Secret Avengers, Part 1

If you've been following recent developments in Marvel comics lately, you've probably heard about their fast-approaching Heroic Age, which will mark the end of Dark Reign and a move towards storylines that are a little less dark than the last few years'. Part of this new direction is the cancellation and replacement of all the current Avengers titles. I'll probably be talking about a few of them in later posts; in this post I'd like to focus on the Secret Avengers in particular, a team whose purpose is yet to be revealed and whose membership has so far only been shown in silhouettes.

First, let me say that these ideas were not necessarily mine originally; I've been perusing various comic book forums (particularly the Marvel Comics Boards and Comic Book Resources) and I've collected some of the ones I thought made the most sense here (and the reasons I think so), along with some thoughts of my own that I've yet to see elsewhere. I like to think the concept behind the team and the particular choices I favor are largely my own conclusions, but I'd also like to avoid any accusations that these ideas were stolen when that was not my intent.

Any predictions about the lineup of this particular team are going to have to take into account comments made by Ed Brubaker about the nature of the comic he's going to be writing here. He's made comments about the book having an "espionage tinge," and that it'll be reminiscent of Steranko and Kirby's work back in the 60s (in other words, Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D., and crazy technology). This, to me, indicates a group that, while not necessarily "black ops," as has been suggested by some, at the very least operates under the authority of S.H.I.E.L.D. or H.A.M.M.E.R. (or whatever agency rises up to replace H.A.M.M.E.R. post-Siege). Given Brubaker's past history with the character, I fully expect Steve Rogers to appear on this team in some capacity; I'll talk about this a little more in depth in a bit. I'm also thinking that the "secret" in the title of the comic indicates that these Avengers won't be confirmed publicly to the Marvel Universe at large, and that maybe some of the characters can't or don't want to be tied to the Avengers in an official capacity. This is an idea I'll touch on in some of my predictions.

Anyway, on to the characters! I'm actually going to start with the character that was revealed last because I think he's the member that's going to lead the team and really tie it together conceptually.


"I lead by example."
My pick: Steve Rogers
Runner-up: Nick Fury
I don't really see another choice than Steve Rogers for this spot. The quote and the stance definitely suggest it. The book is being written by Brubaker, who has an extensive history with the character (to put it mildly). It's been established that Bucky will continue as the official Captain America and serve on the main Avengers, and that the president has something "far greater" for Rogers to do. My prediction is that Steve Rogers is being put in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. or its equivalent and the Secret Avengers team. It certainly seems fitting that a character as traditionally morally upright as Steve Rogers would take over after Norman Osborn. Additionally, if the membership of this team turns out as I'm predicting, Rogers is the type of guy who'd make space for heroes who've messed up and are looking for a second chance.

Nick Fury seems the next likely choice considering his history with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Brubaker's references to Steranko's work. But the character appears to be wearing a mask, and really this just seems like the most likely Avengers title for Steve to show up in at this point.


"I focus on the solution, not the problem."
My pick: Black Panther
Runners-up: Daredevil, Beast
I had trouble figuring out what was going on in this image initially, so I'll describe what's going on here in case anyone else is having the same issues: the character is leaping out towards the viewer; the shape on the right of the image is his left knee with his feet tucked underneath him; one arm is thrust out behind him, and the other (the one that's harder to see) is out in front of him.

This strikes me as a classic Black Panther pose: the "pounce," the fingers curled like claws, the simple outfit all strike me as very Panther-esque. He's currently in Marvel's "Doomwar" limited series, which sees him fighting alongside the X-Men and Fantastic Four, perhaps partially in an effort to get the character more involved in the larger Marvel Universe, and possibly (depending on its conclusion) providing his motivation for rejoining an Avengers team. He has a history with the Avengers, but as the leader of a nation that prides itself on independence (and which has had a fairly chilly diplomatic relationship with the United States in the past few years) he has good reason not to want to be seen as an Avenger in an official capacity.

Beast and Daredevil both seem like possibilities, but less likely. Daredevil's been an "almost" on the New Avengers since its inception, but the silhouette lacks his trademark billy club, and he's been on the wrong side of the law lately in his solo book. Originally I'd dismissed Beast out of hand because his feline form is bulkier and lacks a couple of fingers; however, he's shown up on the Heroic Age banner in his more ape-like form, complete with five-fingered hands and a smaller build. Plus, he recently left the X-Men, and with S.W.O.R.D. wrapping up after only five issues, he could use a new home. Still, the silhouette lacks hair and appears to be wearing shoes, so barring a costume change, Beast seems unlikely.