Hulkling and Wiccan have found themselves facing off against a new villain in the aftermath of the Annihilation Wave.
The following contains spoilers from recent issues of Love Unlimited, now available on Marvel Unlimited.
Between Hulkling’s influence as Emperor and Wiccan’s magical ability to morph reality across dimensions, the Young Avengers’ next antagonist needed to be truly formidable. King Arasmer is just that, as he claims himself the ruler of all fallen worlds, with even more nefarious intentions.
In Hulkling and Wiccan #1 (by Josh Trujillo, Jodi Nishijima, and Jasmine Alvarez), readers were introduced to Goebig, a self-proclaimed space pirate, who was briefly in a relationship with Hulkling due to Wiccan’s magic being manipulated by Agatha Harkness. Goebig is currently trying to save what’s left of his homeworld, Resillia, from the forces that attack it. Resillia was one of the many worlds destroyed by the Annihilation Wave, which was a cosmic-level threat that destroyed entire galaxies.
Marvel’s New Cosmic Villain, King Arasmer, Is Colonizing Desolate Worlds
As readers learn from Goebig in Love Unlimited #26 (by Josh Trujillo and Alanna Smith), King Arasmer is conquering all the fallen worlds and tyrannizing those that survived the attacks from the Annihilation Wave. And for King Arasmer, it’s not just about taking control of planets and building an empire. The alien wants to erase their cultures and histories, essentially treating worlds like Resillia like they never existed in the first place.
This serves as a perfect contrast to Hulkling, whose role as Emperor allowed him to help unite the Kree and Skrull people after years of war with one another. King Arasmer’s destruction of people’s histories also unites Wiccan with Goebig, albeit through Hulkling wanting to help his former lover, in a common goal. The group bands together in an effort to save Resilia’s Knowledge Grid, and protect what other fallen worlds may still be vulnerable to King Arasmer and his royal armies.
King Arasmer is Being Established as a Recurring Cosmic Threat
Love Unlimited #29 (by Trujillo and Smith) reveals the climax of the conflict between King Arasmer and the three heroes. While Goebig was knocked down and almost killed, King Arasmer takes great pleasure in the thought of eradicating Resillia’s remaining survivor. Before he gets the chance to, Wiccan overpowers King Arasmer, overcoming his aversion to his husband’s former lover in order to protect him. The alien makes his retreat, but not before claiming that he would be back to kill all of them. Due to the millions of worlds destroyed in the Annihilation Wave, not getting access to Resillia’s Knowledge Grid is only a minor bump in King Arasmer’s plan.
Wiccan and Hulkling will very likely have to face him again sometime in the future, at a point where he’s acquired forces of an even larger number (by conquering more worlds). King Arasmer has a harsher motive for his evil plans than the other intergalactic villains Hulkling and Wiccan have had to face up against. And while it’s unlikely he’ll ascend to quite the level of threat as say Thanos or Kang the Conqueror, the Young Avengers power couple may be suiting up for a big battle in the near future.
