Avengers: Armageddon #1 Review – A New Team Assembles To Take Down A Tyrant… Again.

Avengers: Armageddon #1 (Marvel Comics, 6/10/26): Writer Chip Zdarsky and Artists Delio Diaz and Frank Alpizar place the Avengers on the opposite side of International law when they form a new team to stop General Ross from taking over the world. Solid art and clean flow can’t disguise the lack of wow moments and familiar setup. Verdict: Fine but forgettable.

• Writer: Chip Zdarsky
• Artist: Delio Diaz, Frank Alpizar
• Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
• Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
• Cover Artist: Dike Ruan, Moreno Dinisio(cover A)
• Publisher: Marvel Comics
• Release Date: June 10, 2026
• Comic Rating: Teen
• Cover Price: $5.99
• Page Count: 30
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

Analysis of Avengers: Armageddon #1:

First Impressions:

This is fine, I guess. Much has been made about Marvel’s next big event that promises to reshape the Marvel Universe. That prediction may be true, but you certainly don’t get the sense of impending change from this first issue (of five). Is the issue technically adequate? Yes. Is it worth the hype and the $5.99 cover price? So far, no.

Recap

Avengers: Armageddon #1 is a first issue, but it’s truthfully a direct continuation of last year’s One World Under Doom event (which was a dud). Doom is now “dead,” and General Ross/Red Hulk used the opportunity to take over Latveria, against the wishes of his American leadership. Ross has since renamed Latveria to New America in the name of “DEMOCRACY.”

Plot Analysis (SPOILERS):

We begin with General Ross and his Gamma-powered donning New America uniforms, discussing their efforts to either wipe out or conscript rebel forces. It’s clear that the former Latveria is now firmly under Ross’ control. He delivers several local and broadcast speeches proclaiming that talk in place of action is the true evil that allowed despots like Dr. Doom to rise to power, and he intends to never let such a circumstance happen again… in the name of DEMOCRACY.

Meanwhile, Secretary General Riani meets with Reed Richards to proclaim, in no uncertain terms, that the New America threat will be handled by the participating members of the United Nations. Superpowered individuals are to stay out of it. Reed accepts the order, but as soon as he meets up with the Avengers, they collectively agree to ignore the order. As for the mysterious new member of the team seen on the silhouette covers – it’s former Captain America, Dave Colton.

The issue concludes with the team assembling as General Ross and his army invade neighboring countries to bring DEMOCRACY to the world, by any means necessary.

How is the story in Avengers: Armageddon #1?

Chip Zdarsky’s turn as the architect behind the next phase of Marvel’s future is a fairly rote setup issue. All the basics are explained. The stakes are set, the players are introduced, and the mission is made clear. The problem with this first issue isn’t what it doesn’t do right… it’s what it doesn’t do at all.

There’s no surprise or sense of energy. Tony Stark and the rest of the team effectively go through the motions. Decide on a threat >> agree to fight the threat >> end on a hero team pose. You could rightly say this first issue is as “paint by numbers” as you can get, with no wow moments to speak of. Furthermore, the issue reads a lot like how the One World Under Doom event started, with a teeny bit more setup, which knocks down the issue’s creativity score by several more points. It’s 2025 all over again.

Zdarsky almost gets away with using this first issue as a mouthpiece for political soapboxing. Attacking other countries in the name of a morally superior DEMOCRACY sounds a lot like the criticisms leveled at the current American leadership. To Zdarsky’s credit, the parallels are not as overt, but they’re not too far apart, either. He gives Ross just enough plausible deniability to appear unmotivated by the real world, but Ross’ attack on sovereign nations is so out of character for the long-in-the-tooth soldier that you can’t help notice that something is off.

How is the art in Avengers: Armageddon #1?

Delio Diaz and Frank Alpizar’s art is solid, albeit unremarkable. The artists give each scene as much energy as they can muster, which is no small feat when almost the entire issue is filled with characters just talking. In effect, the artists are given nothing to do, so you’re stuck with good art that does little more than look pretty.

Characters

Chip Zdarsky gives every member of a large cast a moment to establish themselves, but two characters stand out for odd reasons. Furthermore, no one character is clearly identifiable as the focal character whose journey you’re meant to follow, which is a miss on Zdarsky’s part.

First, and as mentioned before, this story brings the world together against General Ross as the prime antagonist. If you’ve read the Red Hulk miniseries tie-in to One World Under Doom, you get the gist of how Ross wound up in Latveria. Still, his radical turn into a Hitler-esque despot, bent on taking over the world in the name of DEMOCRACY, doesn’t come off as believable for an old war horse like Ross. He’s clearly in the wrong, but somehow, bizarrely unable to see it.

Second, Spider-Man is frustratingly insecure in this issue, as if he were still a teenager. Zdarsky makes Spidey sound familiar but familiar in an outdated way, as if the character hadn’t matured in the last forty years. Spidey’s personality sounds “right,” but he sticks out like a regressively sore thumb.

Originality & Concept Execution

Zip, Zilch, Nada. There’s a shocking lack of originality in issue #1. You could make a strong case that Zdarsky was tasked with redoing Ryan North’s One World Under Doom event with less spectacle and more setup.

Pros and Cons

What We Loved

• Decent art that gives a static issue energy
• Dave Colton’s return is an intriguing surprise
• Zdarsky’s setup is generally solid

Room for Improvement

• Not a drop of wow moment or surprise
• Several character personalities are either off or regressed
• The core premise reads like a redo of One World Under Doom

Art Samples:

The Scorecard:

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): 2/4
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): 3/4
Value (Originality & Entertainment): 0.5/2

Final Thoughts:

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Avengers: Armageddon #1 assembles a new-ish team (against the wishes of the United Nations) to stop the Red Hulk from taking over the world. Chip Zdarsky’s story construction is adequate, and the art team makes the most of an all-dialogue issue. That said, there’s no surprise, no originality, and it feels like we’re replaying One World Under Doom all over again. That’s not a positive.

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