The Avengers Take on the Red Hulk in the Start of Marvel’s Newest Event
Cover to “Avengers Armageddon #1” (published June 10th, 2026) written by Chip Zdarsky, with art by Delio Diaz and Frank Alpizar with colors by Jesus Aburtov
Cover art by Dike Ruan and Moreno Dinisio
“And there came a day unlike any other…”
That opening line has long since been associated with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers, as a reminder of just how fate brought together a disparate group of unique individuals. to face the foes no single superhero could withstand. And if the events spiraling from the pages of Captain America and Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon are any indicator, to say nothing of the general fallout from One World Under Doom, another day unlike any other is rapidly approaching.
Avengers: Armageddon is the latest chapter in the grand tapestry of Marvel’s legendary superhero team, as well as being the next chapter in writer Chip Zdarsky’s grand vision to deliver stellar storytelling on behalf of the House of Ideas. Picking up plot threads in the two aforementioned titles, the first issue of Avengers: Armageddon (which neatly also has legacy numbering for those of you who follow) wastes little time setting the tone for what is to follow. Join me as I break down the issue’s overall plot and then give my thoughts after the fact.
Warning: the following article will contain spoilers for “Avengers: Armageddon #1”.
Red Hulk versus the World
The terrifying visage of General Thunderbolt Ross, aka the Red Hulk, greets us as he gives us a look into his thoughts of late. Plagued by being surrounded by weakness, Ross laments that it has taken entirely too long before the United States of America - or the world - stepped up to stop Dr. Doom, who, as you’d recall, recently became Sorcerer Supreme of Earth and took over the planet. Of course, Ross has personal issues with this, given that Doom imprisoned and tortured him along the way. As he steps out of his gamma charger, reverting to his human form, we’re reminded of the fact that Ross and his commando unit - also Hulks now - “liberated” Latveria in the pages of Captain America following the defeat of Salvation, the would-be despot who took control in the wake of Doom. Now in control of a mysterious weapon left behind by Doom, we follow Ross as he gets dressed, surveying the now quiet streets of Doomstadt, which has been rechristened “Democracy City” or “New America”. A flag is proudly raised as Ross brushes off concerns of the White House being disturbed by his actions, as he proudly declares it’s time for democracy to be felt by everyone.
In New York City, at the U.N headquarters, a national broadcast of General Ross declaring his intent to establish an everlasting peaceful foothold of democracy airs as Reed Richards stands by with the Madam Secretary-General. Reed is quick to offer the aid of the Fantastic Four to the United Nations, but is shockingly rebuffed. Secretary General Riani thanks Reed for everything he and the Fantastic Four have done, but is quick to point out how she feels they and their superhero peers have long since been responsible for these escalating types of threats, and goes as far as to say that Doom’s latest power was merely the next chapter in their ongoing ego clash. She makes it abundantly clear that the F4 and other superpowered individuals are to steer clear of the Ross situation as she promises to petition the U.N to hit Ross without the meddling of superpowers.
We switch things up by visiting a comatose Steve Rogers, watched over by his long-time friend and comrade, Bucky Barnes. Steve is in rough shape, hanging on by a thread, if even that, as Sam Wilson arrives, letting Bucky know it’s time to go. On top of Stark Towers, we see the Fantastic Four, Captain Marvel, Namor, and the Vision discussing Reed’s visit to the U.N. before Sam and Bucky arrive. Spider-Man arrives shortly after, making a dry quip about joining the latest Heroes Anonymous meeting. The heroes then meet up with Tony, who reveals that his “Iron Alert” system - a somewhat concerning surveillance method that only watches for what it believes to be immediate threats - has deduced that Red Hulk is not only an impending threat, but likely in possession of some sort of predictive technology that makes his current strategies basically unbeatable.
In Aniana, Symkaria, we get a brief scene showcasing the Red Hulk and his forces invading before we transition back to New Orleans as the Avengers and F4 attempt to petition Rogue and the Uncanny X-Men for help dealing with this growing threat. She declines on behalf of her team, knowing that the bad publicity of defying the U.N would only make things worse for the mutant community. Logan asks if Fury and SHIELD are involved, to which Bucky confirms that they’re both back, but Fury is occupied looking for more firepower in case things go even more sideways. Logan informs the heroes of a former soldier he met that might fit the bill in terms of firepower, and that he has a *big* power set.
Meanwhile, the UN has passed a resolution to allow its members to use any and all means to defend themselves from the invading “New America”, which they have declared a terrorist group. We see that the Black Panther is listening in to the vote as it passes, declaring that countries have a right to defend themselves, including Wakanda itself. We catch back up with Red Hulk and his forces as they easily make short work of the armed forces in Symkaria who have retreated…just as the rest of the world’s military forces engage.
