The Avengers are about to take on a cosmic threat they've faced down before – and lost - as Marvel Comics has teased a new arc for writer Jason Aaron's ongoing Avengers title the makes it clear that the Phoenix Force is on its way back to Earth.
"Keep an eye on Jason Aaron and Javier Garron's latest Avengers epic, 'The Age of Khonshu' for startling revelations about Moon Knight amidst a thunderous clash with a disgruntled god bent on reshaping the world in his image!" reads the text that accompanies the teaser. "Then, gear up for the grand return of the cosmic chaos-bringer of life and death in Jason Aaron and Javier Garron's 'Enter the Phoenix' on sale in December!"
The teaser doesn't reveal much, but does name Ed McGuinness and Javier Garron as the artists for the story, marking McGuiness's return to the title he helped launch along with Garron's continuation following the current story arc, the aforementioned 'Age of Khonshu.'
The Avengers have previously faced down the Phoenix Force in Avengers vs. X-Men, in which five X-Men were imbued with the power of the Phoenix. The Phoenix Force has also played a role in the current Avengers volume with one of its prehistoric hosts appearing in the 10,000 B.C. Avengers, carrying on an affair with Odin, Thor's father.
Jean Grey, the Marvel Universe's most famous Phoenix host, recently ended her bond with the Phoenix entirely, which could mean the X-Men may not be a part of the 'Age of Phoenix' story. However, Aaron previously hinted to Newsarama that the Avengers and X-Men may clash again.
"[Jonathan Hickman]'s plans are continuing to unfold, and as we all know Jonathan's plans tend to stretch forward in terms of years, not just a few issues, years worth of storyline," Aaron told Newsarama back in February. "We've seen such a profound shift and change in terms of the X-Men's place in the Marvel Universe, I think you have to know that change is gonna be reflected not just across all the X-books as we've seen, but it's gonna bleed out into every corner of the Marvel Universe at some point or another."
The teaser states the Phoenix story's start will arrive in December. October's Avengers #37 is the end of the current 'Age of Khonshu' story, potentially meaning November will either be a skip month for the series or will contain a story that bridges the gap.
