- Written by: Jed MacKay
- Art by: Pepe Larraz
- Colors by: Marte Gracia, Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
- Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
- Cover art by: Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia
- Cover price: $5.99
- Release date: July 31, 2024
Blood Hunt #5, by Marvel Comics on 7/31/24, brings the vampire apocalypse event to a close when all remaining Avengers assemble for a last-ditch effort to stop Varnae while Doctor Strange makes a deal with the devil.
Is Blood Hunt #5 Good?
It’s over. It’s finally over, and what’s the big verdict for Marvel’s biggest Summer event in years (at least in terms of sheer volume)? Meh. Heroes gather, heroes fight, heroes win, uncertain outcomes, the end. The most remarkable thing about this finale is just how unremarkable it is for an event this large. Maybe Marvel should have taken two years to plan it out instead of one.
When last we left the assorted strike teams of the remaining Avengers, Tigra and Hunter’s Moon freed Khonshu to return the moon and unleash an army of undead Moon Knight’s, Clea and Doctor Strange (still in astral form) sought the help of Doctor Doom who only agreed to assist if Strange turned over the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, and Brielle (Blade’s daughter) allied herself with a vampirized Miles Morales and Dracula.
Got it? Good. Let’s go.
In Blood Hunt #5, all teams converge on The Temple of the Last Blasphemy in Central Park to do battle with Varnae (in Blade’s body) and the Bloodcoven. Meanwhile, Clea and Doctor Strange (still in astral form) consider Doctor Doom’s deal – turn over the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme to end the vampire apocalypse.
The Avengers fight with everything they have. Doctor Strange agrees to Doom’s terms as long as Doom swears an oath to turn the mantle back over after he’s saved the world. Doom agrees, but Strange should have chosen his words more carefully.
The Avengers hold their own for a time, but it’s not enough. Suddenly, Brielle arrives with Miles Morales, and Dracula to run Blade through with a sword. Since Miles has Blade’s blood in his veins, he adds a push that drives the sword all the way through, the big move weakens Varnae enough to give Doom an opening.
Doom casts a spell of epic power, now that he’s the Sorcerer Supreme. The spell reverses the flow of Darkforce energy. The two-pronged attack force Varnae out of Blade’s body, where he’s trapped by Scarlet Witch’s magic. Iron Man stabilizes Blade so he doesn’t die, and sunlight returns to the world.
Of course, there’ always a catch. Sunlight no longer kills vampires for some reason, presumably a factor in one of the epilogue issues, and Doom takes the phrase “return the mantle after he’s saved the world” to an extreme, which means he’ll hold the mantle as long as there’s bad things happening in the world.
That’s about it.
What’s great about Blood Hunt #5? Jed MacKay end the main plot of the event with a tight, gripping battle, which is about all you could expect.
What’s not so great about Blood Hunt #5? Doctor Strange has known Doctor Doom long enough to know not to enter into a contract with such sloppy conditions. You could see that betrayal from a mile away.
Plus, granting sunlight to (some?) vampires feels like a cheat to work around the restriction of keeping Miles Morales for the foreseeable future. In fairness, you could do something interesting with sunlight immunity for the Vampire Nation, but given the lackluster outcome of this event, expectations are not high.
Further, the Blood coven simply scurry away while nobody is noticing, which also comes off as a cheap shortcut.
How’s the Art? Pepe Larraz’s art delivery is the one, consistently stellar thing about this event. The Bloodcoven characters look creepy in action, the final fight has the epic size and scale you should expect from a finale, and the panels are packed with dramatic energy.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Final Thoughts
Blood Hunt #5 ends a (too) massive Summer event on a mediocre note. The big battle is just okay, the outcomes are predictable, the plot is paper thin, and at least one twist you could see coming from a mile away. The saving grace of this event is Pepe Larraz’s spectacular art, but on the whole, this ending and the event are forgettable.
5.5/10
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