Stranger Things S5

The final season of Stranger Things delivers exactly what you’d expect from the show at its peak: scale, spectacle, and a relentless sense that Hawkins is finally paying the price for everything that’s happened since the Upside Down first cracked open. The season leans hard into its horror roots, with Vecna fully established as the ultimate threat and the lines between worlds nearly erased. Character arcs that have been building since Season 1—especially for Eleven, Max, and Hopper—get their most emotionally intense moments here, and the show does a great job balancing nostalgia with genuine stakes. It feels like the end, even when it occasionally indulges in its own mythology a bit too much.

That said, while I enjoyed the finale overall, the ending left me wanting just a little more. The resolution is safe rather than surprising, tying things up in a way that feels emotionally correct but not quite as bold as the journey deserved. Some consequences are softened, and a few lingering threads feel more paused than definitively concluded. Still, as a whole, the final season succeeds more than it falters—it’s cinematic, heartfelt, and true to the spirit of the series. Even if the landing wasn’t perfect, Stranger Things earns its place as one of the defining genre shows of its era.

Immortal Thor (2023) #16-20

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 In The Immortal Thor #16–18, Al Ewing basically runs a two-front war: Thor’s internal “All-Father vs. son of Gaea” identity crisis in Asgard, and a very pointed “old villains repackaged as new gods” threat on Earth. Dario Agger (the Minotaur) is back in play and starts assembling a bizarre, retro roster—Radioactive Man and other early-era Thor foes—framing them as a new “pantheon” meant to challenge (and symbolically replace) the old gods. #17 escalates the gimmick into something more mythic: “four new gods” (fire/stone/wrath/trickster-serpent) are explicitly positioned as the kind of coordinated force that could topple an All-Father, and the issue’s hook is that this is “what broke him at last.” The kicker is that while Thor is swatting down the Earth-side “new gods” concept, the Asgard-side plot turns personal: the Enchantress has outplayed him, and the consequences land hard—Magni (Thor’s son from an alternate timeline) is pulled into the present, instantly changing the emotional stakes and the “heir” question hanging over the series.

That pays off in #18 as a deceptively classic-feeling Thor issue: Thor (now with Magni, plus Sif/Enchantress in the mix) bulldozes a lineup of “minor” themed villains—Gargoyle, King Cobra, Mr. Hyde, Radioactive Man—while the real plot is about what Magni means and who’s actually steering events. A lot of reviewers read the fight as intentionally nostalgic comfort-food (Thor clobbers goons, the “big bad” lurks), with the larger purpose being to cement the father/son dynamic just long enough for Ewing to start twisting the knife—because Magni’s presence wasn’t “earned” in-universe so much as engineered by Amora’s gambit. And the Minotaur angle doesn’t disappear—Dario’s “playing dead” vibe hangs over everything, so the arc reads like: Thor wins the punch-up, but loses positional advantage, because the board is being set for something older and colder than Roxxon theatrics. 

Then #19–20 pivot from “eventful combat” to “mythic staging.” #19 is explicitly a breather structurally—Marvel labels it TALES OF ASGARD, and it’s a multi-artist issue about what happens when Thor leaves for a far star and the realm keeps moving without its king. The point is to show the ripple effects: Magni trying to find his place, relationship threads like Beta Ray Bill/Sif, and ominous messengers warning that bigger forces are coming. And #20 snaps the series back onto the main rail: Toranos (the Utgard-Thor / elder storm god) returns, his lightning hits Thor “at the heart,” and the gate to Utgard is open again—this time it won’t close until Thor walks through. It’s less about action and more about inevitability: Thor steels himself for what reads like the “last adventure” phase of the run’s core myth-arc, with Utgard and its elder gods no longer looming in the background but actively throwing down the gauntlet. 

