New Avengers

Volume 1 (2005–2010)

The New Avengers is a spin-off of the long-running Marvel Comics series The Avengers. The first issue, written by Brian Michael Bendis and penciled by David Finch, was dated January 2005 but appeared in November 2004. Finch penciled the first six issues and issues #11–13. Succeeding pencilers with multiple-issue runs include Steve McNiven, Leinil Francis Yu, Billy Tan, and Stuart Immonen. The roster at first comprises Captain America, Luke Cage, Iron Man, Spider-Man and "Spider-Woman" (Veranke). Later stretches included the mutant X-Man Wolverine, the unstable and godlike Sentry, and the deaf ninja Echo, in the guise of Ronin.

The team itself was not named the "New Avengers" within the series. A splinter group of Avengers that chose not to comply with federal superhuman registration, the team considers itself the authentic Avengers. A concurrent government-sanctioned team gathered in the sister series The Mighty Avengers. This series launched in early 2007 and was itself supplanted by a different government-sanctioned team in the series Dark Avengers, which was launched in late 2008. At this time the team welcomed Clint Barton (recently returned from the dead) as Ronin, as well as Doctor Strange and Iron Fist.

By the end of the first volume, the New Avengers team consisted of Ronin, Captain America (Bucky Barnes), Ms. Marvel, Mockingbird, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman (Drew), Wolverine, and team leader Luke Cage. Writer Brian Michael Bendis said in an interview that these characters are the authentic Avengers because Captain America said they were.[1] This statement is repeated when the team, believing Captain America (Rogers) is alive, attempts to rescue him. Spider-Man claims that if they get Captain America back, they can call themselves Avengers again. Luke Cage contends that they are Avengers already.[2] The series ended with The New Avengers #64 (April 2010), at the conclusion of the "Siege" storyline. A one-shot titled The New Avengers: Finale was also released.[3]

Volume 2 (2010–2012)

In March 2010, Marvel announced the series would be relaunched in June as part of the company's rebranding initiative, "Heroic Age". In the first issue of the series, the new team consisted of Luke Cage, Victoria Hand, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Mockingbird, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, The Thing, and Wolverine.[4][5] Wolverine and Spider-Man operated on the main Avengers team as well as the New Avengers,[5] and Doctor Strange accepted an offer to join the team after their first mission while searching for the new Sorcerer Supreme after the death of Doctor Voodoo. Daredevil joined the team in issue #16[6]

Volume 3 (2013–2015)

New Avengers was renumbered as a new volume in January 2013, written by Jonathan Hickman and originally drawn by Steve Epting. The new volume shifted its focus to the powerful group known as the Illuminati, which includes Black Bolt, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Mister Fantastic, and Namor, who reassembled to confront the threat of incursions. Black Panther and Reed Richards discovered that universal decay centered on Earth was causing universes to collide with one another, with Earth at the focal point. In issue #3, Black Panther, who had previously opposed the existence of the Illuminati, joined the group, and the Beast was brought in to fill the spot vacated by the death of Professor X. In the same issue, Captain America leaves.[8][9] In issue #12, after having helped the Illuminati to defeat Thanos's army, Black Bolt's brother Maximus joined the team. Bruce Banner joined the team in Avengers (vol. 5) after discovering the universal decay on his own.

Volume 4 (2015–2016)

Volume 4 of New Avengers launched in October 2015 as a part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel relaunch, written by Al Ewing with art by Gerardo Sandoval. The comic features a different team from the past three volumes: it focuses on A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics), a former super-villain group which has been rebranded as the Avengers Idea Mechanics, and their field team which has taken the name of the New Avengers. Sunspot is the new head of A.I.M., with Songbird as the field leader;[10] other members include Wiccan, Hulkling, Squirrel Girl, Pod, Power Man, White Tiger, and Hawkeye as an open informant for S.H.I.E.L.D.[11] Later, there is a schism in the team: Wiccan, Hulkling and Squirrel Girl are expelled from A.I.M. and informed by Sunspot that the three of them are now what remains of the New Avengers; during the same story, Cannonball was revealed to be working for A.I.M. as well. Hawkeye, who had been fired from S.H.I.E.L.D., later rejoins the trio of remaining New Avengers to form a lineup jokingly called "Wiccan's Kooky Quartet".

Volume 5 (2025–2026)

Following the release of the movie Thunderbolts* (2025), it was announced in May 2025 that the previously solicited New Thunderbolts* ongoing series by writer Sam Humphries and artist Ton Lima would be retitled to New Avengers (vol. 5); The first issue is scheduled for release in June 2025.[14][15][16] The team will be led by the Winter Soldier with Wolverine (Laura Kinney), Black Widow, Carnage (Eddie Brock), Hulk, Clea Strange, and Namor on the initial roster.[15][16]

Assembling the Avengers

Following a reign of destruction by an insane Scarlet Witch, the Avengers disband. Six months later, with the Fantastic Four and the X-Men unable to act, the supervillain Electro shuts down power at the Raft, a "maximum-maximum security" prison for super-powered criminals, allowing for a mass breakout. "Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman)",[17] an agent for the international law-enforcement agency S.H.I.E.L.D., is at the Raft with attorney Matt Murdock (Daredevil) and "hero for hire" Luke Cage. They are joined by Captain America, Iron Man, and Spider-Man. They are also assisted by a mentally unbalanced Sentry, who is imprisoned at the Raft. The riot is quelled, although 42 inmates escape. Captain America declares fate has brought this group together, just as it had the original Avengers. Most of the heroes agree to join the team. Daredevil refuses the offer and Sentry flies off.

The team's first mission is to capture the remaining super-powered criminals who escaped during the riot.

New Avengers Vol. 1 (2005)

Trade paperbacks

Complete Collections

Modern Era Epic Collections

Marvel 2099

On the unified Marvel 2099 reality of Earth-2099, the 2099 version of the New Avengers were formed by Moon Knight (Tabitha) and consist of Aero (Zhe Li), Black Panther (T'Shamba), Captain America (Roberta Mendez), an unidentified 2099 version of Captain Britain, Captain Marvel (Rowena Stern), Gladiator (a Strontian named Kubark), Hulk 2099, an unidentified 2099 version of She-Hulk, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Woman (Sivern Dru), and Wave (MacKenzie Salgado) after most of her teammates in the Avengers were killed by the Masters of Evil. The New Avengers defeated the Masters of Evil and remanded them to a prison on the planet Wakanda.[48]

Ultimate Marvel

Television

• The New Avengers appear in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.[50] This version of the group is part of a fail-safe program developed by Tony Stark to ensure the world would still have heroes in the event that the Avengers are killed. In the New Avengers' self-titled episode, Kang the Conqueror traps the original Avengers in a temporal void, but Stark's computer systems bring Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, the Thing, War Machine, and Wolverine together to defeat Kang and save the original Avengers. In the series finale "Avengers Assemble!", the New Avengers reunite to help the original Avengers repel an attack from Galactus and his Heralds.
• The New Avengers, renamed the All-New, All-Different Avengers, appear in Avengers: Secret Wars,[51]