Contains spoilers for Dark Ages #2!
A great tragedy has fallen on Marvel’s Earth, leaving the planet in darkness. But in this darkness, a new center of hope and learning emerges. Earth has a new capital and it is Wakanda, the home of the Black Panther. In Dark Ages #2, on sale now in print and digital, Wakanda capitalizes on its reputation as a haven for progress and justice and points the way for the rest of Earth.
Dark Ages is set outside of the traditional Marvel continuity; it begins when the Unmaker, a powerful ancient being who had been imprisoned deep within the Earth, awoke, and began destroying everything in his path, including several heroes, such as Scarlet Witch. Doctor Strange used an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) to stop the Unmaker. It worked, but in the process, Doctor Strange was killed and the EMP spread over the entire Earth, knocking out electricity and bringing modern society crashing down. Some heroes, such as Iron Man and Reed Richards, who rely heavily on technology, found themselves rendered useless. But in Dark Ages #2, written by Tom Taylor, with art by Iban Coello, colors by Brian Reber, and letters by Joe Sabino, a new order is emerging, with Wakanda at the center of it all.
Society is collapsing in the wake of the EMP. Violence has swept major cities and law and order are breaking down. However, Jean Grey, using her psychic powers to establish a communications network, helps calm the population. Then, over the next seven years, Earth turns into a paradise, a world now free from the harmful effects of industrialization. Readers then learn that Wakanda is now Earth’s capital; great thinkers and scientists from around the world have gathered in Wakanda to help create a new and better world.
And what a world they have created—one that bucks the trend of post-apocalyptic fiction. Thanks to its Vibranium reserves, Wakanda has become the most technologically advanced nation on Marvel’s Earth, as well an economic powerhouse; Shuri, one of Earth’s most foremost scientists, calls Wakanda “home.” Since its creation, Wakanda has been a beacon of hope for the rest of the planet, and now in Earth’s darkest hour, it reasserts itself as a world power. The country has brought together the planet’s finest minds, ranging from Lunella Lafayette (Moon Girl) to Amadeus Cho to Doctor Doom, and convinced them to lay aside their differences in order to make the world a better place. Will Wakanda be able to hold the planet together? Apocalypse is making moves, enslaving Magneto, and enlisting Kilgrave, all in the name of bringing back the Unmaker—are the heroes ready for another fight with this monster?
The peace that Black Panther's Wakanda has helped bring to Marvel’s Earth is still fragile and could fall apart. But with the threat of the Unmaker’s return on the horizon, the various countries could rally around Wakanda as a united front or resume the old ways and let it all fall apart.