Avengers: Armageddon #3 Review – Superman IV With More Debating

Avengers: Armageddon #3 (Marvel, 8/19/26): Writer Chip Zdarsky & Artist Ario Anindito send David Colton on a one-man mission to gather the world’s nuclear missiles, creating the obligatory debate about free will. The dialogue-heavy issue does a good job of giving “both sides” of the debate, but the momentum is lacking: Verdict: A decent read for the curious but not essential.

• Writer: Chip Zdarsky
• Artist: Ario Anindito
• Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
• Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
• Cover Artist: Dike Ruan, Moreno Dinisio (cover A)
• Publisher: Marvel Comics
• Release Date: August 19, 2026
• Comic Rating: Teen
• Cover Price: $4.99
• Page Count: 26
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

Analysis of Avengers: Armageddon #3:

First Impressions:

As a thought experiment set in the Marvel Universe, Avengers: Armageddon #3 isn’t half bad. The struggle is in deciding if the miniseries that’s billed as “reshaping the future of the Marvel Universe” is living up to the marketing. So far, the answer is ‘no’.

Recap:

In Avengers: Armageddon #2, Red Hulk took the battle to a densely populated city in Symkaria, Colton intercepted him, but the Avengers stopped Colton from killing Ross, leading Colton to storm off in anger over their inaction. Meanwhile, the Winter Guard took Ross’ unconscious body to Russia before the Avengers could bring him into custody. And in the remains of Ross’ camp, Iron Man encountered a mysterious device with the power to see into the future…

Plot Analysis (SPOILERS):

In Avengers: Armageddon #3, the story shifts away from General Ross’s treasonous behavior to David Colton’s potentially treasonous behavior. Imbued with Sentry power, Colton decides to make the world safe by breaking into military installations across the globe, including America’s, stealing all nuclear missiles, and hurling them into the Sun. Secretary General Riani isn’t too pleased, and the Avengers are split on the action. Most see the move as godlike interference. Others see Colton’s actions as a forced play for the greater good.

When Bucky Barnes and Wolverine track Colton to a cabin, their divide is made plain. Bucky helps Colton find more missiles. When Wolverine tries to stop him, Colton flies the mutant into the sky and drops him from orbit.

Elsewhere, Reed Richards experiments on the remains of the Source Box that gave Colton his power to find its origin, and Tony Stark experiments on the cube that tells the future that was recovered from General Ross’s camp. Tony learns the cube can see the future by creating (and later destroying) pocket universes to play out the question acting, thereby creating and destroying gazillions of lives. Colton arrives and confiscates the box because he doesn’t trust the Avengers not to use it.

Meanwhile, T’Challa confronts Nick Fury about the use of a special serum that, when used against Gamma-irradiated Hulks, will prevent them from healing. T’Challa is somehow upset by this revelation.

How is the story in Avengers: Armageddon #3?

If you’ve said to yourself, “This sounds like the plot to Superman IV: The Quest For Peace,” you’re mostly right. In this case, Chip Zdarsky didn’t include anyone as cool as Nuclear Man or get the buy-in from the United Nations. Zdarsky takes a nuanced, anti-nuclear stance but doesn’t quite deliver a strong case for both sides of the argument. Where does the responsibility of a superhero end and a nation’s right to make its own choices begin? That’s the question this issue asks and forcefully answers through Colton, but besides saying “that’s wrong,” Zdarsky never makes the case for why it’s wrong, creating a clunky, lopsided debate.

The deeper concern or letdown is the overall lack of direction that sets up the future of the Marvel Universe, as the promotional material suggests. Zdarsky has hopped from one geopolitical debate to the next in each issue, but the heart of the next Marvel generation – the Source Boxes – is barely mentioned or addressed beyond Reed Richards examining the remnants of one. Sure, the debate has some merit as a thought piece on saving humanity from itself, but the debate doesn’t go anywhere, and the buildup for what comes next is nowhere to be found.

How is the art in Avengers: Armageddon #3?

Ario Anindito steps into the title to carry it forward, which helps a script that reads more like a one-shot than a piece of a larger story. Normally, switching out an artist on what’s supposed to be a very important miniseries would be a red flag, but Anindito handles the duties nicely. Panel composition is solid, the pencils/inks are mostly clean despite a few sketchy spots, and Jesus Aburtov’s (also stepping into the title) colors are meticulous and provide plenty of pop. Overall, the art looks great.

Characters

David Colton is effectively the new focus of the arc, since General Toss is temporarily (maybe?) on the back burner. Colton makes his position and his actions clear, but there’s not much for him to do in this issue except act on his motivations. The debate around Colton’s actions is where the thought-provoking comes up, so he’s the character that is most impactful to the story, even if his impact is indirect.

Originality & Concept Execution

Again, a large swath of the plot of Avengers: Armageddon #3 is derived from a Superman film, albeit with more angst and less charm. Take that for what it’s worth.

Pros and Cons

What We Loved

• Solid art and action
• Thought-provoking ideas
• A reasonable cliffhanger

Room for Improvement

• Uneven pro/anti-nuclear concept
• A less-fun Superman film plot
• The miniseries arc is half over without a clear purpose

Art Samples:

The Scorecard:

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): 2/4
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): 3/4
Value (Originality & Entertainment): 1/2

Final Thoughts:

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Avengers: Armageddon #3 sends David Colton out to follow in Superman’s footsteps… literally. Chip Zdarsky’s dialogue-heavy script attempts an interesting debate, and the art is solid enough, but the political argument at its core is lopsided, and this story, billed as the on-ramp for Marvel’s next era, feels rudderless.

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