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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/str2_cn_wow1110_arena_b.JPG]]
2
3''Avengers Arena'' is a spin-off from ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' (and direct follow-up to ''ComicBook/AvengersAcademy'') by writer Dennis Hopeless and primary artist Kev Walker as part of Creator/{{Marvel}}'s ''ComicBook/MarvelNOW'' iniative. ''Avengers Arena'' stars sixteen of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse's teenage superheroes as they're put onto an isolated island and forced to fight and kill each other for [[ComicBook/XMen diabolical mastermind Arcade's]] amusement (yes like a certain infamous [[Film/BattleRoyale film based on a novel]]). The characters participating are [[ComicBook/AvengersAcademy Reptil, Hazmat, Mettle]], [[ComicBook/{{Sentinel}} Juston Seyfret and his Sentinel]], ComicBook/{{X 23}}, [[ComicBook/{{Runaways}} Chase Stein, Nico Minoru]], ComicBook/{{Darkhawk}}, [[ComicBook/{{Annihilation}} Cammi]], and Red Raven. The characters created for the book include Rebecca Ryker[=/=]Deathlocket (a younger DistaffCounterpart of ComicBook/{{Deathlok}}), and students of ComicBook/CaptainBritain's Braddock Academy: Apex (AlphaBitch smartypants), Nara (bloodlustful Atlantean), Kid Briton (young alternate-reality Captain Britain), Cullen Bloodstone (Ulysses Bloodstone's son and [[ComicBook/{{Bloodstone}} Elsa Bloodstone]]'s little brother), and Anachronism (nerd stuck in ancient warrior's body).
4
5The series is notable for garnering a backlash when it was first announced, due to the fact that these characters from cult hit series could possibly die. Since teen characters/lesser known characters are generally CListFodder, DeathIsCheap doesn't apply to them -- if they die, they can be KilledOffForReal with no chance of resurrection. Because of this, the series is divisive with many. The series lasted for 18 issues (February, 2013 - January, 2014), and is followed up by ''ComicBook/AvengersUndercover''.
6
7Also see ComicBook/YoungAvengers for another teen series part of the ComicBook/MarvelNOW initiative.
8----
9!!This book contains the following tropes:
10
11* ADeathInTheLimelight: [[spoiler: Issue 15 for Nara, who only had a supporting role in the story up until that point and in the issue she gets more depth and a backstory before getting killed.]]
12* AdultsAreUseless: Apex monologues that if Murderworld were a story, the adults would be the villains for not bothering to look for them. [[spoiler: The only characters that find it odd that the kids are gone are Hank Pym and Tigra, and they investigate and find that all of the kids had plausible reasons for disappearing, and Arcade even sends texts to their friends and updates online social media to keep up the charade. There's also Darkhawk, the only adult in Murderworld who gets taken out early.]]
13** Naturally, in the final issue, [[spoiler: the media blames the adults who failed them.]]
14** [[spoiler: Darkhawk didn't even have a chance to help when his amulet was stolen and he was presumed dead. It turned out he'd been kept in stasis all that time until Deathlocket found him and woke him up. Chris's first action was to bash Arcade in the head from behind, but because he was still disoriented Arcade got away. He was then shot in the shoulder by Deathlocket under Apex's control and passed out from blood loss. Arguably this counts as a subversion as Chris ''could'' have been useful if Arcade and Apex hadn't prevented him from doing so.]]
15* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: This is what drove Arcade to this new game in a desperate attempt to gain credibility amongst the other villains.
16* AlmostKiss: Between Deathlocket and [[spoiler: Tim]] before Nico comes and [[MomentKiller kills the moment.]]
17* AnyoneCanDie: A central part of the book's premise.
18* ArcVillain: [[spoiler: Apex, during the entire "Game On" arc.]]
19* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler: Arcade escapes, uploads the Murderworld footage to the internet, making good on his initial goal of wanting to be more respected by super-villains. Unfortunately this will come back to bite him in the ass in Undercover.]]
20* BadassBoast: With a healthy dose of AGodAmI.
21--> '''Arcade:''' "I'm not the villain, here. I am God."
22* BeachEpisode: Issue #11, which was set on the beach and was a break from the overall story. [[{{Fanservice}} Hazmat was even out of her suit a couple of times.]]
23* BetterThanABareBulb: Arcade's speech in issue #1 is chock full of (none-too-subtle) lampshades.
24--> '''Arcade:''' Got the idea from a couple ''kids' books'' I read in the pen.
25* BigGuyLittleGuy: Cullen and Anachronism have this dynamic, with him being the smart one and Anachronism being the muscle.
26* BlackDudeDiesFirst: [[spoiler: Mettle is the first one to die in the arena.]]
27* BondVillainStupidity: Apex makes quite a few mistakes in not capitalizing on the opportunity to win the game. [[spoiler: Namely, not killing X-23 when she had a clear chance.]]
28* BookEnds: The first and last issues have near identical covers, only the final issue has a blue logo and all the characters are crossed out.
29* BreakTheCutie: Deathlocket is the straightest example and Hazmat, while being harsher/more sarcastic than your typical Cutie, goes through it the most.
30* TheBreakfastClubPosterHomage: Done on the cover of issue 6, which dresses the characters like the cast of ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' and poses them like ''Film/TheBreakfastClub''.
31* BreatherEpisode:
32** Issue #7, which was mainly backstory, right after the [[spoiler: surprising death of Kid Briton]] which led into the "Game On" arc.
33** Issue #11 was a BeachEpisode as well, after three straight action issues with [[spoiler: Apex becoming the ArcVillain and killing Juston and Nico.]]
34** ''Another'' breather issue was needed (issue #13) after the action-packed #12 which saw [[spoiler: Nico being resurrected]] and engaging in a huge battle with Apex, along with the WhamShot of [[spoiler: Arcade's morgue with the dead players and the Mettle life model decoy.]]
35* CListFodder: No character in this book has held a series or team book to 100 issues. Or even 50 aside from Darkhawk (which hit exactly 50) (unless you want to be really generous when counting ''Runaways'' across 3 volumes). This is a common fear with fans in terms of characters being killed off without the possibility of returning.
36* CentralTheme:
37** The issues of identity and TheDarkSide of someone's personality manifesting are present. Most characters in the book have identity crises and/or a dual nature: Reptil is a dinosaur shapeshifter, X-23's trying to suppress her BerserkerRage, Juston identifies more with his Sentinel robot than people [[spoiler: and ends up bonded to him for life after he's paralyzed]], Anachronism is both a Celtic warrior and a gamer geek, Cullen is hiding his crush on Anachronsim [[spoiler: and also has a monster inside of him]], Apex is [[spoiler: two very different twin siblings sharing the same body]], Cammi despises being human and "weak," Deathlocket is both a girl and a Deathlok and the Darkhawk armor can transform anyone into an armored warrior.
38** There's also the issue of control that comes up, as revealed in #7 that Arcade isn't using power in Murderworld, but is manipulating the kids to play the game. Others have their own control issues such as X-23's assassin mentality and Apex's desire to control everyone around her.
39* CharacterDevelopment: Alongside the DeadlyGame, the series' primary focus is on the character interaction and growth they go through while on the island.
40* ChekhovsGun: In issue #5, while Kid Briton is being berated by Captain Britain, there's a fight outside the window with the Braddock Academy staff and [[ComicBook/{{Bloodstone}} Elsa Bloodstone]] and a huge green monster. It's treated as a FunnyBackgroundEvent, but later [[spoiler: it's revealed in #14 that the green monster was actually ''Cullen.'']]
41* ClingyMacGuffin: [[spoiler: Chase stumbles upon Darkhawk's lost amulet, and it embeds itself in him, making him the new Darkhawk.]]
42* ContinuitySnarl: Mostly related to the characters coming in from older series:
43** Nico's powers aren't portrayed as they were in [[Creator/JossWhedon Joss Whedon's run]]. Nico casts the spell "Chill Out", which she already cast in ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}: Runaways[=/=]ComicBook/YoungAvengers #2''. The Staff of One can only cast the same spell once and tends to have a random or negative effect when a spell is recast. The effect is different, but the results are very much the same. Also, Apex [[spoiler: was able to grab the Staff of One, despite in volume three it established no one but her can touch it.]]
44** During a flashback in #3, Agent Brand shows Cammi a picture that has her with Nova, Drax the Destroyer, and Starlord. The problem is that Peter Quill didn't become Starlord again until after Cammi left.
45* CoversAlwaysLie:
46** The cover to #1 is a group photo with most of the cast, some of whom have red "X" marks over their heads, seemingly marking them as dead. [[spoiler: None off the characters that have an 'X' through their head die that issue. One dies in the following one. The only character who ''does'' die in #1 isn't marked on the cover.]]
47** #2 is a ''Lord of the Flies'' homage with Reptil. [[spoiler: The issue is focused on Deathlocket and her origin. Reptil doesn't even get any speaking lines.]]
48** #4 promises a fight between X-23 and Darkhawk. [[spoiler: Darkhawk went MIA in the previous issue, and Chase, who becomes the new Darkhawk at the end of #4, doesn't so much as look at X-23 funny.]] The alternate cover to #4 has Chase and Darkhawk fighting each other. [[spoiler: As mentioned above, Darkhawk went MIA previous issue and Chase takes over his powers at the end of this.]]
49** [[spoiler: #11, Reptil and Hazmat are embracing on a beach, but nothing even remotely romantic occurs.]]
50* CurbstompBattle: The attempt by the characters to ZergRush Arcade in the first issue. Freely lampshaded by Arcade who comments that he's starting to feel like a bully.
51** [[spoiler: Apex with Deathlocket and Sentinel]] vs. X-23 involved this to a literal sense. [[spoiler: #12 had Apex end on receiving end of this, from Nico, who held her own for a brief period of time, but still lost.]]
52* CynicismCatalyst: [[spoiler: Mettle, was killed gruesomely right in front of Hazmat, which starts off her depression and HeroicBSOD for the majority of the comic.]]
53* DarkerAndEdgier: Than ''Avengers Academy''.
54* TheDarkSide: According to [[WordOfGod Hopeless]], All the characters in the story have an element of Darkness that can easily turn them into villains and that element will be the predominant aspect of their stories in this book.
55* DarkAndTroubledPast: Quite a few of the players have dark pasts, namely X-23, Cammi, Deathlocket, the Runaways, Apex [[spoiler: and Tim]], and Cullen Bloodstone.
56* DeadlyGame: Murderworld, which not only pits the kids against each other, but has deadly traps along the way.
57* DeathTrap: Murderworld itself is a massive, multi-layered, mulch-purpose deathtrap.
58* DesertedIsland: The new Murderworld, to a degree. The island itself actually has four different climate zones. An arctic section, a beach, a forest and a desert.
59* DeusExitMachina: [[spoiler: Darkhawk, the oldest and the most powerful player in the game is taken out in issue #4 and has his amulet recovered by Chase.]]
60* DividedWeFall: In issue 16, [[spoiler: after Nara is killed and on the last day of the game, the kids remaining completely turn on each other. Anachronism viciously attacks Cullen, the Runaways team up and attack Reptil, and X-23 is still trigger-scented and going after Hazmat. Only Cammi tries to not play Arcade's game and only shoots Anachronism to defend Cullen.]]
61* DontYouDarePityMe: [[spoiler: The kids make a pact to not tell anyone about what happened on Murderworld to avoid being exploited. Too bad Arcade puts the entire Murderworld saga on the internet.]]
62* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: 10 of the kids survive and they are rescued. But there are six dead and they're KilledOffForReal, and the remaining kids are traumatized. Deathlocket breaks from Apex's control but is forced to kill her, along with her first love Tim. The kids make a pact to not tell anyone what happened to avoid pity, but Arcade uploads it all on the internet anyway and essentially gets away with his scheme, which is even more of a win since he could easily be tracked down if the kids would admit it was him.]]
63* DramaticIrony: In issue #13, Juston's dad chastises Tigra who's only checking to seeing if Juston was at home. He yells at her that he never wanted Juston to attend the academy, and he's better off at home, away from the super-drama. [[spoiler: Of course, the reader knows that Juston was killed early on and the "Juston" that went home is an life model decoy.]]
64* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: Juston, Mettle and Red Raven, who aren't given focus issues and are mainly used as plot devices.]]
65* DysfunctionJunction: All the students coming from the Braddock Academy have a DarkAndTroubledPast, sans Kid Briton (possibly). Also, the stress of the situation in Murderworld causes a few characters to crack under the pressure.
66* {{Epigraph}}: The book concludes with a quote from ''Literature/{{The Art of War|SunTzu}}'' by Sun Tzu.
67* {{Expy}}:
68** WiseBeyondTheirYears, very intelligent, cynical, badass deeds done in the past, crazy survival skills, good with a gun, wants to keep to their own in the game, because of experience saying others are untrustworthy, but after a while sticks to one boy and girl said boy desperately tries to protect, takes TheSmartGuy role thanks to above mentioned experience and skills providing strategic insight for the group... Is this describing Cammi or [[Film/BattleRoyale Shogo Kawada]]?
69** Apex, who is clearly a superpowered version of [[Film/BattleRoyale Mitsuko Souma]]. She's also [[spoiler: forced to share a body]] with Tim, a docile sweet guy. Sort of like a [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer completely evil hellgod that a blonde vampire slayer had to death with]].
70** Nico Minoru in span of few issues berates a friend for considering passing death as judgment, stands against stronger opponent, allowing rest of the group to escape [[spoiler: is defeated and falls down a cliff, but keeps fighting on. She dies crawling through the snow, broken and alone, only to be reborn in more powerful form]]. You know, like [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Gandalf]].
71* FailedASpotCheck: [[spoiler: Apex snaps Juston's neck and steals Sentinel in the middle of the night, but apparently no one heard or noticed.]]
72* FateWorseThanDeath: Or at least "fate that equals death" as Hopeless put it "surviving Murderworld would be almost as awful as not surviving it".
73* {{Flanderization}}: Many of previously established characters have their most memorable trait from previous volumes emphasized - Hazmat is angry, Mettle is hopelessly devoted to Hazmat, Juston's best friend is his robot, etc. Nico and Chase's trust issues coming back is also a {{flanderization}}, as they for the most part are cool in Runaways volume 3.
74* FlashBack: Each issue has had a character flash back to one point or another.
75* FirstLawOfResurrection: [[spoiler: Despite dying earlier, Nico is resurrected stronger than ever because Hopeless is a big fan of the Runaways.]]
76* GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke: [[spoiler: Apex and Tim's flight and technopathy, not to mention them sharing a body, is the result of genetic manipulation by their parents who wanted superbabies.]]
77* HateSink: Apex. She isn't the main villain at all, in fact she's a ''victim'' of Arcade but she's more than willing to play the game and kill in order to save her own hide.
78* HeroicBSOD: Several characters, namely Hazmat [[spoiler: after Mettle gets killed.]]
79* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Mettle gives his life to save Hazmat, Nico sacrifices herself to save the rest of the team. Only Nico is resurrected.]]
80* HiddenDepths: Quite a few of the new characters are more well-rounded than they appear, as well as Cammi.
81* IdiotBall:
82** ComicBook/{{X 23}} grabs it pretty tightly in #10. After the series made a point of reinforcing that she constantly and automatically [[SherlockScan takes stock of her surroundings]] and [[AwesomenessByAnalysis pretty much determines the best plan to kill everyone around her]] ''all the time'', [[spoiler: decides that the best approach for taking on Apex, who has control of a ''Sentinel'', is charge her head-on in hopes of getting to her first.]]
83** She then passes the ball [[spoiler: to Apex herself, who after X-23's attack plan ''doesn't'' finish her off, despite knowing about her HealingFactor.]]
84* InMediasRes: How the series starts, on day 29 of a proposed 30 day game. The rest of the story is told via flashback (and flashbacks within the main flashback).
85* {{Irony}}[=/=]StableTimeLoop: Deathlocket's family was attacked by a Deathlok that was sent back in time to kill her father. It's later revealed that her father is the one that would go on to invent the Deathlok.
86* IncompatibleOrientation: Within the LoveDodecahedron, there's Cullen who's in love with Anachronism, but Anachronism is in lust with female Atlantian Nara.
87* IslandBase: Murderworld is one, with different quadrants.
88* JigsawPuzzlePlot: As the story progressed, the layers of the plot were peeled back via flashbacks and breather issues.
89* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Arcade, who escapes scot-free and uploads the Murderworld footage to the internet. However he gets his just desserts in [[ComicBook/AvengersUndercover Undercover]].]]
90* KilledOffForReal: Any character killed in the arena is dead, with no DeusExMachina's waiting to revive them. [[spoiler: Nico ''was'' dead, but then was revived by her staff.]]
91* LateArrivalSpoiler: [[spoiler: Mettle is killed brutally in the ''very first issue,'' setting up the villain Arcade's powers, Hazmat's character arc, and the entire series' tone.]] Several comic news outlets already included that spoiler in any coverage of ''Arena'', and it's pretty hard to read anything about the comic without stumbling into that. Also, several other characters are {{Walking Spoiler}}s due to the nature of the series.
92* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Apex monologues in #12 [[spoiler: who would be the villain if Murderworld was a story: herself, the adult heroes, or the [[TakeThatAudience readers themselves for indulging in a story where teenagers are murdered brutally.]]]]
93* LifeMeter: Used for the characters in the story as a narrative device, rather than an actual indicator of physical condition.
94* LegacyCharacter: Deathlocket for Deathlok and Kid Britain for Captain Britain. There is also Red Raven, who is the third character to have that name and Cullen Bloodstone who is part of the Bloodstone family. Also, X-23 natch.
95* LoveDodecahedron: Between all the kids of the Braddock Academy. Kid Briton is in a relationship with Apex. But, [[spoiler: Kid Briton is cheating on Apex with Nara, which Apex knows about and kinda finds it kinky. Nara is flirty and attracted to Anachronism, and Anachronism is very interested in her, willing to kill to protect her. Cullen Bloodstone himself also has a crush on Anachronism that he doesn't know about. Then Apex's twin brother Tim and Deathlocket have feelings for each other. Did we mention Tim is trapped in Apex's head?]]
96* LowerDeckEpisode: Issue #13, which snaps the story outside of Murderworld, to the adults of ComicBook/AvengersAcademy investigating the kids' disappearances.
97* MagicCountdown: The first "season" of the comic is 18 issues, so in a few spots the comics has to make narrative leaps in order to fit within the allotted time, such as several days passing without the audience seeing them, and events explained through exposition. [[https://twitter.com/HopelessDent/status/349965085382422529 Acknowledged]] by [[WordOfGod Dennis Hopeless himself.]]
98* MauveShirt: [[spoiler: Mettle, Kid Briton and Juston. Juston didn't even get a focus issue before he was offed, and went through a TraumaCongaLine beforehand to boot.]]
99* ManBehindTheMan: Ms. Coriander built and designed Murderworld for Arcade as well as made his suit, on commission. He would be impotent without her.
100* MeetCute: [[spoiler: How Tim and Deathlocket meet (when he emerges from Apex's body, and then later interact.]]
101* MercyKill: [[spoiler: Deathlocket kills Tim after he begs, in order to finish Apex once and for all.]]
102* MurderDotCom: Arcade loads the videos of the teenagers killing each other on to the internet.
103* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Chris Powell/Darkhawk, who had his amulet taken away viciously in issue 4 and was knocked out. He didn't reappear until issue #12 where he was seem floating in a rejuvenation chamber-type device Arcade set up. In issue #16, he breaks free.]]
104* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Arcade has never managed to kill any super human in Murderworld, until now.
105* OfCorpseHesAlive: A rather creepy variant with [[spoiler:Mettle's skin being used as a covering for a robot]].
106* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome:
107** Issue 8 reveals [[spoiler: Juston managed to survive in the desert single handed without his Sentinel, and retrieved a supply crate with no one watching while crippled!]]
108** Nico's creation of a super-food magic tree despite all the non-combat magic-countermeasures Arcade set up.
109* PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize: Well, the entire premise. An adult supervillain trapping teenage kids and forcing them to kill each other. [[spoiler: In ''Undercover'' when Arcade goes straight to Baron Zemo to join the more power villains, Baron Zemo basically shrugs at Arcade's feat and dismisses it.]]
110* PoorCommunicationKills: Mainly between Chase and Nico. Nico finds it hard to trust Chase, even after all they've been through. [[spoiler: Chase comes in contact with the Darkhawk amulet and keeps it a secret from Nico. Nico doesn't appreciate that at all, especially after he was on the side of killing Apex/Tim and casts him out the group. Them being apart ultimately leads to Chase being controlled by Apex and Apex killing Nico. She got better.]]
111* PopularityPower: No comic fan thinks that X-23, the most well-known character is going to die in this book. [[spoiler: And they're correct, as she appears in ''ComicBook/AllNewXMen'' after the series concludes.]] Also, Reptil has some immunity, as he appears in the kid-friendly WesternAnimation/TheSuperheroSquadShow. Played with the Runaways (who had the longest running series out of the cast), [[spoiler: Nico actually died, but was resurrected.]]
112* PunctuatedPounding: When [[spoiler: Deathlocket]] breaks free of [[spoiler: Apex's]] control, she wails on her.
113-->''I'm...'''NOT! YOUR!''' '''''TOY!''''' '''YOU SELF IMPORTANT! MEGALOMANIACAL! BITCH!'''''
114* RecycledInSpace: It's ''Battle Royale'' [-WITH SUPER HEROES-]!
115* RedShirt: [[spoiler: Red Raven. No lines, dead by #2]]
116* RememberThatYouTrustMe: Chase and Nico still have trust issues and they bring them to Murderworld.
117* RevengeBeforeReason: In #4 [[spoiler: Avengers Academy and Hazmat in particular jump to conclusions regarding the Runaways. Hazmat destroys the food granting tree Nico built in spite for a perceived attack on Reptil from Chase, despite it being one of the few food sources on the island left for anyone. It was actually Deathlocket that hurt him and Reptil's in no condition to argue against the assumption until the next issue.]]
118* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Subverted with Cullen and Aiden. Aiden is the big, straight hulking warrior who is highly emotional and docile; Cullen is gay, short in stature and weak-looking but an accomplished hunter and stoic.
119* ShoutOut:
120** Each cover is a reference to another work, many of which contain a similar premise to the story.
121*** Issue #1 references ''Literature/BattleRoyale''.
122*** Issue #2 references ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies''.
123*** Issue #3 references ''Literature/TheHungerGames''
124*** Issue #5 references ''Film/AClockworkOrange''
125*** Issue #6 references a ''{{Series/Survivor}}'' cast tribe photo with a pose from Film/TheBreakfastClub.
126*** Issue #10 references ''Film/{{Platoon}}''
127*** Issue #11 references ''Literature/TheBlueLagoon''
128*** Issue #14 references Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/{{Wolverine|1982}}''.
129** The rocket launcher Bloodstone uses is lifted right from ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''.
130* SlidingScaleOfPlotVersusCharacters: The Murderworld/''Battle Royale'' plot takes a backseat to the CharacterFocus of the group.
131* SmugSnake: Apex, through and through. She's confident in her intelligence and cunning, and [[spoiler: it doesn't take her long to try to manipulate and kill her way through the game. It doesn't work.]]
132* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler: Mettle and Juston, who came over from the book's direct precessor, ''Avengers Academy''.]]
133* TheStinger: [[spoiler: After the kids are rescued, the focus shifts to Arcade in an undisclosed location gleefully uploading the Murderworld footage to the internet.]]
134* StupidEvil: Arcade himself. Yeah, kidnapping Wolverine's daughter/clone, a bunch of kids affiliated with in an Avengers sponsored school, etc. isn't going to get him beaten to a bloody pulp in the end. This one is so blatant it even gets {{lampshaded}}. And of course, he uploads all the footage on Website/YouTube titled "What Happened In Murderworld?" so he ''blatantly confesses on the internet'' that it was all his doing since the X-Men and Avengers are very familiar with what Arcade has called his death traps. There's also the fact that his entire scheme to make himself a bigger threat was by making teenagers kill each other.
135* SuicidalOverconfidence: (Many of) the characters are fully convinced that charging Arcade head-on will work, despite the fact that he had them all immobilized not five seconds ago. He even points out that it's silly. Arcade compliments those smart enough to realize it won't work.
136* SwitchingPOV: Each issue is a different perspective.
