The cosmic side of the Marvel Universe had taken a back seat for a few years, but we’d really see Marvel start dipping our toes back into those space-centric tales in the early 2000s with Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell) returning to space, Thanos gaining his own series and Beta Ray Bill returning to the spotlight.
But, in 2006, ANNIHILATION would explode onto the scene – an event that would see the Annihilation Wave tear through worlds millions of miles from Earth. The heroes our planet were busy fighting each other during their Superhuman Civil War, unaware that the fate of the entire galaxy was at stake. Giving new purpose to Nova, the Super-Skrull and Ronan the Accuser and repositioning the Silver Surfer in a familiar role, the stakes became immeasurably high as we started rooting for these underutilized characters and feared for their lives.
And while events on Earth – like the return of Ultron, the rise of the third Summers brother and the Inhumans’ war with humanity – would impact later stories in deep space, the cosmic sagas would largely stand together without the need to read multiple Avengers or X-Men books to understand them! This era would also introduce us to Phyla-Vell and the Earth-616 version of Star-Lord, the savage world of Sakaar, the Vulcan and, ultimately the Guardians of the Galaxy!
Another Marvel Cosmic Reading Order that wraps up this era is coming very soon…
Must Reads: Story arcs marked with a ✔ are must-read stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
Anthology Issues: When an issue contains multiple stories, the relevant story is denoted with square brackets. For example, [2/5] refers to the second story of the five stories in that issue, so you don’t need to read the other four.
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the core reading order without story descriptions, page-by-page breakdowns – just the stories:
- ✔ Captain Marvel (2002) #14-18
- ✔ Thanos (2003) #1-6
- ✔ Captain Marvel (2002) #19-24
- She-Hulk (2004) #7-8
- ✔ Captain Marvel (2002) #25
- Silver Surfer (2003) #7-14
- ✔ Fantastic Four (2003) #517-523
- She-Hulk (2004) #10-12
- Cable & Deadpool #9-10
- X4 #1-5
- ✔ Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill #1-6
- Guardians (2004) #1-5
- Amazing Fantasy (2004) #13 [2/2]
- Amazing Fantasy (2004) #14 [2/2]
- Captain Universe/Hulk #1
- New Avengers (2005) #7-10
- Fantastic Four: Foes #1-6
- Young Avengers (2005) #9-12
- Captain Universe/Daredevil #1
- Captain Universe/X-23 #1
- Captain Universe/Invisible Woman #1
- Captain Universe/Silver Surfer #1
- 4 #19-20
- ✔ Thanos (2003) #7-12
- ✔ Drax the Destroyer (2005) #1-4
- ✔ Uncanny X-Men (1981) #466-468
- ✔ Son of M #1-2
- Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four (2007) #1-4
- Ms Marvel (2006) #1-3
- GLX-Mas Special #1 [1/6]
- GLX-Mas Special #1 [2/6]
- GLX-Mas Special #1 [5/6]
- ✔ Son of M #3-6
- ✔ Uncanny X-Men (1981) #469-471
- Beyond! (2006) #1-6
- Fantastic Four (2003) #529-532
- ✔ Incredible Hulk (2000) #88-95
- New Avengers: Illuminati (2006) #1
- ✔ Giant-Size Hulk (2006) #1 [2/3]
- ✔ Incredible Hulk (2000) #96-99
- ✔ X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1-6
- ✔ Annihilation Prologue #1
- ✔ Annihilation: Nova #1-4
- ✔ Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1-4
- ✔ Annihilation: Super-Skrull #1-4
- ✔ Annihilation: Ronan #1
- She-Hulk #12-14
- ✔ Uncanny X-Men #475
- ✔ Annihilation: Ronan #2-4
- Black Panther (2005) #20
- New Avengers (2005) #24
- ✔ Uncanny X-Men (1981) #476-478
- Eternals (2006) #1-7
- ✔ Incredible Hulk (2000) #100 [1/5]
- ✔ Incredible Hulk (2000) #101-103
- Thunderbolts (2006) #106-108
- ✔ Annihilation #1
- ✔ Mighty Avengers (2007) #1-6
- ✔ Annihilation #2-6
- ✔ Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #1
- ✔ Uncanny X-Men (1981) #479-486
- ✔ Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #2
- Marvel Comics Presents (2007) #8 [3/4]
- Black Panther (2005) #26
- Fantastic Four (2003) #544-546
- Black Panther #27-34