Outside of the Pentagon, a lone man advances towards the gates, ignoring requests to produce ID. Just as the guards draw guns, he effortlessly rips apart the gates and ignores gunfire as he advances towards his destination. He is recognized as David Colton, a part of the super-soldier program of ‘01 and the man who was once Captain America during Steve Rogers’ absence. David is far more than a super soldier at this point, however, as bullets have literally no effect on him. David soon crashes through to the lab as he confronts Dr. Saraf, a head of the same program that turned him into a super soldier. Captain Marvel and Captain America confront him, with Carol blasting him as a form of warning. David assures the heroes that he’s not there to hurt anyone, but Carol isn’t convinced. Sam tries to keep things level-headed, but Carol races in to confront David, punching him and taking him high into the sky.
Shockingly, this results in David almost casually punching Carol back down to Earth while he is the epitome of unbothered. He reiterates that he doesn't want to hurt anyone, but he also doesn’t want the same people who turned him into a weapon in the first place to get away with it. Sam again appeals to David, letting him know that the Avengers need his help, as Wolverine compares his current course of action to a hand grenade being thrown on ants. David hesitates, pointing out the terrible things that the people who made him who he is have done, but Logan gruffly (and comically) says he doesn’t give a you-know-what and gives him permission to level the place. Sam protests, but Logan points out that, given what they did to David, they deserve it. Logan helps a still dazed Carol to her feet as David levels the lab equipment and promptly asks Logan what his next target is.
Back at Stark Tower, Bucky and Namor are watching the news, specifically updates concerning how the military is leveling strikes against Red Hulk and his soldiers. The two share their thoughts on both the nature of war and humanity, and despite their radically different upbringings and attitudes, it’s clear that there is a shared rapport between the two former Invaders and current Avengers. The two vow to push through the darkness of war and towards the light, for both Atlantis and for Steve Rogers. The duo heads towards the hangar where the rest of the heroes are getting ready for their next mission. Spider-Man has some reservations, however, both with potential fallout and with the idea of who’s going to look after the city if everyone goes abroad to stop Red Hulk. Iron Man agrees and reassures Spidey it’s okay for him to stay, as they have more than enough firepower.
David shows up and is properly introduced to Spider-Man by Iron Man, informing the wall crawler that he thinks highly of him as Iron Man officially announces David as an Avenger under a probationary period. Reed informs Tony and the others that he has an incoming call from Madam Secretary-General Riani. He patches her through as she quickly sees that Reed is in the presence of many other fellow costumed heroes. She cuts to the chase and confirms that five countries, including the United States of America, have all agreed to Operation: United Strike, and that should the superhero community decide to ignore international law once more, there will be consequences and accountability to go around. Iron Man hangs up on her after cheekily informing her they’ll take it under advisement.
Our issue comes to a dramatic conclusion as Iron Man rallies the team on behalf of their fallen comrade, Steve, and utters a classic two-word response to the UN, the Madam Secretary General, and Thunderbolt Ross himself: Avengers Assemble!
The End is Here…and it’s Awesome
Tony’s hypothesis as to how Red Hulk is performing so efficiently.
If you’re anything like me, when buying comics, especially given the rising costs of living and increased prices on…well, any and everything, you ideally want to walk away with something in your hands that isn’t just worth the cover price of the title, but a story that knows what it wants to say, how it wants to say it, and leaves you wanting more of it. I went into this title with pretty high expectations, as such, given how much I enjoy the current Captain America title, also written by Chip Zdarsky. I am happy to report that this book certainly hits all those boxes.
With the Jed MacKay Avengers run in the rearview, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes took a brief break until now. And with solicitations being what they are, we already know who will make up the roster in the wake of this event. But even so, I’m wholly invested in this book (which, as I mentioned earlier, is technically recognized as part of the official Avengers legacy numbering) and how this will change the landscape of the Marvel Universe. If we look back, we can see that threads were being pulled to cohesively shape the future of the House Ideas, going at least as far back to the Blood Hunt event, which wound up setting the stage for Dr. Doom’s ascension to the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. Marvel tends to promise big sweeping ramifications every year, but something about this event feels different, and I’m willing to give Zdarsky the benefit of the doubt and my support that he can pull it off.
This is actually pretty crazy, even for a guy who’s career is most notable for hunting down the original Hulk.
So, let’s get into the nitty-gritty. The overall plot here is a pretty strong one. Red Hulk takes it upon himself to forcibly liberate Latveria (naming it “New America,” which…boy, is that a CHOICE) and seeks to do the same thing to countless other nations, starting with those under the thrall of dictatorships and moving on to those who aren’t as democratic as he would like. Clearly, this is no bueno in the eyes of both the United Nations and the superhero community, but there is that underlying point that Ross *is* right about. People like Doom have never been properly dealt with by the world’s heroes, and even much more mundane tyrants and despots have been left to their own devices and allowed to harm their citizens. But as with any good villain, Ross takes his one good point and completely runs with it to the point where he’s now the big problem.
