OK, the "Black Ant?" It could've been hokey. Instead? It was totally bad-ass. Remender has been building the tension surrounding Ant-Man for months and, when it finally comes to a head in this issue, Scalera really delivers. The new costume is awesome; you actually believe that someone named the "Black Ant" could give the Secret Avengers a run for their money. When Scalera makes the reveal on the last page, it's like watching someone start the final countdown for a time bomb. Of course, it all comes from the work Remender has done in building up the moment, with him finally laying the cards on the table. Of course, it's Natasha that deduces that Ant-Man wasn't protected from the Abyss because of his helmet, but because he's an LMD. But, it's also an exhausted Hawkeye who refuses to believe it, a mistake that seems likely to compound the guilt that he'll feel when he realizes that Eric died on his watch. Remender plays these two characters off each other in a way that feels organic, taking the opportunity to do some character work. Since the start of this series, no author has done a great job of showing this team as an actual team, and Remender goes a long way to addressing that problem with these scenes.
Looking ahead, it seems likely that we're going to finally get to the bottom of the Father's plans for the Descendants and the world. To my mind, the Descendants have mostly been a failed opportunity; it was a cool idea, but I've never felt like Remender has focused enough attention on it to allow them to realize its potential. It's just felt distracted, like he was more focused on the "shark v. bear" nature of putting all these villains on the same "team" rather than the story he actually wanted to use them to tell. But, the imminent betrayal of Black Ant might be the focal point that he needs to get us to understand the Descendants and their goals. I'm excited to see where he goes with it and how it'll affect the team after the dust settles. At the very least, I hope that Eric eventually gets the praise he deserves. By having him "return," it hasn't really allowed us to mourn him, particularly given the heroic yet sad way that we now know that he died. He deserves his moment once Black Ant is defeated and the Secret Avengers realize that they've lost him.
Finally, I actually like what Remender does here with Valkyrie and Venom. Venom not only gets the win, but he also gets the girl. After "Venom" #22, it's nice to see him get something positive in his life. I also think that Remender is onto something with Flash. I think that he could use a relationship more focused on sex than emotions. Maybe trying to maintain a relationship with someone you think is your soulmate like Betty was a little too much pressure for a guy who's also trying to figure out how you be a superhero.
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