The Last Avengers Story is a two-issue prestige format

Prestige format

Prestige format is a term coined by DC Comics and later came into wider use to refer to a square-bound comic book with cardstock covers. A prestige format comic book is usually longer than a normal, stapled 32-page comic...

 mini-series

Limited series

A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....

 from Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

 released in November and December 1995. It was written by Peter David

Peter David

Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...

 and illustrated by Ariel Olivetti

Ariel Olivetti

Ariel Olivetti is an Argentine comic book penciller best known for his work on American comic book titles such as Daredevil, X-Man, Space Ghost and Punisher War Journal.-Career:...

.

Publication history

The series was written in 1986 by Peter David, but it was shelved due to editorial meddling with the plot. David wanted a character-driven story, but his editors wanted a more action driving storyline. The series was revived when it was published as part of the Alterniverse, a subset of the What If?

What If (comics)

What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...

comic book which focused upon darker, bleaker stories.

Plot

The robot Ultron

Ultron

Ultron is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers #54 , and was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema...

, wanting revenge on the superhero team the Avengers

Avengers (comics)

The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...

 for constant defeats, places a document detailing their downfall in a time capsule

Time capsule

A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...

. When the time-travelling villain Kang the Conqueror

Kang the Conqueror

Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #8 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...

 finds the document centuries later, and having been thwarted by the Avengers himself, he travels back to their time to kill the team. The old Avengers, however, have disbanded and been replaced by a less dedicated group. Kang kills the entire team by detonating a nuclear weapon

Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...

 over Avengers Mansion

Avengers Mansion

In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, Avengers Mansion has traditionally been the base of the Avengers. The enormous, city block-sized building is located at 890 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City.-Creative origin:...

.

With many of the old Avengers such as Captain America

Captain America

Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...

; Thor

Thor (Marvel Comics)

Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....

; Iron Man

Iron Man

Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...

; Quicksilver

Quicksilver (comics)

Quicksilver is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...

 and the Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch

The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...

 either dead or missing for years, Henry Pym

Henry Pym

Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...

 reluctantly forms another team. The unit consists of his wife the Wasp

Wasp (comics)

The Wasp is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe and founding member of The Avengers. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 ....

; Hawkeye

Hawkeye (comics)

Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...

 and his wife Mockingbird

Mockingbird (Marvel Comics)

Mockingbird is a fictional character, a superhero in the who first appears in the Ka-Zar story in Astonishing Tales #6 written by Gerry Conway and pencilled by Barry Smith...

; the mutant Cannonball

Cannonball (comics)

Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....

; sorcerer Tommy Maximoff

Speed (comics)

Speed is a fictional character and member of the Young Avengers, a team of superheroes in the Marvel Universe. His appearance is patterned on that of Quicksilver and first appeared in the comic book Young Avengers #10...

 (son of the android Vision

Vision (Marvel Comics)

The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...

 and the Scarlet Witch); Jessie Wingfoot (daughter of She-Hulk

She-Hulk

She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....

 and Wyatt Wingfoot

Wyatt Wingfoot

Wyatt Wingfoot is a fictional, comic-book supporting character in the Marvel Comics universe, who first appeared in Fantastic Four #50 . While having no superpowers, he has spent much time in the company of the Fantastic Four due to his friendship with Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, and his...

) and two mercenaries called Hotshot and Bombshell.

Together they confront Kang—now allied with Ultron, the Grim Reaper and a creature called Oddball—and in a battle to the death many of the Avengers are murdered before finally killing all the villains. Hawkeye discovers that Captain America, who was formerly President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 and believed assassinated, is still alive and recuperating, and had watched the entire battle.

Collected editions

The series was collected into a trade paperback

Trade paperback (comics)

In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...

(ISBN 0-7851-0218-3) and the premiere hardcover Avengers: First To Last along with the Avengers Classic series (ISBN 0-7851-3652-5).