5 Times the Power of Love Saved the Marvel Universe

The Marvel Universe has faced near-destruction multiple times, and its stable of Super Heroes are always there to come to the rescue. But what does it take to save the world from the most villainous forces who are bent on destroying everything in existence? Sometimes, this calls for a super team – but sometimes, all you need is love.

One Marvel couple who knows this all too well are Rogue and Gambit, now happily married while fighting Super Villains as a team! In celebration of MR. & MRS. X VOL. 2: ROGUE AND GAMBIT FOREVER going on sale this week, here are five times the power of love saved the Marvel Universe:

THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

In A-FORCE #4, the cosmic being Singularity fell to Arcadia, a territory on Doctor Doom’s patchwork planet Battleworld, and learned from the A-Force team what it took to be a friend and a hero. When faced with a world-ending threat from all sides in the form of betrayal and zombies, Singularity used the pocket dimension within her to contain the attackers…but it meant the ultimate sacrifice and her seeming destruction.

SHOWING MERCY WITH LOVE

In the next A-FORCE series in 2016, the team encountered the mystical shape-shifting dragon/sorceress Countess when she attacked a small coastal town. Countess mind-controlled Nico Minoru AKA Sister Grimm, who used her magical powers against her teammates. As Nico’s powers nearly caused a grisly death for the entire team, A-Force was faced with a daunting task: to steal Nico away from the Countess and hope they could reach her. Nico, away from the Countess comes back to herself and shares what she learned under the manipulative sorceress’ thrall. When it comes down to the final showdown, Nico chooses mercy and gives the Countess what she has never been shown before, the power of love. Replete with an ‘80s song by Huey Lewis & The News.

A DATE THAT SAVES THE WORLD

America Chavez has protected the world from a lot of dangers, but when faced with a world-ending hole in space, this was no easy task. Sure, she closes holes in space all the time, but this one was going to take some creative thinking. When she decided to call her date Lisa and ask her to dance with her despite their distance across space, it made her happy, which aided her in stopping the threat. It’s these simple acts rooted in love than can save the world.

LOVE IN A TIME OF THE DARK PHOENIX

When Jean Grey and the Phoenix force collided, they saved all of reality – but the longer Phoenix stays with Jean, the more it craves joy and rapture. That hunger nearly consumed her and she became the Dark Phoenix, power incarnate. After the Dark Phoenix opened a space-time gateway and destroyed a planet, killing 5 billion people, the Shi’ar declared that the Phoenix Force must be destroyed to save the universe. The X-Men go head-to-head with the Dark Phoenix to save Jean from herself and to protect the universe. It wasn’t until Cyclops reminded her that she was an embodiment of love and Professor X fought her off in a psychic war that she returned to herself, and the world was safe from the darkness that polluted her. That is until her beloved X-Men were threatened by the Shi’ar, the Phoenix rises again but Jean takes the reigns and sacrifices herself for the love of Cyclops and her teammates.

HONORING THE FALLEN

When a future version of Susan Storm AKA Invisible Woman traveled to present-day Earth, she did so to save her world and honor the family she lost. She became the Fantastic Four’s nanny, Tabitha Deneuve. She later revealed her true intentions, and with the New Defenders’ help, she brought future-Earth’s 8 billion refugees to free them from their terrible fate. To do so required the energy of Galactus, Doctor Doom, and her brother Johnny, and it was a painful process. Eventually the First Family helped her by sending the refugees to Nu-Earth, a private planet free of crime, poverty, hunger and disease. Future Sue apologized to Doom for kidnapping him but he killed her for the torture he underwent.

Whether Marvel heroes are part of teams, strong couples, or flying solo, the power of love is just one way to defeat a merciless enemy and save the universe on a multitude of levels.

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