- ✔ Incredible Hulk (2000) #104-105
- ✔ Nova (2007) #1-3
- Fantastic Four #547-550
- ✔ Silent War #1-6
- ✔ World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker #1
- World War Hulk #1-5(pp.1-42)
- Skaar: Son of Hulk #1(pp.1-4)
- World War Hulk #5(pp.43)
- Skaar: Son of Hulk #1(pp.5-22)
- ✔ Annihilation: Conquest Prologue #1
- ✔ Nova #4
- ✔ Annihilation: Conquest – Starlord #1
- ✔ Nova #5-6
- ✔ Annihilation: Conquest – Starlord #2-4
- ✔ X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #1-5
- Marvel Comics Presents (2007) #1[3/4]
- Astonishing X-Men (2004) #19-24
- Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1
- ✔ Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith #1-3
- ✔ Nova #7-10
- ✔ Annihilation: Conquest – Quasar #1-4
- ✔ Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith #4
- ✔ Annihilation: Conquest #1-2
- Nova Annual #1
- ✔ Annihilation: Conquest #3
- ✔ Nova #11-12
- ✔ Annihilation: Conquest #4-6
- ✔ X-Men: Divided We Stand #2 [3/5]
- Fantastic Four #554-557
- Fantastic Force #1-4
- ✔ Nova #13-15
- Hulk: Green Genes #1 [2/5]
- ✔ Guardians of the Galaxy #1-3
- ✔ New Avengers: Illuminati #5
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Chronology: Every key Marvel Cosmic story and event from this period is included in chronological order, mapping out their timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
Spoilers: The issue/story overviews may include spoilers, so be warned!
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Captain Marvel #14-18 (2003-2004) Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell) and Rick Jones face past versions of themselves; the Council of Aligned Worlds (the Kree, Skrulls & Shi’ar) and Genis’ mother Elysius join forces to address the issue of the insane Captain Marvel; Genis’ sister Phyla-Vell becomes the new Captain Marvel and fights Genis for the title. 1st appearance: Captain Marvel/Phyla-Vell, Council of Aligned Worlds | |
| ✔ | Thanos #1-6 (2003-2004) Thanos sides with Adam Warlock and Galactus against the reality-devouring alien Hunger, attempting to utilise the Infinity Gems once again to oppose it. 1st appearance: Hunger | |
| ✔ | Captain Marvel #19-24 (2004) Captain Marvel travels to the future to prevent the death of Marlo Chandler-Jones and discovers the real plans the Council of Aligned Worlds have for Earth; Phyla-Vell takes on the Magus. | |
| She-Hulk #7-8 (2004) Adam Warlock selects She-Hulk to oppose the Champion of the Universe to free the planet Skardon from his rule. 1st appearance: Artie Zix/Rigel Type Zeta 9, the Raj-Lek | ||
| ✔ | Captain Marvel #25 (2004) Phyla-Vell and Moondragon get closer; Rick Jones discovers Al’s true identity; Rick and Captain Marvel are separated again; Captain Marvel makes a decision about his role in the universe. | |
| Silver Surfer #7-14 (2004) The Silver Surfer is chanrged by the alien Annunaki with finding planet Earth’s most gifted children to oppose the thought-form entity Marduk. | ||
| ✔ | Fantastic Four #517-519 (2004) The alien Survivors whose worlds are hidden from Galactus come to Earth to find the one being who the devourer of worlds could call upon to locate them; Galactus selects a new herald from the Fantastic Four. | AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED |
| ✔ | Fantastic Four #520-523 (2004-2005) The Fantastic Four pursue Galactus to bring their lost teammate home; the team find a unique way of granting Galactus empathy. |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| She-Hulk #10-12 (2005) The Champion of the Universe exacts revenge on She-Hulk by granting her foe Titania his Power Gem. | ||
| Cable & Deadpool #9-10 (2005) When Cable’s fully-unlocked power reaches new heights, humanity calls the Silver Surfer back to Earth to shut him down. | ||
| X4 #1-5 (2005) The X-Men and Fantastic Four join forces with Earth faces a Brood infestation. | ||
