I’ve been trying to make some sense all morning of the current state of Marvel comics, following the weekend reveal of 52 new covers (sort of rings a bell) that will chart the direction of the Marvel Universe in the wake of Secret Empire and the Legacy mini-series that aims to re-establish the status quo of several familiar icons. All I see is creative bankruptcy.

The upcoming Avengers: Infinity War was officially the last film on Chris Evans' contract to play Captain America. However, the actor will be returning for one more Marvel film, but could that be his last hurrah?

Secret Empire #3 further solidifies the reach of Captain America and HYDRA, but a resistance is growing. While Star Lord’s attempt to recruit some help from the Skrull, Kree and Shi-Ar goes disastrously wrong (hey at least we know that Rocket Raccoon is a Wu Tang fan now), the likes of the Black Widow and Hawkeye are busy cooking up a plot all of their own in this very busy issue.

Marvel has done a terrible job so far on giving their new generation of heroes a legacy worth pursuing. Marvel Generations wants to change all of that with a ten-issue anthology series that pairs the next generation with the old. Here's who’ll be handling what on the creative side of Generations.

Captain America, supervillain. Sounds weird right? It could be worse of course, as nobody wants to remember that time that Steve Rogers became a werewolf. Secret Empire #1 however, plays on that idea that we all desperately want to believe that we’re the heroes of our own stories. Steve Rogers may be the new supreme leader of not only HYDRA but also the United States of America, but he has to continue to put on a brave face while doubts eat away at him from the inside and other external threats begin to plot his downfall.

Betrayed by an icon who now leads an organisation with dodgy ties to the past and Nazism, fans haven’t exactly been happy with the turn of events that saw Captain America pledge allegiance to thinly-veiled fascism. Marvel on the other hand, want people to give the entire saga a chance to play out before they make a final decision.

Marvel's grand plan for a shared cinematic universe is now nearing a record tenth year of movies, sequels and ambition. All of that comes to a head in what the company calls Phase 3 of these films, the culmination of which is Avengers: Infinity War. So what does the future hold for Marvel once the dust has settled? A very different new universe for its heroes.

Recently, Marvel’s core trinity has been anything but Heroic. Thor lost his hammer and charm, Captain America has staged a coup de grace on the United States and Tony Stark is currently enjoying a nice coma nap thanks to the events of Civil War II. Marvel Legacy looks set to rectify all of that, with a “bold new direction” this that will "embrace our roots and move enthusiastically forward".