Dr. Doom cockily holding Iron Man’s helmet. Captain Marvel looking off into the distance. Uh-oh, where’s Tony?
For weeks, Marvel’s been dribbling out little teaser images bearing the Marvel Now branding and the words ‘Fall 2016’. Last night, an image from the assembled puzzle pieces started making the rounds, seeming to imply a moral and generational split amongst the major players and factions of the Marvel Universe after Civil War II. Let’s speculate on what’s going here, shall we?
There’s Still Going To Be At Least One Hulk
Amadeus Cho is currently the scientist rocking the gamma-irradiated strength of the Jade Giant but Civil War II #2 teased an ominous vision where a Hulk slaughters lots of heroes.
Whether it’s Banner of Cho remains to be seen—as does the repercussions of such an event if it actually happens—but the Marvel Now shot indicates that one of them survives. The wristband on the Hulk’s right arm is part of the Cho/Totally Awesome design. The angry snarl might indicate a change in Amadeus’ overall mood after something happens to the weaker-but-haunted Bruce?
Looks Like the Odinson Is Coming Back
The most recognizable wielder of Mjolnir has been off the map for months, appearing only briefly in The Mighty Thor title headlined by Jane Foster. There’s been speculation that Marvel might have Thor Odinson and Jane Foster both be thunder-summoners at the same time. His presence in the image seems to promise that answers will be coming soon on that front.
Victor Von Doom Will Be Stepping Up in A Big Way
Ever since the Marvel Universe was re-formed after the 2015 Secret Wars event, Dr. Doom’s been walking around with an unscarred face and a mysterious agenda. He’s been a fixture in the Invincible Iron Man title, wielding magic and snarkily helping Tony Stark through his adventures, though it’s been unclear just how trustworthy he is. The Marvel Now image feels like it’s teasing a sidelining of Tony with Victor possibly taking over either his armored identity or prominent role as a leader in the Marvel Universe.
The Teenage Avengers Are Over It
Right now, Ms. Marvel, Nova and the younger Spider-Man are the most inexperienced members of the main Avengers team led by Tony Stark. But another recent teaser showed those three heroes burning the ID cards that come with being part of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Any number of things could lead to this kind of disgust. It could be a storyline strictly contained to All-New, All-Different Avengers. Or maybe someone else taking over the Avengers, especially if it’s a person that the kids have a big philosophical difference with, like Doom or Captain Marvel. Or maybe they’re annoyed with the battle sparked by their elders’ inability to peacefully resolve the debate that led to Civil War II in the first place.
Throw your own theories and observations into the mix by commenting below!