20 best superhero comics to read after Infinity War

20. Infinity War

I mean, duh, right? Even if you’ve already watched the film version of Infinity War, there are still plenty of reasons to go back to its printed predecessor. Really, Avengers: Infinity War is based on multiple comics, but it doesn’t hurt to start with the basics.

The Infinity War comic is actually a limited series featuring Adam Warlock, the engineered superbeing hinted at in a mid-credits sequence in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Of course, Adam Warlock has been around for far longer and has a deeper history on the printed page. He was created by members of the Enclave, a small group of super scientists who want to create the “perfect” human being for their own purposes.

Like any newly formed being, the freshly de-cocooned Warlock rebels. Not having a childhood or real parental figures means that Warlock hasn’t had the chance to develop important things like, oh, restraint or empathy. Eventually, he manages to get it together and is more-or-less a good guy in the Marvel universe.

For this volume, you essentially need to know that Warlock has taken the super powerful Infinity Gauntlet containing all of those shiny, dangerous Infinity Stones. He attempts to get rid of his evil double, Magus, but screws it up in quick order. That’s when Thanos — yes, that Thanos — comes to Warlock’s assistance. This uber bad guy shows up to help Warlock finally conquer Magus.

Now, there are some rumors that Avengers: Infinity War is actually going to follow the Infinity Gauntlet storyline. Still, it’s worth wading through some of the back catalog references and intense mythology of Infinity War to get a good sense of both Thanos and the terrible power of the Infinity Gauntlet.