Originally Posted by
JKtheMac
Aaron is doing his normal trick here, by using analogues to define his protagonists. Not exactly a new trick. It was Lee and Kirby's favourite plot generator too. Although this book is grand in scope, it feels more of a set-up book than an anniversary issue. It was obvious the anniversary issue was coming soon, but I suspect Aaron just decided to throw in some extra portentous material and a quick prologue rather than pause his story.
The choice of Cold War analogies are clearly inspired by current affairs, but to me it feels removed from the real world. This isn't reflecting upon the reality of Russia or its current political situation. It is as much a pastiche to bring back these Cold War villains as it is to use the Squadron Supreme as US heroes. I wonder if Aaron will actually take the time to flesh out who is under each mask? Perhaps having Coulson return is a clue. Maybe he has chosen an entirely new squadron from his knowledge of superhero history. It makes me wonder if this sudden urge to build teams is part of the deeper premise.
Is there a suggestion that the Starbrand will be the big bad in the longer story? To the idea that Aaron is retconning Starbrand, we certainly shouldn't look for clues from Hickman, because he left the Starbrand idea deliberately vague. There is nothing to prove the Starbrand was deliberately created so much as he manifested under specific circumstances, and the evolution of the ideas in New Universe also suggest a more obscure and conceptual origin. I wouldn't bother to read the contemporary Handbook either, as it is full of inaccuracies and poor readings of the story. Aaron can pretty much do anything with the concept as long as he keeps the implication that it arises as a kind of paradigmatic manifestation. That would certainly fit his theme, because he is suggesting that The Avengers themselves are a kind of recurring pattern.
Overall this was a fun issue with some pointers to where things might be going. It never felt convincing as an anniversary story to me, and neither of the backup stories really add much. One makes it clearer how Aaron sees Robbie and his Penance Stare, the other is a throwaway prologue.