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Deadpool (2024) #6-10

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In Deadpool #6, the series launches a dramatic new chapter with Wade Wilson facing off against the villain Death Grip. After a brutal showdown, Wade defeats this foe but at terrible personal cost — Death Grip’s Muramasa Blade neutralizes his healing factor, leaving him horribly maimed and unable to recover normally. His physical state is so dire that this book teases the death of Deadpool right out of the gate, setting the stakes for the arc and forcing a major shift in responsibilities. Meanwhile, Wade begins to come to terms with his new limitations and the practical side of leaving things to his “business,” Wilson & Daughters LLC, with Taskmaster, Princess (a symbiote-related canine ally), and daughter Ellie stepping up in his stead.

Issue #7 and #8 deepen this transition: Wade is out of action and presumed dead, and Ellie Camacho — his daughter — steps into the Deadpool mantle. With Taskmaster pushing mercenary training forward and Princess at her side, Ellie struggles to fill the shoes of the Merc with a Mouth and prove herself in the brutal world of freelance combat. Reviews and summaries emphasize her growth, her emotional response to her father’s fate, and the blend of revenge-driven action with the new team dynamic. As “Mini Merc with a Mouth,” Ellie confronts old associates from Wade’s world and pursues answers and vengeance, highlighting how her leadership and combat style both mirror and diverge from her father’s legacy.

By #9 and #10, the ramifications of Wade’s “death” arc pay off with a mix of mercenary mayhem and resurrection drama. Ellie makes her mark — facing threats like M.O.D.O.K and negotiating ally/foe relationships — and even pursues mystical-scientific paths to bring Wade back, as seen with alchemical experiments at Chemocorp. Then in Deadpool #10, Wade does return, but the experience has consequences: his resurrection arrives with a cost, threatening the fragile balance between him and Ellie and foreshadowing the potential unraveling of “Deadpool & Daughters.” This reintegration of Wade and Ellie sets up a turning point in the storyline — not just bringing back the classic Merc with a Mouth, but redefining what Deadpool & Daughters LLC will mean going forward.

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Wolverine (2024) #1-5

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Issues #1–2 of Wolverine (2024) drop Logan into a raw, elemental solo story that strips him down to his core instincts while hinting at larger mythic threats waiting in the shadows. After the collapse of Krakoa and a period of exile from humanity, Logan has retreated deep into the Canadian wilderness, living with a wolf pack and embracing his animal side — a narrative choice fans and reviewers describe as a classic “back to basics” approach for the character. His peace is shattered by the reappearance of familiar enemies, most notably Cyber, whose presence reawakened old wounds and set Logan on edge. Meanwhile, longtime ally Nightcrawler tries to coax Logan back toward connection and purpose, reminding him he still has a role to play even if peace seems out of reach. The first issues center on introspection, survival, and Logan confronting both physical foes and his own rage.

Issue #2 expands the threat beyond just Cyber, introducing a new form of Wendigo with mysterious motives and deepening the theme of duality — Logan’s animal nature versus his moral compass. Reviews from League of Comic Geeks and Comic Book RoundUp note that the Wendigo plotline gives Logan a war on two fronts: he’s hunted himself while also trying to understand what the Wendigo is and what it hides in the northern wilds. The narrative balances brutal fight scenes with quiet moments of reflection, often conveyed through Logan’s internal monologue as he navigates an unforgiving wilderness and his own conflicted psyche. Critics generally see this as a solid progression from issue #1, reinforcing the idea that Logan can’t hide from his past or his own nature. 

By issues #3–5, the series begins unfolding a deeper mystery tied to Wolverine’s past and the enduring legacy of adamantium, suggesting that Logan will have to face not just physical enemies but the very nature of what made him Wolverine in the first place. Official synopses reveal that issue #5 explicitly focuses on “the call of the adamantine,” tying directly back to Weapon X and the metal that reshaped his life, implying Logan may confront something worse than adamantium itself. While full plot details for #3–5 aren’t available in full online reviews, this structural progression — from isolation to confrontation to deeper existential threat — appears to be the story’s spine. Given the pattern of reviewers noting the classic Wolverine beats and escalating stakes, the first arc establishes Logan as a lone figure drawn back into conflict not by choice, but by forces tied to his own history and identity. 