| ✔ | Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill #1-6 (2005) New Korbin, the new homeworld of the surviving Korbinite settlers, is consumed by Galactus; the devourer’s new herald Stardust attempts to banish the Korbinite champion Beta Ray Bill through a portal, only to unleash the chaos god Asteroth into Reality-616. 1st appearance: Alpha Ray, Stardust/Lambda-Zero | |
| Guardians #1-5 (2004) Four humans are reunited with the alien Dre’kk who visited them years earlier, and taken on an intergalactic mission to retrieve a stolen object from the maniacal Alliance. | ||
| ✔ | Amazing Fantasy #13 [2/2] (2005) Amazing Fantasy #14 [2/2] (2006) The Uni-Power begins to experience fluctuations and selects war veteran Gabriel Vargas to become the new Captain Universe to investigate further. 1st appearance: Captain Universe/Gabriel Vargas | UNIVERSAL HEROES |
| Captain Universe/Hulk #1 (2006) Having left Gabriel Vargas, the malfunctioning Uni-Power finds a previous host, the Hulk. | UNIVERSAL HEROES | |
| New Avengers #7-10 (2005) Earth’s heroes are unaware that some key figures from the superhuman community – including Black Bolt of the Inhumans – are members of a secret group called the Illuminati. 1st appearance: Illuminati | ||
| Fantastic Four: Foes #1-6 (2005) Mister Fantastic builds a new prison for the foes of the Fantastic Four in the Negative Zone; a number of the FF’s foes – including Annihilus and the Super-Skrull – escape the prison. | ||
| ✔ | Young Avengers #9-12 (2005-2006) Hulkling of the Young Avengers finds himself the target of the Super-Skrull and warriors from the Skrull and Kree races when he’s revealed to be the son on the Kree Captain Marvel and the Skrull Princess Anelle; the Avengers come to he Hulkling’s aid. 1st appearance: Speed/Tommy Shepherd New identity: Hulkling/Teddy Altman revealed to be Dorrek VIII | |
| Captain Universe/Daredevil #1 (2006) Captain Universe/X-23 #1 (2006) Captain Universe/Invisible Woman #1 (2006) Captain Universe/Silver Surfer #1 (2006) The disrupted Uni-Power jumps from Daredevil, to X-23, to the Invisible Woman and finally to the Silver Surfer as it seeks to heal itself; returning to Gabriel Vargas as a host, the new Captain Marvel agrees to accompany the Imperial Guard to Shi’ar space to investigate further. | UNIVERSAL HEROES | |
| 4 #19-20 (2005) Alecto, daughter of Gorgon of the Inhumans, turns to the Fantastic Four for help when her father tries to end her relationship with Reyno of the Alpha Primitives. |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Thanos #7-12 (2004) In a conflict with the Maker (formerly known as the Beyonder), Thanos gains new allies in Gladiatorof theShi’ar Imperial Guard, Star-Lord and the original herald of Galactus, the Fallen One. 1st appearance: The Omega Core (Cole, Kika, Swad), Star-Lord/Peter Quill, the Kyln, Verge System 026 New identity: The Beyonder as the Maker | |
| ✔ | Drax the Destroyer #1-4 (2005-2006) Drax the Destroyer goes through a drastic physical transformation after the prison ship he’s found himself on crash-lands on Earth. 1st appearance: Cammi Benally | |
| ✔ | Uncanny X-Men #466-468 In an effort to prevent the return of the Dark Phoenix, the Shi’ar Death Commandos are sent to wipe out the Grey Family genome, with Marvel Girl (Rachel Grey) being the only survivor. 1st appearance: Colonel Miguel Reyes, Shi’ar Death Commandos (Black Cloak, Colony, Devo/D’Evo, Flaw, Hypernova, Krait, Offset, Sega, Shell, Warshot) | DECIMATION |
| ✔ | Son of M #1-2(pp.1-6) (2005) Having lost his powers, Quicksilver is on the run due to his involvement in the ‘House of M’ incident; after falling from a rooftop, Quicksilver is taken to the Inhumans’ city Attilan on the moon to recover. 1st appearance: Johnny Dee | DECIMATION |
| Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #1-4 (2007) The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man discover an attempt to invade Earth by symbiotic aliens called the H’Mojen and turn to a surprising ally for help. | ||
| Ms Marvel #1-3 (2006) Ms Marvel is fused with another alien being when she discovers a Brood infestation in Georgia. 1st appearance: Cru | BEST OF THE BEST | |
