A new era begins for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Mark Waid launched the All-New, All-Different Avengers in the aftermath of Secret Wars this week.
The latest version of team features legacy heroes (Sam Wilson as Captain America, Jane Foster as Thor) and rookies Miles Morales/Spider-Man, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel and Sam Alexander/Nova with veterans Iron Man and Vision.
Imagine the surprise way back when villains Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver joined. The New Avengers era saw the inclusion of Wolverine, Luke Cage and Echo.
Change is good. Heroes you never suspected would become fan-favorite members of the team.
Here are four unlikely Avengers who might be surprise additions but keep the tradition of change, diversity and power that make Earth’s heroes so mighty:
Misty Knight. One of the ultimate badasses! Misty is a master martial artist, skilled in hand-to-hand combat with a near perfect aim and skilled detective. Misty was a New York City police officer who lost her arm in a bomb attack. Thanks to Tony Stark, Misty was outfitted with a bionic arm but more important it renewed her fighting spirit. With upgrades to her arm, Misty now has super strength, magnetism, technopathy, and power to generate concussive blasts. Misty has been a member of Daughters of the Dragon, Heroes for Hire, Fearless Defenders and supporting cast member of Power Man and Iron Fist. It’s time for Misty hit the big time. She brings skills, street smarts and ups the cool factor.
Longshot. This artificially created warrior from another dimension found a home with the X-Men and X-Factor Investigations but I always imagined him as an Avenger. He has super agility, expertise in bladed weapons and combat with a good luck power/ability to defy probability. Longshot defied his evil masters because he was gifted with free will and a conscience who led a revolt against them. Longshot is a fascinating hero with a ferocity in battle but with childlike innocence, humor and hope. I’d like to see Longshot outfitted with a jetpack and glider again to soar with the team and bring a lightness to the team chemistry.
Karnak. With Inhumans expanding in the Marvel Universe, the race needs an ambassador on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Karnak is Black Bolt’s cousin who was never exposed to the Terrigen Mists to develop powers. Karnak is a master martial artist who can sense the weakness in anything or any rival and use this strength and training to exploit it. He is a warrior priest who defied death and is currently starring in his own series by Warren Ellis. Karnak would be an incredible fighter in the field and master strategist who could run the team operations.
Dazzler. The Disco Dazzler was co-created with a record company in the fading days of disco but Alison Blaire survived after the glitter faded. A singing mutant with the ability to turn sound into light scored a solo series, became a fan-favorite X-Man and was most recently an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. In the Secret Wars tie-in, the Disco Dazzler made a comeback in the all-female A-Force, which will continue as an ongoing. They say “nothing can stop the Juggernaut” but let’s hear it for Ali who continues to mutate and gain new fans way past the disco era. (Plus, Ali and Longshot share a romantic past!)
Which heroes do you think should join the Avengers?
By Editor