Avengers #339
The Collective Obsession Part 6: Final Redemption
The Collector has just revealed that he was responsible for unleashing the Brethren, a warrior race that had been part of his collection for thousands of years. He explains that he intentionally released the Brethren to wipe out all life on the planet Earth so that when he makes the Avengers part of his collection, they will be more unique as the last survivors of their world.[1]
This is being observed by the Fool, Thane Ector’s insane brother, who has brought Sersi to witness the destruction of her friends and teammates. The Fool then explains that he plans on killing her right after in order to keep the truth about the Brethren a secret and maintain the status quo among his people.
Unfortunately, the Collector has other ideas and decides to reveal to everyone everything they have been trying to figure out about the Brethren. He confirms that, millennia ago, the Brethren were created as part of an experiment by the Celestials. However, unlike Earth where the Celestials turned some of early man into the Eternals, the Celestials created the Breathren by hyper-evolving bacteria into sentient beings. Apparently, the intended purpose for the Brethren was for them to follow the Celestials in fleets so they could be used to destroy and other Celestial experiments that have been deemed unworthy. However, for reasons unknown to anyone in the universe, the Celestials lost interest in the Brethren and abandoned them. With no goal or purpose, the Brethren ended up devastating world after world until the Collector captured them and made them part of his collection. This led to him unleashing the Brethren on Earth and making it look like an accident so he could wipe out the human race so the Avengers could be unique additions to his collection.
Hearing the truth about her people horrifies Sybyl Dorn and when she tries to attack the Collector he blasts her with energy that forces her to transform into her bacterial form. He begins doing this to all the other members of the Brethren so that they will spread all over the planet and wipe out all life. The Avengers try their best to contain the floating bacteria and are briefly joined by Sersi. However, she leaves the battle in order to find Thane Ector as he holds the key to saving the world.
Meanwhile, the Watcher questions the motivations of the Collector’s scheme. The Collector is amused that Uatu would attempt to convince him to give up his plan, pointing out that as Elders of the Universe they all have their singular roles to play. He is confident that, due to the Watcher’s oath of non-interference, there is nothing Uatu can do to stop him.[2]
By this time, Sersi has found Thane Ector and Fool who have all but given up now that their people know the truth about their existence. However, Sersi insists that Thane Ector and his people can evolve beyond the role the Celestials intended for them, pointing to the fact that her own people — the Eternals — did just that. She then guides Thane Ector and Fool and shows them how to summon all their people back together so they can merge together and become a Uni-Mind. The gambit works, and the Brethren Uni-Mind unleashes its power upon the Collector, seemingly destroying both in a brilliant flash of light.[3] All that is left are the dying forms of Thane Ector and Fool. Sersi races by his side and shares one last kiss with him before he dies.
Sersi mourns the loss of Thane Ecotr and later, she tries to make sense of it all. She is visited on the rooftop of Avengers Headquarters by Captian America who tries to give her comfort by pointing out that, in the end, Thane Ector and his Brethren proved themselves to be the noble race they had always strove to be. When the Watcher suddenly appears on the roof with them as well, Cap figures Uatu must agree with him.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Beast, Black Knight, Black Panther, Black Widow, Captain America, Crystal, Hercules, Iron Man, Quasar, Rage, Sersi, Vision), Brethren (Thane Ector, Sybyl Dorn, Fool), The Watcher, The Collector, (in flashback) Arishem the Judge, Nezarr the Calculator, Oneg the Prober, Tefral the Surveyor, Ziran the Tester
Continuity Notes
The Collector has made many past attempts to add the Avengers to his collection. See Avengers #28, 51, 119, and 172-175. Here, the Collector claims that his new more alien form is his true form. If this is true or not is never really settled and he will go back to his original appearance (that of an elderly man) in Wolverine (vol. 2) #134, an appearance he has relatively maintained ever since. He later assumed yet another alien form that is similar to the one shown here in Astonishing Thor #4. What is clear is that the Collector is some kind of shape-shifter. His claims of one form being his true form or the other are his own admissions and have not been independently verified.
The Watcher’s oath of non-interference is referenced here. The Watchers took this pledge after sharing atomic secrets to an alien race that then used that technology to wipe themselves out in nuclear war. See Tales of Suspense #53 and Original Sin #0.
Although the Collector is seemingly killed here, he’ll turn up alive again in Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #58-61. Thane Ector and the Brethren on the other hand, at least as of this writing (in April 2022), have not been revived since.
