New Avengers: A Brief Marvel Comics History
Learn how and why the New Avengers formed and which heroes joined their ranks over the years.
The Avengers first assembled when Loki's schemes brought several of Earth's Mightiest Heroes together. Iron Man, Hulk, Wasp, Ant-Man, and Thor defeated the Asgardian God of Mischief by working together to protect the planet they call home. Since that fateful day, various Avengers teams assembled to answer the call of duty, from the West Coast Avengers to the Young Avengers. But who are the New Avengers?
Driven to madness by the loss of her children, the Scarlet Witch tore the Avengers apart in AVENGERS: DISASSEMBLED (2005). Many of Earth's Mightiest Heroes decided to step away from the team following the deaths of Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Hawkeye, and the Vision. The Avengers officially disbanded, but who would take their place? Enter the New Avengers.
Who are the New Avengers?
After a breakout at the Raft unleashed the Marvel Universe's most powerful villains onto New York City, the New Avengers formed to fill the hole left by the disappearance of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The roster included seasoned Avengers such as Iron Man and Captain America, as well as first-time members Spider-Man, Wolverine, Luke Cage, and Spider-Woman.
The team also extended an invitation to the all-powerful Sentry, who had imprisoned himself in the Raft. As an Avenger, Bob Reynolds worked to keep his dark alter-ego the Void under control.
Civil War
During the events of CIVIL WAR (2006), Captain America and Iron Man's differing stances on the Superhuman Registration Act pulled the Avengers into warring factions. Luke Cage and Spider-Woman refused to register, joining Captain America's resistance against Iron Man's pro-registration forces.
In the aftermath of the conflict, Luke Cage went underground and assembled other unregistered heroes. Operating out of the Sanctum Sanctorum as outlaws, this New Avengers team consisted of Iron Fist, Doctor Strange, Echo, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Spider-Woman. Clint Barton also joined the roster as Ronin.
The Heroic Age
After a Skrull invasion of Earth and Norman Osborn's Dark Reign over the superhuman community, the heroes of the Marvel Universe set aside their differences. While Captain America and Iron Man led the Avengers out of Avengers Tower, Luke Cage ran the now-recognized New Avengers. They operated out of Avengers Mansion, which Tony Stark sold to the team for a dollar, a gesture befitting of a new era of collaboration.
The two teams divided Earth's Mightiest Heroes among themselves, with Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Hawkeye, Mockingbird, and the Thing joining Luke Cage's ensemble.
The New Avengers took on the corrupting power of the Eye of Aggamotto and faced off with threats like the New Dark Avengers. Following the events of AVENGERS VS. X-MEN (2012), Luke left the team to raise his daughter and the New Avengers subsequently disbanded.
The Illuminati
In NEW AVENGERS (2013) #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting, Black Panther witnessed the end of the world... just not his own. T'Challa had seen an Incursion, and with it, the subsequent destruction of a parallel world. With the writing on the wall and the collapse of the Multiverse in sight, he assembled the Illuminati — Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Namor, Doctor Strange, and Black Bolt — in Necropolis. Following the death of Charles Xavier, the Illuminati invited Beast into their rank as a representative for mutantkind.
This top-secret, elite outfit worked tirelessly to try save their reality from the Incursions. Despite taking extreme measures, the Illuminati failed and the Multiverse collapsed. Doctor Doom created and ruled over Battleworld, built from these fragmented realities, in SECRET WARS (2015) #1.
Avengers Idea Mechanics
Before the collapse of the Multiverse, Roberto Da Costa, AKA Sunspot, acquired A.I.M. and utilized its resources to uncover why the Incursions were happening. He restructured the organization into Avengers Idea Mechanics after the restoration of the Multiverse in NEW AVENGERS (2015) #1 by Al Ewing and Gerardo Sandoval.
Sunspot's Avengers team included Wiccan, Hulkling, Squirrel Girl, White Tiger, Power Man, Songbird, Pod, and Hawkeye. Among other threats, this team faced the Maker, who relocated to Earth-616 following SECRET WARS (2015).
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