Avengers & X-Men: AXIS #3 Review: Deja Vu All Over Again

The Red Supremacy didn’t last very long.

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Sure, the Red Skull baited Magneto into turning him into Red Onslaught to have even greater access to Professor X’s mental powers, and he used those abilities to broadcast a wave of hate worldwide. Yet he hasn’t really made any progress beyond the island of Genosha, even as we get to AXIS #3. And just when it looked like everything was lost, with a powerless Iron Man as the last hero standing, Magneto has come to the rescue with a squad of villains. Also Deadpool.

For the second straight issue, a big part of the plot involves the Sentinels not having the programming to account for villains, which makes sense considering Tony Stark built them to take out his friends, but still seems awfuly convenient. If we learn anything during the slugfest that ensues, it’s that Rick Remender likes his bad guys to be as snappy with a punchline or a quick retort as his heroes. Even the Enchantress has got jokes.

The plan to take care of Red Onslaught is really more of a do-over from the last issue, but with a new player who’s known for arranging things to benefit himself thrown into the mix. Three guesses who that might be, and the first two don’t count. The big problem with this issue is that there’s a staus quo change right near the end that isn’t really explained, along with an argument that bears an uncanny resemblance to the one from Captain America #25, also written by Remender, for what it’s worth. If you read some of this week’s tie-in issues (the hilarious Deadpool #36, for one) or like reading the solicitations to see what lies ahead, you already know what’s going on.

But shouldn’t a major plot point in a comic book event be explained in said comic book? I kind of feel like it should. I did enjoy Leinil Francis Yu’s art in this chapter, and the overall team of pencillers for AXIS is awesome, but I have a feeling this is going to be a little jarring to read once it’s collected.

Let’s get to the good stuff …

SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT!

Magneto’s team of bad guys (plus Deadpool) is ready to turn the tide. And turn it does, even though Quentin Quire is reaching the limits of his ability to hold off Red Onslaught’s psychic attacks. The villains are able to destroy the Sentinels, who weren’t programmed to deal with their abilities, though it takes a little doing. Plenty of one-liners fly.

During the battle, Magneto is able to free Dr. Strange and Scarlet Witch, asking them to perform the inversion spell they were going to try last issue before they were rudely interrupted. Deadpool drags Iron Man off to recharge his armor, whic apparently runs on whatever voltage is widely available in a Genoshan camp built by a super villain. Wade’s request to become an Avenger is denied by Tony initially, but when the villains end up falling under Red Onslaught’s control, he’s deputized in the heat of battle. He celebrates by belting out a Monkees classic with the lyrics slightly changed.

Strange gets taken out amid the chaos, so Doctor Doom volunteers to cast the order part of the inversion spell. This probably isn’t going to end well, but the spell is completed, everyone still in the fight is out for about five minutes, and then …

The bad guys are gone, but the unconscious Red Skull remains. The Avengers and X-Men start arguing over what to do with him; the X-Men obviously want to see if they can retrieve Xavier from the Skull’s head, while the Avengers want him locked up since he just turned into a giant tentacled psychic monster. Even old man Steve Rogers shows up, making essentially the same call he did with Jet Black in his own comic last month.

He gets an unexpected agreement from Kid Apocalypse, who has instantly turned into a very grown up Apocalypse. The X-Men are surprisingly willing to listen to what he has to say, considering they’ve spent years fighting him, and they allow the Avengers to keep the Skull — though Havok angrily quits as leader of the Avengers Unity Team, and it appears the Avengers and X-Men are at odds again.

So … did Doom intentionally monkey with the spell, or is there something else at work here? And would it have been nice to not end the issue without a clearer explanation. Yeah, it sure would have been. Guess the tie-ins will fill in the blanks until issue #4.

Favorite moment: After Iron Man angrily demands to know where he’s taking him and informs him that he’ll never be an Avenger, Deadpool has this to say:

“I … uh … just thought I’d power you up — your armor. Classic team-up business, helping you out, even though you know … you’re sort of a jerk.”

So, so true. And Remender does write a pretty good Deadpool.

Final thought: I’m always down with an event that throws a swerve, making it seem like it’s centered around one thing when it’s really something else. This just wasn’t an especially effective way to do it. Hopefully the next issue gets this back on track with a convincing use of the Inversion.

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