Two of Marvel’s most powerful cosmic entities, Phoenix Force and Starbrand, have finally reunited in the Avengers’ latest crossover event.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Heroes Return #1 by Jason Aaron, Ed McGuinness, Mark Morales, Matthew Wilson and VC’s Cory Petit, on sale now.
While Mephisto and Phil Coulson created w world where the Avengers never formed, their Heroes Reborn timeline just crumbled before their eyes as the Avengers found each other and finally faced off against the Squadron Supreme. And as the Avengers reassembled in Heroes Return #1, two of the most powerful primordial forces in the Marvel Universe, the Starbrand and the Phoenix, reunited for the first time in eons, showing the heroes around them just how powerful they truly are.
Things have come to a head in Wakanda where the Squadron Supreme has just come face to face with the Avengers. The Squadron is quick to pair off with their new opponents, though a few of them have gravely overestimated their own strength, or underestimated what these foes are capable of. While Power Princess hones in on Echo in the hopes of felling another Phoenix, Doctor Spectrum is busy convincing the young Starbrand that he doesn’t fight children. Unfortunately for the Squadron’s cosmic champion, the Starbrand doesn’t want him to fight — she just wants him to hurt. It doesn’t take much effort for her to leave Doctor Spectrum’s Power Prism in pieces, and once she’s done with him, she is on to the next. Starbrand joins in Echo’s battle with Zarda to help end it in an instant, and in the process meeting the new Phoenix host for the very first time.
As revealed in 2017’s Marvel Legacy #1 by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic, the Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C. counted both the Phoenix Force and the Starbrand among its members. Known as Firehair and Vnn respectively, these two Stone Age Avengers fought alongside Odin and Agamotto, as well as the earliest Black Panther, Iron Fist, and Ghost Rider. Together, the team brought down a mad Celestial before it could destroy their world, though they could not stand against the First Celestial Host upon its arrival. In the years that followed, they also came into conflict with Mephisto, becoming the first incarnation of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for the demonic villain to obsess over.
While the Stone Age Avengers’ time has long since passed, the Phoenix and Starbrand are still very much fighting the same battle, even if the setting has changed. With their might combined, Power Princess is nothing but a nuisance, so the two cosmic heroes turn their attention to the Pandemonium Cube itself, the last piece of the puzzle that is setting reality right again.
The reunion of these two couldn’t be more stunning and has been a long time coming. The Avengers just recently endured a grueling contest that saw Echo become its latest host, and it wasn’t long before that saga began that the team also became the caregivers of newborn Brandy Selby, the current Starbrand.
With both of these celestial forces having come back into the Avengers’ lives so close to one another, it was only a matter of time before they used their powers together to devastating effect. Now that the moment has come, they have cemented their place as the biggest powerhouses that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have seen in a very long time.
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