Marvel Comics' heroes piloted giant robots years before Avengers Mech Strike. Mega Morphs came long before Mech Strike. The Avengers are not strangers to controlling mechs, but they've definitely changed up how they operate.
Avengers Mech Strike is a 2021 miniseries from Marvel Comics that focuses on the Avengers as they take on Kang the Conqueror and monsters called biomechanoids. The Avengers use mechs that have enhanced weaponry, but find themselves easily overwhelmed with their forces spread thin. Back in 2005, Mega Morphs told a story that featured some elements from Transformers. However, Avengers Mech Strike has changed up the kinds of abilities that Marvel heroes have in their arsenal.
Created by Sean McKeever, Lou Kang, Pat Davidson, Hifi, and Dave Sharpe, Mega Morphs was a four-issue miniseries based on a toy line. The series followed Wolverine, Spider-Man, Captain America, and Ghost Rider, as they battled Doctor Doom, Doc Ock, and even the Hulk. Over ten years before Avengers Mech Strike, the heroes of Marvel Comics were battling foes in giant mechs. However, there were some significant differences between Mega Morphs and Marvel's new mech-centric series.
The similarities between the two stories are rather obvious . Marvel heroes pilot giant robots in both series and every mech included in either series was built by Tony Stark. Beyond that, these series are very different. For starters, there are different rosters, resulting in different mechs. Mega Morphs features Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine. Doctor Doom is the main foe, as is Doctor Octopus, who uses Tony's designs to build his own mech. In Avengers Mech Strike, the Avengers are more so the focus - with even Thanos soon to become an ally. Despite having a cool roster, Mega Morphs ends up far more complicated than necessary.
Marvel has also changed up the abilities - and the appearances - of the mechs. So far in Avengers Mech Strike, the mechs have amplified the Avengers' main abilities while giving some extra weaponry to a couple of members like Thor and Black Widow. Thus far, these mechs only have one default form. Three issues into a five-issue miniseries have revealed no alterations in operation or appearance. Mega Morphs however allows for some interesting abilities, but it also gives the mechs a function similar to the Autobots and Decepticons in Transformers. These mechs can transform into other vehicles, allowing for varied transportation, uses, and weaponry. The Hulk's mech can turn into a tank, Spider-Man's becomes a mechanical, terrain-walking spider, while Ghost Rider's becomes a motorcycle. Captain America's mech turns into a helicopter and Wolverine's is a jet. Wolverine's mech is one of the more creative vehicles since -at least in jet form - it can repair itself mid-flight due to it having Wolverine's healing factor.
Thus far, Avengers Mech Strike seems like a stronger story than its predecessor. While being able to transform allows for new methods of attack, it has been done already. With the new series, a different approach is definitely needed. Avengers Mech Strike takes some of the bones of Mega Morphs, but makes the story simpler, but bigger - in a good way - without losing the mech mayhem. Instead of transforming, there's potentially room for a mega-mech to assemble. Avengers Mech Strike has definitely changed up the way that Marvel heroes use mechs - which might be for the better all-around.
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May 09, 2021 at 05:07AM
