New Secret Avengers During Marvel NOW!

Secret Avengers is getting a little more secretive this February. Marvel announced earlier today on Entertainment Weekly that Nick Spencer and Luke Ross have a S.H.I.E.L.D. focused Secret Avengers book in the works and it’s cast will face an interesting obstacle; None of them know they’re on the team. Code words will trigger the start of each mission and when the job is completed they’ll go about their lives with no memory of what they’ve done.

Hawkeye and Black Widow will be joining the team fresh off their tour from the book’s previous installment, as well as fellow character from The Avengers movie Nick Fury, though in the main Marvel Universe this is actually Nick Fury, Jr. “One of the most important distinctions between this Nick Fury and the Nick Fury that a lot of folks are familiar with from the film franchise is that this Nick is a field agent,” said Spencer, “and he’s a very new field agent. He comes from a lot of time in military service in Afghanistan, and that shapes his worldview and his standard operating procedures.” Other cast members will include Hawkeye’s ex-wife Mockingbird (awkward), the normally villainous Taskmaster, the green Hulk (who will also be starring in his own S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric title), and a new Iron Patriot whose identity is yet-to-be revealed. Although not a member of the team, Bucky Barnes will also be playing a large role in the book as the Winter Soldier. The Avengers movie’s Agent Coulson also appears to be on the cover. “The series really tries to connect the Marvel movie aesthetic with the history of the Marvel Universe as we know it” said Spencer.

As if the Marvel comic books and movie universe weren’t closely related enough, Joss Whedon’s S.H.I.E.L.D. is also currently in production for television. Though Spencer had already started writing Secret Avengers when Whedon’s news went public, he said, “It’s not a bad announcement to get when you’re working on this book!”

Stay tuned to Capeless Crusader for more on Secret Avengers.