"The End" Week: Savage Avengers!

There was a moment there, when Marvel was losing or not renewing the Conan license, and we weren't sure if the new books from Titan Comics were going to be good. Rest assured: they're great! Titan's even brought back proper, black-and-white Savage Sword of Conan, and they're expanding their lineup with Solomon Kane and a lesser known Robert E. Howard creation, Dark Agnes de Chastillon. (She's a bit of a replacement for Red Sonja, maybe; they don't have the rights to her.) Definitely recommended, but let's look at the tailend of the barbarian's time at Marvel: from 2022, Savage Avengers #28, "Coda" Written by Gerry Duggan, art by Patch Zircher, color art by Java Tartaglia.

Previously, Conan had been allied with Doctors Doom and Strange, and Kang the Conqueror; in order to prevent Kulan Gath from taking over the world. Kang brought Conan back in time, to kill Gath as a young boy, before he picked up magic; but Conan has a better idea. He kills Gath's enslaver, freeing him, then teaches him the way of the sword instead. Gath is game: he seems genuinely invested in the idea of freeing other slaves, but Kang suggests to Conan, this might not be the mercy he thinks it is.

Gath receives an invitation, by talking crow, to meet with Sorcerer Supreme Mekri Ra, either "as friend...or as foe." The journey's long and treacherous, but allows Conan to train Gath up more. Gath enters Ra's tower, but Ra teleports outside to wait with Conan: this was a test only for Gath, and he faces Shuma-Gorath, who says Gath could defeat him, with the right weapon, giving him the opportunity to retake magic. Gath refuses, choosing to die as a warrior; but is then spit outside by the tower. Both Conan and Ra are pleased, and take their leave of Gath, as Kang picks Conan up...but doesn't take him back to the future! Conan is steamed, since he thought Strange owed him riches or whatnot (Conan was not above being super petty on occasion) but Kang's like, nah, I don't need the competition. He had seen multiple futures for Conan (one is a nod to either Bloodstone or Vandal Savage, or both!) and decides to wrap that up now.

Conan gets the drop on Kang, saying his sword was not in his collection; although it's up to you if you think he'd be able to stab Kang through his force-fields and armor. Kang says he was going to "let you retire in this land of stabbing and gout," but if you want to die, well...Conan gets on top of Kang, and demands to be taken back to the victory feast at Doctor Doom's. Kang agrees, that sounds nice...and spoilers after the break!

Kang returns to the future, alone, dropping onto the middle of a table. He gives a version of what happened, makes reassurances that Kulan Gath wouldn't return, but that Conan had wanted to return to his own time, and Kang of course did him a solid. Doom and Strange don't seem to buy that, but Kang returns to his "citadel of solitude" Kangstantinople. (Formerly Istanbul, presumably.) He surveys his trophies, smiling: of course he had Conan's sword, as well as his crown. And now he notices, written on that sword, in English: "This isn't over."

Kang acquiesces, returning Conan to 2022. But, he wouldn't stay there long: before the year was up, with a new roster, Conan would be returned to his own time again in Savage Avengers #5 (Legacy #33). Conan would be forced to stay behind, so a mystic doorway could be opened to get rid of Set. The rest of the team would be sent to 2099, for five issues with Punisher and Doom 2099, vs. Ultron and an army of Deathloks; wrapping up in 2023's Savage Avengers #10, "Deus Ex Machina" Written by David Pepose, art by Carlos Magno, color art by Espen Grundetjern.

The Savage Avengers were Anti-Venom, the Elektra-Daredevil, Cloak and Dagger, the Black Knight, and Weapon H. (The latter, a man turned into a Hulk/Wolverine mash-up.) They also had a Deathlok, but not the usual one: it was Miles Morales, trying to prevent his terrible future. Despite his distrust of the Deathloks, Punisher 2099 Jake Gallows sacrifices himself to save Miles; but Ultron brings him back as a puppet to use against Doom 2099. The other heroes fight Ultron's Deathloks, and work through their little plotlines: while attracted to Flash Thompson, Dagger gets back together with Cloak. (Are they usually a couple? I think it really varies from writer to writer...) Leading the other 2099 heroes, Elektra gets to belt out the classic "Avengers Assemble!"

Jake resists Ultron, and Miles finally stops him with a web, that stops him to create a paradox: the Watcher returns Miles to normal, explaining he had caused this mess, the act of observing having affected the results. In the future, Jake buries Ultron's head in a graveyard, where no one would find him and bring him back; and the Savage Avengers are returned to the present. They kinda know they're going to go their separate ways, but Fin Fang Foom appears, so maybe just one more time...