Marvel crowns its newest cosmic king and queen by wrapping two big story events revolving around Knull’s invasion and the Phoenix’s contest for a new host. With all the action taking place in King in Black and Avengers, only one of the week’s top characters stands apart from those two storylines. Conan the Barbarian, a character also dealing with nefarious spirits recently possessing him, continues to float between his place in his native Hyberion Age and the Marvel Universe proper. It’s in his own solo title that he tallies a 10 point performance this week. New characters added to the database this week include Malice, whose origin is revealed in Excalibur, and Toxin, who bonds with a new host in Planet of the Symbiotes.
Book the Week – King in Black #5 (Review score: 88 Points; 22 Characters). The final issue of King in Black ends with a powerful performance by Eddie Brock. With the help of the Enigma Force, Brock turns the tables on Knull and delivers an “eye for an eye” justice. To defeat the King in Black, he strips him of his symbiote armor and drops him from the height of a skyscraper, similar to Knull’s treatment of him earlier in the event. While the book focuses on the Eddie Brock and Knull battle, a handful of the heroes still gather to continue playing a support role.
Hero of the Week – Venom (Review score: 29 Points/2 Appearances; 14.5 Pts/App). The King in Black is dead, long live the King in Black! Eddie Brock does not just defeat Knull, he assumes his role as the leader of the symbiotes. He has access to the hive mind and all the symbiotes swarm to him by the end of the issue. Brock’s other big moment involves summoning two of Marvel’s strongest artifacts—Mjolnir and Silver Surfer’s board—and merging them into one powerful god killing axe which he used against Knull.
Antagonist of the Week – Knull (Review score: 10 Points/3 Appearances; 3.33 Pts/App). Eddie Brock puts Knull on his heels and renders most of his attacks ineffective. Despite Knull’s defeat in King in Black, this may not be the last we see of him. Several tie-in books for “King in Black” remain and like a bad penny, Knull is likely to at least make a quick appearance in a few of those issues.
Performance of the Week – Echo (Review score: 11 Points/1 Appearance; 11 Pts/App). The other cosmic contest settled this week ends with an unexpected host for the Phoenix Force. While Namor and Hulk and Black Panther and Captain America square off, Echo appears and strips the contestants of their temporary Phoenix powers. Appropriately, Echo—having been left at the bottom of the ocean by Namor—returns from certain defeat more powerful than ever as the new Phoenix, aka Thunderbird (which should be noted, are two distinct mythological birds).
Top Characters (by review score). Venom (29); Spider-Man/Peter Parker (20); Captain America (15); Thor (13); Echo (11); Black Panther, Conan, Hulk/Jennifer Walters, Knull, Toxin (10)
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Key: TU – Team-Up; LT – Lead Team; SC – Save Civilian; CD – Character Development; DA – Defeat Antagonist.
| Amazing Spider-Man #63 (39) |
| Spider-Man (PP) – Agility, Durability, Ensnare, Melee, Sense, Speed, Webs, TU (Boomerang), LT, DA (Hammerhead) Antagonist(s) Baron Mordo – TU (Kingpin) Beetle – Energy, Flight, Melee, Weapon, DA (Tombstone) Boomerang – Durability, Flight, Melee, Projectile, TU (Spider-Man) Hammerhead – Melee Kindred Kingpin – TU (Baron Mordo) Lady Octopus Madame Masque – Melee Owl – Melee, LT Tombstone – Strength White Rabbit |
| America Chavez: Made in the USA #2 (13) |
| Hawkeye (KB) Ms. America – Computer, Flight, Melee, Sleuth, TU (Spider-Man), SC, DA (Looters) Spider-Man (PP) – Ensnare, TU (Ms. America), DA (Looters) |
| Avengers #44 (80) |
