Marvel's Thunderbolts* Series Rebrands as New Avengers, Echoing MCU

With the Thunderbolts movie now captivating audiences in theaters, Marvel Comics is gearing up to conclude one chapter of the franchise and launch a thrilling new era for this iconic super-team. In a surprising twist reminiscent of the MCU's recent move, Marvel Comics is also retitling the Thunderbolts series as "The New Avengers" following its first weekend of release. This bold shift challenges characters like Carnage, Clea, and Wolverine to step up and embody the legacy of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. But can they rise to the occasion?

It's a daunting task for these characters to coalesce into a cohesive and effective Avengers team, as writer Sam Humphries emphasized in a recent interview. Dive deeper into the Thunderbolts/New Avengers transformation, discover how Humphries curated this diverse yet formidable roster, and understand the looming threat that necessitates such a powerhouse team.

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Who Are the New Avengers?

Marvel Studios' reputation for secrecy had us wondering when Humphries learned of the title change during his Thunderbolts pitch. Was the New Avengers concept always on the table, or was it a last-minute pivot? Fortunately, Humphries reveals that the title change was part of the initial plan.

“It was part of the very first conversation I had with Alanna [Smith],” Humphries told 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 further explained, “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.”

Humphries enjoyed significant creative freedom when selecting the Thunderbolts/New Avengers roster, aiming to represent the diverse corners of the Marvel Universe.

“Oh, this was so much fun,” Humphries said. “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 the typical paragons of virtue and superheroic ideals. This team comprises hardened killers, monsters, and a surly underwater monarch, assembled by fate and circumstance, much like the original New Avengers from 2004.

“I think the phrase I used in my pitch was ‘interpersonal dynamics go BOOM,’" Humphries said. “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

Although the new series mirrors the MCU's title change, the actual New Avengers roster diverges significantly from its cinematic counterpart. The one consistent element is Bucky Barnes, who remains after the current Thunderbolts team concludes in Thunderbolts: Doomstrike. Bucky will face the challenge of uniting this diverse group of powerful personalities into a functional team.

“I have so much love for Jackson [Lanzing] and Collin's [Kelly] long, glorious run with Bucky,” Humphries said. “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.”

The formidable threat that requires the combined strength of Wolverine, Namor, Carnage, Clea, and Hulk stems from a twisted offshoot of the Illuminati, 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.”

Collaborating with artist Ton Lima, whose previous works include New Thunderbolts and West Coast Avengers, Humphries draws artistic inspiration not from the MCU, but from another beloved action movie franchise.

“Ton is a BEAST,” Humphries said. “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 the shelves on June 11, 2025.

For more insights into the MCU's recent changes, explore why Thunderbolts was renamed The New Avengers, and discover why the MCU has a big problem with Sebastian Stan’s Bucky.