Dark Avengers

Dark Avengers
Cover of Dark Avengers 1 (Jan, 2009).Art by Mike Deodato Jr.
Series publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Superhero
Publication date	March 2009 — Present
Number of issues	10 (as of October 2009)
Main character(s)	Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn) Ms. Marvel (Moonstone) Hawkeye (Bullseye) Wolverine (Daken) Spider-Man (Venom) Captain Marvel (Noh-Varr) Sentry Ares
Creative team
Writer(s)	Brian Michael Bendis
Artist(s)	Mike Deodato
Letterer(s)	Rainer Beredo
Colorist(s)	Dave Lanphear
Creator(s)	Brian Michael Bendis
Collected editions
Dark Avengers Assemble	ISBN 0-7851-3851-X
Dark Avengers
Group publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Dark Avengers #1 (January 2009)
Created by	Brian Michael Bendis
In-story information
Leader(s)	Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn)
Member(s)	Ares Bullseye as Hawkeye Daken as Wolverine Venom as Spider-Man Moonstone as Ms. Marvel Noh-Varr as Captain Marvel Norman Osborn as Iron Patriot Sentry

Dark Avengers is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is part of a series of titles that have featured various iterations of the superhero team the Avengers. Unusually, the series stars a version of the team that, unknown to the public in its fictional universe, contains several members who are supervillains disguised as established superheroes.

Publication history

The series debuted with issue #1, dated January 2009, as part of a multi-series story arc entitled "Dark Reign".^[1] In the premiere, writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mike Deodato^[2] (working from a continuity begun in a previous, company-wide story arc, "Secret Invasion", involving an infiltration of Earth by the shape-shifting alien Skrulls and that race's eventual defeat) chronicled the aftermath of the U.S. government's disbanding of the federally sanctioned superhero team, the Avengers. Bendis described the thinking behind the team: "These are bad-ass, hardcore get-it-done types. They'll close the door and take care of business and he's dressing them up to make them something that the people want".^[3] This is in contrast to the changes Osborn is shown making to the Thunderbolts, where, according to writer Andy Diggle, he turns that team into "something much more covert and much more lethal: his own personal hit squad".^[4]

Plot

The government assigned the team's redevelopment to Norman Osborn (the reputedly reformed supervillain the Green Goblin) whom the government had previously assigned to head the superhero team the Thunderbolts and who had become a public hero for his role in repelling the Skrull threat. Osborn, also given leadership of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D., reforms that agency into H.A.M.M.E.R. and creates a new Avengers team under its aegis.

The premiere issue introduces this new version, mixing former Thunderbolts with other characters. The initial line-up consists of the Sentry, Ares, Noh-Varr (now Captain Marvell) as well as disguised supervillains Moonstone (portraying Ms. Marvel), Venom (Mac Gargan, portraying Spider-Man after being given a formula that resets the symbiote back to the size it was when it possessed Spider-Man), Bullseye (portraying Hawkeye) and Wolverine's disgruntled son Daken taking on the Wolverine mantle. Osborn also takes on the identity of Iron Patriot in a red, white, and blue themed Iron Man-like armor.^[5] In the first storyline, the team is shown rescuing Doctor Doom from Morgan Le Fay.^[6] Upon returning from Latveria, Osborn deals^[7] with the aftermath of Ronin's coming out on live TV and reminding the public of Osborn's murderous past and how he should not be trusted.^[8]

The Dark Avengers arrive in San Francisco to set up martial law and to quell the anti-mutant riots due to the anti-mutant reproductive rights. In doing so, Norman sets up his own team of X-Men consisting of Cloak and Dagger, Mimic, Emma Frost, Namor, Daken, Weapon Omega and Mystique (posing as Professor X) much to the chagrin of his Avengers.^[9] After Emma Frost, Namor, and Cloak and Dagger betray the team, Norman orders the Dark Avengers and the remaining Dark X-Men to bring him Namor's head, Emma Frost's heart, and to let Cyclops see it happen.^[10]

A series of disappearances throughout Colorado caused Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers, except for Venom, to visit the small town of Dinosaur, Colorado. Sentry arrived first and was instantly teleported away. The other Avengers soon met the same fate. Norman Osborn then found himself in front of a throne with Molecule Man seated on it, apparently flanked by the Beyonder, Mephisto, Zarathos, and the Enchantress.^[11] However, it was revealed that these others were merely Owen's creations. Owen began to mentally and physically torture Osborn and seemingly killed his Avengers.^[12]

Roster

As of Dark Avengers #1, the members are:

• Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn)
• Ares
• The Sentry
• Spider-Man (Venom)
• Wolverine (Daken)
• Hawkeye (Bullseye)
• Captain Mar-vell (Noh-Varr)
• Ms. Marvel (Moonstone)

Bibliography

• Dark Avengers #1–present
• Dark Avengers Annual #1

Spin-off Series

• Dark Reign: Hawkeye #1-5
• Dark Reign: Sinister Spider-Man #1-4
• Dark Avengers: Ares #1-3
• Dark Wolverine #75-present
• Ms. Marvel #38-46

Collected editions

The series is being collected into individual volumes:

• Volume 1: Dark Avengers Assemble (collects Dark Avengers #1–6, 160 pages, hardcover, September 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3851-X, softcover, December 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3852-8)
• Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men - Utopia (collects Dark Avengers #7-8, "Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia" "Utopia Finale" and Uncanny X-Men #513-514, 352 pages, hardcover, December 2009, ISBN 0-7851-4230-4)

References

External links

• Explaining it All: Brian Bendis Talks Dark Avengers #1, Newsarama, January 22, 2008
• Dark Avengers at the Grand Comic-Book Database
• Dark Avengers at the Comic Book DB

• Review: Dark Avengers #1, Comic Book Resources