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  1. Comics
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It's Bucky fan service galore in a New Avengers #1 preview that has the Winter Soldier effortlessly exploding his enemies before a steamy hook-up with Black Widow

News
By George Marston published 6 June 2025

Don't call them the Thunderbolts

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Bucky casually walking away from an explosion
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
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Just like the MCU, Marvel Comics has a brand new incarnation of the New Avengers. And just like in the MCU, the new comic was originally billed as Thunderbolts*, before its actual title was revealed. We've got a preview of The New Avengers #1 showing how the team gets its start.

It all comes down to Bucky Barnes, who takes the lead as a badass action hero alongside his rekindled paramour Natasha Romanova, the Black Widow, with the pair getting together – both romantically and heroically – for a new mission.

Here's the preview by writer Sam Humphries, artist Ton Lima, colorist Rain Beredo, and letterer Joe Sabino, along with the cover by Stephen Segovia:

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Image 1 of 6
Bucky confronts an informant for Doctor Doom
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
Bucky throwing a molotov cocktail and casually walking away from the explosion
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
Black Widow gets the drop on Bucky, enticing him to join her
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
Bucky and Black Widow lounge in bed after hooking up, arguing over the state of Bucky's headquarters
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
Black Widow talks Bucky into joining her for a covert mission
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
The New Avengers springing into action
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

"Carnage. The Hulk. Namor. Clea. Wolverine. Five of the most dangerous loners and antiheroes in the Marvel Universe. Nothing could make them work together…but Bucky Barnes and the Black Widow are going to give it a shot," reads Marvel's official description of New Avengers #1.

"Demented duplicates of the Illuminati are threatening the world, and if they figure out how to work together, they'll be as unstoppable as the originals. Bucky and Natasha need allies who will do anything to take the duplicates out - but wrangling a team of killers and monsters presents its own dangers. Welcome to the New Avengers - hope you survive the experience!"

Bucky and Natasha are both accomplished Avengers in their own right, so the two of them co-leading a team makes sense, especially with other longstanding Avengers like Namor and Hulk in the mix. But there are definitely some wildcards on the team, especially Carnage, who is usually one of Spider-Man's most bloodthirsty foes, though the symbiote is now controlled by Eddie Brock, who is much more of an anti-hero.

New Avengers #1 goes on sale June 11.

Check out the best Avengers stories of all time.

George Marston
George Marston
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Entertainment Writer

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

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