Avengers Forever #11
The Destiny War!
Seven time lost Avengers have been gathered to protect Rick Jones from Immortus who wishes their old ally dead for to prevent a dystopian future from unfolding.[1] Brought before the Time Keepers, the Avengers discovered there was no way to sway them in sparing humanity out of fear of this nightmare future. Soon, a battle between the Avengers and the Time Keepers break out. That’s when Rick Jones arrived with Kang and the Kree Supreme Intelligence to help event the odds.
Also arriving on the scene is Libra, who has come to observe and ensure that the universal balance is maintained. As the Time Keepers erect a barrier around themselves, Rick Jones beings radiating the Destiny Force. This causes this incredible power to awaken in the other human Avengers, boosting their powers exponentially. Eventually deciding that the Avengers are nothing more than a distraction for the task at hand, the Time Keepers teleport away with Immortus.
After regrouping, Kang leads the team to the end of time for the final conflict.[2] There, the Time Keepers have created a chronal cannon which will be powered by the Forever Crystal to erase humanity from all existence. Immortus is reluctant to go along with this plan and tries to get his masters to listen to reason. That’s when the Avengers and their allies launch their ambush. The Time Keepers put up another force field to keep the heroes at bay and order Immortus to hand over the Forever Crystal. When he refuses, the Time Keepers use their powers to eradicate him from existence. As they load the crystal into the chronal cannon, the Time Keepers then summon every Avenger from every timeline that went bad to stop the heroes from interfering with their scheme.[3]
However, the Avengers begin losing steam and begin to tire dealing with the unending stream of combatants. Libra can no longer sit by and idly watch and so he jumps into the battle field and taps Rick Jones in the back of the neck. This reactivates Rick’s Destiny Force powers, which spreads to the other Avengers, giving them the edge they need in battle. The Time Keepers notice Libra’s interference and incapacitate him, weaking Rick in the process.
Kang, meanwhile, presses forward intend on destroying the Time Keepers. Since they have destroyed Immortus, they decide the best way to deal with Kang is to speed up his timeline and force him to transform into his future self, thereby subjugating him. However, Kang absolutely hates his future self and fights with all of his might to resist this transformation.
With the battle turning against them, Captain Marvel realizes that there is only one thing left to do, the one thing he hoped to avoid this entire time. He clashes his Nega-Bands together, causing him to swap places with a much older Rick Jones, revealing that the two have been bonded together this entire time. This version of Rick Jones has been through quite a lot, with a massive scar running down his face he is also missing an arm. He joins the battle and makes his way to his younger counter part. The two then work together to focus their Destiny Forces in unison. This not only gives the other Avengers a boost they needed, but also opens a portal that summons every Avenger from every timeline where they are just and pure to help fight this final battle of the Destiny War![4]
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Wasp, Goliath, Captain America, Hawkeye, Yellowjacket, Captain Marvel, Songbird), Rick Jones, Kang, Immortus, Libra, Supreme Intelligence, Time Keepers (Ast, Vorth, Zanth), Avengers 267 (Colossus, Storm), 616 (Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Black Knight), 689 (Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp, Hulk), 776 (Giant-Man), 982 (American Dream, Freebooter), 8410 (Iron Man 2020), 9105 (Horus, Iron Man, Scepter, Captain Assyria, Storm), 9930 (Black Panther, Killraven, Thundra), 9811 (Mustang, Bravado), 9997 (Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Wasp), 99315 (Captain America, Giant-Man), Sloth, Death’s Head II
Continuity Notes
The Avengers were all plucked from different points in history as seen in Avengers Forever #1 and explained last issue. They are:
Captain America circa Captain America #175, after he discovered that the President of the United States was secretly the leader of the Secret Empire.
Hawkeye was plucked out of time circa Avengers #99. This was after he returned to Earth following the Kree/Skrull War without his Goliath growth serum or his trick arrows.
Yellowjacket was abducted from Avengers #60. Actually Hank Pym, a mental breakdown convinced him that he was someone else and that he killed Hank Pym.
Goliath and the Wasp come from the present day, having been plucked out of time circa Avengers (vol. 3) #11.
Songbirdand by extension Captain Marvel) aren’t from the mainline Marvel Universe, but an alternate reality. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #5, it has been designated Reality-98120.
First seen in Thor #245, the timeline where the Time Keepers are the last beings at the end of the universe has been designated Reality-794282 in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #5.
This is where things start to get muddy trying to identify all the background characters. Both the reference section in the Avengers Forever TPB and Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Avengers have done a good job identifying the characters that can be identified. Among those that can be IDed we got:
The Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, and the Wasp from a timeline where the Avengers are coaxed into defeating every other superhuman on Earth by the Scarlet Centurion as seen in Avengers Annual #2. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Realities 2005 #1, this is Reality-689.
The Kree Captain America and Giant-Man who were seen in Fantastic Four (vol. 3) #16. They come from a world where Earth is taken over by the Kree and they create their own version of the Avengers. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #5, this takes place in Reality-99315.
