Marvel Mangaverse - New Mangaverse: The Rings of Fate

New Mangaverse: The Rings of Fate is the third sequel series to volumes one and two of Marvel Mangaverse, and starts some time after the events of Volume Two, Legend of the Spider-Clan and X-Men: Ronin. Direct references are made to both Legend of the Spider-Clan and Mangaverse Volume Two.

The Hand make their first appearance in the Mangaverse. They are responsible for the deaths of roughly 99% of the superhuman population in the Mangaverse. They are also armed with the rings of Iron Man's long time nemesis The Mandarin. Elektra and Daredevil also make appearances; Elektra decapitates Daredevil and is herself cleaved in half by Carol Danvers in combat near the end of the series. Danvers then takes possession of a costume and shield which once belonged to Captain America, nearly identical to his costume from the mainstream universe (altered for a female body, making Danvers look similar to her niece Shannon, the MC2 heroine known as The American Dream). The shield, however, is identical entirely to the 616 version in appearance. Though whether or not it is made of the same composition, is completely unknown.)

Tony Stark returns, and once again becomes Iron Man. Together, the remaining heroes; Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Black Cat, Wolverine, Iron Man, the Human Torch, and the new Captain America form a new group of Avengers and battle and defeat the Hand, along with a mind controlled Sharon Carter.

Several characters introduced in the previous volumes of the series were redesigned in appearance and/or personality for New Mangaverse. The Black Cat, who was introduced in Legend of the Spider-Clan, bears a striking facial resemblance to Rei Ayanami, a character from Evangelion in New Mangaverse. Spider-Man, briefly unmasked near the end of the series, bears a resemblance to Shinji Ikari. Wolverine is redesigned in New Mangaverse as well, becoming taller, wearing gear resembling the armor worn by Vegeta of Dragon Ball Z, with a more muscular build, a facial structure intended to be based on that of Vegeta, and a redesign of his bionic hand and energy claws. The Human Torch, whose personality, rather than looks, have been based on that of Asuka Soryu of Evangelion since volume one of the series, underwent a radical change. Her hairstyle and facial structure as well as physique are altered. Her hair is now done in pigtails, somewhat more closely resembling the hairstyle of Asuka, rather than a combination of straight hair with ringlets. Her half sister Sioux Storm, originally pattered after Rei Ayanami in physical appearance (despite her hair being blonde rather than blue) as well as personality, changed in personality between volumes 1 and 2 of the Mangaverse collections, and by the time of New Mangaverse was much more emotional and sported longer hair, no longer bearing any resemblance whatsoever to Rei, and was slain shortly after her appearance in the second issue of New Mangaverse.

At the end of the series, the Black Cat is revealed to have been working alongside Nick Fury, who is implied to have orchestrated the decimation of the super-powered population. Whether or not she is truly loyal to Fury, if indeed this is actually Fury, who is himself believed to be dead, has yet to be revealed.

New Mangaverse, though left open ended, appears to have been intended as the finale for the Marvel Mangaverse, as the near entirety of its superhuman population was decimated. It is therefore likely that the Black Cat's genuine loyalties will remain unknown due to New Mangaverse being the swan song for this particular universe.

In the Hulk: Broken Worlds anthology there's a short story, telling one of mangaverse's Hulk adventures in Norse Cosmological Zone, which happens before the first volume.