A Surprising Superhero Team is Officially Taking Over for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

The following contains major spoilers for The Avengers #30, on sale September 30 from Marvel Comics.

The Avengers are leaving the world in the hands of a completely different superhero team, and they picked the perfect mutants for the job.

A preview of The Avengers #30 (by Jed MacKay, Farid Karami, Federico Blee, and VC's Cory Petit) from Marvel Comics opens to the titular team of heroes opening the doors of their orbiting Impossible City to none other than the X-Men. Rather than another team-up mission, however, Earth's Mightiest Heroes have instead called upon the X-Men to effectively replace them, albeit only for a short while. As it turns out, what is likely one of the last Tribulation Events has reared its head, and the Avengers simply cannot leave their world unattended while they race off to the farthest reaches of space to confront it.

The Avengers #30

• Written by JED MACKAY

• Art by FARID KARAMI

• Colors by FEDERICO BLEE

• Letters by VC's CORY PETIT

• Design by CARLOS LAO

• Main cover art by CAFU

• Variant covers by LUCIANO VECCHIO; PEACH MOMOKO; JAMES KERIGAN; and HUMBERTO RAMOS & EDGAR DELGADO

The Impossible City first appeared in Avengers #2, which introduced the sentient superstructure alongside the rest of the near-unstoppable Ashen Combine. Consisting of members like Meridian Diadem, Lord Ennui, and the Citysmith, the arrival of the Ashen Combine on Earth was the first Tribulation Event that the Avengers faced. Although the Ashen Combine very nearly destroyed Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers were ultimately able to defeat their interstellar foes, and even inducted the Impossible City into their ranks after it proved to be both an invaluable ally in battle and the best new home base they could ask for.

The ominous Tribulation Events were first mentioned in the pages of 2023's Timeless #1, during which Kang the Conqueror was seen hunting down the fabled Missing Moment - a single, all-important moment in time that has so far evaded anyone and everyone who attempts to find it. As it was explained to Kang at the time, the search for the Missing Moment will be littered with other Tribulation Events, which themselves are meant to be "met by heroes." As such, Kang was left to call upon the Avengers for help not just in reaching the Missing Moment, but in staving off the threat of the enigmatic Myrddin, who has risen up to oppose both the time-traveling despot and his unlikely allies.

Back in Avengers #21, Earth's Mightiest Heroes took it upon themselves to make the trek to the X-Men's new home in Merle, Alaska and reach out to the world's premier team of mutant superheroes. While this led to a friendly game between the two teams, it also opened the door for Carol Danvers to explain the situation the Avengers are currently facing to her fellow heroes. In doing so, Carol took the opportunity to officially ask the X-Men for their help, which Cyclops was more than happy to offer any time that the Avengers need it.

The Avengers #30 goes on sale September 3 from Marvel Comics.