WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Captain Marvel #24 by Kelly Thompson, Lee Garbett, Belen Ortega, Antonio Fabela and VC's Clayton Cowles, on sale now.

The future is a cold and cruel place, teeming with demons and the threats of the blistering elements themselves. Thankfully, there is at least one paradise in the middle of the waking nightmare that Carol Danvers and her fellow survivors are living through -- though it might not be the blissful retreat that it has been advertised as. Ove, the future son of Namor and Enchantress, created an oasis amidst the broken sidewalks and decrepit buildings that are left of New York City. While it might look like a perfect escape from the horrors of the future, the manner in which it came to be evokes the mindset of one of Marvel's most tyrannical leaders.

The city within a city that Ove has built from the remains of the New York Public Library is incredible, gilded and shining, standing in stark contrast to the frozen and windswept world outside. Ove talks up his accomplishments as he gives Carol and her allies a short tour of the compound, answering their questions about the manner in which the facility is run by implying that other superpowered individuals have offered their services to his noble cause. X-Men veteran Armor provides the protective force field while Inhuman Crystal takes care of the perfect climate, and former Thunderbolt Jolt acts as the power supply. Carol and the others are hesitant to believe that the conflict between themselves and Ove's forces has all been a misunderstanding, but leave things be until they have a chance to investigate on their own properly.

RELATED: The Grandmaster's Obedience Disks Wouldn't Work on Captain Marvel

After Carol sits down to a lengthy and awkward private dinner with Ove, during which he tells her his life story, she regroups with her allies to finalize their plans. Under the cover of night, they snoop through Ove's oasis, eventually discovering Illyana Rasputin, aka Magik, bound by chains and shackled to the ground beneath her. She tries to warn the others, but it is too late -- Ove and his mother are upon them. A mind-controlled Luke Cage pummels Carol into submission while an army of demons from Limbo takes care of the other resistance fighters. It's then that Ove reveals their greatest fears to be true: his compound has been kept safe and sound by forced slavery, not by selfless volunteering. On top of that, each and every one of his new captives will find their place in his world, no matter how acute their abilities may be.

RELATED: Doctor Doom's Bold New Mission Is DOOMED to Fail

It's a villainous plot to be sure, but not one that comes from a place of evil, necessarily. During their dinner, Ove explains quite earnestly that his father had left humanity's side in order to safeguard his own people, something which greatly affected him as a child. This sense of duty is what seems to drive the young tyrant, aside from his classically evil matriarch potentially guiding his hand, but his motivation is still not one born of malice, even if his methods are in no way describable as just. Still, Ove's mind seems to be in much the same place that another of Marvel's nefarious nobles finds theirs, that being Latveria's own despotic Doctor Doom. The metal-faced tyrant has long been obsessed with his image -- along with world domination -- and most recently has even vowed to win over complete control of the Earth by rising to the role of its greatest hero. Ove might not have such lofty ambitions himself, but he is still concerned more with ensuring his rule and the prosperity of what he has built than how either of those goals are accomplished. Now that he has Captain Marvel captive, there's little guessing as to how powerful he has just become, or what he will do with his newly acquired champion. If only there were another mad emperor to show him the way.

KEEP READING: Captain Marvel: How Alpha Flight Evolved Into Earth's Last Line of Defense