| GLX-Mas Special #1 [1/6] (2006) GLX-Mas Special #1 [2/6] (2006) GLX-Mas Special #1 [5/6] (2006) Squirrel Girl successfully opposes Thanos (though its likely a Thanosi clone regardless of Uatu the Watcher’s claims. 1st appearance: Squirrel-a-Gig | ||
| Son of M #2(pp.7-22) (2005) Son of M #3-6 (2005) Back Quicksilver on his feet, Quicksilver steals the Inhumans’ Terrigen Crystals in an effort to restore his mutant powers; the Inhumans declare war on humanity when the crystals fall into the hands of the O*N*E (Office of National Emergency). | DECIMATION | |
| ✔ | Uncanny X-Men #469-471 (2006) The Shi’ar Death Commandos escape the O*N*E and resume their search for Marvel Girl, unaware that she’s the one hunting them. | |
| ✔ | Beyond! #1-6 (2006-2007) Firebird, Gravity, the Hood, Al Kraven, Medusa, Hank Pym, ‘Spider-Man’, Venom and the Wasp are transported to ‘Battleworld’ to take part in a secret war; however, all may not be as it seems. | |
| Fantastic Four #529-532 (2005) The Fantastic Four encounter the cosmic Entity responsible for them gaining their powers. | ||
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #88-95 (2006) After carrying out a successful mission in Earth’s orbit for SHIELD, the Hulk is ‘rewarded’ by the Illuminati who blast him off to a peaceful planet against his will; the Hulk’s pod is misdirected and lands on Sakaar, a world of harsh terrain, gladiatorial arenas and horrifying creatures; the Hulk battles the Silver Surfer in the arena and fights for his life 1st appearance: Amebids, Arch-E-5912, Caiera the Oldstrong, Death’s Head Guard, Drammoths, Godseye, Great Devil Corkers, Hiroim, Elloe Kaifi, Mawkaw Magkong, Miek, No-Name of the Brood, Red King/Angmo-Asan, Sakaarans, Shadow People, Warbound, Wildebots, Crown City, Sakaar, Obedience Disks | PLANET HULK |
| New Avengers: Illuminati #1 (2006) The origin of the Illuminati is revealed; Black Bolt leaves the Illuminati when he disagrees with Iron Man’s proposal for superhuman registration. | THE ROAD TO CIVIL WAR |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Giant-Size Hulk #1 [2/3] (2006) Incredible Hulk #96-99 (2006) The Hulk leads the Warbound against the forces of the Red King on Sakaar, clashing with his champion Caiera the Oldstrong. 1st appearance: Spikes | |
| ✔ | X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1-6 (pp.1-24) (2006) On Earth, a future cosmic threat arises when Cyclops‘ long-lost brother returns; the X-Men take on the insane Vulcan who proves to be intent on killing them all; Vulcan towards Earth’s orbit. 1st appearance: Kid Vulcan/Vulcan/Gabriel Summers, Darwin/Armando Muñoz | DECIMATION |
| ✔ | Annihilation Prologue #1 (2006) Annihilation: Nova #1-4 (2006) Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1-4 (2006) Annihilation: Super-Skrull #1-4 Annihilation: Ronan #1 Annihilus’ army, the Annihilation Wave, invades the positive matter universe from the Negative Zone; following the destruction of Xandar, Nova (Richard Rider) becomes the host for the Xandarian Worldmind and fights the forces of Annihilus alongside Drax and Quasar (Wendell Vaughan); the Silver Surfer learns Thanos has sided with Annihilus; the Super-Skrull forms an army of his own to seek the means to destroy the Annihilation Wave; Ronan the Accuser is exiled from Kree space. 1st appearance: Aegis, Annihilation Wave, Gamora’s Graces, Praxagora, Ravenous, Tenebrous, Ataraxians, Tranta/Verge System 001 | ANNIHILATION |
| She-Hulk #12-14 (2006-2007) She-Hulk is summoned by the Living Tribunal to act as judge at Starfox’s trial when he’s accused of being responsible for Thanos’ love of Death; the trial is attended by Thanos (or more likely, a Thanosi clone). | ||
| ✔ | Uncanny X-Men #475 (2006) The now-powerless Professor X selects Marvel Girl, Havok, Nightcrawler, Polaris & Warpath as his X-Men team to accompanying him into space to warn the Shi’ar about Vulcan. | |
| ✔ | X-Men: Deadly Genesis #6 (pp.25-28) (2006) Funerals are held for the fallen X-Men; Darwin regenerates; Vulcan heads for Shi’ar space. | DECIMATION |
