Original Sin #5 hit stands this week. Here is what you need to know before I get into the spoilers and review of the issue.
This All-New Marvel Now bi-weekly Original Sin series had a stealth debut in All-New X-Men #25. Original Sin #0 followed and retold The Watcher’s origin and also expanded his scope and power set.
Following that, Original Sin #1 and #2 set up the various investigations into the Watcher’s death and theft of his eyes. In addition to Nick Fury Sr. leading the prime investigation at the request of the Avengers’ Captain America, three other groups of heroes are also independently investigating on different planes literally at the behest of a mysterious benefactor:
- Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, and Gamora in space.
- Dr. Strange and the Punisher on the astral plane.
- Black Panther, Ant-Man and Emma Frost close to the Earth’s core.
What ties them together? Monsters and mysterious green bullets?
The big news so far from Original Sin #3 was the holy sh*t moment at the end that saw the death of a major Marvel Comics hero at the hands of another iconic hero! That issue also revealed how the villains identified at the end of issue #2 got together, namely Dr. Midas, his daughter Exterminatrix and The Orb, met here and here.
In Original Sin #4, we learned that all was not what it seemed with that holy sh*t moment. And, Original Sin #5 is dedicated to explaining all that.
However, before we get to the spoilers and capsule review for Original Sin #5, here’s what you need to know about Marvel Comics’ All-New Marvel Now Original Sin publishing plan:
- Original Sin, the 8 issue (9 if you include the #0 issue) core event book (no “s” at the end), that surrounds the mystery of who killed The Watcher, what he saw and what’s the deal with his eyes; the House of Ideas’ take on a cosmic whodunit.
- We get an interlude in Original Sin with, I believe, with more branding-over-story controversy a.k.a. numerhoaxology from Marvel as Hulk vs. Iron Man gets the Original Sin #3.1 to #3.4 treatment. Did Tony Stark lead to the creation of the Hulk?
- Continuing in that vein, we also have Original Sin #5.1 to 5.5 mini-series called Thor & Loki: The 10th Realm involving the revelation that former Spawn stalwart Angela is the sister of Thor and Loki!
- We’ll get Original Sin tie-ins in some regular ongoing series where we learn of some “sins” of Marvel Now’s heroes and villains. Like with All-New Invaders #6 and many others.
- The Original Sins (with an “s” at the end) is a companion anthology 5 issue mini-series to spotlight Young Avengers in particular, but also showcase done-in-one tales from across the Marvel Universe revealing more sins, but this time for characters who don’t headline their own ongoing series.
Spoilers and capsule review for Original Sin #5 follow.
Last issue we learned that the Nick Fury Sr. that the Winter Soldier killed was actually a LMD (Life Model Decoy I believe). The issue ended with a very aged Nick Fury Sr. meeting the 3 Avengers teams he set up meeting in his space lair. He was flanked by different ages / models of LMDs.
In Original Sin #5 we learn that since the 1960’s, Nick Fury Sr. has had a covert mission to protect the planet at all costs from alien invasions. Who recruited him? None other than Howard Stark, Iron Man Tony Stark’s dad.
We also learn in the issue that it has been Nick Fury Sr. and his LMDs that have been killing all manner of aliens and monsters with gamma bullets over the last several decades. In fact, Nick Fury Sr. is The Unseen protector of Earth.
We still have a lot of unanswered questions about Nick Fury Sr. by the end of the issue including a cryptic response concerning the dead Watcher that kicked off Original Sin.
Original Sin #5 was a bit of breather issue that didn’t advance the main plot at all. It did however flesh out and fill in the cracks of Nick Fury Sr.’s long history and how the soldier, super-spy and galactic protector can all be the same person.
I do also feel that you have to be a Marvel Zombie fanboy/girl to follow some of the unsaid things in the book. Like the super soldier type Infinity serum (I think that’s what it is) that kept Nick Fury Sr. alive all those years, even if he more aged than we thought. And, we don’t even get a real explanation about Fury’s LMDs. All we got was the below.
Overall, I enjoyed Original Sin #5 as a Nick Fury story, but not as a main issue of Marvel’s big 2014 event series. This clearly will read better as part of the Original Sin event when its collected in hardcover.
Thanks for reading. All feedback welcome.