Exiles: New World (Marvel NEW)/Issue 7

The seventh issue of the Marvel NEW ongoing series, Exiles: New World. It is preceded by Exiles: New World Issue 6 and succeeded by Exiles: New World Issue 8. This comic is published on December 12, 2017.

Synopsis
''Finally, the Exiles get their one and only chance to save the universe and stop Roekel for good. With the Imperfects coming in with greater numbers and newer enhancements, the Exiles can only rely on each other to defeat this army of superhumans. Joined by a reverted Thing, can the Exiles face a near-unstoppable onslaught of superhumans before battling Niles himself? As usual, expect anything to happen at the end and never stop thinking of all the possibilities.''

Continuity
This issue is the last part of the Imperfect story arc and is set after the ending of Exiles: New World Issue 6.

Plot
Continuing after the Thing's appearance, the Exiles are taken aback by him and prepare to assault the stone-man. The Thing calms them down, telling them that he didn't mean to startle them. Greenskyn tells the team that he remembers this golem, as he beat him down previously. The Thing said that the only thing he remembered last night was that he felt a shockwave and hours later, he's back on his senses and he's not green anymore.

War Machine tells Rojhaz that the Thing's recovery mirrors those of him. Spider-Man agrees and tells him that apparently the two recovered in the same way: getting smashed by Greenskyn. Bull says that the only way to beat the virus is to beat the victim so hard the virus disappears. War Machine knows of this but is ridiculed by the fact that even if they have a godlike being on their team, why can only Greenskyn remove the virus. Greenskyn shrugs and says probably it's because of his love for brawling hard.

The Thing states that he knows of such fact, as he himself managed to revert some of his fellow heroes back in the day by beating them hard until he himself got infected. Since then, no one's powerful enough to beat him back to his sense until the Hulk-like fellow came along. Greenskyn says that he's not a Hulk because he's a fresh, living troll while Hulk is a dead giant. Afterwards, he bursts out in laughter in a similar vein as when he insulted him. Unsurprisingly, the reaction of the Exiles is the same as their reaction to the joke previously.

The Thing isn't sure about his taste of joke, but he is very sure that they have to be prepared for the Imperfects' coming tonight. He predicts that while the team has only been around for two days, Roekel's an impatient man and he wants them removed immediately. Ghost Rider asks of why should he be impatient if he has all the time in the world to prepare and stop them.

The Punisher responds by telling him that maniacs never have all the time in the world. Ghost Rider says that they do have all the time in the world when they control the world entirely. The Thing proceeds to break them off in fear of an argument, with Rojhaz continuing the conversation by saying that Ghost Rider has a point. If he has all the resources he can get, why must he be in a hurry when he can save some moments to plan a proper strategy to take them down.

Ghost Rider tells Rojhaz to not mind the question, as he thinks that it gets more confusing my the second. Bull states that with all that set, they should prepare for the Imperfects' coming. The team agrees and Rojhaz orders them to get into a nearby ruined building so they can strategize.

-

A few hours later, night falls and the Imperfects are seen preparing to be deployed to Manhattan in order to finish the Exiles once and for all. Roekel, maintaining his powered armor's strength, is approached by Paragon who tells him that everything is set. Roekel thanks her for the notification, continuing by asking her if the reports that the Thing has been restored is correct. Paragon shows him satellite pictures of the Thing recovering after being beaten by a green-skinned member of the mysterious team.

Roekel says that from the "War Machine's" data, they are named the Exiles. Paragon asks if that name means anything to him, and he responds by cryptically telling her, "Maybe." Paragon takes interest in this, but doesn't mind about it. She asks him if she's needed in battle. Roekel laughs and tells her that he likes her answer but advises her to not be arrogant. Still, Roekel says she's a last resort weapon, unleashed when the Imperfects are beginning to fail. But like what he said, he hopes that they don't need their assistance in battle.

