15 years after the sleeper comics event hit Annihilation, that wave is returning this summer with Marvel Comics' 'The Last Annihilation.'
'The Last Annihilation' begins this July with Guardians of the Galaxy #16 and SWORD #7, then spreading out to include more of Marvel's space-based line of titles.
"Guardians and SWORD have been building their own unique gravity for a while now, and in space, when two objects have gravity, there's a pretty good chance they'll crash into each other - or get sucked into the orbit of something even bigger," Al Ewing, writer of both Guardians of the Galaxy and SWORD, says in the announcement.
"Marvel Space these days is a fragile coalition of worlds that chose peace over war, a little bubble of hope in a cruel void - but there's an enemy nobody ever suspected readying an attack that'll either cement all those frail alliances or tear them to pieces."
According to Marvel's press release, this will be the biggest "attack" the galaxy has faced since the original Annihilation.
"Someone out there has awakened with a new vision for the universe and they have the army to make it a reality," reads the press release. "When five different planets fall under siege, will it be too much even for the new Guardians of the Galaxy to handle?"
The classic Marvel villain Annihilus was behind the original 2006 event Annihilation (note the naming similarity?). That'd be our first guess as to who's behind 'The Last Annihilation,' except Ewing says directly it's "an enemy nobody ever suspected", which makes it a complete mystery.
The timing of this mystery cosmic threat seems like it could dovetail into the mystery cosmic threat mentioned in last week's Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk #1, which ended with Chris Powell piloting his ship into a void and sending off the Darkhawk amulet to find another bearer.
2021 is the 15th anniversary of the original Annihilation event, and is also the 30th anniversary of Darkhawk. And the final page of Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk #1 teased more would be coming for the character this year - so perhaps 'The Last Annihilation' is where this is all heading.
And perhaps this gives more meaning to that proverbial post-credits scene at the end of last year's Empyre Aftermath: Avengers. Remember, it was set some point in the near future, showing Abigail Brand and SWORD coming to save a wrecked Emperor Hulkling and the unified Kree/Skrull Alliance from some unknown threat.
'The Last Annihilation' begins July 21 with Guardians of the Galaxy #16.
Who is behind 'The Last Annihilation'? We've rounded up the usual suspects: check out our line-up of the best cosmic Marvel villains of all time.
