| "Siege" | |||
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Cover of Siege 1 (Mar 2010). Featuring Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Loki, and Norman Osborn. Art by Olivier Coipel. |
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| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||
| Publication date | December 2009 – May 2010 | ||
| Genre | Crossover | ||
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| Main character(s) | Mighty Avengers New Avengers Dark Avengers Avengers Resistance Secret Warriors Asgardians |
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| Creative team | |||
| Writer(s) | Brian Michael Bendis | ||
| Artist(s) | Olivier Coipel | ||
| Collected editions | |||
| Siege Prelude | ISBN 0-7851-4310-6 | ||
| Siege | ISBN 0-7851-4810-8 | ||
"Siege" is an American comic book storyline, published by Marvel Comics from January 2010 to May 2010. It deals with the aftermath of the "Dark Reign" company-wide storyline, which led to a shift of power in the Marvel Universe toward Norman Osborn, a former supervillain who, through deception and media manipulation, has become the United States' security czar. The story also depicts the Asgardian trickster deity Loki, manipulating Osborn into leading an all-out assault to overthrow Asgard. The events in "Siege" lead to the subsequent company-wide storyline, "Heroic Age".
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Siege ran as an eponymous four-issue miniseries, with connected one-shots and associated miniseries, as well as crossovers into existing ongoing series.
Marvel announced in early 2010 that the company-wide Siege storyline will lead to a subsequent company-wide storyline, Heroic Age.[1] This was first hinted at in-story by Athena to Amadeus Cho.[2]
The end of aftermath is described as what will be the start of a new "Heroic Age" in the Marvel Universe.[1]
The final tie-in issues of the four Avengers titles, Mighty Avengers #36, New Avengers #64, Dark Avengers #16 and Avengers: The Initiative #35 will be the last ones of those series, along with a New Avengers: Finale one-shot, with art by Bryan Hitch.[3]
From June there will also be a limited series called Avengers Prime: Siege Aftermath. This five part series will focus on Thor, Iron Man, and Steve Rogers and will bridge the gap between Siege and Heroic Age.
Though not badged as an aftermath series, a limited series starting in May 2010 will examine the fall of Norman Osborn and examine the effects upon his son Harry. The series is called Amazing Spider-Man Presents: American Son.[4]
Norman Osborn calls a meeting of the supervillain Cabal, consisting of Doctor Doom, the Hood, Taskmaster, and the Norse god Loki, to discuss Asgard, the home of the Norse gods, now located floating above Broxton, Oklahoma, and the last holdout in Osborn's consolidation of power. A rift develops between Doom and Osborn, creating mayhem that appears to dissolve the group. Later, under his guise of respectability, Osborn attempts in vain to secure from the President of the United States permission to invade Asgard under the claim it poses a national security threat. On Loki's advice, Osborn engineers a tragedy in which the hapless Norse god Volstagg, manipulated into battling the supervillain team the U-Foes, inadvertently causes an explosion that kills everyone in a crowded Soldier Field football stadium in Chicago, Illinois. This gives Osborn the pretext to lay siege on Asgard with military troops as well as with the Dark Avengers — his team of supervillains posing as superheroes — and with loyalists planted amid the various "50-State Initiative" teams of heroes. Osborn's aide-de-camp, Victoria Hand, growing worried over Osborn's instability, suggests unsuccessfully that Osborn seek therapy. Shortly afterward, the President realizes likewise, and orders Hand to produce Osborn.
In the meantime, in order to better control the highly powerful but psychologically fragile superhero the Sentry, who has allowed himself to be under Osborn's care, Osborn has the villainous Bullseye kill the Sentry's wife, Lindy Reynolds, and claim she committed suicide. Concurrently, Loki prepares Asgard for invasion through selective assassination and by neutralizing Heimdall, the city's guardian.
