Brian Michael Bendis brought Luke Cage out of comics oblivion and made him an Avenger. (Thank You!) With all the Marvel Now creative shakeups I was wondering where Cage might end up?
Spoiler Warning!
If you have not read New Avengers #34 you may not want to keep reading!
Ok
Here it comes
Essential Power Man and Iron Fist courtesy Marvel
In New Avengers #34 by Bendis and Mike Deodato Luke left the Avengers with wife Jessica and raise their baby. How will this former Avenger make a living? Luke teases that he’s bringing back his Heroes-For-Hire with “a new way to play it.”
Jessica didn’t seem to thrilled by the idea.
So far Luke Cage and Iron Fist have not been named as part of Jonathan Hickman’s huge roster for this Avengers relaunch or any other Marvel Now title.
Could there be a new Heroes for Hire starring Luke and Danny Rand by Bendis? I loved how there were “street level Avengers” like Luke, Danny and Daredevil but where do they fit in the Marvel Now?
I would love a new Heroes for Hire book with Luke and Danny taking on the Hand or a new Maggia. Way back in the day Power Man and Iron Fist was a cool, action packed buddy book and perfect for a modern reboot. Heroes or Hire, Avenger or something new…Luke Cage (and Jessica and Danny) is too great a character to go back on the back burner.
There’s a big rumor about the villain that will unite DC’s biggest heroes in a Justice League movie. According to Latino Review Warner Brothers will have Darkseid as the villain for the big screen battle.
Darkseid is a God-like being from a dark dimension, rules planet Apokalips and armies of evil warriors (Parademons, Female Furies, Kalibak, Desaad.)
Darkseid was the first villain to The New 52 Justice League fought and his invasion was the key that united the heroes.
Maxwell Lord in The Omac Project courtesy DC Comics
I still think the smarter, cooler direction is to have a Superman/Batman team-up against Lex Luthor and Ra’s Al Ghul as the super villains try to tap into The Source of extradimensional power. Diana (not Wonder Woman yet) is a warrior woman trying to warn the outside world of the invading force (Darkseid) that is a legend among the Amazons. Bruce, Clark, and Diana fail. Lex and Ra’s unleash Darkseid.
The Superman/Batman team-up movie leads into the Justice League’s big showdown against Darkseid and his invading forces.
I’m also a big fan of Maxwell Lord from The Omac Project but I guess if you’re competing with a Titan (Thanos in The Avengers sequel) you have to go big with your biggest villains – you don’t get bigger than Darkseid!
The original five students of Professor X are here in the Marvel Now in All-New X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. Professor X and Jean are dead. Mutants are hated more than ever. In this week’s All-New X-Men #3 the young heroes from the past rush into action to save a new mutant. The modern-day Cyclops and his team (Magneto, Emma Frost, Magik) have been rescuing and recruiting new Children of the Atom for his revolution. Will Cyclops meet Cyclops this week?
All-New X-Men #4 courtesy Marvel
Beast hopes the idealistic young Scott Summers and the original X-Men could be the key to preventing what could be the end of the mutant race. Comic Book Resources had the exclusive first look at the covers for All-New X-Men #3 and #4 by Stuart Immonen featuring Cyclops against Cyclops. Will past and present Scott go to war with each other?
A new era for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes begins this week. Writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Jermone Opena are blowing up the team with bigger roster and bigger mission.
Jonathan Hickman and Editor Tom Brevoort revealed the new mission for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and what to expect from this week’s premier issue and beyond on Marvel.com.
“We will see the back story of how Iron Man and Captain America have been quietly building a contingency plan for the day that comes in issue #1,” Hickman teases of the huge event that requires a bigger team that will reflect our modern world.
“One of the first things we all agreed on is that the roster should look more like the world. So far we’ve seen the biggest and most iconic characters, but as we reach issues #7 and #8, we’ll see more new characters and characters we’re reviving or recreating. Eventually there will be 24 characters. 12 will be either female or minority characters,” said Hickman of the growing roster.
New Avengers #1 courtesy Marvel
In January Hickman and artist Steve Epting launch a new New Avengers – a new version of the Illuminati. This new secret cabal working behind the scenes will be Black Panther, Iron Man, Doctor Strange Black Bolt, Namor, Reed Richards and Beast.
“It’s about the guys who quietly, secretly run the world. It’s thematically much different than Avengers. The plan I’ve worked out is that the Avengers are the utopian Avengers, the ideal ones we want, whereas the New Avengers are real world, they live in the dark, apocalyptic world as it is,” revealed Hickman.
