Warning: contains spoilers for Children of the Vault #4!
Marvel’s new Beyonder/Phoenix War makes the MCU’s Infinity Saga look weak in comparison. The Marvel Universe has seen its fair share of cosmos-shattering events, and this carried over into the MCU as well. The epic Infinity Saga enthralled movie goers the world over, but now in Children of the Vault #4, Marvel has teased another major event, one that will easily rival the Infinity Saga in scope.
Children of the Vault #4 is written by Deniz Camp and drawn by Luca Maresca. The time-traveling X-Men Cable and Bishop are fighting the Children of the Vault, who have released a psychic virus that enslaves people. During the battle, the two compare weapons, with Cable boasting about his “Omega One-Plus Rifle.” Bishop retorts that Cable has never held a “P832 Zero-Point Plasma Cannon.” This super-weapon, which draws its power from an artificial star, is quite rare according to Bishop, who says only a few were made in the 43rd century during the Beyonder/Phoenix War. Bishop did not reveal any additional information on it, leaving it to fans’ imaginations.
The Infinity Saga Changed Movies Forever
While readers are left to fill in the gaps on the Beyonder/Phoenix War, it is no doubt going to be an explosive conflict, maybe even more so than the Infinity Saga. The Infinity Saga, which ran from 2008 to 2019 and stretched across 21 movies, retold the story of The Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos, in a bid to bring balance to the universe, assembles the six Infinity Stones and uses them to kill half the universe’s population. The movies were all massive box office successes, and elevated a number of B-list heroes to the mainstream. Now, Marvel has teased another conflict, one even more epic than the Infinity Saga.
The Beyonders and the Phoenix Force Easily Rival Thanos
The Beyonders and the Phoenix Force are both mega-powerful, with the ability to warp reality and traverse the multiverse with ease. The Beyonders, first appearing in 1984’s Secret Wars #1, created the mysterious Battleworld for Earth’s heroes and villains to fight on. The Phoenix Force is the cosmic embodiment of death and rebirth, regularly possessing people, such as Jean Grey, for its own ends. Both forces reside out of the multiverse, putting them on a scale far beyond Thanos’ machinations, and beyond the reach of the Infinity Gauntlet. Indeed, the Gauntlet is a toy next to the power of the Beyonders and the Phoenix Force.
Thanks to the sheer power of the parties involved, the Beyonder/Phoenix War could be the most destructive event in Marvel’s history. Two massive, multiversal beings at odds could spell the end of all creation. For all his power, Thanos was still a mortal, with mortal shortcomings and flaws. Thanos could dream big, but not on the scale of the Beyonders or the Phoenix Force. Furthermore, the two have powers Thanos could only dream of. The scope of the Beyonder/Phoenix War will easily eclipse the MCU’s Infinity Saga.
Children of the Vault #4 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!
