AVENGERS #675 kicked off NO SURRENDER – a weekly adventure starring the casts of The Avengers, Uncanny Avengers, U.S. Avengers, Occupy Avengers. “Unaffiliated” Avengers joined the action when the Earth is stolen and chaos ensues.
Writers Mark Waid, Al Ewing and Jim Zub are crafting an epic for the ages that could be the ending of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (and comics franchise) as we know it leading to a new beginning for Marvel’s flagship team title.
The adventure begins with the return of an Avenger we haven’t seen in a long while and introduces a member we never knew was part of the team!?
How did that happen?
You may remember in MARVEL LEGACY #1 the image of a statue of the founding Avengers (Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Wasp, Ant-Man) along with a young woman we’ve never seen before. Marvel already revealed Voyager aka Valerie Vector is an Avenger…or is she? NO SURRENDER promises to answer the Voyager mystery, the possible return of Bruce Banner or at least a new Green Goliath hailed as the Immortal Hulk plus the return of The Black Order (Thanos’s evil alien enforcers) and a revamped Lethal Legion.
But the first chapter delivered a surprise comeback hero and throwbacks to an Avengers era of the past.Before we continue here’s a SPOILER ALERT!
Who’s back?
The story starts with an undercover operation to bust car thieves in Texas. Miguel Santos aka Living Lightning electrifies the bad guys before Federal agents come in to take over. When the Earth is stolen, Avengers go across the globe to investigate then reunite at Avengers Mansion including Santos minus his uniform
Who is Lightning? Santos first appeared in AVENGERS WEST COAST #63. He was co-created by writers Dann Thomas, Roy Thomas and artist Paul Ryan. Miguel was trying to clear his father’s name by looking into the Legion of the Living Lightning. He was exposed to a machine that gave him the power to control lightning and transform his body into it. Santos started out as an Avengers rival, coerced into joining the Pacific Overlords before joining the West Coast Avengers. Although Miguel never joined the Great Lake Avengers, he did come out as gay during the series. During the superhero Civil War, Miguel followed Captain America’s anti-registration stance. After Cap’s surrender, Miguel signed up with the Avengers Initiative (registered teams for every state) and joined The Rangers, the Texas based super group.
Will Lightning strike with fans or is Miguel coming back to be extinguished in the battles to come?
Who is Voyager? She is the one who summoned Miguel and all the Avengers together. Some even recognized her. Scarlet Witch says, “I always knew it. When we really needed you…you’d be back.”
Is Voyager really a lost Avenger (was she retired?) erased from the memories of the team and us?
Is this a trick and is she a villain?
Fans may remember Robert Reynolds aka The Sentry was a lost hero retconned into Marvel’s past.
The story continues weekly from Waid, Ewing and Zub with art by Pepe Larraz and covers by Mark Brooks.
By Editor