“The books will work in tandem. You don’t have to read both, but they are two sides of the same coin. Two different stories,” he added.
Some of the most surprising and exciting additions to the new team are New Mutants Sam Guthrie and Roberto Da Costa.
“You’ll get an issue where Cannonball and Sunspot get to spend time with Captain America,” Hickman revealed, “I’ve always really liked them. I wish it was more complicated than that. I pitched a Bobby and Sam in Mojoworld book, and somehow it got made.”
One reason I love Sam and Bobby getting this “promotion” is that they never got to rise up to true X-Men status.
“Cannonball and Sunspot are at least chronologically younger characters. It’s always good to have those types of figures in Avengers to bring a fresh viewpoint. That said, they’re also established Marvel characters,” Brevoort said, “When Brian Bendis brought Luke Cage and Spider-Woman into the Avengers, they weren’t the most popular characters, but they had legitimacy. I think it will be the same thing with Cannonball and Sunspot.”
“When we get to 24 characters, their will be several subgroups of characters, and one tier will be a group of younger, more idealistic people like Cannonball and Sunspot,” Hickman explained.
Avengers #1 courtesy Marvel
Hickman explained the leadership hierarchy of this new Avengers.
“Cap is in charge, of course, and he has two vice-captains in Captain Marvel and Iron Man. For bigger stuff, it splits into three teams. There are other factions within that, but generally, that’s the command structure. In New Avengers, they all think they’re in charge and none of them are,” explains Hickman.
Hickman confirmed Avengers will start with the 3 big arcs then 3 stand-alone stories and he’s creating new villains. Mr. Fantastic and Beast will be on New Avengers. Hyperion will be part of the team. Eden Fesi of Secret Warriors will be in the Avengers.
General Thunderbolt Ross (Red Hulk) recruits Elektra, Punisher, Venom and Deadpool to take on and take out Marvel’s most dangerous villains.
Get ready for a brand new Thunderbolts #1 this week by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon.
Way told Marvel.com his past experience with solo books is what drew him to this team concept.
“My work on solo characters has probably been my strongest, and it’s definitely what I’m most comfortable writing. That being said, the idea—and the challenge—of writing a team book had been steadily moving to the front of my mind for several years. When I was presented with this team, in particular—a team of “lone wolf” characters—it was like a dream come true.”
With this kind of roster and concept expect Way to be unleashed on this book.
“This is the team that takes on the big problems others can’t or won’t. The easiest way to explain this is to look at the real world. Though there are atrocities committed all over the world, why is it the U.S. government intervenes in only some of these cases, rather than all? The reasons, sadly and invariably, are rooted in politics. The Thunderbolts have no politics. Of course, this being a comic book with an unlimited special effects budget, rest assured that any conflict into which this team enters will definitely be on the epic side of the scale. With this cast of characters? There’s no way I’m going to hold back.”
Way delivers this tease making Thunderbolts #1 a book you can’t refuse.
“By the time the first story arc concludes, the Thunderbolts will have done something that will have everyone—everyone—in the Marvel universe screaming for their blood. What that is and how it happens starts on the first page of the first issue.”
Brian Michael Bendis really affected the X-Men when he was writing the Avengers. Can you imagine what the writer will put the Children of the Atom through now that he’s writing the X-Men?
From the first issue of All-New X-Men #1 we know that Beast’s days may be numbered due to his mutation…mutating. Henry brings the original five X-Men into the Marvel Now hoping to make the modern-day Cyclops change the path he’s taken. Will this blast from the past end in death for a modern mutantr one of Xavier’s originals? Bendis talked with MTV Geek about his past, present and future impact on the X-Men.
“All-New X-Men” is an entry point into a brave, new, angsty mutant-filled world for Bendis who’s been the number one “Avengers” guy for years. He said, “I had done a lot of stuff to the “X-Men” universe without being an “X-Men” writer. Like, “House of M” gave Wolverine his memories back, I killed Charles Xavier, I know it shows a lot of destruction, but it showed to me, a lot of love and affection for the X-Men.”
All-New X-Men #1 courtesy Marvel
According to Bendis, “All-New X-Men” is really about looking back and paying tribute to the Silver Age adventures of the “X-Men,” while pushing the title forward into an exciting, unexpected and “All-New” future.
Many Avengers died under Bendis’s watch. The writer is teasing death in this rebirth of the X-Men:
“Which one of them dies, what happens then?”
You can see Bendis and Editor Nick Lowe’s interviews at this MTV Geek link.