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Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #55-60

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This arc begins the closing stretch of Zeb Wells’ run in grounded, character-focused fashion before escalating into crime drama that engulfs Peter Parker’s life. Issue #55 is notable for how it slows the pace: instead of launching straight into action, Peter tries to take a breath and reconnect with his personal life, going on a date with Ravencroft nurse Shay Marken — a rare civilian moment meant to show Peter trying to live outside the Spider-Man identity and explore what happiness might look like after the trauma of the previous arc. Reviewers note that this issue largely centers around dialogue and character beats rather than big villain threats, giving Peter a brief moment of personal reflection before the next storm hits.

The tone shifts violently in oversized #56 and the brutal confrontation of #58–59, as Tombstone returns as the central antagonist and pushes Spider-Man to his physical and psychological limits. In issue #56 — the “Legacy #950” chapter — Tombstone openly asserts himself as New York’s crime kingpin and attempts to eliminate Spider-Man as a demonstration of power, even going so far as to target Peter Parker personally by kidnapping him, a tactic that highlights how little distinction the villain sees between Peter and his masked identity. Critics describe the subsequent issues as some of the most visceral in the title’s history, with issue #58 kicking off a mano-a-mano fight that spills into #59 — a brutal, extended battle between Spider-Man and Tombstone that reviewers call one of the longest straight physical brawls in Amazing Spider-Man comics, showcasing both characters at their most relentless. 

Issue #60 serves as both the oversized climax of the Tombstone arc and the farewell to Zeb Wells’ tenure on the series, providing emotional beats as well as epilogue closure. The main story wraps up with Peter having helped bring Tombstone to trial — only to see justice itself falter, because much of the evidence (including Tombstone’s daughter’s testimony) can’t be admitted in court, underscoring the messy reality of street-level justice. Critics emphasize a quieter, character-driven center to the finale, especially the meaningful conversation between Peter and Aunt May about why he keeps doing what he does, reinforcing spider-man’s core motivation rather than offering a single triumphant ending. In addition to the main narrative, the issue contains several short backup stories by Wells (including moments with Rek-Rap and interactions with Mary Jane’s superpowered alter ego, Jackpot), and it also teases the looming Eight Deaths of Spider-Man event that begins in the next chapter of the title’s history. 

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Uncanny X-Men (2024) #1-6

Uncanny X-Men (2024) opens in the emotional vacuum left by the fall of Krakoa and the disappearance of Professor Xavier, with the mutant community fractured, leaderless, and exhausted. Rogue unwillingly becomes the emotional center of gravity, not because she wants to lead, but because no one else can hold the pieces together. Alongside Gambit, Wolverine, and returning allies, she attempts to preserve the idea of the X-Men at a moment when their shared identity is slipping away. Almost immediately, that fragile effort is challenged by a new existential threat — a malignant force hunting mutants with frightening purpose. From the outset, the book frames itself less as a superhero revival and more as a grief story: what happens to mutantkind when belief in the dream itself has eroded.

Issues #2–4 introduce the “Outliers,” four dangerously powerful, untrained young mutants who arrive in Louisiana with no memory of how they came to be there — and no understanding of what they are. Rogue, still grieving Xavier and doubting herself, tries to become something she never planned to be: a protector and teacher. This surrogate-school dynamic quickly turns dark as an ancient, predatory force from the X-Men’s past resurfaces, picking the team off one by one and revealing that one of the new recruits may be the prophesied Endling, a mutant destined to outlive — or end — mutantkind entirely. Rogue is repeatedly isolated, stripped of backup and certainty, forced to confront threats she cannot punch her way through. The horror is intimate and relentless, emphasizing vulnerability rather than spectacle.

