New Avengers, The (2025 series) #3

The team are hunting the Killuminati, villainous clones of the Illuminati created by the Jackal (but he's working for a mystery someone else). Last issue ended with Bucky Barnes and Clea Strange entering the Hulkscape to recruit the imprisoned Bruce Banner.

This issue's voiceover is by Laura Kinney, 'daughter' of Logan and both going by the sobriquet Wolverine.

The issue begins with a flashback to Hulk communing with nature in the West Virginia Appalachian foothills. His peace is broken by a canister of gas with Black Widow's symbol on it, but all it does is anger him. Our Wolverine is in a tree as backup, and wondering why she's joined this team, as Namor the Sub-Mariner leaps in to deliver a punch, which just makes Hulk laugh. But this was all a setup for Natasha Romanoff to stick a neuro inhibitor in the Green Goliath's neck which she says will knock him out for maybe 2 minutes. And Clea creates a magic portal to get into the behemoth's mind.

Bruce is fastened to a 'throne' with chains and spikes, and says her magic can't free him. What she does do is create a magic door which will get them out and allow them to return if they want even if Hulk is awake - but they'll have to get very close to him to use it. Banner concurs that he can't be freed, but he can give them some advice about the Killuminati they describe. They aren't ordinary clones but 'neurogenic' ones. Their powers have been drastically altered from the originals, and there's no way Jackal would have been able to do that. Then they all feel Hulk waking. But before Clea and Winter Soldier leave Bruce tells them to focus on the Reed Richards clone because he's the most dangerous (but they'd figured that out last issue) and he could destroy the multiverse in a day. He agrees with their decision not to involve the real Illuminati. And as an original and sometimes Avenger he deputises them as Avengers.

In reality Namor is restraining Hulk who throws him into BW, who calls for Plan B. Which is Wolverine dropping down from her tree and shedding green blood. Hulk says he doesn't want to join their team. Laura says they don't want *him* as she keeps slashing him. Clea portals back with Bucky who says Bruce told them how to find 'Reed', and they have to go to New Mexico. But Clea senses the fake Dr Strange and instead creates a portal to somewhere else. Not wishing to face the angry Hulk they all dive through it anyway (Bucky dragging Wolvie with him because she's convinced she was winning).

They wind up in a snowbound town in Northern Hokkaido, Japan in a street littered with bodies, alive but nonresponsive. While they all bicker Laura smells something demonic, and a red Carnage symbiote grabs Winter Soldier and warns the rest not to make a move. But impatient Clea casts a spell which half-reveals the human inside. It's Eddie Brock who Bucky thought was Venom. Brock says things change and he's here tracking the killer who left the people here alive but mindless. Clea and Laura sense somebody here ...

... and the Professor Xavier clone 'decloaks'. He refuses to answer to the name Xavier and declares himself Prof X-Tinction. The team attack but he blows them backwards with a Hulk-like slam on the ground. Mutant Wolverine wounds him but he gets her in a hold and wounds *her*, until Bucky saves her. Then they realise that Clea has gone ...

... to a building where Guru Strange is enjoying otoro sashimi. She attacks him but he gleefully vanishes away. She elects to follow him rather than return to the team.

X-Tinction is fighting Sub-Mariner and Winter Soldier while Wolvie tends her wound and Nat wonder why the foe isn't attacking them mentally. He's just draining psychic energy from the bodies and firing it as force bolts. Laura figures maybe the villain's total lack of empathy means he can't connect to anyone's mind. She forms a plan and tells Carnage to get ready to attack, and asks BW if she's still got the neuro inhibitor. X has Bucky and Subby on the ropes when Carnage attacks and then Nat plants the inhibitor. Which makes the villain crumple to the ground. He tries to persuade Laura to join him in protecting mutants. But she protects them by killing him.

Bucky calls the authorities to come help the civilian victims. Eddie Brock asks who the team are? Thunderbolts? Defenders? Grouches Of The Galaxy? Bucky declines to answer but says they hunt killers too and asks him to join them. Natasha objects to the murderer wearing a monster, but Bucky says they're all murderers and monsters. Eddie says he's just trying to use the symbiote to do good. So Bucky unilaterally adds him to the roster.

Bucky adds that before they left Hulkspace Banner told him to track 'Mr Fantastic' by cosmic rays. So now they need to go to his New Mexico base where he has a relevant device. But Clea hasn't come back so they're stuck here. Then something starts taking over Namor's mind and making him lash out at his allies. It's his clone Imperius Rex.