who told him that the Killuminati were designed in preparation for a particular situation which has now come to pass.

Now Carnage, Clea, Winter Soldier and Wolverine (Laura Kinney) have trapped the Guru in magic handcuffs but are losing the fight against the 3 other Killers. In particular this Medusa-clone's living hair has 'claws' that cut and 'teeth' that bite.

But enough of that, back to 2 days before Osaka and in the Baxter Building where Bucky Barnes and Laura K meet with Reed Richards. James Buchanan Barnes has given Reed some red hair to test for Terrigen molecules which would suggest the owner is an Inhuman. He says he can't tell him why or Namor would kill him. Reed correctly  guesses Bucky has a team going on, but also that the hair belongs to Natasha Romanoff. After the meeting Kinney, who obviously wasn't in on the plan, suggests to Barnes that the super-spy Widow is bound to find out what he's done and then *she*'ll murder him. And her too because he's dragged her into it. Bucky asks her if she can smell when people lie. She says sometimes and he tells her about the video suggesting Nat is working for the enemy. He doesn't believe she would and suspects a clone, but doesn't know whether their team leader *is* the clone. And the person on the team he trusts most after Nat is Laura. Then he hurries back to California, hopefully before before Black Widow misses him.

Later in the Joshua Tree National Park, California he's standing side on in front of a rock as Natasha uses him for target practice, outlining him with bullet holes. He asks her who told her where to find the Jackal's lab in #1, on the pretence of possibly mining them for more info. She evades the question and asks why he's been looking funnily at her lately. And where did he go today? He says it was his New Mexico safe house like he told her. But she now admits that she knows he went to New York because she's tracked him. Then she strikes a pose against the rock with her arms outstretched and allows him  to outline *her* with bullets. Afterwards we see that their poses were facing each other and her hands would have been at his neck. But was she hugging him or choking him?

In the same 2 days before Osaka period in San Francisco Iron Apex continues to tell Luke Charles about his 'meeting' with the hologram who insisted that the Killuminati must work with other agents to achieve the boss's goal but wouldn't reveal what that goal was. Or even confirm that Black Widow supplied the means by which the clones were created (including Terrigen crystals). The Tony Stark clone refused to obey but the hologram demonstrated why he *should*. And Apex now reveals to Charles that 1 arm within his armour ends at the wrist where the hologram caused his hand to 'biologically decohere'. And the hologram promised the clones their freedom once the agenda is fulfilled. 'Tony' now tells Luke who the big boss really is, but we don't get to hear. LC agrees to cooperate with him and Guru Strange.

Now in the '2 days after' slot Carnage, Winter Soldier and Wolverine are still fighting Luke Charles, Lord Britain and Rapunzel. Guru Strange tries many spells to get the magic manacles off but to no avail. Clea hates this parody of her husband Dr Strange, but partly because she senses that he reflects an unseemly part of Stephen himself. She would very much like to kill GS but that's not part of Natasha's plan. We now see that Black Widow has been watching from above as the sorceress uses a spell to immobilise the foe, and BW fires a special bullet at him and then calls in Namor. Sub-Mariner arrives on the scene with a giant octopus which engulfs the floating city. 'Black Panther' cuts through the Guru's manacles with his sword and the mage magics the Killuminati away to join Iron Apex. Clea similarly takes the NAv back to Bucky's safe house in the New Mexico desert.

Widow is satisfied with how her plan went. Her bullet was a tracker placed on Guru Strange. Wolverine let Luke Charles plant 1 on her too but they can remove it and leave it wherever they want. However we also see that the K-gang know about the tracker in GS and intend to remove it. Both sides think they've got the other where they want them.

Finally we return to 2 days before Osaka in a hotel in Palm Springs, California. Bucky gets a message from Reed Richards telling him that the hair sample tested negative for Terrigen molecules. Bucky is relieved that Black Widow is the real Natasha. When she enters the bedroom he tells her how there's another Natasha working with the Killuminati and he hadn't been sure which 1 she was. But now he has no doubts and draws her close. Then she shoots him.