The evil Scarlet Witch, twisted by the deconstruction of the Vision, the loss of her children. She went evil for a bit, joining up with Magneto. This was all part of a scheme by Immortus to harness her nexus being powers. See Avengers West Coast #56-57 and 60-62.
Horus, Captain Assyria, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Hawkeye, and Storm from the Forever Yesterday storyline. History had been temporarily changed so that Egypt was the dominant nation of the world, affecting culture appropriately as the dominant superpower. See New Warriors #11-13. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Realities 2005 #1, this timeline has been designated Reality-9105.
The Galactic Avengers Battallion, first seen in Avengers Forever #1. They come from the timeline where the Avengers become a star-spanning empire that the Time Keepers are trying to prevent from happening. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3 designates this Reality-9812.
We also see Sloth, one of Proctor’s Gatherers, evil reality jumping Avengers. His native reality is unknown as of this writing in December, 2022. He was first seen in Avengers #355.
Iron Man 2020 and Death’s Head II: Iron Man is Arno Stark a descendant of Tony Stark from the future. He first appeared in Machine Man (vol. 2) #2. Death’s Head II, aka Minion, is a cyborg bounty hunter from the same timeline. He first appeared in Death’s Head II #1. Their home timeline is Reality-8410 per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Realities 2005 #1.
All the other characters appearing during this massive brawl are unspecified. These characters have ties to Avengers history although it is unknown if these are the Earth-616 versions or if they are variants from across the multiverse. They include:
Samantha Hasard aka Argent of ClanDestine. She first appeared in Marvel Comics Presents #158. As of this writing (December, 2022) she has not been depicted as having any association with the Avengers.
Gambit: Mutant Remy LeBeau first appeared in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14. Remy has only encountered the Avengers through his affiliation with the X-Men starting in Infinity War #2. As of this writing, Gambit has never been recorded as a member of the Avengers.
Tiger Shark: Todd Arliss started off as a Sub-Mariner foe in Sub-Mariner #5. However, he has gotten into fights with the Avengers on occasion. The first time happened in Avengers #222 when he joined up with the Masters of Evil.
Red Guardian: It is unclear which version of the Red Guardian this is, other than the fact that he’s male. The Avengers first interacted with Alexi Shostakov, in Avengers #43-44. Another Red Guardian who has worked with the Avengers is Josef Petkus who interacted with the team in Avengers #319-324.
Moon Knight: Was a brief member of the Avengers West Coast from West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #21-41.
Sandman: Also was a brief member of the Avengers during a period of reformation. He became a reserve member of the team in Avengers #329. However, he later resigned in Amazing Spider-Man #348.
The Falcon: Sam Wilson is a long time partner of Captain America and occasional Avenger. He first joined the team in Avengers #184 as a favor to Captain America when the team needed to fill a racial quota. Here, Falcon is depicted in his original costume, first seen in Captain America #117.
Nova: Aka Richard Rider, this cosmic powered superhero first appeared in Nova #1. At the time this story was published, Nova only had a passing association with the Avengers. Years later he would become a member of Steve Rogers’ Secret Avengers in Secret Avengers #1.
Black Goliath aka Bill Foster has had a long association with the Avengers, dating back to when he was Hank Pym’s lab assistant in Avengers #32. However, as of this writing, he has never been an official member of the team.
Tigra: Has been an on-again-off-again Avenger over the years after she was first granted membership in Avengers #211.
The Super Adaptoid, an android created by Advance Idea Mechanics that can adapt the abilities of others. Since it’s creation in Tales of Suspense #82 it has routinely adapted the abilities of the Avengers.
Banshee: First appearing in X-Men #28, Sean Cassidy has mostly been associated with the X-Men. To date he has never been a member of the Avengers.
Nighthawk: Kyle Richmond got his start as an Avengers villain in Avengers #69. Although he has later reformed, to date he has never been a member of the Avengers.
Paladin: Paladin has only been an associate of the Avengers during a brief affair with the Wasp which began in Avengers #251. He also has not been an official Avengers as of this date.
White Tiger: One of the High Evolutionary’s New Men, the White Tiger first appeared in Heroes for Hire #1. To date she has no known affilation with the Avengers.
Taskmaster: Got his start as an Avengers foe in Avengers #195. He will join Nick Fury’s Secret Avengers in Secret Avengers (vol. 2) #1-15.
The Vision: This one appears in the Vision’s original form seen in Avengers #57.
Hawkeye: This version of the character appears in his original costume from back when he started his career as a villain circa Tales of Suspense #57.
Goliath: This is the Clint Barton version of Goliath, first seen in Avengers #63.
Mantis: A long time associate of the Avengers dating back to Avengers #112.
Blue Shield: Joseph Cartelli is a D-list superhero that appeared in Dazzler #5. He was a failed candidate for the Avengers in Captain America #352.
Iron Man: A founding Avenger. It’s hard to tell which version of the Iron Man armor he is wearing here. Looks like maybe the Model 9 suit from Iron Man #231.
The Beast: Mostly associated with the X-Men, Hank McCoy was a long standing member of the Avengers from issue #137 to 211.
