Requiem Kills [SPOILER] in Infinity Wars #1

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Infinity Wars #1 by Gerry Duggan, Mike Deodato Jr., Frank Martin and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.

The ending to Infinity Wars Prime #1 left many fans stunned, as they witnessed Requiem, a "new" mystery character, do the one thing countless heroes and villains across the Marvel Universe only hoped to accomplish: kill the Mad Titan, Thanos.

With one lethal blow, Requiem jumped to the top of the list of compelling characters to keep an eye on, and that was before the official first issue of Infinity Wars arrived in stores this week. Not only did Requiem kill Thanos, but she did her best to make it a legitimate, really tough to come back from death by chopping off Thanos' head and hacking his body to pieces with her humongous blade.

Infinity Wars continues the Infinity Stones tale that began in Infinity Countdown, with Doctor Strange bringing together a new Infinity Watch to discuss exactly what to do with the powerful cosmic artifacts. If he were still alive, a gathering of all the Infinity Stones in one location is the type of place Thanos would look to crash so he could steal the Stones.

However, since Thanos is dead, it only seems right that his killer replaces the Mad Titan as the central figure in pursuit of the Infinity Stones. Once Requiem arrives on the scene, it's only a matter of her deciding which beloved Marvel character will be her next victim.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='Gamora/Requiem%27s%20Second%20Victim%20Is%20Dead%20-%20Or%20Are%20They%3F']

A Brutal Betrayal

As the Infinity Watch predictably turns on each other, arguing over who is calling the shots, Requiem crashes in with Thanos' severed head in tow. Though she claims to not intend any harm and to trust her by her deeds, the tossing of Thanos' head doesn't necessarily inspire the utmost confidence.

Drax, Groot and Star-Lord all take a shot at Requiem, but thanks to the stolen Power Stone, her sword easily stops deflects and stops their attack. But it's not until Requiem is revealed to Gamora from the Guardians of the Galaxy that the fighting comes to a complete halt.

Star-Lord attempts to talk some sense into his teammate, with whom he shared a legitimately tender moment at the start of the issue, but she is obsessed with acquiring the Soul Stone to free a part of her own soul that's still trapped inside the gem. The pair have been teammates and friends for years, so it's understandable for Peter Quill to assume Gamora would never harm him to get what she wants. "You're not going to kill me," he says. But as Peter unfortunately learns, the Gamora he knows is no more -- there is only Requiem.

Requiem shoves her Infinity Stone-powered blade through Star-Lord's chest, much in the same way she first attacked Thanos in Infinity Wars Prime #1, though her she's looking her victim square in the eyes as she delivers the blow. The look on Gamora's face is almost one of regret at having to take the life of a friend in this manner. However, the deed has been done and there is no turning back now.

Or is there?

Nothing Ever Dies

Of course, we have to question the validity of both Thanos and Star-Lord's apparent deaths. When you factor in the use of the Power Stone to amplify Requiem's sword, there is no telling how that would impact a killing blow. Would using an Infinity Stone to kill a person transport the deceased's soul into the Soul Gem? Or would another strange occurrence take place that we're not aware of?

In fact, Gamora's own words of "Nothing ever dies, Peter" is evidence enough that we need to be leery of Star-Lord's death sticking. If Gamora is privy to death not being the end of one's journey, then it would make her choice to kill Star-Lord all the more easier on her conscious.

We still have more issues of Infinity Wars to go before we learn the final fate of Peter Quill, but we'd be foolish to believe he is the last death we'll witness in the event series. Infinity Wars Prime #1 and Infinity Wars #1 already delivered back-to-back surprising deaths, so there is no telling who is next on Requiem's kill list once Issue #2 arrives.

KEEP READING: Infinity Wars Prime May Have Just Teased Marvel’s Next Big Villain