Paragon agrees and goes to the control room, her intention unknown. Roekel smiles and turns to his Imperfects, asking them if they're ready. Johnny Ohm yells out of his readiness and tells his "father" to let them bring hell already. The Wink advises him to not be so sure, as these "Exiles" could kick their asses handily. Roekel, still smiling, tells his "children" that with their new enhancements they will fare better against the Exiles. For now, it's time to see how good they are against these extra-universal strangers.

In an instance, Roekel tells them a good luck and teleports the Imperfects down to Manhattan. After teleporting them, Roekel sighs in disappointment as he mutters the Exiles' name. He then delivers a cryptic message, "Guess you're right all along."

-

In Manhattan, the Exiles are seen hiding behind rubbles, debris, and bushes, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Rojhaz, apparently making a telepathic link with the others through his Tallus, reminds the team to not go all out. Let the traps do their job first, then go wild on them. Greenskyn begins to fantasize of what happens after a trap went off, with him ripping apart the limbs of the Imperfects one by one. But since their thoughts are shared, Rojhaz shuts the troll's mind up and tells him to not do what he's thinking. Greenskyn laughs in his mind and complies.

As they wait in the shadows, the Imperfects are spotted by Rhodes a few blocks away. Hearing this, Punisher smiles and tells them to wait for the fireworks. Bull asks him not to tell them if he's set up a bunch of explosives there. Unfortunatley, Punisher confirms and tells her not to worry. Ten tons of alien dynamites won't kill a group of super-maniacs. Immediately, the group looks at the Punisher in terror, including the Thing. The Thing says that it might be a bit of an overkill, but the Punisher says that they'll get to Roekel quickly by this.

While the Imperfects are marching, Elektra asks Tony to make sure the enemy doesn't set any hinderances upon them. Tony laughs and complies, telling her that they can withstand anything they throw at them after Roekel enhanced them. Fault Zone tells Solara that she thought Tony's 'imperfect' personality was diminished when "father" got him. Hazmat jokes and reminds her of them being Imperfects. Fault Zone responds by making Hazmat fall from a platform he perched on with her powers. Solara sees this and responds by telling Fault Zone that it's better to make Roekel proud now.

Iron Man, scouring around the nearby buildings in search for traps, discovers something peculiarly strange. Iron Man discovers a strange device that attracts his attention. Elektra asks of what it is and Iron Man can't really figure out what it is. That's until the device starts beeping and Iron Man screams out that it's a bomb. In an instance, the whole block where the Imperfects are in now blow up in a violent manner with blue smoke coming out of it.

Hearing the explosion, the Exiles come out of their hiding spots out of surprise and see the aftermath of the explosion. Staring in awe, Bull later snaps out of the trance and asks the Punisher in anger if he's crazy. Castle tries to respond, but Rojhaz tells them that they're still up and running. They notice the Imperfects getting up with green aura surrounding them all.

The Exiles are then noticed by one of the Imperfects, who surprisingly is Spider-Man. Angered, Spider-Man tells the Imperfects to kill the Exiles. Hearing his voice, Captain Universe admits to the team that he's kind of intimidated by his counterpart's voice. The Punisher tells him to remember of what death is to him, and he does. Afterwards, the Imperfects are seen charging towards the Exiles. Seeing this, Greenskyn cracks his knuckles and says that he's been waiting for this. The Thing does the same and agrees with the troll.

The others prepare to fight the incoming Imperfects. The Punisher prepares his gun, Captain Universe charges up his Uni-Power, Bull stomping the ground, Ghost Rider revving up his motorcycle, and Rojhaz breathing heavily. In a matter of moments, the two groups charge at each other and the battle commences.

-

In the Panopthicron, Uatu is seen breathing in a hasty manner, apparently concerned of the Exiles. He mutters to himself of what's going to happen next. Kang on the other hand, is eating popcorn (unmasking herself in the process), saying that this should be interesting. Uatu, out of frustation, yells out in anger and asks Kang if she knows the situation in hand. Kang is well-aware of it but tells Uatu that she believes of the Exiles' victory. Besides, they can't really do anything to help them. And by now, telling them intel would be pointless.

Uatu sighs to relax himself, accepting the fact while he sits down to see the battle. However, when the monitor shows an image of Greenskyn smashing Brigade and completely wrecking his entire body, Uatu pukes and closes his eyes quickly. Kang does a facepalm and wonders if she can ask the Living Tribunal to replace this Watcher.

-

Switching back to the battle, as mentioned previously Greenskyn is seen seemingly ending Brigade's life after smashing him to scattered bits of former corpses that made Brigade. Greenskyn yells out of his victory, attracting Bull's attention after she knocked back Hazmat. Bull stops and asks Green if he's killed that cyborg she defeated before. Green confirms and asks her if it's wrong. However, before Bull can continue, Hazmat clings on to her and assaults her. This prompts Green to quickly rush at her and swat Hazmat aside, sending him flying.

Hazmat then ends up flying to a repulsor blast by Iron Man that's meant to be for War Machine. Seeing this, the armored men stop fighting for a while before War Machine thanks Hazmat. Iron Man responds by blasting even more repulsor beams at War Machine who dodges all of them. He then goes on to charge at Iron Man to hit him with his hammer, but the converted Tony delivers a barrage of hits at him, sending him crashing up a building.

Pinning Rhodey down, Tony tells him that it's a shame he's a heretic once again; the two of them could be fighting side-by-side again under Roekel's light. Rhodes thanks him but tells him that he'd rather be fighting for his universe's stability rather than a madman. Rhodes then knees his stomache and crashes his hammer into Tony's face. He then charges him down and ends up standing over him. Rhodes then tries to revert Tony back, assuring him that this isn't going to hurt. He intends to summon a lightning strike to Tony, but ends up hitting himself due to Johnny Ohm's interference.

Getting up, he sees Johnny Ohm taunting him, praising himself for being a better thunderer. Rhodes sighs in annoyance and simply throws his hammer to Johnny, abruptly knocking him down. After he retrieved his hammer, Johnny gets back up and continues his mockery, now adding to his taunt the fact that Roekel has enhanced him so he can't beat him so easily. Johnny tries to continue his monologue while War Machine simply minds his business, with him swatting away an ambushing Wink (sending her to be dealt over by Rojhaz who uppercuts her while he deals with Elektra as well). Fortunately for War Machine, he doesn't have to deal with Ohm's utter crap after Ghost Rider swings by and throws him aside with his chains.

Thanking Ghost Rider, War Machine then flies away to battle Storm. Ghost Rider gets back in the battle, but is interrupted by the Human Torch who blasts a stream of fire at him. Puzzled at the former Fantastic Four's ridiculousness, Ghost Rider simply pulls him to him with his chains. He then goes on to give a considerably long "speech" to Johnny about what he's going to do next. Johnny tries to free himself but finds himself unable to. And when Ghost Rider stops monologuing, he apologizes to the Human Torch of what's about to happen now.

Immediately, for the first time in the series, Ghost Rider uses his Penance Stare on the Human Torch. After a few seconds of doing so, the effect of the ability takes over but in an unexpected manner: it restores the Human Torch. With the Penance Stare already doing its inexplicable job, Johnny Storm's flames are restored to its original colours. The restored Human Torch, confused, screams out in panic as the first thing he sees after restoration is a Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider, surprised at the ordeal, calms him down and tries to explain the situation to him. Johnny however, tells Rider that he's well aware of what's happening right now but can't tell what the other "folks" are doing here.

Johnny quickly flies off to meet the Thing, assisting him in fighting Spider-Man, whose agility is dramatically increased after Roekel's enhancement. The Thing is surprised at Johnny's inception, but the Human Torch tells him to shut up and fight first.

After some time, finally the Exiles managed to defeat the Imperfects with Ghost Rider restraining them all (except hte dead Brigade) with his chains. Rojhaz compliments the Exiles and the Thing for their good work, and now it's time for them to stop Roekel. The Imperfects' Spider-Man says that as long as they're breathing they will never get to Roekel. The Human Torch steps in and says of who's talking now. The two groups are surprised at Johnny Storm's reconversion, with the flaming man saying that he doesn't know what's up, but he's back because of the kid with a flaming head.

Greenskyn turns to Ghost Rider and his eyes widen, asking him of how did he do that. Ghost Rider says that he uses his Penance Stare for the first time, and his reconversion happened. Bull asks if that really happened, and the Human Torch himself confirms. Bull questions him of his knowledge on Ghost Riders, and he does know of the Penance Stare being used to basically punish criminals by making them experience a great amount of guilt. However, when he's hit by the Penance Stare, he felt nothing.

The Exiles then look at Ghost Rider. Rojhaz states that now Ghost Rider knows what to do. The Imperfects' faces expressed intimidation before Ghost Rider reconverts them one by one. After they all are reconverted, Ghost Riders lets them go. When they recover, like the Thing, Torch, and War Machine, they have no memories of what happened whatsoever. But when the Imperfects are asked of Roekel, they remember them as the man who promised them "restoration", such as Fault Zone's legs, the Wink's vengeance, and others.

They didn't realize that they're being used by Roekel, and with such revelation the Imperfects agree to help them defeat Roekel. But before that action can be realized, Iron Man and War Machine tell the team that they detect incoming drones sent by Roekel. Hearing this, Rojhaz concludes that Roekel is trying to delay them. Greenskyn is fine with having a few of these "drones" to smash before crushing Roekel, but Fault Zone tells the Exiles that they'll hold them off. Bull says that they're not even fully recovered. Johnny Ohm responds, telling her that it's better for them to be up on the space-ship, giving Roekel hell. They're alright with holding them off. And if they die, it'd be a glory for them to save the universe.

-

Rojhaz respects their relentlessness, but asks them of where the space-ship is. Wink points up. And up in the sky, Roekel's ship is seen hovering above them. In the ship, Roekel is seen enraged and preparing his powered armor. Alongside him is Paragon, who asks him if she should pull them back to "reality". Roekel says that there's no need for regaining broken followers. All he needs now is their elimination.

Paragon asks him if he's sure that the drones will handle the betrayers, and Roekel says that no forces in the universe can stand against the full might of his army. When asked about the Exiles, Roekel frustratingly says that they'll deal with them later. After saying that, a voice responds, telling him that they have to deal with them now. The voice comes from War Machine, who teleports the Exiles immediately to his ship after being directed to.

Turning his attention to the Exiles, Roekel congratulates them for being the first beings to irritate him. Captain Universe thanks him on behalf of the Exiles for that, and the fact that he's going to let them kick his ass. Roekel tells them to not underestimate him and Paragon, as they don't fall so easily as those fools they just beat. Hearing Paragon, Ghost Rider asks who is it. The answer to his question comes out with Paragon herself doing a flying kick on Ghost Rider's face, knocking him back.

In a matter of moments, Paragon singlehandedly took on the Exiles themselves using purely her skill, even handicapping Captain Universe. Rojhaz however, lasted the longest as he also relies on his skills. Observing the fight between the two, Roekel mocks the Exiles for thinking that power means everything in beating Roekel. As a response, Rojhaz delivers a rising knee strike to Paragon before throwing her towards Roekel. Rojhaz then asks what about that. Angered, Roekel blasts an energy beam at him but ends up being deflected by Captain Universe. Captain Universe then proceeds to fight him one-on-one, surprisingly beating him easily.

Captain Universe then turns to his fellow Exiles, telling them that it's not that hard. However, he discovers that most of the Exiles are down, with the still-standing Rojhaz soon being knocked over by Paragon. Paragon assaults Captain Universe. She surprisingly managed to do some damage to Peter before she's captured. Intending to try and remove the virus, Peter ends up being punched so hard his Captain Universe mask comes off, revealing his Spider-Man mask.

Seeing this, Paragon says that he, no matter if he comes from another universe or what, is simply a boy too afraid to use the powers of a god. Peter gets reminded of the Punisher's speech on him. While it's not too close to what she said, Peter immediately gets up and in an enraged state, asks Paragon is he now.

Peter hovers, charging up his Uni-Power while slowly approaching Paragon. Peter does a monologue, stating that all his life has he never used the full power of the Uni-Power. And now, he will. However, before he can do something to Paragon, Paragon gets shot by the Punisher through her feet, effectively disabling her. Shot with a Skrullian Handgun, Punisher tells Peter to cut the sh*t and be a god later.

Peter then goes down (in embarassment) and helps Frank up, healing his injuries from Paragon. He does the same to the rest of the Exiles. Peter asks of what they're gonna do now, with Roekel having been defeated. Rojhaz tries to reply, but before he can do so, Roekel tells the team that he's not done yet. He tells the team that by now, he has set the ship's countdown to self-destruct, so no victories shall be attained by the Exiles. The world will be destroyed, and Roekel himself has his business finished with Earth

He continues by stating while so, he doesn't want to miss the opportunity to have a final battle with his last enemies in this universe. Charging up his power armor, he then prepares to attack the Exiles but Ghost Rider spontaneously wraps him with his chain and throws him to Greenskyn, who proceeds to slam him around like what he did to Rojhaz when they first met. The result is Roekel's power armor being destroyed to pieces and the mad scientist himself being intimidated more so than ever.

-

Cleaning his hands, Greenskyn then asks what they're going to do now. Rojhaz responds by trying to communicate with the Timebrokers of their next mission. Uatu responds and congratulates them for defeating Roekel. However, their mission is not done as Roekel's not yet defeated 'fully'. He reminds them of the ship's explosion, counting down within three minutes.

Hearing this, Rojhaz interrupts Uatu, who is still speaking, telling him that they'll do their best to stop it. In the Panopthicron, Kang turns Uatu, who in turn shakes his head. Kang responds by expressing concern on her face as well, hoping that the Exiles would succeed. In the ship, Rojhaz lifts up Roekel (without his armor), asking him how can they disarm the bomb. Roekel maniacally laughs and tells them that they only have three minutes and that they're foolish to even find out if he's gonna answer them.

Bull responds the situation by grabbing the scientist of Rojhaz and literally disfiguring his face, asking him where's the ship's core. Roekel tells her of the direction weakly, but still has the energy to mock them that they can't figure out how to stop it. Nevertheless, Bull "thanks" him after knocking him out and joins her teammates in finding the ship's core.

After making their way to the core and defeating the guards protecting it, they discover that the ship's core is actually made of anti-matter, set to explode and destroy all of Earth once the countdown reaches zero. And when the Exiles try to find a way to stop it, apparently Roekel's right: it's unstoppable. With the team not having any choice at all, Spider-Man decides to take matters into his own hand.

Peter uses his Uni-Power to contain the anti-matter core, prompting Rojhaz to ask what he's doing. Spider-Man tells him that it's time to stop being a boy and start being a god. Punisher tells him to not be a fool but Peter assures him that it's not what he meant, really. All he's saying is that he's going to contain the anti-matter core until it explodes, and in other words he's sacrificing himself.

Bull says he can't be serious, but Peter says that he is now. He reveals that the moment he entered this universe, his Uni-Power has been weakening. He goes on to explain that the Uni-Power can only have its greatest potential used when in its native universe. Kang, hearing this from the Panopthicron, realizes that she picked the wrong member. Uatu looks at her, apparently apologizing to her as he himself doens't know of the fact.

Peter continues by saying that while he's weakening, he still has enough Uni-Power to do one last deed. Left with no words, Rojhaz tries to encourage Peter to find another way. Peter calmly tells him to ask War Machine if there's any other way. War Machine disappointingly agrees with Peter, upsetting Rojhaz. Rojhaz tells himself that this can't be happening, but the Punisher states that everything has a price. And that includes saving a universe.

As Parker struggles to contain the bomb, Peter feels a great amount of pain surrounding his body. War Machine tends to him and asks what is happening. Peter does a small laugh, telling him that apparently there's not much Uni-Power inside him to be used. War Machine pauses for a bit and looks at the countdown, going at thirty seconds. He then turns to Rojhaz and apologizes to him. In an instance, Rhodes channels his apparent godly powers to Peter, creating an even larger sphere containing the bomb.

