Contains major spoilers for Thunderbolts* (2025)!As 2025’s Thunderbolts* officially introduces the New Avengers into MCU lore, Marvel fans have a lot of questions about the new team. Thankfully, years of comic lore give some clues as to what’s next, including some tidbits that seem destined to influence big-screen canon.
Here are eight essential facts from the New Avengers’ comic run that Marvel fans need to know right now, from the other Avengers teams that formed to fight them to the heroes whose lives were changed forever by joining this surprising team.
Don’t be surprised if the MCU introduces a Mighty Avengers roster to take on the New Avengers.
8
The New Avengers Kickstarted the Darkest Era in Marvel History
Dark Reign Had a Huge Impact on Marvel’s Status Quo
In the comics, the New Avengers span out of Avengers: Disassembled, where the Scarlet Witch attacked the traditional team, causing a number of fatalities. While Marvel’s heroes were dispirited and weren’t looking to rebuild Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, a massive breakout from the supervillain prison known as the Raft brought together an unlikely group. In the aftermath, Iron Man and Captain America agreed that the world needed the Avengers, accepting that fate had brought together a new iteration of the team that needed to do things differently. The founding team consisted of:
- Iron Man
- Steve Rogers’ Captain America
- Luke Cage
- Spider-Man
- Wolverine
- The Sentry
Captain America originally argued against recruiting Wolverine, saying he is a killer and doesn’t belong with the Avengers. However, Tony Stark believed Logan could do what other heroes couldn’t.
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Eventually, it was discovered that the Raft breakout was part of the Skrull invasion of Earth. This led to a gigantic battle in New York where – due to some behind the scenes manipulation – the villainous Norman Osborn (aka the Green Goblin) managed to kill the Skrull leader, essentially replacing Nick Fury in the aftermath due to a wave of popularity and political support. This began the Dark Reign era of Marvel Comics, in which Norman Osborn elevated villains to positions of importance and began persecuting and attempting to assassinate various heroes.
While the MCU isn’t following the exact same timeline (the New Avengers assembled before Civil War and Secret Invasion in the comics), Thunderbolts*‘s New Avengers are perfectly poised to preside over a darker era of stories, especially given the movie roster’s checkered pasts.
Bucky Barnes later joined the New Avengers, but not as the Winter Soldier. Bucky worked with the team when Steve Rogers was believed dead, operating as a gun-wielding Captain America (nicknamed Bucky Cap by Spider-Man.)
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7
Their Biggest Enemy Was Norman Osborn, AKA the Green Goblin
Spider-Man’s Nemesis Could Have a Wild Role in the MCU
While the team were around for over a decade, fighting a number of threats, the New Avengers’ biggest enemy was Norman Osborn. During Dark Reign, Osborn was (seemingly) purged of the Green Goblin persona, accepting a role leading a version of the Thunderbolts. Osborn used his position to accrue power and eventually replaced Nick Fury, turning SHIELD into a fascistic new organization called HAMMER and founding his own Dark Avengers.
Even after being defeated, Osborn returned thanks to an alliance with Hydra, AIM and loyalists remaining in the US government, assembling a new Dark Avengers roster and even becoming the Purple Hulk after absorbing various Avengers’ powers. The MCU famously hasn’t introduced its own Norman Osborn, instead facing Tom Holland’s Spider-Man with a reality-hopping Willem Dafoe. It could be that the movies plan to use Norman Osborn in his very different Dark Reign guise, when he attempted to combine the iconography of Captain America and Iron Man as the Iron Patriot.
With the X-Men on the way, the New Avengers could be setting up the MCU’s Uncanny Avengers team, which recruited several mutants.
6
They Kicked Off a New Avengers/X-Men Alliance… After Fighting the X-Men
In Rick Remender, John Cassaday, Laura Martin and Chris liopoulos’s Uncanny Avengers #1
The New Avengers existed from 2003 to 2012 in the comics, disbanding soon after the events of AvX, aka Avengers vs X-Men. During that event, the New Avengers were part of the army of heroes who went up against Cyclops’ X-Men, several of who had been possessed by the Phoenix Force. In the aftermath, Captain America created the Avengers Unity Division – a team dedicated to supporting understanding and cooperation between humans and Earth’s marginalized species (initially mutants, but later including Inhumans and androids.)
Known as the Uncanny Avengers, this team operated out of the New Avengers’ old base and included several founding members of the New Avengers. The initial line-up was:
- Steve Rogers’ Captain America
- Scarlet Witch
- Thor
- Wolverine
- Rogue
- Havok
With the X-Men soon to join the MCU, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the MCU’s New Avengers roster terminate by founding a united X-Men/Avengers alliance of the same nature.