| ✔ | Annihilation: Ronan #2-4 Ronan seeks out those responsible for his exile and clashes with Gamora and her Graces and the delusional Glorian as the Annihilation Wave hits. | ANNIHILATION |
| Black Panther #20 (2006) The Black Panther and Storm uncover Karnak and Gorgon’s secret activities with the Alpha Primitives in Attilan. | CIVIL WAR | |
| New Avengers #24 (2006) The Inhumans prepare for war with humanity and are disturbed by the arrival of the Sentry on Earth’s Moon. | CIVIL WAR |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Uncanny X-Men #476-478 (2006) Darwin joins Professor X‘s X-Men team who steal Erik the Red’s ship and try to beat Vulcan to Shi’ar space; Vulcan destroys the Shi’ar Stargates to prevent them from following him; the X-Men find themselves unwelcome in Shi’ar space; the prisoner Korvus Rook’shir is offered freedom in exchange for the X-Men’s heads. 1st appearance: Korvus Rook’shir, K’Tor | |
| Eternals #1-7 (2006-2007) On Earth, the Dreaming Celestial rises, having found a way to subdue the Eternals; without their connection to the Celestials, the Earth’s existence is threatened by the Horde. 1st appearance: Joey Elliot, the Horde, Activation Chambers, the Archive/Machine That Is Earth | ||
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #100 [1/5] (2007) Incredible Hulk #101-103 (2007) The Hulk leads the Warbound against the tyrannical Red King on Sakaar in a final confrontation. 1st appearance: The Stone Ship | PLANET HULK |
| Thunderbolts #106-108 (2006-2008) On Earth, after months of manipulation, the Grandmaster unleashes the power from the Well of All Things; he’s opposed by Baron Zemo’s Thunderbolts Army. | ||
| Black Panther #26(pp.1-8) (2007) Weeks ago, creatures native to the Negative Zone attempt to rise against the existence of Prison 42 in their anti-matter universe; on Earth, the Black Panther is monitored by Iron Man and SHIELD. | FOUR THE HARD WAY THE INITIATIVE | |
| ✔ | Annihilation #1 (2006) In deep space, the United Front led by Star-Lord, Gamora and Nova continue to fight back against the Annihilation Wave; Thanos targets Galactus. 1st appearance: Daedelus 5 | ANNIHILATION |
| Mighty Avengers #1-6 (2007) On Earth, the newly-formed Mighty Avengers face Ultron in a very different in a battle that will have major ramifications elsewhere in the universe. 1st appearance: Mighty Avengers, Helicarrier Gold | THE ULTRON INITIATIVE THE INITIATIVE | |
| ✔ | Annihilation #2-6 (2006-2007) 2007-213 Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #1 (2007) The United Front make their last-ditch attempt to repel Annihilus’ forces, including his super-powered Centurions, Thanos, Ravenous, Terrax and the Delinquent; Drax the Destroyer finally gets to face Thanos; the Heralds of Galactus who survive the war pick up the pieces. | ANNIHILATION |
| ✔ | Uncanny X-Men #479-486 (2006-2007) The X-Men face off against Korvus Rook’shir and discover who now rules the Shi’ar; Professor X’s sins come back to haunt him; the X-Men and Starjammers join forces as Vulcan’s plans take a surprising turn. 1st appearance: Blade of the Phoenix | |
| Marvel Comics Presents #8 [3/4] (2008) From Shi’ar space, Havok contacts Cyclops to tell him the outcome of the war with Vulcan. | ||
| ✔ | Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #2 (2007) Firelord hunts the remaining Centurions; Galactus reveals the origins of Aegis & Tenebrous. | ANNIHILATION |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| Black Panther #26(pp.9-14) (2007) Fantastic Four #544(pp.1-9) (2007) Black Panther #26(pp.15-22) (2007) Fantastic Four #544(pp.10-22)-546 (2007) Black Panther #27-34 (2007-2008) The Black Panther and Storm replace Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman on the Fantastic Four; the new FF head into space and learn the Silver Surfer is Galactus’ herald again; Gravity gets an upgrade from Epoch; Negative Zone inhabitants breach the Baxter Building; the new FF are catapulted to a Skrull world and become the focus of the Zombie Galacti of Earth-2149. | FOUR THE HARD WAY THE INITIATIVE | |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #104-105 (2007) Cataclysmic events on Sakaar prompt the Hulk and his Warbound to make the journey to Earth to confront the Illuminati. | PLANET HULK |
