The current team of Avengers banded together to defend the world from Loki’s army of dark celestials. Since then, they’ve been steeped in fighting international threats. The major threats being vampire civil war, the legion of the unliving, led by the mysterious Shadow Colonel, is hunting others of their kind. Dracula, Lord of the Vampires, turned himself over to the Winter Guard, a team of Russian superheroes, in exchange for asylum. Meanwhile, the Shadow Colonel is hatching a different plan. Avengers #16 reveals the Shadow Colonel’s plan.

Iron Man man does not achieve much in his discussion with Dracula before Dracula instigates a riot in the prison where he’s being kept. Iron Man is forced to reveal himself in order to help Winter Guard members Crimson Dynamo, Red Guardian, and Darkstar quell the chaos.

In Avengers #16, Ghost Rider restores control of himself and the Avengers manage to wrestle back the Legion of the Unliving, but this was all only one part of the Shadow Colonel’s plan. After the Winter Guard leaves the prison where Dracula is held, the Shadow Colonel sets off blood bombs full of dead vampire blood within. The blood subsumes the inmates and turns them into a grotesque new bread of vampires:

The Legion of the Unliving seems to be upping its ante to take control of the vampire community. Can the Avengers stop the war? Avengers #16 is on sale now.