Warning: contains spoilers for Avengers Mech Strike: Monster Hunters #2!

Marvel’s latest Avengers series has a truly interesting premise that is utterly squandered in the first few pages, and only a paper-thin story remains. The series continues the popular Avengers: Mech Strike saga that included many fan-favorite elements, including the reintroduction of Kang the Conqueror as a central villain. But Avengers Mech Strike: Monster Hunters, although beginning with an interesting examination into the good and evil sides of each hero, turns into a book without a message.

The previous series, Avengers: Mech Strike, granted each member of the Avengers their own massive suit of armor that amplified their powers and abilities. Designed by Tony Stark, the suits worked to combat Kang the Conqueror, who proved such a threat to the universe that the team was even forced to ally with the Mad Titan Thanos – who was also given a mech suit to fight his enemy. Both Thanos and Black Panther were killed by Kang, but the latter resurrected to become the avatar of Eternity and helped eliminate Kang from the timestream altogether. The series sold well enough to warrant a sequel, and the spiritual successor Avengers Mech Strike: Monster Hunters was created.

Related: The Avengers' Mechs Just Got A Dangerous Upgrade From Doctor Strange

The series starts off with the theme of dark, mysterious energies that corrupt heroes just as easily as villains: Doctor Strange uses the Eye of the Kraken to upgrade the Avengers’ mechs with dark powers – but the Eye proves to be a corrupting influence and turns the suits into monstrous forms of their former selves. Now in Avengers Mech Strike: Monster Hunters #2, written by Christos Gage with art by Paco Diaz, Doctor Strange pleads with the heroes to remember their former selves to prevent the Eye from taking over completely. This is set up to be the main theme of the book – but unfortunately, all the Avengers overcome their corruption in the first few pages. Tony Stark even notes the corruption was a “…minor setback, but we’re passed it now.”

To make the missed opportunity worse, ever member of the book’s roster of Avengers has dark pasts and traumatic experiences – perfect for a corrupting influence like the Eye to feast upon. Black Panther lost his father to a terrorist, the Wasp was abused and belittled by her husband, and Iron Man had an estranged relationship with his parents and more than a few near-death experiences. Ironically enough, the only Avenger on the team not corrupted by the monstrous Eye is the Hulk: the “monster” of the team who shakes off the Eye’s influence almost immediately (in his words “Monster eye tried to tell Hulk what to do, but no one tells Hulk what to do”).

Fortunately, only two issues of the series have been released so far, and the opportunity could arise for the Eye to corrupt the heroes again. Perhaps Doctor Strange, who was not inside a mech suit at the time, would be a perfect target for a dark magical artefact (he obtains his suit in this issue). For now, the Avengers’ latest mech-based series has been robbed of any meaningful theme or plot, but future issues could change the status quo dramatically.

Next: Iron Man's Magic Mech Armor Upgrades Explained In Mech Strike Trailer

Loki mcu time stick
Loki's Devastating MCU Weapon Officially Becomes Marvel Canon