After years of division and mistrust, the Avengers finally reunited to stop Norman Osborn’s siege of Asgard which led to a new era.
For a considerable period of time, the Avengers and Marvel’s other heroes were fairly divided. Events such as Civil War and Secret Invasion managed to turn the Avengers against each other, with heroes falling into camps or teams that didn’t always see eye-to-eye.
But after years of being divided, dead or missing, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and the rest of Marvel’s heroes came together to deal with the siege of Asgard in Brian Michael Bendis, Olivier Coipel and Mark Morales’ Siege in 2010.
At this point in time, Norman Osborn was the head of global security. Osborn earned his new role after publicly killing the Skrull queen in Secret Invasion #8, by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu. The former Green Goblin created H.A.M.M.E.R., a replacement organization for S.H.I.E.L.D. Osborn also formed his own Dark Avengers, which consisted of super-villains such as Bullseye and Venom.
Meanwhile, actual heroes were hunted down by Osborn and his minions for violating the Superhuman Registration Act. Teams like the New Avengers operated underground while evading Osborn’s Avengers. Captain America had been long presumed dead, until his recent return in the pages of Captain America: Reborn #6, by Ed Brubaker and Bryan Hitch. Iron Man was still recovering from rebooting his brain in Invincible Iron Man #24, by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca, while Thor had relocated Asgard above Broxton, Oklahoma. Overall, Marvel’s heroes were scattered, while its villains had united in power.
Everything changed, however, in Siege #1, by Bendis and Olivier Coipel. By this point, Loki convinced Osborn to attack Asgard. Osborn was led to believe that Asgard was a threat to his power, and that destroying the Golden Realm would make him a hero. In truth, Loki was tricking Osborn so that Asgard could rule over Earth. The God of Mischief got Osborn to fabricate an “inciting incident” against Asgard by sending the U-Foes to attack Volstagg. In the ensuing fight, an entire football stadium of people was destroyed. Despite this carnage, the US government would not authorize an attack on Asgard. Still, Osborn went through with the siege anyway.
While Balder, Thor and the rest of the Asgardians held off Osborn’s army, they underestimated the power of the Sentry. Fortunately, Steve Rogers arrived with a team consisting of the New Avengers, Young Avengers and Secret Warriors to stop Osborn and his people. Iron Man was also nearby, allowing him to help in the battle. Just as the heroes were winning, the Sentry went berserk, consumed by the Void. The Sentry leveled Asgard before Loki gave the heroes the power to stop him. The God of Mischief used the Norn Stones to enhance the Avengers’ power, before dying by the Sentry’s hand. In the end, after the Avengers had weakened him, the Sentry was killed by Thor. Osborn was branded a traitor and was arrested along with all of his forces.
Siege tied up several plot points from Marvel’s preceding years. Captain America took Norman Osborn’s job, putting him in charge of global security. For the first time since Nick Fury’s exit during “Secret War,” the balance of power had shifted for the better. Rather than restart S.H.I.E.L.D. or resume control of HAMMER, Rogers made the Avengers his main organization. The Superhuman Registration Act was repealed, and Rogers hand-picked his own Avengers squad. For the first time since “Avengers: Disassembled,” a traditional Avengers team was formed. Additionally, Rogers approved the New Avengers, Secret Avengers and Avengers Academy as legitimate superhero teams. Issues like registration with the government, which had existed since Civil War, were no longer a hindrance to the Avengers.
The Sentry also got his own personal send-off during Siege. The Sentry, who had worked alongside the Avengers since New Avengers #10, by Bendis and Steve McNiven, moved from the New Avengers to the Mighty Avengers and finally, the Dark Avengers. As a character, Bob Reynolds symbolized the instability of this time period for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The Sentry’s death marked the end of this turbulent era. Most importantly, Siege ended the era of mistrust and conflict within the Avengers. For the first time in years, Captain America, Iron Man and Thor stood together as comrades in arms. Captain America and Iron Man patched up their relationship after their falling out during “Civil War,” while Thor returned to the Avengers full-time. The Skrull threat was over and the villains were out of power. Teams like the New Avengers got to operate out in the open, backed by Captain America, for the first time since “Civil War.” Even now, the Avengers stand together, acting in the light of day as true heroes.
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