| Andromeda Black Panther – Agility, Claws, Crawl, Durability, Flames, Flight, Melee Captain America – Agility, Flight, Melee, Precision, Projectile, Shield Defensive, Shield Offensive Captain Marvel – Absorb, Flight, TU (Moon Girl), LT Echo – Absorb, Claws, Durability, Flames Offensive, Flight, Gun, Melee, Strength, CD (Becomes the new host of the Phoenix), DA (Red Widow) Ghost Rider (RR) – Ensnare, Vehicle, TU (Moon Girl) Hulk (JW) – Durability, Flames, Flight, Melee, Morph, Strength, Weapon Iron Man – Flight, TU (Moon Girl) Marvel Girl – Telepathy Moon Girl – TU (Avengers) Namor – Durability, Flight, Heal, Melee, Sense, Strength, Weapon Shanna the She-Devil – Claws, Flight, Melee, Strength, Weapon, SC Thor – Flight, Lightning Valkyrie (JF) – Ensnare, Flight, TU (Avengers) Antagonist(s) Crimson Dynamo – Flight Dark Star – Flight Orka Tiger Shark |
| Conan the Barbarian #20 (10) |
| Conan – Blade, Creature, Durability, Melee, Rage, Strength, Weapon, SC, DA (Leopard) |
| Excalibur #20 (51) |
| Captain Britain – Blade, Business, Telepathy, Telepathy Offensive, Weapon, TU (Psylocke), CD (Learns she can interact with Psylocke’s psychic blades), DA (Malice) Emma Frost – Business, Telepathy Defensive Jubilee – TU (Psylocke) Kate Pryde – Business Magneto – Business Nightcrawler – Business Professor X – Business, Telepathy Psylocke – Blade, Ensnare, Telepathy, Telepathy Defensive, TU (Captain Britain), DA (Malice) Rogue – TU (Psylocke) Storm – Business Antagonist(s) Exodus – Business Krakoa – Business Malice – Blade, Morph, Possession, Telepathy, Weapon, CD (Reveals origin) Mr. Sinister – Business Mystique – Business Sebastian Shaw – Business |
| Immortal Hulk #45 (30) |
| Doc Samson Harpy – Flight, Morph, Sense Hulk (BB) – Absorb, Heal, Melee, Morph, Personality, Strength, CD (Joe Fixit returns as Red Hulk) Puck Rick Jones Sasquatch – CD (Returns in Doc Samson’s body) Shaman – Heal, Sense Antagonist(s) Ironclad Leader – Morph, Reality Vapor – Flight Vector X-Ray – Energy Offensive, Flight |
| King in Black #5 (88) |
| Black Cat – TU (Venom) Black Panther – TU (Venom) Blade – Blade, Melee, TU (Silver Surfer), DA (Vampires) Captain America – TU (Silver Surfer), LT Captain Marvel – TU (Silver Surfer) Cyclops – Energy Offensive, Melee, TU (Silver Surfer) Doctor Strange – Flight, TU (Silver Surfer) Invisible Woman – Flight, TU (Silver Surfer) Iron Fist – TU (Silver Surfer) Iron Man – Flight, TU (Silver Surfer) Luke Cage – TU (Silver Surfer) Marvel Girl – Flight, TU (Silver Surfer) Ms. Marvel – TU (Silver Surfer) Silver Surfer – Artifact, Vehicle, TU (Venom) LT Spider-Man (MM) – Ensnare, Webs, TU (Silver Surfer) Spider-Man (PP) – Ensnare, Webs, TU (Silver Surfer) Storm – Flight, TU (Silver Surfer) Thing – Melee, TU (Silver Surfer) Thor – Artifact, Flight, TU (Silver Surfer) Venom – Absorb, Artifact, Blade, Cosmic, Creature, Durability, Energy, Flight, Melee, Sense, Speed, Strength, Weapon, TU (Silver Surfer), LT, SC, CD (Becomes the new King in Black), DA (Knull) Wolverine – Melee, TU (Silver Surfer) Antagonist(s) Knull – Blade, Creature, Durability, Flight, Weapon, CD (Dies) |
| King in Black: Planet of the Symbiotes #3 (40) |
| Captain America – Shield Defensive, SC Cloak – Creature, Ensnare, Melee, Sense, Teleport, Teleport Defensive, Teleport Offensive, DA (Looters) Cyclops – Energy Dagger – Energy, Energy Offensive, DA (Looters) Hulk (JW) – Melee Iron Man Marvel Girl – Telekinesis Thor – Flight, Lightning, Melee Toxin – Appendage Offensive, Crawl, Creature, Durability, Ensnare, Melee, Sense, Webs, CD (Joins with a new host) Wolverine – Claws Offensive Antagonist(s) Knull |
| Marauders #19 (25) |
| Bishop – Explosive, Gun, Stealth Callisto – Plant, LT Iceman – Deception Kate Pryde – Plant, LT Marrow – Blade, SC, DA (Reavers) Masque – Blunt, Morph, SC, DA (Reavers) Antagonist(s) Kade Kilgore Pyro – Deception, Flames |
| Runaways #35 (17) |
| Chase Stein – TU (Pixie) Karolina Dean – Flight, CD (Shares her deeper feelings for Nico) Molly Hayes – TU (Pixie) Nico Minoru – Heal, TU (Pixie), SC, CD (Shares her deeper feelings for Karolina) Pixie – Teleport, TU (Runaways) Wolverine – TU (Runaways) |
| Venom #34 (27) |
| Agent Venom – Claws, Flight, Morph, TU (Venom), CD (Returns) Captain America Invisible Woman Mr. Fantastic Spider-Man (PP) Storm – Flight Thing Thor – Flight Venom – Absorb, Creature, Flight, Grow, Melee, Strength, Will Power, TU (Agent Venom), LT Antagonist(s) Knull – Ensnare |
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