| ✔ | Nova #1 (2007) Nova answers a distress call on Turakis where the inhabitants have lost control of Planetfall, their world’s defensive system. | |
| ✔ | Nova #2-3 (2007) Nova returns to Earth to find himself confronted by Iron Man and armed SHIELD agents outside is parents’ home; Nova learns how the actions of the New Warriors directly led to a Superhuman Civil War. | THE INITIATIVE |
| Fantastic Four #547-550 (2007) The Fantastic Four clash with the Frightful Four on Titan; the FF are attacked by the alien Contrasepsis while trying to repair a hole in space and time. | THE INITIATIVE | |
| ✔ | Silent War #1-6 (2007) The Inhumans go to war against humanity over the theft of their sacred Terrigen Crystals, with a brutal final battle taking place on Earth’s moon. | |
| ✔ | World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker #1 (2007) The Hulk stops off at Earth’s moon on his way back to Earth, taking his revenge on Black Bolt and using him as an example. | WORLD WAR HULK |
| World War Hulk #1-5(pp.1-42) (2007-2008) The Hulk and his Warbound take their revenge trip to Earth, battling the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and, ultimately, the Illuminati. | WORLD WAR HULK | |
| Skaar: Son of Hulk #1(pp.1-4) (2008) Following the death of Caiera the Oldstrong, the son of the Hulk grows in the lava pits of Sakaar. | SON OF HULK | |
| World War Hulk #5(pp.43) (2008) The rapidly-aged son of the Hulk rises from the lava on Sakaar. 1st appearance: Skaar (unnamed) | WORLD WAR HULK | |
| Skaar: Son of Hulk #1(pp.5-10) (2008) The son of the Hulk emerges on Sakaar, immediately fighting the horrors of the unforgiving planet for his own survival. | SON OF HULK |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Annihilation: Conquest Prologue #1 (2007) Nova #4 (2007) Annihilation: Conquest – Starlord #1 (2007) Nova #5-6 (2007) Annihilation: Conquest – Starlord #2-4 (2007) Star-Lord’s efforts to set up security on the Kree throneworld Hala backfires when the Phalanx invade; Star-Lord is sent on a mission to break down the Phalanx defences, leading Captain Universe, Bug, Deathcry, Groot, Mantis & Rocket Racoon behind enemy lines; Nova investigates the situation on Hala, only to be met by a corrupted Gamora. 1st appearance: Exolon Symbiote (vision), Groot, Nova 0001/Ko-Rel, Wraith/Zak-Del (vision) New identity: Phylla-Vell as Quasar | ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST |
| ✔ | X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #1-5 (2007-2008) In Shi’ar space, Lilandra Neramani and the Starjammers head up the Shi’ar resistance against Emperor Vulcan; the Scy’a Tal race fight the Shi’ar on another front, intent on reclaiming the M’kraan Crystal; Havok faces his brother, Vulcan, in combat. 1st appearance: Scy’ar Tal | |
| Marvel Comics Presents #1[3/4] (2007) Spider-Man meets the Galactic Alliance of Spider-Men made up of other web-slingers from across the galaxy. | ||
| Astonishing X-Men #19-24 (2007-2008) Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1 (2008) The X-Men are transported to the Breakworld by Powerlord Kruun who intends defying the prophecy that Colossus would destroy their world by killing the mutants and obliterating Earth. 1st appearance: Powerlord Kruun | UNSTOPPABLE | |
| ✔ | Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith #1-3 (2007) Nova #7-10 (2008) Annihilation: Conquest – Quasar #1-4 (2007) Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith #4 (2007) Annihilation: Conquest #1-2 (2008) As the new Quasar, Phyla-Vell seeks out the potential Saviour of the Universe; the Wraith proves he might have the perfect weapon to stop the Phalanx; Nova discovers Knowhere and heads to the Technarch world; the true leader of the Phalanx is revealed. 1st appearance: Cosmo, Exolon Symbiote (full), Luminals (Ra-Venn, Wraith/Zak-Del (full), Continuum Cortex, Polymorphic Weapon, Knowhere, the Rip | ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST |
| Nova Annual #1 (2008) Nova wakes up in the future, in a universe dominated by the Phalanx. 1st appearance: Kvch | ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST | |
| ✔ | Annihilation: Conquest #3 (2008) Nova #11-12 (2008) Annihilation: Conquest #4-6 (2008) Nova gains new allies on Kvch; old enemies become allies and heroes fall as the leader of the Phalanx reveals his true plan; Star-Lord suggests the formation of a group dedicated to guarding the galaxy against future threats. 1st appearance: Tyro | ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | X-Men: Divided We Stand #2 [3/5] (2008) Held prisoner by the gloating Vulcan, Havok promises to break free and see his brother suffer. | DIVIDED WE STAND |
| Fantastic Four #554-557 (2007) The Fantastic Four are taken to Nu-World, an artificial planet created by Ted Castle and Alyssa Moy; the FF fight Nu-World’s out-of-control security system. 1st appearance: Ted Castle, Deborah Green, Invisible Woman/Susan Storm/’Tabitha Deneuve’ (Earth-807128), Psionics/Cindy, Nu-World | ||
| Fantastic Four #561 (2009) The Fantastic Four help the inhabitants of a post-apocalyptic future timeline relocate to Nu-World. | ||
| Fantastic Force #1-4 (2009) Gaea of the future Earth-807128 sends Dark Phoenix, Harpy, Polaris and the Scarlet Witch of her timeline to present day Reality-616 to bring humanity back to the future; the Fantastic Force defend Nu-Earth from the Hysteries and Ego the Living Planet. New identity: New Defenders of Earth-807128 as Fantastic Force | ||
| ✔ | Nova #13-15 (2008) Nova takes on the cosmic parasite known as the Harrow when it feeds on refugees from a world being consumed by Galactus. | |
| Hulk Family: Green Genes #1 [2/5] (2009) Old Sam of the Shadow People takes young Skaar under his wing. | SON OF HULK | |
| ✔ | Guardians of the Galaxy #1-3 (2008) The newly-formed Guardians of the Galaxy seek out potential threats to the universe before they can get out of hand; the Guardians take on the restored Universal Church of Truth and meet Major Victory and Starhawk of the future incarnation of the Guardians of the Galaxy. 1st appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy, Raker, Sacrosanct | |
| ✔ | New Avengers: Illuminati #5 (2008) On Earth, Iron Man reveals the body of the Skrull Elektra to the remaining members of the Illuminati that signifies a Skrull infiltration within the superhuman community; one of the members of the Illuminati is also revealed to be a Skrull… | SECRET INVASION: THE INFILTRATION |
The guide to the cosmic corners of the Marvel Universe continues:
Notable divergent universes featuring alternate takes on Marvel’s cosmic events:
| Universe | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis |
| Earth-1237 Earth-2713 Earth-7121 | What If? Featuring Planet Hulk #1 (2007) Bruce Banner of Earth-1237 lands on Sakaar, without the Hulk’s monstrous form to keep him alive; the Hulk of Earth-2713 lands on a peaceful planet as the Illuminati intended; Earth-7121, comes under attack from a vengeful Caiera the Oldstrong who survives the bombing of Crown City and seeks out the Illuminati. |
| Universe | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis |
| Earth-14026 | What If… Annihilation #1 (2008) The Annihilation Wave successfully reaches Earth, with the heroes too busy fighting their Superhuman Civil War to be prepared for the forces of Annihilus. |
| Earth-8020 | What If… Uncanny X-Men: Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire #1 (2008) The X-Men pursue Vulcan into Shi’ar space, only to witness him gain the power of the Phoenix Force. |
Notable collected editions featuring the Marvel Cosmic stories and events…
| Collected Editions Title | Includes… |
