The explosive conclusion to Marvel’s Empyre event is here! The Cotati have taken over Wakanda, planning to use its vibranium empowered soil to spread their Empyre across the universe! To stop this spread, the Kree-Skrull Alliance has set the Sun to explode, destroying the Earth and the Cotati along with it. Will the Avengers and Fantastic Four be able to stop both doomsday scenarios? Spoilers for Empyre issues 1-5, Empyre #0: Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four #11 as well as minor spoilers for Empyre #6 ahead.
Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and Tony Stark (Iron Man) have come up with a plan to potentially stop both world-ending calamities. Donning a customized sonar Iron Man suit, Mr. Fantastic heads to Wakanda to disable Quoi and the Cotati forces, thus ending their colonization of the Earth. Meanwhile, the Kree and Skrulls are battling each other after Wiccan revealed that the Hulkling they were following was actually the former Skrull Empress in disguise. The real Hulkling, along with Captain Marvel, Human Torch and the Kree sorceress Mur-g’nn, are attempting to cease the fighting before it causes the revitalization of the Kree-Skrull War. To unite the forces against the Cotati, Powerhouse and Brainstorm (the children of Reed Richards and Sue Storm) plan to use the memories of former Kree and Skrull slaves Jo-Venn and N’Kalla.
Al Ewing and Dan Slott made Hulkling and Wiccan the all-stars of not just this issue, but the whole event. Their bond is what allows Hulkling to regain composure and attempt to take back control of the Kree-Skrull Empire. Seeing Wiccan have such a powerful role in saving the Earth shows just how far he has come since his days as a member of the Young Avengers. I felt chills when Wiccan yelled “Avengers Assemble,” even if Captain Marvel and Human Torch were the only ones to hear him. I am excited to see where Marvel takes the two of them next in Empyre: Aftermath next week.
Artists Valerio Schiti and Marte Gracia brought finality to this final issue with their amazing art. The large scale battles feel epic. Seeing the entirety of the Avengers led by Captain America enter Wakanda brought a huge grin to my face. The standout panel of this issue has to be the Kree, Skrulls, Avengers and Fantastic Four joining together to stop the sun from exploding. The colors on display, combined with the brilliant line work create a beautiful scene.
Empyre #6 was a fantastic final issue for such an interesting event. Writers Al Ewing and Dan Slott made me love Hulkling and Wiccan. Quoi was an interesting and complicated villain and I wish he had a little more time to shine in the middle issues, but overall, the writers did a wonderful job bringing everything full circle. I am excited to see how the ending of this issue affects the larger Marvel universe in Empyre: Aftermath and Empyre: Fallout next week.
Rating: 8/10
Buy the comic: https://www.comixology.com/Empyre-2020-6-of-6/digital-comic/872507?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L2Rlc2t0b3Avc2xpZGVyTGlzdC9pdGVtU2xpZGVy
