Warning: contains a preview for Dark Ages #1!
After much waiting and anticipation, fans will soon be able to enjoy Marvel’s Dark Ages #1, in which the Marvel Universe undergoes some epic changes affecting everyone from Spider-Man to the X-Men. A new preview for the start of this saga has arrived. It shows Marvel’s heroes struggling with the arrival of a devastating evil that’s about to change their world.
Dark Ages was initially slated for release in Fall 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was rescheduled for September 2021 and is finally releasing this week. The series has teased a world lacking power and plunged into darkness, as well as numerous transformations. Teaser art has shown Iron Man and Peter Parker’s Spider-Man getting new suits, while showing new transformations for Vision and Miles Morales – who appears to have combined with Venom. Big changes are coming to a huge cast of characters.
Dark Ages #1 has the creative team of Tom Taylor, Iban Coello, Brian Reber, and Joe Sabino. After months of teasers, an official sneak peek has finally arrived. Some of the characters that will be involved in this new story have appeared in a preview, and it isn’t just the ones originally featured in the teaser art, with Luke Cage and Ghost Spider joining the fun. However, a few still have yet to be seen, including the Fantastic Four and Black Panther, who are featured on the cover. Notably missing is the mysterious ‘Unmaker’ – a cosmic being which is likely the force awakening in this preview:
The preview opens with a typical day of hanging out for Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Peter Parker, Mary Jane, and their children May and Dani. It’s a look at the Parkers engaging in parental disputes thanks to May having spider powers, which means she is one of the many Spiders who first note an impending threat. The preview then shifts to show Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur detecting the threat, followed by Jean Gray and Charles Xavier. It concludes with Apocalypse not only hearing the awakening evil, but potentially engaging with it – which could spell even more trouble for Marvel’s heroes. While it’s not yet confirmed this is the arrival of the Unmaker, the towering villain would fit the bill, as some fans have speculated it may even be a rogue Celestial.
Peter Parker’s spider-sense has been known to detect serious threats, as fans have seen over the years. Few things escape it – Venom and other symbiotes aside – and it is affected by how large and near a threat is. As Peter mentions, his spider-sense has detected Galactus coming near Earth, however this is more powerful than that instance, meaning Marvel’s newest threat is likely not approaching Earth – it is already here. This is supported by the subsequent detections by other heroes. Jean and Xavier sense it “come online,” hinting at a threat that has been asleep for a long time. Considering Apocalypse’s reaction, this is a very powerful entity that brings the promise of chaos – something the ancient mutant is experienced in turning into control. Fans will see what happens next when Dark Ages #1 releases September 1, and Spider-Man, the X-Men, and more face a world transformed.
