This summer, Marvel Comics is merging all of its various realities in a battle royale crossover event known as the Secret Wars, and today the new Avengers line-up that will emerge from that event has leaked (and then promptly officially released).
The new line-up reflects the changes that many of Marvel’s A-list characters have undergone in the past year—from Falcon taking up the mantle of Captain America to the power of Thor being passed on to a (currently) mystery woman—and seizing on the popularity of new characters such as Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man Miles Morales. Assembled, these characters present a bold representation of the Marvel Universe as it stands today.
For those unfamiliar with the above characters and their status, here’s the roster as pictured on the cover:
Thor: The current holder of Mjolnir is an Asgardian woman whose identity has yet to be revealed. The former Thor was recently rejected as worthy by Mjolnir and is now simply known as “Odinson.”
Iron Man: Although classic Avenger Iron Man is certainly present on this new team, the identity of the person inside the suit is not known. It could be Tony Stark or it could be Pepper Potts, who has her own “Rescue” Iron Man suit.
Captain America: Sam Wilson, known as the superhero Falcon, took up the Captain America mantle recently and appears to be leading this current team of Avengers.
Vision: Vision is a completely artificial lifeform and a classic member of the Avengers whose profile is sure to rise upon the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Ms. Marvel: Kamala Khan is a high school-aged superhero fan who recently discovered that she herself has powers thanks to recently activated Inhuman genes. She has the ability to enlarge or shrink herself selectively and as a whole and took up the mantle of Ms. Marvel when Carol Danvers became Captain Marvel. Khan’s full power-set has yet to be revealed.
Spider-Man: There’s more than one Spider-Person in the Marvel Universe these days and this particular one is high schooler Miles Morales, a refugee from the Ultimate Universe. In that timeline, Peter Parker was killed and Miles took up his superhero name after discovering he had similar abilities. While Miles has previously crossed over into the main Marvel Universe, it appears that the events of the forthcoming Secret Wars will result in the destruction of the Ultimate Universe, leaving Miles permanently homed in the main universe.
Nova: The powers of Nova are cosmic in nature, granted to beings of worth by the Xandarians (seen profusely in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie). The current Nova is teenager Sam Alexander, who has yet to discover the fullness of the Nova legacy he has inherited.
All-New All-Different Avengers makes its debut in a special one-shot available for free on Saturday, May 2nd (Annual Free Comic Book Day!) at your local comic book store. The monthly series is expected to launch this fall from creators Mark Waid and Mahmud Asrar.
