Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Free Comic Book Day 2022: Avengers/X-Men #1 Synopsis by
Rob Johnson
This issue contains 3 prologue stories.
The 3rd story leads in to the X-Men's 2nd Hellfire Gala which I believe precedes ...
... Judgement Day starring Avengers, Eternals and X-Men which is previewed in the 1st story.
The 2nd story introduces us the the daughter of Blade who will feature in something called Bloodline which hasn't appeared in Marvel solicitations yet.
Story 1:- Of deviation and mutation
The Great Machine of the Eternals (which to some extent *is* the Earth) provides a voiceover. It tells us of the Eternals who protect the Machine/Earth and 'correct' excess deviation in the Deviants. To the Eternals the Avengers are any non-Eternals who are powerful enough to cause them concern. And then there are the mutants who the Eternals have been worried about for millennia.
We see an encounter of the Eternals Uranos and Druig with Odin of the 1 Million BC Avengers. The duo show him a species of monkeys who have mutated to get rudimentary telepathy and telekinesis, and are also able to join in a hive mind. The Eternals are compelled by the nature the Celestials gave them to prevent excess deviancy in the Deviants, and to Uranos this mutation smacks of excess deviancy. But he gives Odin the courtesy of informing him that he intends to wipe the species out. To avoid an Avengers/Eternals war Odin reluctantly agrees to it.
The next scene is recent where the Avengers (Black Panther, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Iron Man and Thor) are fighting a giant monster they don't realise is a Deviant gone 'excess'. They're not doing too well when Ikaris and Sersi of the Eternals turn up and kill it. Sersi explains that dealing with Deviants that have out-of-control mutation is a duty that the Celestials programmed into them (as indicated by the duo's glazed/glowing eyes when they arrived) - a duty they can't ignore.
On the mutant island Krakoa we see the secret that the new mutant nation is keeping from the world as the dead Cyclops is resurrected. The completely cloaked Eternal Jack Of Knives watches and confirms that the X-Men can and do resurrect their own, a process that the Eternals thought was exclusively theirs. He reports back to Druig who says that if this is excess deviation then it must be stamped out. (We see that he's been considering the group of Eternals known as the Hex about whom we know little so far.)
The Machine foresees a 3-way war.
Story 2:- Bloodline
Teens Brielle and Jayden are attending an Atlanta games tournament. Jayden has just beaten a vampire named Eturnal who's a sore loser. Brielle steps between them and her silver bracelet burns the vamp's hand. She 'borrows' Jayden's custom-controller and attaches the bracelet to it. Whirling the controller by its cord she uses the combination as a weapon when Eturnal attacks again, unfortunately wrecking the device.
Brielle gets home to her mother just before an imposed curfew. Mom bids her good night and then looks inside a large box under her own bed. Inside are many silver weapons and a picture of her and Blade The Vampire Slayer. It's Safron Caulder and Brielle is their daughter. I think Safron sensed Brielle had been in contact with a vamp, and she now thinks they need Blade's help.
Story 3:- Let's talk about Krakoa
This story is voiceovered by Moira MacTaggert. Despite being a prime mover behind the creation of the mutant nation of Krakoa, subsequent events have made her lose faith in a safe future for mutants. And in the Inferno mini-series we learned that she intends to save them by depowering them all.
The story begins with Mary Jane Watson and her Aunt Anna Watson giving an interview about how medecine from Krakoa delays Anna's incipient dementia. They are apparently ambassadors for Krakoa Pharma which sells its cures for the same (cheap) price to everyone regardless of lack of health insurance.
Moira believes that when the world learns of the mutant nation's deepest secret, that they can resurrect any fallen mutant, the war with humans will begin again. They will again clash with the Avengers, and this time she intends to see that there will be deaths on both sides.
Now she comes to MJ and renders her unconscious. She plans to impersonate her at the 2nd Hellfire Gala.