Warning! Spoilers for Avengers Mech Strike #5 below
With Kang the Conqueror's takeover of Earth nearly complete, Black Panther is back from certain death and has taken on his ultimate form as the Herald of Eternity. In a new preview for Avengers: Mech Strike, the Avengers are stunned to see T'Challa and his massive power upgrade as they face off with the time-traveling foe in a last-ditch effort to save the world from the longtime Marvel villain.
Avengers Mech Strike has been one of the Avengers' wildest stories in a long time. The superteam - armed with special mechs designed by Tony Stark - have battled Kang and his evil army of biomechanoids, whose takeover attempts have led time to fold on top of itself. Fighting everything from Kang's forces to dinosaurs, the Avengers suffered a devastating blow when Kang seemingly killed Black Panther, but the last issue revealed the hero actually was teleported across space and time, becoming the Herald of Eternity. Now, readers get a closer look at just what occurred to give Black Panther the new role.
In a new preview for Avengers Mech Strike #5 by Jed MacKay, Carlos Magno, Guru-eFX, and VC's Cory Petit, Black Panther floats in space as a voice tells him he was plucked from his timeline right before dying to trick Kang into believing he perished. The being reveals itself to be the living embodiment of the universe, Eternity, who says Kang has broken time and they're offended by his carelessness. Admitting they're above direct intervention, Eternity tells Black Panther he wants him to take on his cause and powers as the new Herald of Eternity.
Black Panther accepts the offer as the comic shifts to Avengers Mountain, where Kang's takeover is in full swing. The Avengers are stunned to see T'Challa alive, but the dire circumstances don't allow time for a heartfelt reunion. So instead, Black Panther immediately attacks Kang, but the time-hopping villain is prepared for his attack, saying his scientific approach is much more effective than Eternity's "hocus pocus."
Kang the Conqueror uses his massive, technological tendrils to wrap around the Herald of Eternity. While Kang seems to have the upper hand, Black Panther's new powers mean he should be able to counter him, as Eternity's vast powers are far too powerful to succumb so easily to the villain. The battle between Kang and Black Panther will unfold when the finale of Avengers Mech Strike comes to comic book stores later this week.