The “Red Wave” storyline concludes in issues #5–6 with revelation rather than relief. The truth behind the hunters and the prophecy comes at devastating cost, forcing the young mutants to choose whether they stand with Rogue or succumb to fear and fatalism. Victory is partial at best: the X-Men survive, but nothing is resolved cleanly. The final issue deliberately shifts tone, sending the four young mutants to an ordinary rural school in Louisiana — a quiet, unsettling contrast to the apocalyptic prophecy hanging over them. Meanwhile, Jubilee departs on a solitary mission, reinforcing the book’s central thesis: the X-Men are no longer a unified front, but a network of fragile, human connections. Uncanny X-Men (2024) isn’t about rebuilding an institution — it’s about deciding whether the next generation is worth believing in when the dream itself may be cursed.

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Incredible Hulk (2023) #15-17

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Issues #15–16, titled Lament for a Fallen Crown, pull the curtain back on the true mythic scale of the series by revealing the ancient origin of Eldest and her eternal rivalry with the first Hulk, Enkidu. Thousands of years in the past, Eldest ruled a monstrous empire as one of Earth’s first demigods, drawing power from flesh, fear, and domination. Her reign ends when Enkidu — a primordial Hulk born of rage and the Green Door — rises against her, tearing her kingdom apart and redefining what Hulk power truly is. Their clash establishes the book’s core cosmology: Hulk is not a mutation or accident, but a recurring force tied to divine horror and resurrection. Eldest’s obsession with Enkidu’s body is revealed as more than vengeance — she believes his flesh is the key to breaching the Mother of Horrors’ Divine Prison, a goal even she fears may exceed her control.

The conclusion in #16 cements Eldest as something more terrifying than a simple antagonist: a god who understands the Hulk better than Bruce Banner ever has. Eldest attempts to use Enkidu’s remains to unlock the Green Door itself, exposing the dangerous truth that Hulk power is not infinite rage but a cyclical, sacrificial engine tied to death and rebirth. Enkidu ultimately destroys Eldest’s empire, but cannot destroy Eldest herself — only delay her. The story reframes Hulk history as a lineage of cursed champions, each iteration feeding the same cosmic system. By the end, Eldest’s long game becomes clear: Bruce Banner’s Hulk is merely the latest and potentially final vessel capable of opening the door she has sought for millennia.

Issue #17, Skin Part One, shifts from mythic past to grotesque present, bringing the series to Las Vegas — the prophesied “Paradise of Sin.” With Bruce Banner trapped within the Hulkscape, Hulk operates almost entirely on instinct as Eldest manipulates events through a cult of skinwalkers who worship her as salvation through transformation. Charlie Tidwell’s desperate bargain with Eldest becomes the emotional center of the issue: resurrection is promised, but identity is the true price. Las Vegas emerges not as a setting, but as a spiritual pressure cooker where reinvention, corruption, and spectacle converge — a perfect altar for Eldest’s rituals. The issue sets the stage for Incredible Hulk #900 by asking its central question outright: if Hulk is only skin, what happens when the skin chooses what it wants to become?

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Avengers (2023) #17–20

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Issues #17–18 reset the Avengers in the aftermath of Blood Hunt and Fall of the House of X, asking what Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are supposed to be when the world is exhausted by constant catastrophe. The most visible change is the addition of Storm, whose presence immediately reframes the team’s moral center — not as a symbol of power, but of responsibility. That ideal is tested almost immediately when Hyperion becomes an existential threat, wielding godlike force without accountability. Storm stands in direct opposition to him, rallying mutant allies and forcing the Avengers to confront a core truth: unchecked power, even when well-intentioned, inevitably becomes tyranny. The crisis fractures the team’s confidence, and one Avenger steps away, underscoring how fragile unity has become in a world that no longer trusts saviors by default.

Issues #19–20 pivot from raw power to ideology, with Doctor Doom emerging as the Avengers’ philosophical mirror. Doom doesn’t simply attack — he interrogates the Avengers’ right to exist, forcing them to confront the damage left in their wake across countless battles and eras. His argument is insidious: that order, imposed by strength and intellect, is preferable to chaos masked as heroism. While the team faces Doom externally, the story splits inward, examining guilt, legacy, and the uncomfortable truth that the Avengers’ past failures are inseparable from their victories. Doom isn’t trying to destroy them — he’s trying to prove they are obsolete.