The siege begins with the Sentry attacking Asgard, followed by a massive aerial assault led by Osborn in his Iron Patriot armor. The Norse god superhero Thor is stunned and falls in battle. With the attack on Asgard instantly becoming a major news story, Steve Rogers, the erstwhile Captain America, assembles a group of legitimate Avengers in Brooklyn, New York City, to battle the Dark Avengers and help defend Asgard and aide their comrade Thor. At the same time the Avengers Resistance led by Tigra, Justice, and Gauntlet launch their own attack on Camp H.A.M.M.E.R., aimed at eliminating Osborn's Initiative.
Osborn's people offer Todd Keller, a conservative talk show host, exclusive official coverage of the siege, in order to mold public opinion. Meanwhile, longtime investigative journalist Ben Urich, editor of the New York City newspaper The Front Line, heads to the Oklahoma site of the battle with cameraman Will Stern. Volstagg, whom they meet in a chance encounter along the way, accompanies them and gives the reporters his own perspective.
As the battle in Asgard intensifies, the Greek god Ares, whom Osborn had deceptively recruited to his Dark Avengers, realizes the truth about Osborn, and vows to kill him. Osborn has the Sentry brutally kill Ares instead. Osborn declares martial law, just as Rogers and a contingent of Avengers arrive.[5][6] Volstagg, with the aid of a local sheriff whose own suspicions about Osborn have been raised, speaks to the public via a webcam video, leading to the beginnings of public disenchantment with the increasingly volatile Osborn.
The siege continues with the supervillain Scourge using the enchanted spear of the Norse gods' ruler, Odin, to sever the left limbs of the superhero U.S. Agent.[7] The conflicted hero Night Thrasher, who had been compelled to make a Faustian bargain with Osborn, turns on Osborn by battling Osborn's Cabal minion the Hood.[8] In Washington, the President orders the Secretary of State to dispatch military forces to Oklahoma to have Osborn and the Dark Avengers arrested for treason. At that moment in Asgard, Osborn is struck down by Captain America's shield,[9][10] yet manages to order the Sentry to destroy the infrastructure of Asgard. Sentry, having survived a flurry of brutal blows from Thor unscathed and on the verge of tearing Thor apart having transformed into the evil Void (which greatly multiplies his power to evolved heights) he leaves Thor and annihilates Asgard in a climactic moment in the battle, as he levels the floating city, bringing it crashing down to Earth.[9][11] Captain America finds Osborn amid the wreckage, pulls him out and places him under arrest. Before anyone can react further, Osborn's armor, now under the control of its inventor, Tony Stark / Iron Man, explodes off his body on live television, revealing his face painted in the image of the Green Goblin. He begins raving that with he himself now powerless, he no longer has the leverage to control the Sentry, who is now fully possessed by his nihilistic other self, the Void.[9]
As the Void battles the Avengers, Loki repents and begs Odin to let him use the mystical Norn Stones to power-boost the heroes and give them the strength to win the day. The Void, realizing that the heroes' enhanced power is being granted to them by Loki, kills Loki. Spurred on by Loki's sacrifice, Thor and the others battle the Void to a point that it reverting to the Sentry's human form. The Sentry begs the heroes to kill him, and Thor, after circumstances force his hand, regretfully complies, striking the Sentry down with a lightning blast that leaves only a charred skeleton.[12] As Thor takes the Sentry's body to the sun, the New Avengers round up the Dark Avengers, Victoria Hand, the renegade members of the Initiative and the remaining members of the Cabal and others, and have them placed under arrest. Steve Rogers gives his former partner, Bucky Barnes, his Captain America shield, bequeathing Barnes the mantle.[13]
As the Avengers and their allies celebrate their victory at their headquarters, Stark Tower, the Superhuman Registration Act is abolished. The President asks Steve Rogers to take over Osborn's position.[12][14] A large group of heroes later attend the Sentry's memorial service.[15] Rogers says he will continue the 50-State Initiative.[16] He also assigns Victoria Hand to work with the reformed Avengers.[13] U.S. Agent is made warden of the maximum security supervillain prison The Raft.[17]
Comics in the storyline have been collected into individual trade paperback volumes: