In this review of Avengers: Armageddon #2, the Avengers begin the battle against Red Hulk in Symkaria, with help from a powerful ally.
AVENGERS: ARMAGEDDON #2
Written by: Chip Zdarsky
Art: Delio Diaz & Frank Alpizar
Main Cover: Dike Ruan
Variant Covers: Adi Granov, David Nakayama, Inhyuk Lee, Alex Ross, Chip Zdarsky
Page Count: 23 pages
Release Date: July 15, 2026
This review contains spoilers
Avengers: Armageddon #2 begins with Red Hulk declaring he’s simply extending upon the foundation of America: democracy. He perceives himself as working for the good of the world.
Elsewhere, Russia sends in the Winter Guard to deal with General Ross. The Avengers and Fantastic Four’s coalition arrive on the Symkarian battlefield and launch an assault on Red Hulk’s New America organization. David Colton comes in and sends the Red Hulk flying.
Ross internally remarks and calls Colton “My Captain America”, before saying Doom’s predictive technology didn’t account for his appearance. He escapes to the nearby Kronlia, and the resulting battle causes casualties in the 300,000 populated city.
Colton wins the duel and Bucky Barnes approves of him killing Ross, but Iron Man lands and stops him. Colton snaps and calls the heroes weak, saying Ross being alive causes more casualties before flying off.
The Winter Guard retrieves Ross’ body and is en route to Russia. Iron Man raids Ross’ base and finds Doom’s predictive technology, coined as a “Prognostication Machine”. Using it shows Tony multiversal energy, and a nuclear explosion in the near future.
Analysis
The control freak aspect of Red Hulk’s character is on strong display in Avengers: Armageddon #2. Lines like “My Captain America” paint the picture of a man who wants to exert control over others. The subtlety of such dialogue gives depth to him as an antagonist, as he starts New America to gain political power and coerce others into following his philosophy on democracy.
One of the main questions I had with Avengers: Armageddon #2 was when Colton arrived: At a disadvantage without Doom’s predictability, how will Red Hulk call an audible and counter? And the answer was that Thunderbolt Ross has ambitions of global conquest, but can’t sustain them during a single anomaly. It’s really interesting that the main marketed villain of the miniseries was defeated this quickly, and it’s intriguing to imagine how he’ll react to the loss.
Another intriguing reaction will be Colton’s follow-up after insulting the Avengers. As noted in our last review, there’s a lot of parallels between him and Sentry from Bendis’ original New Avengers run. And just like Sentry, Colton seems slotted to take the role of a temporary antagonist. The difference is, Sentry was unaware of his position due to The Void, David Colton is choosing this route.
There’s a lot of fascinating routes Zdarsky could go here. Tony hiding and mobilizing the technology for himself. Red Hulk returning with some type of brain control from the Winter Guard’s Russian handlers. David Colton becoming the main antagonist, having the level of ambition Ross has to create change, but with the type of power necessary to make it happen. I don’t know which way the story will go, but all these possibilities leave me excited for the event that’s living up to the summer blockbuster label.
Final Thoughts
The summer’s blockbuster event, Avengers: Armageddon #2, remains as hot as the season. With a thrilling fight between Red Hulk and David Colton, the fight leaves the story at a gripping crossroads.
