It’s the end of the road and the only thing that stands between Blackheart and complete domination are a few furry (and slimy) heroes. Your Major Spoilers review of Marvel Unleashed #4, awaits!

MARVEL UNLEASHED #4

Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Jesus Hervas
Colorist: Yen Nitro
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editor: Alanna Smith
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: November 8th, 2023

Previously in Marvel Unleashed: Menagerie of heroes including Goose, Redwing, Throg, Bats, and newcomer D-Dog, having originally set out to reunite a dog with their lost owner are now in the midst of Blackheart’s domain as he prepares to invade Earth.

ONE LAST STAND

Marvel Unleashed #4 opens right where the last issue left off, with the team of animals captured by Blackheart’s magic. Throg is able to break free eventually and then takes the fight to Blackheart. As those two duke it out, the rest of the animals set out to close the magic portal that would allow the demon army to invade Earth. In order to buy the others time, Bats and D-Dog go out to face the horde. In the meantime, Goose reveals his true nature to Redwing, which forms a new respect between the two. Blackheart manages to get the upper hand on Throg, just as the rest of the team is able to free Lockjaw from his captivity and the real potential of his power is revealed and Blackheart gets a rude introduction to The King of The Inhumans, Black Bolt. After the dust has settled, it’s discovered that not all of the team made it and the fallen one is given a proper reward for their heroics.

THIS COMIC WANTS YOU TO CRY

For anyone who has been reading this series, the conclusion to this is not going to come as a surprise. What was going to happen has been incredibly telegraphed, but that doesn’t stop it from being emotionally impactful. In no way would I say that how this issue plays out is unique or revolutionary in any way, it’s actually pretty cliché. Yet, it seems like the best ending for this series and is a welcome payoff on everything that was set up, in spite of all that. One of the best things about this series has been that each animal is given an actual personality that goes beyond traditional animal stereotypes. This continues here in this issue as each character gets their moment and it feels like they each contribute in their own way. Where things do start to fall apart is in how quickly and conveniently things resolve. What’s strange is that there aren’t a lot of hanging threads that need to be wrapped up in this issue, but instead of letting what was already established play out, the issue is broken up into all these small moments of peril that are then immediately resolved, sometimes in the very next panel. What this results in is that much of this comic feels like filler put in between the emotional beats that you really want.

DISTRACTING PARTICLE EFFECTS

I don’t want to come down too harshly on artistic decisions, especially when they look just fine when you look at them on their own. But there’s these sort of crystalline ember thingies that are just floating around in every single panel. It’s a cool effect in some of the splash pages, but in the smaller moments, they just feel out of place and distracting. Other than that, this issue looks just fine. Also, D-Dog isn’t as creepy-looking as she was in the first issue, which is a nice development.

Bottom Line: The Sappy Ending We Needed

There are a few undeniable truths in the universe. But one of them is that animal-focused stories need to have an emotional ending and Marvel Unleashed #4 follows this truth. It’s a bit rocky how it gets to that ending, but it does get there, and it wraps up the series in a nice way. 3.5 out of 5 stars

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