Thunderbolts* Series Rebrands as New Avengers in MCU-Inspired Marvel Comics Move

With the Thunderbolts movie now captivating audiences in theaters, Marvel Comics is set to conclude one chapter of the franchise and embark on a thrilling new journey for this iconic super-team. However, there's an unexpected twist in the tale. Just as Marvel astonished MCU fans by retitling Thunderbolts as "The New Avengers" after its first weekend of release, the new Thunderbolts comic series is following suit with the same title change. This shift challenges heroes like Carnage, Clea, and Wolverine to step up and embody the spirit of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Can they rise to the occasion?

It's an ambitious goal, and the path to becoming a cohesive and effective Avengers team will be fraught with challenges. Our recent conversation with writer Sam Humphries underscored the complexities these characters will face. Dive into the details below to discover more about the Thunderbolts/New Avengers transition, Humphries' unique selection process for this diverse yet powerful roster, and the formidable threat that necessitates such a team of heavy-hitters.

The New Avengers #1: Exclusive Preview Gallery

View 19 ImagesWho Are the New Avengers?

Marvel Studios is known for its secrecy around upcoming projects, so we were intrigued 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 his initial plan, or was it a later development? Thankfully, Humphries revealed that this was not a last-minute change, but rather an integral part of the project from the start.

“It was part of the very first conversation I had with Alanna [Smith],” Humphries explained to IGN. "It's been exhilarating and maddening to keep this top secret for months. It's like planning a surprise party 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 sort out behind the scenes, so I had to be ready to pivot quickly. But by the time I started the first issue, the plan was firmly in place. You can see it in the lineup — the New Avengers and the Killuminati both echo [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 stand out with a roster of, well, bastards.”

"Jed's got a killer lineup of do-gooders in the Avengers book, and I wanted our book to stand out with a roster of, well, bastards.” Humphries had considerable freedom in selecting the Thunderbolts/New Avengers lineup, aiming to represent various key segments 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 exactly paragons of virtue and heroism. This team is composed of hardened killers, monsters, and one irritable underwater monarch. Similar to the original New Avengers from 2004, these characters are brought together by fate and circumstance, and they won’t immediately gel.

“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 hotheaded 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 in its title change, the actual New Avengers roster differs significantly from the film version. The one constant is Bucky Barnes, who remains after the current Thunderbolts team takes its final bow in Thunderbolts: Doomstrike. Bucky will have the challenging task of uniting 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 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.”

What threat could possibly demand the combined might of Wolverine, Namor, Carnage, Clea, and Hulk? As the New Avengers draw inspiration from the classic Illuminati lineup, their adversaries in the series are a direct offshoot of the Illuminati. Humphries refers to them as the “Killuminati.”

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 worked on books like New Thunderbolts and West Coast Avengers. Humphries revealed that the art in this series draws inspiration not from the MCU, but from another action-packed 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 will hit the 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 faces a significant challenge with Sebastian Stan’s portrayal of Bucky.