Marvel Discusses Avengers Axis and Time Runs Out

During the Marvel “Next Big Thing” panel at Special Edition NYC convention, Executive Editor Tom Brevoort discussed a couple of major storylines coming out of the different Avengers titles. The crossover Axis will span the worlds of both the Avengers and X-Men, coming of writer Rick Remender’s various Marvel titles like Uncanny Avengers and Captain America. Jonathan Hickman, the writer of Avengers and New Avengers, also has a major upcoming storyline in “Time Runs Out,” which jumps forward 8 months into the future in both of Hickman’s Avengers titles.     For “Time Runs Out,” which begins with Avengers #35 and New Avengers #24, the titles will push forward 8 months in time. Brevoort did not elaborate very much on the why except to say that a significant event (“something of consequence”) inspires the jump forward. The “Time Runs Out” story is also the beginning of the culmination of Hickman’s work on the Avengers titles. It will lead to a major event that will conclude the stories Hickman has been telling since the start of Avengers and New Avengers.     The Axis series will center on the Red Skull, who acquired the brain of the deceased Charles Xavier in the first arc of Uncanny Avengers and became much more powerful as a result. The series will begin in October, with some other series like Magneto and Loki: Agent of Asgard offering “March to Axis” titles in advance of the main Axis series. Brevoort and Remender participated in a chat session on Marvel.com on Monday to give further details about Axis. The series will be 9 issues, with about 3 issues per months, and art duties will be shared between Adam Kubert, Leinil Yu, Terry Dodson, and Jim Cheung.     Although the Avengers and X-Men are mentioned by name, Marvel promised that there would be a wide range of characters. Brevoort wrote, “There's going to be an extraordinarily large cast, particularly as Axis really gets underway. It will touch every corner of the Marvel Universe.” In discussing the focus on Red Skull, Remender wrote, “There is no love inside the Red Skull, there is no grey side to him. The biggest challenge is coming up with his motive. What does he want to do? What he's always wanted: He wants to dominate.” Both Brevoort and Remender mentioned that there would be links to the current Marvel event Original Sin. Remender also promised major action during Axis, joking “This is fast-paced – not a lot of people eating cereal.”