Synopsis
Superior Avengers (2025 series) #1 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Annihilus and his Negative Zone bug army are attacking Washington DC. We see a female in a variation of a Black Panther costume saving a civilian. She contacts a female version of Dr Octopus who refers to her as Killmonger while killing bugs. Ock reports that (a) Malekith is enjoying himself squashing them, but Killmonger reminds him *not* to damage civilians. She next calls up a version of Onslaught to tell him to evacuate the people but he's read her mind and is already doing it with a large force field. Her next call is to Abomination. This version is a seeming human with armour and shield bearing the colours and crest of Dr Doom. Then she mentally asks Onslaught to secretly pass on a message to a female Ghost to move on to her secondary objective. Meanwhile Abomination has engaged in a fist fight with Annihilus himself, and Doc Ock prepares her tentacles to throw Malekith at the enemy. Malekith forms himself into a blade which slices Annihilus open, and then Onslaught telekinetically slams him into a pillar. Annihilus retreats through a portal (to the Negative Zone) and his army follow. A grateful Senator asks the heroes who they are and they say that they're the Avengers.
We now flashback 2 weeks to Latveria where Dr Doom's adopted son Kristoff Vernard (with a bunch of Doombot assistants) is trying to upgrade Doom's Time Platform. Then Sorcerer Supreme Emperor Doom himself arrives by magic portal from a diplomatic mission to Wakanda which he is going to 'allow' to remain independent. Kristoff reports on progress on project Avengers Initiative which will have the Platform automatically scanning the possible futures for ones where Doom's reign is successful to bring back champions to bear witness to the world of the benefits of his father's reign. Victor Von Doom demands to see an example now so his son reluctantly switches the untested machine on. And it brings back an Amadeus Cho Hulk from 44 years ahead. Who unfortunately claims Doom has wrecked his world and starts fighting through Doombots to get at him, until his target magically reduces him to a skeleton.
In the present Kristoff addresses the press and reminds them that heroes like Captain Marvel and Iron Man didn't protect them against Annihilus and his Annihilation Wave, and the Fantastic Four failed to repel them a year ago. Then he introduces them to the true heroes of the hour, the Superior Avengers, and tells them these are all from more than a century hence and are here as proof of the greatness ahead. They may look like villains but in Doom's future villainy has been eradicated.
They all return to Doomstadt where Kristoff praises the team for good work. It was lucky they had such an easy opponent for their 1st mission. Killmonger unmasks and says Vernard is as cunning as his father and he's probably better looking. As the 6 return to their quarters Ock asks her if the flirtation was a tactic. She also tells them that she's switched on anti-surveillance while they continue with their own mission. And if Kristoff physically checks in then he'll find her cuttlefish drones with their advanced AI from the future doing a perfect imitation. Killmonger reminds Olivia of the fate their world in Anno Doom 128 suffered (we see it being destroyed by an incursion of eldritch beings) because they underestimated Doom in their years of planning. KM asks Ghost if she's deposited the artefact she stole from the Capitol. Ghost says she didn't want to go alone so they get her to open a portal and they'll all go ...
... to abandoned Prison 42 in the Negative Zone. Paranoid Ghost tells KM to put the artefact with the rest of their hoard quickly. There are rabid bugs about and Doom might have agents here. KM retorts that if Annihilus interferes they'll kill him, or sic him on their foes. And if Doom does find them then she reminds her that they've killed him once, and they'll destroy this whole era if needs be to reclaim their own future.
Characters
Good (or All)
Abomination (SupAv), Dr Octopus (SupAv), Ghost (SupAv), Killmonger (SupAv), Malekith (SupAv), Onslaught (SupAv).
EnemiesPlus: Kristoff Vernard.