Marvel Needs to Bring Back The Dark Avengers

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Marvel Comics is home to a plethora of superhero and supervillain teams, from heroic supergroups like the Fantastic Four and the Avengers to slightly more morally gray teams like X-Force and the Thunderbolts. These teams all fit within the overarching stories and events of the Marvel Universe in exciting ways, and their stories sprawl from across galaxies and alternate realities, all the way down to the smallest-scale conflicts between characters.

In the wake of Marvel’s Civil War and Secret Invasion events, a new superteam was formed by the villainous Norman Osborn, a longtime foe of the Amazing Spider-Man. The Dark Avengers was a team made up of supervillains disguising themselves as heroes. The team included Daredevil’s archenemy Bullseye disguised as the Avengers’ marksman Hawkeye, Logan’s son Daken taking on the role of Wolverine, Venom posing as Spider-Man, and Norman Osborn himself positioning himself as the Iron Patriot.

The Team Was a Major Shift in the Landscape of the Marvel Universe

With the heroes of the Marvel Universe in constant conflict after Civil War, another major event took them by surprise: the iconic Secret Invasion. Skrull infiltrators attempted to undermine Earth’s governments and seize control of the planet, forcing heroes (and even some villains) to unite against this world-threatening enemy. Two of the best Marvel Comics events, Civil War and Secret Invasion, set the stage for the rise of the Dark Avengers.

Secret Invasion revealed just how divided and uncoordinated many of the heroes in the Marvel Universe had become. With the aftermath of Civil War still looming large, many characters were on shaky ground with former allies and friends. Tony Stark, Reed Richards, and Carol Danvers, who supported the Superhuman Registration Act, found themselves at odds with heroes who opposed it. The erosion of trust between these factions severely hampered their ability to unite when the Skrull threat emerged.

During the climax of Secret Invasion, Norman Osborn, who was currently leading the group of supervillain operatives known as the Thunderbolts, seized an opportunity to place himself at the center of the narrative. Osborn claimed that he and his team were instrumental in the saving of Earth from the Skrull menace. This power grab left Osborn as one of the most powerful and influential people in the Marvel Universe. It also gave him an easy route to forming an Avengers team of his own—one that was even considered the “official” version of the iconic superhero team.

The Team Is a Terrifying Reflection of Iconic Marvel Heroes

The Dark Avengers’ Methods Sullied the Original Team’s Reputation

With the world in chaos, Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers became the “heroes” the world needed. Given control of the remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D., Osborn gained access to Tony Stark’s armor and technology, allowing him to become the Iron Patriot. This was a clear attempt to win the respect and trust of the American people. Warping the mythology of classic Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Captain America is exactly what makes this version of Norman Osborn and the Dark Avengers as a whole so interesting. They reflect and distort the views of the public on superheroes, and they’re able to do it even more so in the wake of a barrage of events that seeded distrust and fear in the Marvel Universe.

By taking characters from his Thunderbolts team and having them adopt the personas of Earth’s mightiest heroes, Osborn delivered another blow to the already reeling superhero community. Re-engineering the mantles of characters like Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel (later Captain Marvel), and Hawkeye was a brilliant yet sinister move, resulting in dangerous and villainous consequences for those under the Dark Avengers’ brand of “protection.”

The team even recruited Bob Reynolds, aka the Sentry, a hero who was easily manipulated by Norman Osborn. As one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe, Sentry was a devastating addition to the Dark Avengers who made the team even more untouchable. During the Dark Avengers’ rise to power, Osborn was hiding a terrible secret: his villainous Green Goblin persona was re-emerging, and his sanity was unraveling.

The Dark Avengers Gave the Heroes a Real Challenge

Matching Power-Levels with Some of Marvel’s Greatest Heroes Made the Team Formidable

During the period when Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers were in power—a time known in the Marvel Universe as Dark Reign—the group’s machinations became increasingly terrifying on a global scale. This era culminated in Siege, where Osborn and his team attempted to attack Asgard, which had been relocated to Earth and was hovering above a small town in Oklahoma. Siege was a turning point for the Dark Avengers. With the true Avengers finally coming back together after years apart, the team faced off against the full might of Marvel’s greatest heroes and was able to put up a fight.

Much like DC Comics’ Crime Syndicate, the Dark Avengers were a group of villains who, individually, likely wouldn’t have stood a chance against the heroes. Together, however, they put up a terrifyingly close fight. This level of competitiveness in battles against villains was rare for the Avengers, especially when those villains were typically defeated by a single hero. The high stakes and epic showdowns that resulted made it clear the Dark Avengers were a unique threat. In fact, Siege strongly implied that the Avengers won because of a lucky break. The Dark Avengers fell apart from within, which gave the true Avengers the upper hand.

The Dark Reign saga, along with the overarching storylines of the Dark Avengers, served as the culmination of Marvel’s decade-long buildup with its major characters. This era was defined by doubt in heroes, the rise of morally gray teams like the Thunderbolts, and heroes clashing with one another. It was the perfect moment for a group like the Dark Avengers to emerge, making it one of the strongest eras of ongoing storytelling in Marvel Comics history.

A New Team of Dark Avengers Would Rock the Marvel Universe

Bringing the Team Back Would Force Marvel Heroes to Reflect Again

So much has changed since the Dark Avengers were last assembled, and the Marvel Universe is primed for the return of one of its most nefarious groups. Introducing new characters could mirror the mainline Avengers’ expanding roster and provide an exciting change of pace for readers. Though a new Dark Avengers team was formed a few years after the original disbanded, they didn’t have the same impact—something that could easily be amended with a return of the team.

Adding characters like Mysterio, Muse, Baron Zemo, or Sabretooth could take the Dark Avengers in an interesting direction. All of those characters could easily inhabit new pseudo-heroic visages in order to trick the public and gain support from the passes. There are so many possibilities for the Dark Avengers, and their close connection to the Thunderbolts makes them an obvious candidate for a return to Marvel’s current comic continuity. Reintroducing a genuine, formidable threat that heroes truly fear would be the perfect way to shift the status quo and shake things up again.

With the Thunderbolts joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in an upcoming film, the Dark Avengers are the next logical step. Their presence in the comics should carry as much weight as their heroic counterparts. They should be a mainstay in the universe, perhaps with a revolving roster of characters portraying heroes or morally ambiguous characters looking for a place to belong.

The Dark Avengers were established as a means of manipulation and control, both for the public and for the characters within the team. Manipulating characters like Ares, Venom, and the Sentry was a major part of the original team, and bringing fresh blood to the team could create even more compelling dynamics and character development.

“}]] One of Marvel’s most compelling teams of anti-heroic supervillains needs to make a return to the comics ahead of the Thunderbolts coming to the MCU.  Read More