| The Thanos Imperative | |
|---|---|
 Cover ofThe Thanos Imperative 1 (July 2010), art byAleksi Briclot | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Title(s) | The Thanos Imperative: Ignition #1 The Thanos Imperative #1-6 |
| Formats | Original material for the series has been published as a set oflimited series andone-shot comics. |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | The Thanos Imperative: Ignition: May2010 The Thanos Imperative: June 2010 - November 2011 |
| Number of issues | The Thanos Imperative: Ignition: 1 The Thanos Imperative: 6 The Thanos Imperative: Devastation: 1 |
| Main character(s) | Thanos Guardians of the Galaxy Nova Quasar Silver Surfer Galactus Lord Mar-Vell |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Dan Abnett Andy Lanning |
| Artist(s) | The Thanos Imperative: Miguel Angel Sepulveda |
| Penciller(s) | The Thanos Imperative: Ignition: Brad Walker |
| Inker(s) | The Thanos Imperative: Ignition: Andrew Hennessy |
| Letterer(s) | Joe Caramagna |
| Colorist(s) | The Thanos Imperative: Ignition: Wilfredo Quintana The Thanos Imperative: Jay David Ramos |
| Editor(s) | Rachel Pinnelas Joe Quesada Bill Rosemann |
| Reprints | |
| Collected editions | |
| Hardcover | ISBN 0-7851-5183-4 |
The Thanos Imperative is a six-issuecomic booklimited series published in 2010 byMarvel Comics. It was written byDan Abnett andAndy Lanning, and was bookended by twoone-shot comics,Ignition andDevastation.[1][2][3][4][5] The story focuses on the cosmic heroes of theMarvel Universe, who band together to combat the imminent threat of the Fault (a rift in space-time formed at the end of "War of Kings") and theCancerverse (a universe where death itself is extinct) that lies beyond it.
The story is the culmination of events starting with the "Annihilation" storyline and more specifically the "War of Kings", which climaxed with the opening of a hole betweenalternate universes, and "Realm of Kings", which involved different characters in conflict with themany-angled ones and counterparts of theEarth-616 superheroes. The aftermath of those storylines was dealt with inGuardians of the Galaxy #25 andNova #36, after which both titles were cancelled.
While theGuardians of the Galaxy watch over the newly resurrected[6] and imprisonedThanos and Nova pursues thefalse Quasar, theMagus and theUniversal Church of Truth tear open the Fault (opened at the end of the War of Kings[7] and previously sealed byAdam Warlock).[8] Monstrous creatures emerge from the Fault and are confronted by theKree andShi'ar armadas,Galactus, theCelestials, and other cosmic beings. Among the invaders is their leader, LordMar-Vell, who is an alternate version of Captain Marvel. Mar-Vell kills the Magus for failing to locate Thanos.[9] Mar-Vell is thede facto leader of the extradimensional Cancerverse—a metaphysically unbalanced dimension where Death itself has been completely banished and Life runs rampant, like a cancer—and seeks to spread his dimension's plague of "undeath" to all other universes.
Mar-Vell is the avatar of Life, and Thanos is the avatar of Death. Because of this, the battle will only be over when one of them destroys the other. WhileStar-Lord leads the Guardians and Thanos into the Fault hoping to locate Lord Mar-Vell, Lord Mar-Vell scours the Marvel Universe for Thanos. Nova leadsQuasar,Beta Ray Bill,Gladiator, theSilver Surfer andRonan the Accuser in an attack on Mar-Vell, but loses badly. When Thanos kills Drax the Destroyer, his death as the avatar of life alerts Mar-Vell to his presence and he returns to the Cancerverse.[10]
When Mar-Vell confronts Thanos and the Guardians, everyone is surprised when Thanos immediately surrenders.[11] As he willingly prepares to be sacrificed by Mar-Vell, he muses about how the Captain Marvel he knew never considered the consequences of his actions either. Mar-Vell realizes he has been tricked just as Death, summoned by Thanos's death, arrives to claim him. This causes a chain reaction that kills Mar-Vell's followers and triggers the collapse of the alternate universe and the Fault. Thanos, expecting Death to embrace him for his actions, becomes enraged when she once again spurns him. Teleporting the rest of their comrades to safety, Star Lord and Nova remain behind to contain Thanos, who blames the heroes for Death's manipulation of him and vows to make the entire universe suffer, by keeping him within the Cancerverse until its imminent destruction.[12]
A memorial service is held for those lost in the conflicts. Quasar informsRocket Raccoon that, without Nova,Worldmind has shut down and the Nova Force disappeared.[12] Still reeling from the struggle, the Kree Empire on Hala is assailed by the forces ofBlastaar in a bid for easy conquest. During the battle, Ronan is aided by the other surviving members of Nova's strike force. Under Cosmo's guidance, they set up base inKnowhere. The newly christened "Annihilators" propose they be a loose-knit force to be implemented only as the "last resort". Abruptly, Ikon of theSpaceknights materializes in their midst, proclaiming urgency in her errand and asking where to find "this team [she is] supposed to lead".[13]
The crossover received critical acclaim. According to Comic Book Roundup, it received an average score of 8.3 out of 10 based on 42 reviews.[14]
The series was released in acollected edition.
It is also included in twoomnibuses: