Welcome to the newest supervillain prison, known only as "42". Located in an alternate dimension, this vault ensures the disadvantage of escape with a completely uninhabitable void outside the walls... apart from the swarm of massive insects closing in on the walls. Led by Annihilus, the only hope against them is the small band of heroes and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents... and their only hope may be the very people they've imprisoned here.
Tropes:
- C-List Fodder: Blizzard, Whirlwind, and Radioactive Man are all killed during the Annihilation Wave's assault on Prison 42.
- Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: In The Teaser, Wasp keeps teasing Whirlwind, who has a murderous rage towards her. As she tells Ms. Marvel it's not the first time this occurs.
- Enemy Mine: The Avengers and the Prison 42 inmates teamup in order to stop Annihilus. Cap blatantly leaves Zemo inside his cell in case a literal backstab ever happens.
- Everyone Has Standards: Cap is willing to ask the inmates for help, but not Zemo because he's too dangerous.Captain America: I'd rather face a million bugs in front of me than risk having one of your daggers in my back.
- Godzilla Threshold: Two of them. Captain America enlisting the help of the villains to defend Prison 42 (excluding Zemo), and later destroying the gate out of the Negative Zone. Fortunately, they don't get to resort to the latter.
- Harbinger of Impending Doom: The Leader is somehow the only one with the brain mass to feel the bugs coming, while other villains hear some noise throughout the prison.
- It Can Think: The first of the bugs adapts to our heroes' tactics.
- Lighter and Softer: The idea of 42 counts as this. Here, it's just another prison especially designed for supervillains. In the comics, it was one of the most controversial plot devices of Civil War (2006), as it was used to incarcerate heroes who didn't want to sign up to the SHRA.
- Mind Rape: The Leader suffers this because of Annihilus. It's not a direct attempt, but the Leader can sense his mind, and it's just so chaotic and unusual that he can barely function.
- Mythology Gag: The unnamed bugs are similar to the Brood from X-Men mythos.
- Not What It Looks Like: Ms. Marvel threatens to zap the Leader and Abomination for approaching the computer terminal. The Leader insists this is not an escape attempt and that he's trying to make Annihilus vulnerable, though Abomination actually thought they were attempting to escape.
- Oh, Crap!: Seeing what the bugs have already done, Blizzard considers going back to his cell.
- Omnicidal Maniac: According to the Leader, Annihilus is driven to wipe out all positive matter for encroaching on the Negative Zone.
- Shout-Out: The title resembles Assault on Precinct 13 (1976).
- Taught by Experience: Zemo stays in his cell for a reason.Ms. Marvel: Cap?
Captain America: Too dangerous. Trust me. - Tempting Fate: Quartermain assures that the prison is set up with backup generators to prevent blackouts. However, they get worse immediately after saying this.
- Token Good Teammate: Unsurprisingly, Captain Mar-Vell is the first of the inmates to volunteer to help the Avengers.
- Villain Ball: Abomination asks why they should help the very people that imprisoned them in the first place. Cap offers to vouch for them at a parole hearing if they help, as well as notes fighting the bugs as a group is preferable to being alone in their small cells.
