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Secret Avengers

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Mike Deodato

The title of the book explains the team perfectly. The Secret Avengers are going to be a team led by Sharon Carter and Steve Rogers, that operate under the radar of the public eye, and act as a proactive force rather than a reactive force. Their main objective is to take back the weapons and artifacts that were taken from Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., as well as any other leads they may happen upon. Rogers has assembled a team that can pretty much handle nearly any crisis, from space to earth to the streets. In issue #1, we are shown how some of the members were recruited, as well as the purpose of the team (mentioned above). For even more added action, we are shown Black Widow and Valkyrie posing as “escorts” in order to retrieve the Serpent Crown, and Ant-Man and Moon Knight doing some espionage work.

Steve Rogers: Recently put in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the new face of the superhero, Steve Rogers has taken a role unlike any other. This is why a team like this will work so well with Steve in charge. He has the knowledge of all obvious activity, and will be able to field a team that can handle the dirty work. He has worked on a similar team as this with The Invaders, and is a good role model to some of the more troubled members.

Sharon Carter: Sharon Carter is the brains behind this operation. Although Steve Rogers may be the field leader, Sharon leads from the secret base. She has had a long past with S.H.I.E.L.D., and will bring a military mind to the team. It will be interesting to see how her new relationship with Steve develops, because we all know how couples can get when in the midst of battle.

Ant-Man: Eric O’Grady has finally taken the right step toward redemption. His previous stint with the Thunderbolts was a facade, but he will hopefully make amends with his past. Being part of a covert group works great with his power set, being able to sneak past most defenses and sabotage most traps. Hopefully this little man will be able to show big heart and prove himself to the super-hero community.

Black Widow: Probably the most fitting member on this roster. Being an ex-soviet spy, Black Widow has the most experience in covert ops. An obvious choice for the team, because along with her spy background, she has worked closely with Captain America in the past, as well as the Avengers. She may be one of the lesser “powered” members, but her skill and expertise in this area makes her one of the strongest.

Valkyrie: I think this was one of the bigger surprises as far as the roster goes. Valkyrie has done some time with The Defenders, and is actually a demi-god from Valhalla. As far as covert ops skills go, she probably will have a hard time with keeping a low profile, which Cap wants, but brings a lot in another department. She is the brute muscle of the team. Having trained with warriors of Asgard, and being somewhat of a goddess herself, most opponents will have a hard time dealing with her in hand-to-hand combat.

Moon Knight: Moon Knight is one of those characters that has a ton of fans, but has never had a regular series with any real steam. As far as making him join other team-based books, he was never much of a team player, and his short stint on The Avengers West Coast proved that. But now, The Secret Avengers seems like a perfect fit for him. He doesn’t have to always interact with other members, and the covert ops action fits well with his past experience. Hopefully Moon Knight will be able to get his split personalities in order, and be a mainstay on this title.

Beast: The Beast joining The Secret Avengers was a surprise, but at the same time wasn’t. If you read Uncanny X-men, you’ve seen that Hank has been extremely displeased with Scott Summers and the way Utopia is being run. He tried a short stint with S.W.O.R.D., and has now heeded the call to be an Avenger again. Beast brings all brain, and makes a perfect fit for the team’s resident scientist. When The Secret Avengers start recovering artifacts from Project: P.E.G.A.S.U.S., Beast will be able to study and examine these otherwise dangerous items.

War Machine: With Tony Stark in the Iron Man armor fighting in the pages of The Avengers, it only makes sense that we would see War Machine as the tech specialist. Not only does he add to Beast’s science knowledge, but he brings the power and versatility that any cyborg would. Rhodey is an ex-marine, and brings obedience and loyalty to Steve Roger’s leadership.

Nova: In Secret Avengers #1, Steve Rogers explains that he wants to be able to tackle threats coming from any avenue, whether on Earth or in space. Knowing this, it only makes sense that he would recruit someone like Nova to be part of the team. Nova has so far been shown acting as the team’s liaison in space, but I think most readers are waiting to see if he will be spending any time back on Earth. It will also be interesting to see how Nova can juggle his time with this team, and his duties with the Nova Corps.

Next week Billy will be taking us into a look at the New Avengers!

Mike Parente
mike@comicattack.net