As the cover suggests, Sinister’s Six #3 is the final showdown as Mr. Sinister takes on Revelation. Given the state of the team at the end of the last issue, it appears Revelation isn’t going to lose, but with the identity of Venom still a mystery and the strong character work, we’re rooting for Sinister Six to win. Too bad they live in the dystopian future that is the Age of Revelation!
Sinister’s Six #3 picks up where we left off, where we find the Sinister’s Six captured by Revelation and his chorister goons. The first half of this issue involves a death-filled battle, as well as relaying info about Revelation’s involvement with Virus X getting to his choristers. The second half takes things back to Mr. Sinister, with a lot of closure, but also a big question mark on whether Havok’s story continues from here.
Artist Rafael Loureiro does a great job delivering death blows in the fight scene to open the issue. It’s tragic, and downright emotional at times, as characters like Domino and Black Cat face impossible odds. Lady Fantomex ends up scoring the most tragic of them all, and with all these fallen heroes, one can surmise that Revelation is as evil as ever. The final death blow feels a bit unnecessary, but one could argue it’s to give Venom the time it needs to settle a score.
Lady Fantomex steals the opening battle.
Credit: Marvel
The final chunk of this issue allows writer David Marquez to wrap up Mr. Sinister’s place in this future, while also giving us a bit of a happy ending. Unfortunately, it’s hard to care about the final confrontation since three issues barely scratched the surface of the characters. They are events that sort of happen, and it doesn’t help that Mr. Sinister has died so often; any threat to his life feels like a slap on the wrist. The final few pages include a compelling element as the results of Havok’s last-ditch attack mean something for his X Virus transformation, although with the event almost over, who can say if it’ll ever matter, or if it’ll be a loose end never to be explored again.
Sinister’s Six #3 delivers a savage, body-strewn finale filled with dramatic sacrifices and stylish brutality, but the short runway of the series prevents its biggest emotional swings from fully connecting. While the closure around Mr. Sinister works on a conceptual level, the lack of long-term character development makes the ending feel more like a violent punctuation mark than a true culmination. It’s entertaining, grim, but ultimately fleeting.
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