Dark Avengers is a 2009–2013 American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is part of a series of titles that features various iterations of the superhero team the Avengers, with this version of the team – unbeknownst to the public in its stories – having several members who are actually supervillains and anti-heroes disguised as the established superheroes.
Contents
Publication history
The series debuted with issue #1, dated January 2009, as part of a multi-series story arc entitled "Dark Reign." In the premiere, writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mike Deodato (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." This is in contrast to the changes Norman 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".
The series ended with Dark Avengers #16, at the culmination of the Siege storyline.
The Thunderbolts comic book was renamed Dark Avengers beginning with issue #175, but the creative team remained unchanged. Dark Avengers ended with issue #190.
Fictional team biography
First Dark Avengers
The government assigned the team's redevelopment to Norman Osborn, 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 initial line-up consists of former Thunderbolts members and new recruits, including the Sentry, Ares, Noh-Varr (now Captain Marvel) as well as disguised super-villains Moonstone (portraying Ms. Marvel), Venom (Mac Gargan portraying 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, wearing a red, white, and blue-themed Iron Man armor.
The Dark Avengers arrive in San Francisco to set up martial law and to quell anti-mutant riots. In doing so, Osborn 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). After Frost, Namor, Cloak, and Dagger betray the team, Osborn swears vengeance on the X-Men.
A series of disappearances throughout Colorado causes the Dark Avengers (except for Venom) to visit the small town of Dinosaur, Colorado. Everyone except Osborn is teleported away, while Osborn encounters Molecule Man, who tortures him physically and mentally. Osborn's assistant Victoria Hand successfully stalls Molecule Man with a false surrender until the Void is able to reform and kill Molecule Man. It is revealed that the Sentry and the Void have the same powers as Molecule Man. Sentry regains control of himself and agrees to begin therapy with Moonstone, while Hand demands Osborn to undergo therapy as well after being tortured.
In flashback, it is told how Robert Reynolds received his vast powers from experimental drugs, using his might as the Sentry to live the life of a superhero, while his darker emotions manifested as the Void. Osborn has manipulated Reynolds into allowing the Void to take over, to do Osborn's bidding. Osborn has somehow recreated the serum that gave Reynolds his powers, making him dependent on Osborn and his approval. Meanwhile, Reynolds's wife Lindy has been a virtual prisoner in the Sentry's Watchtower, has even attempted to kill him, and begs Reynolds to either kill her or let her go. Reynolds's warring personalities, however, have stalemated. The Sentry even attempts suicide, flying into the heart of the sun, but fails due to his invulnerability. Osborn orders Bullseye to kill Lindy, blaming her for Sentry's uncertainty and weakness.
New Dark Avengers
A new Dark Avengers team is formed by Norman Osborn and H.A.M.M.E.R. The roster includes Skaar, Gorgon, Ai Apaec, June Covington, Superia, and Trickshot. Osborn also has A.I.M. rebuild Ragnarok so that he can join the Dark Avengers. Although Osborn claims to be certain that his new team is superior to their "templates," he appears unaware that Madame Hydra and Gorgon are already planning to kill him once he proves himself to be too dangerous as leader, intending to use his team to sow discord by serving as a voice of the "disenfranchised" unsatisfied with the status quo. The subsequent fight against the New Avengers proves to be relatively evenly matched. Although Osborn demonstrates a surprising new level of strength, the others are able to hold their own far more easily. When they attempt to teleport away, the New Avengers end up facing Ragnarok. Spider-Man and Iron Fist are able to defeat Ragnarok, but the Dark Avengers' actions have still damaged the New Avengers' reputations.
The Dark Avengers capture Captain America during their successful attack on both Avengers teams with the intention of executing him for his 'crimes'. Gorgon and Superia are already planning to betray the team, while Victoria Hand, apparently Osborn's double agent inside the team, reveals to the New Avengers her real allegiance to Captain America and Skaar turns on his teammates after they confirm their intentions to assault Captain America. Skaar reveals that he is a double agent for Captain America, allowing the New Avengers to defeat the rest of the team. Osborn is shown to have developed the abilities of the Super-Adaptoid, enabling him to copy the abilities of the other Avengers. The Avengers find a way to overload this power, which puts Osborn into a coma. After Osborn is defeated, the rest of the Dark Avengers are detained.