Holding superheroes accountable and not wanting them to repeatedly take matters into their own hands is a common trope and something that Marvel has explored pretty well, perhaps most notably with the original Civil War event. The U.N wants to handle Ross by the book, and the Secretary General explicitly does not want Mr. Fantastic or any of his peers to get involved. Of course, this raises the question as to how on Earth the U.N and the Security Council plan on bringing Ross down without the support of superheroes, but I digress. With Red Hulk backed by other Hulked-out commandos and now in possession of a device that basically gives him perfect strategic insight, he’s gone from a global threat to perhaps even beyond that.
Good advice given from a guy who is allegedly Sentry-tier in terms of power.
But all is not lost, given that the Avengers now have - hopefully - an ace in the hole in the form of David Colton, who received powers due to a mysterious Origin Box. We don’t know the exact limitations of his powers or even what exactly he possesses beyond flight, superhuman strength, and durability, but we do know he’s tough enough to shrug off a blast from Captain Marvel and lay her out with a single blow. Some folks are surmising he got perhaps the powers of a multiversal Sentry variant. Hard to say, but he’s clearly their big gun. If you’ve been following David from Zdarsky’s Captain America run and his Wolverine mini-series, you would have a pretty strong insight as to what makes the guy tick and why he’s so hellbent on making sure no one else deals with what he had to, and if you haven’t, now is a great time to get caught up.
Beyond the plot and introduction of Marvel’s newest Avenger and premier powerhouse, this book excels when it comes to character interaction and banter. Zdarsky’s obviously been around for a while, and he knows these characters pretty well, and it shows in the writing and dialogue. Bucky and Namor share some great character moments with one another as they have a very unique insight as it comes to global conflict, given that they’re both World War II veterans. Bucky, naturally, is clearly upset over the current state of Steve (who is actually not dead but “simply” in a coma per this comic), and Namor, in his way, offers condolences to one of the few people whom he respects and even likes (again, in his way). We also see the perpetually responsibly minded Spider-Man grappling with the ramifications should he join the Avengers and leave New York behind. The exchange between him and Iron Man carries with it a lot of history and weight, especially given Iron Man’s light-hearted question asking Spidey if he would join up if Captain America asked him to (to which he sheepishly responds, “yeah, probably).
Colton, a former Captain America himself, catches the shield of current Captain America, Sam Wilson.
Artwise, this issue is brought to life by Delio Diaz and Frank Alpizar with Jesus Aburtov on colors. As such, this book takes on a very cinematic approach and, from page one, delivers a high-quality entry without a single misstep. The characters all look expressive with such fine detail going into their facial features. The Hulks especially look like the stuff of nightmares, and there is an interesting detail given their speech bubbles as opposed to Ross’; they appear to be distorted, suggesting perhaps their voices are guttural, whereas Ross’ own speech appears to be unchanged from his human form. The action in this issue is a good taste of what we can expect from the future, giving us a tease of just how powerful David Colton is as well as the Hulk soldiers rampaging through the military forces of the world.
The exchange between Carol and David, however brief, was exceptionally done and highlights just how freakishly tough David purportedly is in comparison to someone as established as Carol is. Plus, the scene where he catches Sam’s shield is beautiful and something you’d expect straight out of a scene in an MCU film. The comic is bright and bold, not shying away from vibrant colors while adopting clean lines and fantastic use of shading to give it a realistic feel that carries with it a sense of weight and kinetic power. That last page especially really pops, and you can almost hear the swell of orchestral music as your eyes take in a truly majestic image of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Final Thoughts and Review
Avengers: Armageddon #1 is the first of a five-part mini-series that promises to be a game-changer for not just the Avengers themselves but the Marvel Universe as a whole. We’ve been told that this story is going to be as transformative to the team and the landscape as a whole as Avengers Disassembled was, which is a huge claim. And yet, at this moment, I think Chip Zdarsky can deliver if this issue is any indicator, to say nothing of the groundwork he’s already laid out.
Tony’s got two words for ya!
Final Review: 9/10
Living up to the hype we’ve been hearing for months on end, Avengers: Armageddon #1 is the first salvo in what promises to be the next huge era of Marvel Comics, with the House of Ideas promising that going forward, readers will separate Marvel storytelling as “pre” and “post” Armageddon.
Chip Zdarsky delivers on a spectacular first issue that is paced perfectly and tells us everything you need to know without having to have read Captain America or Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon (though you really should). This is a Marvel event that is certainly worth your time, true believers.