And third, just as these two problems come together in Infinity, we have Thanos invading Earth. Second, we have the Incursions, which are threatening to destroy the multiverse. First, we get the Builders and their minions, who believe they can remake the galaxy as they fit. This first volume has three interleaving parts to it. That's in part because it's the most expansive Avengers storyline ever, with the most expansive Avengers team, but it's also because this is a science-fiction masterpiece, going far beyond the typical tropes of superhero comics.

Jonathan Hickman's Avengers run is probably the best Avengers run ever. There were so many moving pieces that I missed some issues that are more character-focused. There are also times where I felt like I was back reading War of Kings, with space battles that go on for too long. In the beginning of the book we got some backstory to characters like Smasher and Hyperion and I thought Hickman would continue to flesh the cast out more like this, but some team members have little development or moments here, like Spider-Woman or Shang Chi. All of his plans regarding the Builders just work and he's just rolling from victory to victory. Captain America is also pretty much a boss throughout this.

I love the Incursions as a concept, it does feel grand as a threat, hope this makes it into the MCU one day. it's not even the worst thing he has to worry about. T'Challa not only struggles with Namor, but is also losing support from his own people and that's an interesting development to see unfold. Namor and Black Panther definitely have the best dynamic and it's a reason why New Avengers wins out over the other series. I expected this because it's a team book (x2) and you have even more characters to juggle, but there are only a few characters so far that I feel get explored enough. There's a family dynamic there and in Avengers that's mostly gone. You have Ben feeling like an outsider on top of his appearance, Reed shutting himself off for long stretches (no pun intended) of time, Susan feeling the need to hold everything together. Hickman's run was my first FF story and I understood immediately why the team had been a Marvel staple for decades, since there's so much in the dynamics to mine. Even though there was a lot going on in his FF already, there was still enough focus on the members of the team and how they interacted with eachother.

The way Hickman weaves different plots together is impressive and is on the same level as his Fantastic Four run, but there's something important missing here that FF did have: more characterization and character dynamics for the main cast.

Hickman avengers omnibus vol 1