At the heart of the arc is Black Panther, whose solo mission in issue #20 provides the story’s moral resolution. Trapped souls within the Living Prison of the Meridian Diadem must be freed, not conquered, and T’Challa’s approach contrasts sharply with Doom’s philosophy. Where Doom rules through control, the Avengers define themselves through protection and sacrifice. The arc closes with renewed clarity: the Avengers are not gods, judges, or tyrants — they are custodians, choosing restraint over domination even when domination would be easier. By the end of #20, the team stands reaffirmed but changed, unified not by power, but by purpose — and newly aware that the greatest threat they face may be the temptation to become exactly what Doom believes they already are.

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X-Men (2024) #1-4

The series opens in the immediate aftermath of Krakoa’s collapse, with the X-Men rebuilding not as a nation, but as a defiant presence. Cyclops assembles a deliberately volatile roster — Beast, Magneto, Magik, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Kid Omega, and Temper — and establishes a new headquarters in Alaska inside a reclaimed Sentinel factory known as the Factory. This is not a utopia, but a warning flag: mutant business will still be handled by mutants. Philosophical fractures run beneath the surface from the start, especially around what Krakoa meant and whether it truly failed or was stolen. Cyclops leads with grim resolve, Beast reverts to his builder-scientist role, and Magneto looms as both ally and ideological threat, signaling that the mutant future is once again up for debate rather than decree.

In issues #2 and #3, external pressure quickly replaces any illusion of safety. An alien invasion in San Francisco forces the team into public action, reigniting government scrutiny and exposing how fragile their position really is. That scrutiny becomes personal when Cyclops is confronted by O.N.E. agent Lundqvist, who challenges the X-Men’s right to their base and their autonomy. While Scott handles political pressure in a tense diner conversation, the Factory itself is infiltrated by camouflaged agents aided by Vanisher, triggering a brutal reminder of just how dangerous this lineup is when cornered. Issue #3 slows the pace to deepen character work: Scott is portrayed as a leader carrying visible PTSD, Temper reflects on Krakoa’s legacy from the perspective of someone it failed, and the team dynamics sharpen under stress. The result is a book less about spectacle and more about psychological and ideological fallout.

Issue #4 escalates the series’ thesis by turning mutant violence into entertainment. Trevor Fitzroy resurfaces with the Upstarts, reimagined as livestreaming killers who monetize mutant deaths through social media spectacle, inviting audiences to rate executions in real time. The horror isn’t just the violence, but the normalization of it — mutants hunted not by governments or sentinels, but by clout-chasing predators thriving in a post-truth media landscape. This crystallizes the book’s central conflict: the X-Men are no longer fighting extinction alone, but apathy, voyeurism, and a culture that consumes their suffering as content. By the end of issue #4, MacKay has firmly established X-Men (2024) as a series about survival without sovereignty — where leadership, trauma, and moral clarity matter more than flags, laws, or dreams of paradise.

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Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2022) #21-25

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This arc opens in the shadow of the Blood Hunt event, with Miles Morales transformed into a vampire as part of Blade’s desperate plan to stop a global vampire apocalypse. In #21–22, Miles is thrust into a supernatural war he never asked for, struggling with bloodlust, sunlight sensitivity, and isolation from his normal life while still trying to be Spider-Man. Blade’s manipulation — turning Miles without a true cure or containment plan — leaves Miles effectively stranded between worlds, unable to return home or school. The reemergence of the ancient vampire R’ym’r, now revealed to be able to resurrect himself by subsuming other vampires, raises the stakes further. Miles allies with Hightail and Brielle to defeat R’ym’r and the vampire Aramir, even negotiating civilly with Dracula — a testament to Miles’ natural charisma — but the victory is incomplete. R’ym’r is sealed away rather than destroyed, and Miles remains a vampire, setting up long-term consequences rather than a clean reset.

