Avengers (2012) #42

Four days ago, members of the Illuminati - Beast, Yellowjacket, Amadeus Cho, Captain Britain, and Hulk - traveled to the Moon to locate the corpse of the Living Tribunal, whose murder at the hands of the Beyonders Hank Pym had witnessed as he traversed the multiverse. They are there to retrieve a sample of the Tribunal’s skin, under the theory that it is a material that can withstand the effects of collapsing multiversal space.

Three days ago, Sunspot and Cannonball visited Nation X to recruit Cyclops to help their cause. Scott tells his former teammates that he’s no longer interested in rescuing mankind. Instead, he says, he’s shifted his focus to resurrection, and enters a secure room containing a Phoenix Egg.

Two days ago at the Baxter Building, Black Panther and Mr. Fantastic reviewed blueprints for a lifeboat T’Challa has designed. Reed compliments his friend’s work as the best plan they’ve devised for how not to lose. From across the room and between bites of ice cream, Valeria presents them with a new problem: who do they take on the lifeboat, and who do they leave behind? The two scientists debate before an exhausted Reed asks how it has come to this. T’Challa says they have no choice - if they can’t save their world, they have to at least save their species.

One day ago, as Sam and Roberto watched baby Josiah crawl across the ceiling of Sam and Izzy’s New York apartment, Izzy received a transmission from the Shi’ar Majestor, Gladiator. Gladiator praises her as a warrior and summons her to his ship, the Lilandra. Smasher protests, saying she needs more time to prepare to leave her family, but Gladiator says there is no time left and the ship is closer to Earth than she might think.

On Earth-1610, Black Swan finds Namor sitting alone outside the Maker’s City. She confronts him about betraying the Cabal to side with Earth’s heroes. Namor admits he thought he could make a better deal with them, but he was obviously wrong. He and Black Swan both vow to survive what’s coming no matter how many worlds stand in their way.

Meanwhile, in the 616 universe, the Shi’ar Imperial Guard gather on the bridge of the Lilandra. Oracle pleads with Gladiator to spare Earth. After all, the planet’s heroes were key in winning the war against the Builders. But Mentor insists that Earth must be destroyed in order to prevent the end of the universe. Resigned to his responsibility as Majestor, Gladiator says the Shi’ar Empire must survive at any cost. At that moment, a host of warships - from both the Shi’ar and their interstellar allies - enters the star system.

The Guardians of the Galaxy have their ship parked by a nearby asteroid. Rocket manages to hack the communications of the armada and the Guardians hear orders to begin the attack on Earth in fourteen cycles, with a goal of complete planetary destruction. Star-Lord, Gamora, and Groot agree that they have to warn the Avengers. Rocket protests, but sometime later he does exactly that, telling Earth’s Mightiest Heroes that they need to get off-planet as quickly as they can. But as the united groups of Avengers stand unwavering in front of him, willing to stay and fight to the end, Rocket tells them exactly what he thinks of them: they are idiots.