- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Marvel Comics’ Uncanny Avengers returns to flagship status with new storyline “Ragnarok Now” in today’s fourteenth issue, as the forthcoming battle between humans and mutants claims its first victim — and its second and third, as well. Be warned: Spoilers for the three superhero deaths follow.
In the first installment of “Ragnarok Now,” the Scarlet Witch — soon to be seen on the big screen in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, played by Elizabeth Olsen — is murdered by the X-Men’s Rogue, who is then herself murdered by a super-villain. The Scarlet Witch’s lover, Wonder Man, then apparently commits suicide in order to ensure the success of the Witch’s final spell.
STORY: No New ‘Miracleman’ Until 2016, Says Marvel’s CCO
It’s a bold start to the new storyline, which sees regular writer Rick Remender joined by Civil War penciler Steve McNiven, but that very level of boldness may suggest that none of these deaths are intended to be permanent. The issue opens with the time-traveling villain known as Kang collecting a number of potential super villain allies, after all, and with any use of time-travel, the potential for undoing unpleasant plot developments exists.
That would come as a welcome development for fans who, learning of the deaths via an early leak of the issue online yesterday, have been complaining that the deaths are simply the latest incarnation of the tendency to hurt or kill female characters in superhero comics as fuel for male characters’ angst. “They killed off [the Scarlet Witch] and Rogue in a completely needless super brutal way literally only to provide manpain,” tweeted one fan.
Of course, should any of the characters return, it wouldn’t be the greatest surprise. In recent years, Captain America, the Fantastic Four’s Human Torch and DC Comics’ Batman have all “died” only to return within a couple of years. This death is already Wonder Man’s third to date, and given the big-screen appearances of both Rogue (in next year’s X-Men: Days of Future Past) and the Scarlet Witch over the next couple of years, it’s unlikely that they’ll stay gone for too long. In the short term, though — well, Uncanny Avengers has shown itself to be a title in which very important things are happening, a year after its debut.
Uncanny Avengers #14 is available in comic stores and digitally now.
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day