Issues #23–24 pivot from event spectacle to grounded fallout, refocusing on Miles’ emotional core and street-level responsibilities. Still vampiric, Miles finds his strength and venom powers becoming dangerously lethal, forcing him to pull punches less and confront his growing anger and fear of hurting those he loves — his parents, his sister, and Tiana Toomes. The Vulture’s return personalizes this danger, as Adrian Toomes frames himself as a twisted protector of Tiana while escalating his vendetta against Miles. Their conflict exposes how Miles’ altered biology makes him more dangerous than ever, raising questions among allies about whether he can still be trusted. Alongside this, subtle mysteries emerge: Dr. Kwan’s strange physiology and genetic hints suggest future superhuman revelations, while repeated references to Miles’ unique biology among Spider-People imply that his vampirism may interact with his powers in unprecedented ways.

The volume culminates in #25 with the arrival of the Black Panther, transforming Miles’ crisis into a larger mythic and cultural crossroads. As Miles’ bloodlust threatens to overwhelm him, T’Challa intervenes not as an enforcer, but as a scientist-king and ally, bringing Wakandan technology and wisdom into the fight. He gifts Miles a new vibranium-enhanced suit designed to stabilize his condition and protect others — a symbol of trust rather than control. Their dynamic underscores the book’s central theme: power tempered by responsibility, culture, and choice. The issue plants seeds for the next arc by invoking Anansi, hinting at deeper Afro-mythological magic tied to Wakanda and Miles’ future. Webs of Wakanda closes not with a cure, but with evolution — Miles still a vampire, still Spider-Man, and now standing at the threshold of a broader legacy that blends science, magic, and identity rather than running from any of them.

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X-Men (2021) #35

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In X-Men (2021) #35 / Uncanny X-Men #700: Fall of the House of X, Gerry Duggan delivers a sweeping, emotional finale that closes the book on the Krakoan Age. The final battle against Orchis is over, but its aftermath reveals deeper scars than any single war could leave. Millions of mutants — along with a fragment of Krakoa itself — return to Earth after spending fifteen years in the White Hot Room, a place where time flowed differently, forcing entire families and friend groups to confront the shock of reunification. This includes complicated reunions between longtime lovers, estranged friends, and fractured teammates, each grappling with the trauma of being apart for what felt like a lifetime for some and mere months for others. The X-Men must face the consequences not just of Orchis’ hatred, but of the choices they themselves made during the rise and fall of their mutant nation.

Personal relationships take center stage as the Krakoan dream dissolves. Charles Xavier confronts the crushing weight of his own failures — his secretive choices, the authoritarian drift of Krakoa’s governing body, and the personal trust he shattered along the way. His relationships with Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Magneto hover between grief and disappointment, each of them recognizing that the dream they built with him was compromised at its core. Mystique’s killing of Mother Righteous is driven not just by revenge but by years of manipulation tied into her strained, tragic love for Destiny. Even Apocalypse’s confrontation with the X-Men is deeply tied to family: the power struggles and philosophical divides between him, Genesis, and his children shape the entire debate over what mutant survival should now look like. These moments give the finale a sense of mythic personal gravity — gods, lovers, rivals, and revolutionaries all confronting the emotional fallout of their own creation.

In the end, Krakoa chooses to return to the White Hot Room, becoming a haven for the millions who spent years there, while Earth’s remaining mutants prepare for a future without resurrection protocols or a homeland to fall back on. The island’s departure marks the symbolic death of the Krakoan dream — a dream built on unity but strained by secrecy, compromise, and the weight of old wounds never fully healed. Charles Xavier willingly surrenders himself to imprisonment, finally accepting accountability for his role in everything that went wrong. The survivors, scattered but resolute, step forward into Marvel’s From the Ashes era with relationships tested, loyalties re-shaped, and the knowledge that the idea of “mutantkind” now has to be rebuilt not through immortality or isolation, but through the bonds they choose to keep.

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