Who Are The Avengers Now?

Remember how last year DC Comics did a huge relaunch/re-branding with the New 52? Marvel is doing their version of it called Marvel NOW, which is a jumping on point for new readers. Thanks to this summer’s blockbuster, comic readers are still on an Avengers high.

Marvel gave us a preview of the next era of the Avengers yesterday by previewing the covers of the first three issues of the relaunched series. These covers conveniently form a triptych and show us the new team. So who are the latest characters to make up Earth’s mightiest heroes?

The obligatory big three–Captain America, Thor and Iron Man–are there, each getting their own cover. Their movie cohorts Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye (who is still wearing his film costume) are also on board.

Spider-Man and Wolverine are still part of the team, because, well they are popular. And Spider Woman and Ms. Captain Marvel still make the cut because they were such integral parts of the team during the 2000s. Falcon is there because he’s always appearing as a member.

But there are three people who are new to the team. Cannonball and Sunspot (thanks to Bleeding Cool’s astute observation) get promoted to the big leagues so to speak, leaving the New Mutants/X-Men titles they’ve been hanging around in for the last thirty years. years. But there is a third character, silhouetted in black in the bottom right corner who is a mystery.

I’m going to put my guess out; it’s Ikaris from the Eternals. He hasn’t ever really played a major role in the Marvel Universe, so it would be something new and different. Plus the insignia looks pretty close from a far. You can view a larger image here.