WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Avengers #52 by Jason Aaron, Juan Frigeri, David Curiel and Cory Petit, now on sale from Marvel Comics.
The most powerful member of the Avengers has just undergone a dramatic evolution.
Recent issues of Avengers have seen Earth's Mightiest Heroes fight against the Multiversal Masters of Evil, a villainous group determined to conquer every possible reality. In Avengers #52, this conflict engulfs Captain America and Captain Marvel, who must defeat the combined might of the Black Skull and the Ghost Goblin. However, since the heroes are preoccupied with protecting Brandy -- a young child who wields the power of the Star Brand -- they're overwhelmed by the villains' attack. In the heat of this battle, Brandy sees an opportunity to defend her surrogate family, but in doing so, she undergoes a physical transformation that hints at her true heroic potential.
After Brandy rescues Captain Marvel, the Ghost Goblin unleashes an array of Noggin Bombs, containing enough combined power to destroy a continent. Though Captain Marvel attempts to sacrifice herself by flying the bombs into space, Brandy stops her in her tracks and collects the weapons herself. She then uses her powers to extinguish the Noggin Bombs before they can explode, seemingly saving the day. As the dust clears, Captain America and Captain Marvel look up to see that pushing her powers to their limit has aged Brandy into an adult.
The bearer of the "Star Brand" traditionally wields nigh-infinite power and can use energy blasts, super strength, flight and invulnerability as part of their arsenal. Since Brandy was born with these unique abilities, her development has been less-than-normal. After her birth, the Avengers adopted Brandy and raised her amongst themselves. Later, when Phil Coulson and Mephisto warped reality during Marvel's 2021 Heroes Reborn event, she was transported to a world where Rocket Racoon and Groot took on the task instead, raising Brandy into a young girl who could use her powers freely. When the Avengers reverted reality back to normal, Brandy retained her development and brought it with her into Earth-616's timeline, along with her memories of the alternate world.
While Brandy prevents the Black Skull and Ghost Goblin from decimating Captain America and Captain Marvel, the Avengers' other members are not as lucky in their fight against the Multiversal Masters of Evil. In Avengers #51, Thor, Iron Man and Echo defend Asgard from variants of Wolverine, Killmonger, Destiny and Dark Phoenix. Initially, it appears that the trio will be able to repel the Masters of Evil as they successfully defeat Killmonger and the Hound. Ultimately, the Masters of Evil were able to squash this momentary hope by revealing that the Dark Phoenix controls a variant of Thor.
Elsewhere, in the pages of Avengers Forever, the Multiverse's Mightiest Heroes prepare an additional counterattack against the Masters of Evil. Led by a variant of Tony Stark who becomes Ant-Man and his android "Shellhead," this ensemble aims to defend Earth-818 from the Black Skull and his forces, who conquered the realm in its infancy. Furthermore, the series features the Goddesses of Thunder, a group of Asgardian warriors that follow in the footsteps of their grandfather, Thor.
Source: Marvel Comics