| Captain Marvel: Genis-Vell by Peter David Omnibus | Captain Marvel (2000) #0-35 Captain Marvel (2002) #1-25 |
| Thanos: Redemption | Thanos #1-12 |
| Thor: Ragnaroks | Thor Blood Oath #106 Thor #80-85 Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill #1-6 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy: Road to Annihilation vol.2 | Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl #1 Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos #1-6 Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos #1 – Director’s Cut Sensational She-Hulk #44-46 Thanos #7-12 |
| Annihilation Omnibus | Annihilation #1-6 Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #1-2 Annihilation: Nova #1-4 Annihilation: Nova Corps Files #1 Annihilation Prologue #1 Annihilation: Ronan #1-4 Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1-4 Annihilation: Super-Skrull #1-4 Drax the Destroyer #1-4 |
| Annihilation: The Complete Collection vol.1 | Annihilation: Nova #1-4 Annihilation Prologue #1 Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1-4 Annihilation: Super-Skrull #1-4 Drax the Destroyer #1-4 |
| Annihilation: The Complete Collection vol.2 | Annihilation #1-6 Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #1-2 Annihilation: Nova Corps Files #1 Annihilation: Ronan #1-4 |
| Annihilation vol.1 | Annihilation: Nova #1-4 Annihilation Prologue #1 Drax the Destroyer #1-4 |
| Annihilation vol.2 | Annihilation: Ronan #1-4 Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1-4 Annihilation: Super-Skrull #1-4 |
| Annihilation vol.3 | Annihilation #1-6 Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #1-2 Annihilation: Nova Corps Files #1 |
| Collected Editions Title | Includes… |
| Nova by Abnett & Lanning: The Complete Collection vol.1 | Annihilation: Nova #1-4 Nova #1-15 Nova Annual #1 Nova: The Origin of Richard Rider #1 |
| Hulk: Planet Hulk | Amazing Fantasy #15 Giant-Size Hulk #1 Incredible Hulk #88-105 Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook |
| Hulk: Planet Hulk Omnibus | Amazing Fantasy #15 Fantastic Four #533-535 Giant-Size Hulk #1 New Avengers: Illuminati #1 Incredible Hulk #88-105 Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook What If? Featuring Planet Hulk #1 |
| Annihilation: Conquest Omnibus | Annihilation: Conquest Prologue #1 Annihilation: Conquest – Quasar #1-4 Annihilation: Conquest – Starlord #1-4 Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith #1-4 Annihilation Saga #1 Nova #1-12 Nova Annual #1 |
| Annihilation: Conquest vol.1-2 | Annihilation: Conquest Prologue #1 Annihilation: Conquest – Quasar #1-4 Annihilation: Conquest – Starlord #1-4 Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith #1-4 Annihilation Saga #1 Nova #4-7 Nova Annual #1 |
| War of Kings Prelude: Road to War of Kings Omnibus | Guardians of the Galaxy #1-12 Nova #13-22 Nova: The Origin of Richard Rider #1 Secret Invasion: Inhumans #1-4 Silent War #1-6 Son of M #1-6 War of Kings Saga #1 X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1-6 |
| X-Men: Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire | Uncanny X-Men #475-486 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy vol.1: Legacy | Guardians of the Galaxy #1-6 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning Omnibus | Annihilators #1-4 Annihilators: Earthfall #1-4 Guardians of the Galaxy #1-25 Thanos Imperative #1-6 Thanos Imperative: Devastation #1 Thanos Imperative: Ignition #1 |
| War of Kings Omnibus | Guardians of the Galaxy #13-19 Marvel Spotight: War of Kings Nova #23-28 Secret Invasion: War of Kings #1 Skaar: Son of Hulk – The Savage World of Sakaar #1 Uncanny X-Men #475-486 War of Kings #1-6 War of Kings: Ascension #1-4 War of Kings: Darkhawk #1-2 War of Kings: Warriors #1-2 X-Men: Divided We Stand #2 X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #1-6 X-Men: Kingbreaker #1-4 War of Kings: Who Will Rule? #1 |
Reading Order ©OmniverseComicsGuide 2023
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