Illuminati Vol. 6

Illuminati is a Marvel villain-team series launched in 2015, written by Joshua Williamson and drawn by artists including Mike Henderson, starring a group of supervillains assembled by The Hood. The members each have their own agenda and distrust one another, constantly infighting on missions yet forced to work as a team. The first five issues tell how this hastily assembled crew moves from undermining each other to grudging cooperation: The Hood is bent on using the team to realize his own ambitions, while Titania remains fixated on her imprisoned husband, the Absorbing Man. This is Volume 6 of the series, and its story ties into the Marvel event Avengers: Standoff. In earlier events, the Absorbing Man was imprisoned in Pleasant Hill, a prison built by S.H.I.E.L.D. Using the power of the Cosmic Cube Kobik, the prison alters inmates' memories and perceptions so that they believe they are ordinary residents of a peaceful small town. To keep his promise to Titania, The Hood takes her into Pleasant Hill to break the Absorbing Man out, only to become trapped in the “fake town's” layers of traps and guards. The narrative perspective shifts from Titania to the Absorbing Man, Carl Creel himself, telling of his confusion between his manipulated memories and his true identity, and of the unspoken rift between husband and wife when they reunite. Meanwhile, the breakout also affects the overall situation of the event. This is Volume 6 of the Illuminati series, and its plot connects with related issues of New Avengers and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.