Bishop: Another X-Man who first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #282. To date he has no known association with the Avengers.
Starfox: Eros the Eternal has had a long history of association with the Avengers since he joined the group in Avengers #232.
the Black Panther: T’Challa joined the team back in Avengers #52. This version of the Panther appears wearing the costume that T’Challa wore when he first joined the team. Unlike his usual Black Panther costumes, this one had an mask with an exposed mouth. He’d stop wearing this costume by Avengers #56.
Thor: This version of Thor is wielding Stormbringer, the enchanted hammer used by Beta Ray Bill for some reason. See Thor #339.
Deathlok: Is he in this issue? The reference section says he is, but I can’t find him so, maybe not?
Rage: Elvin Haliday started his association with the Avengers in issue #326. He was made a provisional member in issue #329. However he left the team in issue #342 when it was learned he was only 16 years old at the time.
Again this is another sea of characters, some can be identified specifically, others not so much. What we’ve got here is…
Captain America, Daredevil, and the Iron Wasp from the Earth X universe first seen in Earth X #0. This is a world where the Inhuman Terrigen Mists have been unleashed all over Earth, causing all of humanity to mutate into super-humans. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Realities 2005 #1, this timeline has been designated Reality-9997.
An armored Giant-Man from What If? #3, he comes from a timeline where the Avengers have broken up. In order to get the band back together, Iron Man builds armors for Rick, Giant-Man, and the Wasp since they are the only ones who want to keep fighting. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #2, this has been designated Reality-776.
American Dream and Freebooter from the MC2 universe, a timeline where the next generation of superheroes take up the mantles of their predecessors. This reality is best known for its version of Spider-Girl, May Parker, first seen in What If? (vol. 2) #105. Marvel Encyclopedia: Fantastic Four designates this Reality-982.
The Eternal Brain from Red Raven Comics #1 appears here for some reason.
Also present are the Black Panther, Thundra, and Killraven that we saw in Avengers Forever #4-6. Their world was invaded by the Martian Masters. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z 3, they hale from Reality-9930.
The Black Knight of Earth-616 as he appears circa Avengers #355, complete with bomber jacket and energy sword.
Bravado and Mustang, who come from a timeline where those involved in the original Secret Wars ended up getting stranded on Battleworld and spawned a new generation of superhumans. This world was first seen in What If? (vol. 2) #114. Per Marvel Encyclopedia: Fantastic Four this has been designated Reality-9811.
Also present are Storm and Colossus who Avengers in a reality where the team was destroyed by a Kang variant as seen in Avengers #267. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #2, this is Reality-267.
A version of Iron Man circa Avengers #6, when he first started wearing his Model 2 armor with its riveted helmet.
Quasar circa Avengers #305, when his costume was basically the same as the original Marvel Boy, Robert Grayson. He has been associated with the team since Avengers #302.
The Scarlet Witch wearing the costume she began wearing circa Avengers (vol. 3) #8. This one more inspired by her Romani heritage.
Wonder Man as he appeared after being brought back to life in Avengers (vol. 3) #12.
Hornet of the Slingers, first seen in Slingers #1, whose appearance here is as good a guess as yours is.
Other generic characters who appear here include:
Firelord: A former herald of Galactus who first appeared in Thor #225. yreus Kril has only been an occasional ally of the Avengers a few times, such as Avengers #258-261.
Doctor Spectrum aka Joe Ledger is a member of the Squadron Supreme. Heroes from Reality-712. The Squadron have associated with the Avengers starting in Avengers #85.
the Silver Surfer: Has been a long time ally of the Avengers since the Avengers/Defenders War which took place in Avengers #115-118 and Defenders #8-11.
the Human Torch: This is likely the android Human Torch from World War II that first appeared in Marvel Comics #1. This is because the android Torch became a short lived member of the Avengers West Coast from Avengers West Coast #50 through 64.
Hercules: Appears as he did in his first appearance in Journey into Mystery Annual #1. He first associated with the Avengers in Avengers #38.
Sasquatch aka Walter Langkowski, he first appeared in X-Men #109. He has not had a significant association with the Avengers in any capacity time of this writing.
Moondragon: The mega-bitch Heather Douglas was first associated with the Avengers during the Celestial Madonna affair as see in Avengers #133. She bulled her way onto the team eventually in issue #137.
She-Hulk: Jennifer Walters first joined the Avengers in issue #221.
Machine Man: Has been a member by proxy after he helped the team on a case in Avengers West Coast Annual #5. He was voted onto the western team roster in Avengers West Coast #69, but has only acted as a reservist such as Avengers West Coast #83.
Valkyrie aka Brunnhilde, she first appeared in Defenders #4. She has never been an official Avenger. She has allied from time to time following the Avengers/Defenders War.
Thor, Noiva, and the Vision also make appearances here but I’ve covered them already and their variants here are not overly noteworthy.
Topical References
References to the present day taking place in the 20th century should be considered topical. The Sliding Timescale has pushed the Modern Age forward so that it does not begin until after the start of the 21st century.