137* TotallyRadical: A couple of sentences are peppered with slang, the most conspicuous being "bot-splode" in issue #12.
138* TakenALevelInBadass: Arcade comes with new godlike powers and easily kicks around the kids. [[spoiler: Then the trope is flipped on it's head as turns out his powers just come from a suit fashioned by Ms. Coriander, who also arranges the island base. The suit only works on the island, and when confronted at his base he is helpless to fight back.]]
139* TeenDrama: Even with the death game, at it's core ''Avengers Arena'' is a teen drama, complete with ShipTease, a LoveTriangle, and backstabbing.
140* TonightSomeoneDies: A big point of contention for this series and already advertized by #2, with early previews threatening two fan favorites at once. [[spoiler: Too bad the first death is actually in #1.]]
141* TooDumbToLive: Issue 13 points out that this is the case . . . for Arcade. Short version: When the heroes find out about what he is doing, they'll come down on him like a ton of bricks.
142* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: [[spoiler: X-23]] was confirmed to survive thanks to the announcement that [[spoiler: she]]'d be joining the cast of ''ComicBook/AllNewXMen'' once ''Arena'' finished up. Then at New York Comic-Con 2013, Marvel also revealed that [[spoiler: Cullen, Cammi, Anachronism, Deathlocket, and Hazmat]] would all survive as well, since they've been announced as part of the cast of ''Avengers Undercover''.
143* TroubledTeen: This story brings in several troubled teens all throughout the Marvel Universe, and introduces a few in the Braddock Academy and Deathlocket.
144* TryNotToDie: Nico utters her famous line in the final issue.
145* TwinBanter: [[spoiler: Now that Apex's grip on Tim's consciousness is over, this is how they interact for the most part, with the bonus of their bodies actually switching from one another.]]
146* TwoSiblingsInOne: [[spoiler: Apex and Tim are a set of twins who share the same body, due to their parents' genetic manipulation to get a super-baby. Apex would appear one day, and Tim would appear the next. Apex eventually taught herself to completely suppress Tim from manifesting, trapping him in her consciousness.]]
147* WhamEpisode: Issue #12, which saw [[spoiler: Nico being revived and defeating Apex, as well as Deathlocket stumbling onto where the losers' bodies are taken and apparently undergoing examination -- if those are even real bodies]], and [[spoiler: Issue #16, which has everyone trying to kill one another and the original Darkhawk is still alive.]]
148** WhamLine: Issue #8:
149--->'''Apex''': "Nothing's wrong, love. [[spoiler: But I'm not Katy. My name is Tim."]]
150** WhamShot: Many of the kills are presented in a very similar Wham-format: Black silhouettes on a Red Background, often with a larger panel than normal.
151* WholePlotReference:
152** To ''Battle Royale'', ''Hunger Games'', etc. ''Battle Royale'' especially.
153* WolverinePublicity: The title is considered an ''Avengers'' book and has Avengers branding, but there's only five characters associated with ComicBook/TheAvengers in the title. One of those five characters (X-23) is considered to be more of an ''ComicBook/XMen'' character, not to mention Arcade is a classic X-Men villain. The [[Film/TheAvengers2012 billion-grossing movie]] ''probably'' had something to do with the name. Not to mention this is X-23's sixth book, putting her closer and closer with her DistaffCounterpart, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s exposure.
154* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler: Apex takes out Juston's sentinel, beats X-23 with it and also takes control of a Deathlok and the Darkhawk armor. Later X-23 gets owned again by Cullen's monster form.]]
155* WrongGenreSavvy: Apex, who [[spoiler: takes the initiative to win the game and kills two of the kids. She thinks of ''herself'' as the hero, because she's playing by the rules.]] Also, earlier in the series, the kids (mainly Hazmat) ZergRush Arcade, thinking it would be a simple teen superhero/joke villain beatdown and they get a rude awakening.
156* YankTheDogsChain: A brutal example of this is in #14. [[spoiler: Hazmat sees Mettle in the distance and freaks out at him being alive. But it's just his ''skin'', and it unleashes X-23's trigger scent.]]
157----
158->''"Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death."'' -- '''Sun Tzu''', ''Literature/{{The Art of War|SunTzu}}''

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