Seeing this, the other Exiles can't believe what's happening. In particular, one of them, Bull, tells War Machine to back off. War Machine commands her and the Exiles to just go and request the Timebroker's teleportation. Bull states that they're not leaving without them, but War Machine reminds her that for every action, a cost shall be paid. If they don't contain this bomb, Earth will be destroyed, the Exiles will die, their mission will fail, and the universe shall pay the price.

Shook, Bull backs away, trying to comprehend what he just said. She is visibly seen trying to contain her sadness. War Machine, seeing this, cryptically tells her, "I know."

Rojhaz, breathing heavily, then decides to let Peter and Rhodes save the universe while they return home. Seeing the two to-be saviours of the universe, Rojhaz then salutes them and tells them that he will always remember them as the noblest souls he has ever seen. Punisher similarly salutes them, complimenting them of their work and wishing that they'll be in this universe's heaven. Ghost Rider on the other hand, is left unable to react as he simply bends his head down. Greenskyn pats his and the grieving Bull's backs, telling them that it's time to go.

In the Panopthicron, Uatu and Kang look at the situation as they stare as the noble souls that sacrificed their lives for Earth-50701, with Kang saying that this isn't what she expected when she joined. Uatu comforts her, telling her that every Exiles in the multiverse have always had risks; deaths are not uncommon among them. They listen to Rojhaz's request of teleportation right when the countdown ticks at five seconds. And two seconds later, the team is transported back into the Panopthicron while Rhodes and Peter see each other and smile at their fates.

-

When the team got back to the Bridge, the anti-matter bomb explodes. And with Peter and Rhodey containing it, Earth is saved but Roekel's ship got destroyed. And with it, comes the death of Paragon (who witnesses the explosion) and the deactivation of the drones that are fighting the universe's heroes on Manhattan.

Iron Man reacts to the deactivation, pointing it out. A second later, the ship suddenly explodes and they look at the ordeal. The Thing says that those "Exiles" guys are up there. Storm then says that if so, that means they have defeated Roekel... at the cost of their lives. Little do they know that the only losses they had were two souls. But these souls are particularly some of the most heroic ones in the multiverse.

In the Panopthicron, the team goes to the control room from the Bridge, with everyone in the room being gloomy. They all stand silently as they mourn over Captain Universe and War Machine. After the brief silence passed, Uatu congratulates the team for saving the universe. Punisher however, says that only two men saved the universe. He continues by delivering a rant, until Rojhaz stops him and tells him to let what has passed pass.

Punisher sighs and sits down, looking depressed. He then tells everyone there that he never expected to feel sympathy for a person who literally only knew him for two days. Greenskyn agrees and sits down with the Punisher, followed by the other members. And eventually, everyone in the room stayed silent to respect their fallen heroes.

-

A day later, the Exiles are seen in the dining room eating silently. That, was until the Timebrokers approached them and gave them a speech of loss. While their losses are indeed, devastating, that's the risk of saving the multiverse. They understand their feelings towards the two, but tells them that in order to keep on saving universes after universes, the team must be in full capacity. Hearing this, Rojhaz asks of how can they be in full capacity if there are only five of them.

Kang smiles and invites them to the control room. The team complies and Kang orders them to see the monitor. There, the Desert of Infinity can be seen. Greenskyn says that he can't see anything; he can only see the blasted desert they all ended up once. Kang then tells them it's time for them to witness others experiencing what they felt the first time they're assembled.

Without revealing what's shown on the monitor, the Exiles are seen surprised at what they're seeing. While they look in awe, Kang monologues about what she meant by "full capacity". She tells the team that in every team of Exiles in the multiverse, if one or more of them dies, replacement members will be sought. And when they're away grieving at the losses of their two teammates, they found two suitable replacements for Peter and Rhodes. They might not be as "friendly" at the two for once, but give them time and they'll be good friends with them.

After this, the viewers are given a reveal of who their replacements are. And while the reveal happens, Kang introduces the team of their replacements: Dr. Strange of Earth-41101 and Nova of Earth-691.