Marvel Comics' Thunderbolts* Series Rebrands as New Avengers

With the Thunderbolts movie now captivating audiences in theaters, Marvel Comics is gearing up to conclude one era of the franchise and introduce a thrilling new chapter for this iconic super-team. However, there's an exciting twist: just as Marvel surprised MCU fans by retitling Thunderbolts as "The New Avengers" after its opening weekend, the new Thunderbolts comic is set to undergo the same transformation. This shift places characters like Carnage, Clea, and Wolverine in the challenging position of embodying the spirit of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Can they rise to the occasion?

It will undoubtedly be a steep challenge for these characters to gel as a cohesive Avengers team. This was a key insight from our recent discussion with writer Sam Humphries. Dive deeper into the Thunderbolts/New Avengers transformation, Humphries' selection of this eclectic yet formidable lineup, and the formidable new threat that necessitates such a powerful team.

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Who Are the New Avengers?

Given Marvel Studios' notorious secrecy surrounding upcoming projects, we were eager to learn when Humphries was informed about the title change during the development of his Thunderbolts pitch. Was the concept of a New Avengers comic part of the original plan, or a later pivot? Fortunately, Humphries reveals that the title change was part of the initial discussions.

"It was part of the very first conversation I had with Alanna [Smith]," Humphries shared with IGN. "It's been exhilarating and maddening to keep this top secret for months. Like planning a surprise party, but for thousands of people. I don't even have a document on my hard drive that says 'New Avengers' on it. You never know."

Humphries elaborated, "Initially, there were some logistical details to be worked out behind the scenes, so I had to be prepared to pivot on a dime. But the whole plan was locked in by the time I started the first issue. You can see it in the lineup -- the New Avengers and the Killuminati both have echoes of [Brian] Bendis' and [Jonathan] Hickman's New Avengers teams. Jed's [MacKay] got a killer lineup of do-gooders in the Avengers book, and I wanted our book to distinguish itself with a bunch of bastards."

Regarding the lineup, Humphries had significant freedom to select the Thunderbolts/New Avengers. His goal was to represent various major superhuman factions within the Marvel Universe.

"Oh, this was so much fun," Humphries enthused. "My basic concept was -- the Illuminati were seven kings and heroes from seven different corners of the Marvel Universe, so what if we did the same with some of the biggest badasses representing mutants, the mystical world, the Spider family, the gamma family, and so on? I have immense gratitude for our amazing editor Alanna Smith who supported this idea from the jump, even though she had to liaise with pretty much every Marvel editorial office to make it happen. That scream you hear is her Microsoft Teams begging for mercy. And big thanks to all the editors and creators who were generous enough to trust us with their wonderful, cherished characters! Love you all! (They're gonna regret it.)"

As Humphries hinted, the New Avengers aren't your typical paragons of virtue. This team comprises hardened killers, monsters, and a notably irritable underwater monarch. Similar to the original New Avengers from 2004, this group is united by fate and circumstance, and they won't immediately mesh well.

"I think the phrase I used in my pitch was 'interpersonal dynamics go BOOM,'" Humphries remarked. "These aren't level-headed guardians of humanity, these are a bunch of hothead bastards trying to use their bad impulses for good, with mixed results. They should not be allowed to be in the same room together. The big question is, who hates each other the most? It might be Clea and Carnage. Or it might be Namor and Laura. Or it might be…"

Bucky Barnes and the Killuminati

While the new series mirrors the MCU's title change, the New Avengers roster diverges significantly from its cinematic counterpart. The one consistent element is Bucky Barnes, who remains after the current Thunderbolts team takes its final bow in Thunderbolts: Doomstrike. It will be up to the former Winter Soldier to manage this group of strong personalities and immense powers into a functional team.

"I have so much love for Jackson [Lanzing] and Collin's [Kelly] long, glorious run with Bucky," Humphries expressed. "I'm honored and lucky to follow what they've achieved with the character. And Bucky's gonna need the wisdom and experience of every insane thing they put him through. The world is upside down and someone needs to do something about it, damn it."

What threat could possibly require the combined strength of Wolverine, Namor, Carnage, Clea, and Hulk? Inspired by the classic Illuminati lineup, the New Avengers' adversaries in the series are a direct offshoot, dubbed the "Killuminati" by Humphries.

Art by Josemaria Casnanovas. (Image Credit: Marvel)

"Someone tried to make duplicates of the Illuminati, and someone f***ed up," Humphries teased. "Now there's seven demented and deformed worst-case scenarios running around. Bucky's gonna have big problems keeping his team together. And the same goes for the Killuminati and their 'leader' -- Iron Apex."

The New Avengers pairs Humphries with artist Ton Lima, who previously contributed to titles like New Thunderbolts and West Coast Avengers. Humphries notes that the art in this series draws inspiration not from the MCU, but from another highly popular action movie franchise.

"Ton is a BEAST," Humphries praised. "He makes the good guys look brutal and sexy, and the bad guys look brutal and disgusting. I told him he needed to watch every Fast and the Furious movie in a row ten times without breaks. Based on his pages, I think he actually did it, the madman!"

The New Avengers #1 is set to hit shelves on June 11, 2025.

For more insights into the MCU's latest twist, explore why Thunderbolts was renamed The New Avengers, and delve into why the MCU has a big problem with Sebastian Stan's Bucky.