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5
They Fought a Lot of Other Avengers Team
The Dark Avengers, Mighty Avengers and New Dark Avengers Were Enemies, Not Allies
Due to living through both Civil War and the Dark Reign, the New Avengers were far from the only Avengers around. Following Civil War, the teams split, with Iron Man starting his own uber-powerful Mighty Avengers team. Similarly, once Norman Osborn took power, he launched a Dark Avengers team full of villains posing as heroes. Each of these teams had their own roster changes and iterations, however at their core, the Mighty Avengers were a more traditional ‘capes and tights’ superhero team who took on gigantic problems like a symbiote invasion and the return of Ultron, while the Dark Avengers were villains who dealt with any problems that threatened Norman Osborn’s rule.
The initial Mighty Avengers roster included Captain Marvel, Wonder Man and Sentry, with the war god Ares acting as a surprise recruit. The Dark Avengers included Norman Osborn as Iron Patriot, Daredevil villain Bullseye as the new Hawkeye, and the Sentry, who Osborn manipulated both in his heroic and Void forms. While the MCU’s New Avengers roster is very different from the comics, its purpose as a less powerful, more street-based, darker team is intact, suggesting that if the Mighty Avengers and Dark Avengers do appear next, their basic purposes could be replicated with different rosters.
Could the MCU’s New Avengers recruit Tom Holland’s Spider-Man?
4
The New Avengers Had Some Unexpected Members
Doctor Strange, the Thing and Spider-Woman All Joined
When Brian Michael Bendis launched the New Avengers, he took a new approach to the franchise, arguing “why isn’t The Avengers a big bag of the coolest stuff ever?” (per Cleveland.com.) The initial roster brought Spider-Man and Wolverine into the fold, making a point of crossing the previously hard barrier between the X-Men and Avengers franchises (indeed, Bendis would later have them mutant hero Storm join the team.) Could the MCU’s New Avengers recruit Tom Holland’s Spider-Man?
This philosophy saw many unexpected heroes join the team, including Fantastic Four’s Thing, alien hero Smasher and street heroes including Jessica Jones and Iron Fist. With the X-Men and Fantastic Four set to join the MCU proper in upcoming movies, fans will have an eye on which members of these iconic groups might join the New Avengers.
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3
The New Avengers Brought Back Avengers Mansion
Could The Iconic Base Finally Have a Home in MCU Lore?
While the New Avengers spent a lot of time butting heads with Tony Stark, he eventually embraced them as upholders of the Avengers name. In a symbolic act, Tony Stark sold Luke Cage Avengers Mansion for a dollar, handing over ownership of the iconic building to the team (Luke later handed back ownership when the New Avengers disbanded.)
After the original team, other groups appeard using the New Avengers comic title, including a volume focused on the Illuminati and another on Sunspot’s team, who later became the U.S.Avengers.
If New Avengers mirrors the comics, Daredevil will be an upcoming recruit.
In the comics, Avengers Mansion is the team’s iconic home base. While they’ve operated out of other places – Avengers Tower and the Celestial corpse known as Avengers Mountain among them – Avengers Mansion is seen as the team’s spiritual home. Sadly, the building hasn’t found a place in the MCU, however the New Avengers’ ties to the building could see it finally take center stage.
2
Daredevil Joined the Avengers for the Very First Time
In New Avengers vol. 2 #16, By Bendis, Mike Doedato, Rain Beredo and Joe Caramagna
One particularly surprising recruit of the New Avengers was Daredevil, who joined during the Asgardian conflict of the Fear Itself event. When mech-empowered soldiers attacked New York in the American Blitzrieg, Daredevil rushed to Avengers Mansion, intending to protect the child of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, and leading to him being offered official membership. While Matt Murdock didn’t stick around for long, this was the first time he was considered an official Avenger – big news for fans given the success of the recent Daredevil: Born Again, starring Charlie Cox as the acrobatic hero.
1
They Restored Doctor Strange’s Sorcerer Supreme Status
In New Avengers Volume 2 #34, by Bendis, Mike Deodato, Rain Beredo, Joe Caramagna and a Range of Guest Artists
Doctor Strange was a surprisingly core member of the New Avengers, allowing them to use his Sanctum Sanctorum as their base during the aftermath of Civil War. However, he also suffered a crisis of conscience during this period, resigning his post as Sorcerer Supreme (a role which passed on to Jericho Drumm’s Doctor Voodoo.) For years, Strange supported the New Avengers with his mystic power while doubting his worth as a hero.
However, in the New Avengers’ final fight against Doctor Voodoo’s brother Daniel Drumm, Strange finally took back control, causing his mentor the Ancient One to return from death and re-bequeath the role of Sorcerer Supreme. Strange is currently in a similar position in the MCU, having lost the title to Wong after being snapped out of existence for several years by Thanos. It’s possible that if Strange becomes involved with the MCU’s New Avengers, he could finally reclaim his comic-book title.
Thunderbolts* just gave the MCU a very different version of the New Avengers to the comics, but there are similarities. The New Avengers are a less powerful team than the traditional Avengers, including multiple members who previously thought themselves incapable of playing well with others. Marvel fans will see what the MCU’s New Avengers become in the future, but for now, the comics offer a fascinating glimpse of where Marvel could go next.
Source: Cleveland.com