As of #175, Thunderbolts is renamed Dark Avengers with writer Jeff Parker and the art team of Kev Walker and Declan Shalvey remaining on the title. When the Thunderbolts are missing in the time stream, the Dark Avengers are recruited as a replacement team. In order to keep the Dark Avengers in line, they were implanted with nanites and placed under the leadership of Luke Cage.
The Dark Avengers team are thrown into the alternate world of Earth-13584 with John Walker (U.S. Agent), where they are captured by that reality's version of Iron Man. It turns out that A.I.M. is behind the reality manipulation. Due to the Dark Avengers' arrival, the Solar System is starting to disappear. The Dark Avengers enter the A.I.M. base and arrive back in their world. Skaar hops away, but the rest of the team ponders what to do as most of them are still criminals. June Covington bewitches U.S. Agent into believing they could still work as a team and steps on a still miniaturized Ai Apaec.
Roster
Reception
Accolades
In 2018, CBR.com ranked the Dark Avengers 13th in their "25 Most Powerful Avengers Teams" list.
In 2020, CBR.com ranked the Dark Avengers 6th in their "Marvel: 10 Most Powerful Teams" list.
In 2022, CBR.com ranked the Dark Avengers 3rd in their "10 Marvel Teams That Exceeded Expectations" list and 10th in their "13 Strongest Avengers Rosters" list.
Other versions
Ultimate Marvel
An alternate universe iteration of the Dark Avengers, known as the Dark Ultimates, appears in the Ultimate Marvel imprint, consisting of Kang the Conqueror, Reed Richards, Hulk, and Quicksilver.
In other media
Television
The Dark Avengers appear in a self-titled episode of Avengers Assemble. This version of the group are reality-flipped versions of the original Avengers who operate as supervillains while the Squadron Supreme work to stop them. However, the Dark Avengers eventually discover that the Squadron used the Reality Gem to change the world in their image and use it to undo the Squadron's changes.
Video games
The Dark Avengers appear in Marvel: Avengers Alliance. This version of the group is formed by Dell Rusk and consists of Bullseye operating as Hawkeye, Daken operating as Wolverine, Ragnarok, Yelena Belova / Black Widow, and Mac Gargan / Venom.
The Dark Avengers appear in Marvel Puzzle Quest, consisting of Ares, Bullseye, Daken, Moonstone, Ragnarok, Sentry, Mac Gargan / Venom, and Yelena Belova.
Collected editions
The series is being collected into individual volumes:
Volume 1: Dark Avengers Assemble (collects Dark Avengers #1–6, 160 pages, premiere 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 0-7851-4233-9, softcover, April 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4234-7)
Volume 2: Molecule Man (collects Dark Avengers #9-12, 112 pages, premiere hardcover, February 2010, ISBN 0-7851-3853-6)
Dark Avengers: Siege (collects Dark Avengers #13-16, and Dark Avengers Annual #1, 144 pages, Marvel Comics, premiere hardcover, July 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4811-6)
Dark Avengers: The End is the Beginning (collects Dark Avengers #175-183, softcover, February 2013, ISBN 0785161724)
Dark Avengers: Masters of Evil (collects Dark Avengers #184-190, softcover, July 2013, ISBN 0785168478)
All the issues (except the Utopia crossover) were collected into one hardback book:
Dark Avengers Marvel (collects Dark Avengers #1-6, #9-16 and Annual #1, hardcover, 400 pages, July 2011, ISBN 0-7851-5650-X)
As were the spin-offs:
Ms. Marvel:
Volume 7: Dark Reign (collects Ms. Marvel #35-40, 176 pages, Marvel Comics, premiere hardcover, September 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3838-2, softcover, December 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3839-0)