'Empyre: Avengers' #0 Preview: A nightmare and a distress call lead Earth's mightiest heroes to the Moon
Marvel's big Summer 2020 crossover event 'Empyre' has faced unexpected delays due to the coronavirus pandemic but the event is finally kicking off. And the story begins in 'Empyre: Avengers' #0, a prelude to the earth-shattering event series. Kree-Skrull hybrid and Young Avengers member Hulkling / Teddy Altman has finally taken his rightful place as emperor of the allied armies of the Kree and the Skrull. For reasons unknown, Teddy (or Dorrek VIII to his followers), has ordered his vast armada to set course for Earth.
In the pages of 'Empyre: Avengers' #0, we'll be seeing Earth's Mightiest Heroes as they deal with a mystery slightly closer to home. As revealed in previews for the issue, the story begins with Tony Stark experiencing a nightmare about the beginnings of the Kree-Skrull war. Before he can fully understand the nightmare he just had, Tony and the rest of the Avengers are called away to the Blue Area of the Moon, which has now been transformed into the Green Area of the Moon by the plant race known as the Cotati.
The synopsis for the issue also teases that the Celestial Messiah has returned and that there is a terrible enemy who threatens to destroy both the Cotati and humanity. Chances are, that terrible enemy is the Kree-Skrull Alliance but the mention of the Celestial Messiah is especially intriguing. Born as the son of 'Avengers' member Mantis and an elder of the Cotati, Sequoia, or Quoi as he is more commonly known, is the prophecied Messiah who would bring great change to the universe. The last we saw of Quoi, he was out in deep space and there was no hint of him ever fulfilling the prophecy tied to his birth.
There's no telling what Quoi's return could mean for our heroes. And while they seem to be ready to trust the Cotati, there's always the chance that this could be a trap as the synopsis for the issue teases that the Avengers may not be ready for the Celestial Messiah's message.
Here's the official solicitation for 'Empyre: Avengers' #0 by Al Ewing and Pepe Larraz: "Tony Stark wakes from strange dreams—as old allies make a distress call to the Avengers. In the new Green Area of the Moon, the Cotati are waiting with news of a terrible enemy that could wipe out both them and humanity itself. The Celestial Messiah has returned... but are the Avengers ready to hear his message?"
'Empyre: Avengers' #0 will arrive on June 24.