Synopsis / Summary / Plot
The Kree and Skrulls have united under hybrid Emperor Dorrek-Vell (Hulkling) to destroy their ancient enemy the Cotati plant-beings on Earth's Moon. The Avengers went to help Quoi, the Celestial Messiah, and the Cotati. The Fantastic Four tried diplomacy with the approaching armada. But at the end of last issue it transpired that the Cotati were the real danger, planning to kill-off all non-plant life in the Universe and replace them with a plant Empyre - starting with Earth.
This issue begins with someone flying his spaceship towards Earth to warn the Avengers of danger. All we know of him is that he tells his computer that he was born on Earth (which the computer thinks is pre-civilized and dangerous). But we're not going to see him again this issue.
But back at the ongoing plot in the Blue Area of the Moon Quoi has Captain America, Iron Man and Thor tangled up in thick vines. Grateful for their help last issue he offers to let them live in the Cotati's new garden here. But Thor rails at him, asking what happened to the boy who fought beside him (Avengers: Celestial Quest mini-series) as part of the Avengers family? Quoi replies that he was born into the family (son of Mantis and the Cotati version of the Swordsman), raised by them (he claims Thor visited Mantis sometimes when he was young), but then she handed him over to the Cotati.
'Swordsman' taught him how the Cotati had been badly treated by meat-life. Millennia ago the Skrulls tempted them from the plant-world with their meat technology, then the Kree slaughtered them for it. He knew from his human Swordsman memories how the the humans treated plants (like eating them and using them to make clothing). No plants would be safe until meat-life was purged.
Now we join Swordsman with Black Panther, Captain Marvel and She-Hulk out in space accompanied by Ghost Rider in a quinjet turned Hell-vehicle. Kree Captain Glory is with them and tells them how all the plants in the Kree/Skrull spaceships have gone berserk (under orders from up-powered Quoi last issue) and are killing everyone on board. She-Hulk asks Swordsman what's going on. In answer he slashes her arm with his sword, and then cuts his own palm out of which blossoms a huge plant circle which forms a portal through which he escapes. But on the way out he repeats Quoi's offer - if they don't interfere they will be allowed to live.
On the Moon Quoi is controlling the vines to reposition his 3 captive Avengers - he calls it human arranging. Tony Stark finally believes that the Cotati were behind the deaths of Bel-Dann and Raksor (Incoming 1-shot). He couldn't accept it before because they and the Celestial Messiah were nice pacifists.
Quoi now explains that they've been experimenting with Death Blossoms (see last issue) for a while. They started in the Kral System of worlds where Skrulls pretend to be humans (1st seen in Fantastic Four #91-93) but the Skrull Empire detected them and destroyed the whole system (that event but not the reason for it was seen in a tale in the 2019 Guardians Of The Galaxy Annual). They improved the Blossoms and moved on to destroy a Kree military outpost. By now the Kree and Skrulls worked out what they were doing and started to build their Alliance. The Cotati tried to stop Bel-Dann and Raksor recruiting Hulkling as their hybrid figurehead Emperor, but too late (Incoming again). So the Cotati called in the Avengers to help them against the nasty Kree and Skrulls (Empyre: Av#0), but really as a delaying tactic until the latest Death Blossom was ready (last issue).
But then Thor's hammer returns from the Kree/Skrull flagship where he sent it last issue. With Mjolnir in hand he calls down lighting which frees him and his 2 companions. However the Celestial Messiah's response is to create a plant portal and step through it. Cap isn't completely surprised because the X-Men use such plant gateways to and from their island Krakoa. Then Black Panther contacts them from space and they compare notes. But he also tells them that the Cotati have already made multiple attacks on Earth (we see plants smothering the Bryant Park New York Public Library). Thor portals our 3 to Earth where Panther, Ghost Rider and She-Hulk will join them. Captain Marvel will find the FF in the Kree/Skrull flagship.
Captain Glory and Super-Skrull accompany her and find the FF, Hulkling, Mur-G'nn, Tanalth and a mixture of soldiers still fighting the plants. Seeds have taken root in the cracks in Thing's rocky skin and have fast-grown to begin tearing him apart. But Hulkling uses his magic Star-Sword Excelsior to hack him free because the vines seem to hate its touch. Carol Danvers offers to absorb that magic energy and use it as a weapon, so Teddy Altman 'stabs' her through the stomach with it. She fights the pain for as long as she can, and then even longer. But finally a wave of energy explodes out of her.
She revives to find the flagship free of plants. Mr Fantastic tells her she nearly died but he used Tanalth's hammer as a defibrillator to revive her. Tanalth The Pursuer admits that it is the Universal Weapon used by Ronan The Accuser (who died in Death Of Inhumans #3) and that she has never been able to wield it the way he did. She suggests someone else might be able to do better, at which Captain Glory's ears prick up. But she instead turns to half-Kree Captain Marvel and offers *her* a place in the Kree Accuser Corps, with Emperor Dorrek-Vell's hurried approval.
Carol takes the Weapon and immediately feels a oneship with it. She cautions herself to never let its power take her over. Tanalth bows to her and tells her to prepare to render judgement for the glory of Hala (the Kree homeworld) and of Earth if it survives the Pyre. Super-Skrull explains that the Pyre is the death of a world (ie Earth) which the Emperor (ie Hulking) may be forced to authorise.