Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • Submit your game clips
  • GDC
Don't miss these
Sebastian Stan in Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Marvel Movies Batman 2 and Avengers: Secret Wars are filming close together, and now MCU fans are worried Bucky will die in Doomsday
Ghost, Bob, Yelena, and John Walker peeking around a corner in Thunderbolts
Marvel Movies Avengers: Doomsday star says the movie is like "the Met Gala full of superheroes": "I was truly flabbergasted"
Letitia Wright as Shuri in Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel Movies The Fantastic Four meets Black Panther as the latest Avengers: Doomsday trailer hits the internet
Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Lewis Pullman as Sentry, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, and Wyatt Russell as US Agent in Thunderbolts
Marvel Movies Marvel star Lewis Pullman puts Avengers: Doomsday cameo overload fears to rest: "Every character has their moment"
Spider-Man Brand New Day
Marvel Movies Spider-Man: Brand New Day's comic book cover recreation hints at the villain in Punisher's sights
Chris Hemsworth as Thor in the Avengers: Doomsday trailer
Marvel Movies Chris Hemsworth's Thor has an old look and a new motivation as his Avengers: Doomsday trailer hits the internet
Deadpool running from a small plane just like Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) in North By Northwest
Marvel Comics Wade Wilson: Deadpool #1 pays homage to an iconic Alfred Hitchcock movie moment
Spider-Man, Hulk, and Punisher posing in the jungle alongside a carved stone head
Marvel Comics Writer Jonathan Hickman is bringing Spider-Man 4 stars Spidey, Hulk, and Punisher together just in time for the movie
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday, holding a baby
Marvel Movies The first Avengers: Doomsday trailer is now officially online, as the Russo Brothers explain why they brought Cap back
Chris Evans in Avengers: Endgame
Marvel Movies Avengers: Doomsday trailer is now in cinemas, and it confirms Marvel's worst-kept secret
The Great Lakes Avengers sitting around a table in a diner
Marvel TV Shows The MCU might slowly be assembling the weirdest Avengers team ever
Spider-Man and Boomerang fighting in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Marvel Movies All the new comic-book characters in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer
Spider-Man swinging through New York City
Marvel Comics Marvel brings back the most prolific Spider-Man comic writer of all time to revive Brand New Day before Spider-Man 4
The Fantastic Four: First Steps promo image
Marvel Movies The Fantastic Four finally arrive in the MCU in Wakanda-centric Avengers: Doomsday teaser
Chris Evans as Cap in the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer
Marvel Movies Avengers: Doomsday release date, cast, plot, trailer, and more news
  1. Comics
  2. Marvel Comics
  3. Thunderbolts

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)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
1
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

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:

You may like
  • Sebastian Stan in Captain America: The Winter Soldier Batman 2 and Avengers: Secret Wars are filming close together, and now MCU fans are worried Bucky will die in Doomsday
  • Ghost, Bob, Yelena, and John Walker peeking around a corner in Thunderbolts Avengers: Doomsday star says the movie is like "the Met Gala full of superheroes": "I was truly flabbergasted"
  • Letitia Wright as Shuri in Avengers: Doomsday The Fantastic Four meets Black Panther as the latest Avengers: Doomsday trailer hits the internet
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
Social Links Navigation
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)

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Sebastian Stan in Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Marvel Movies Batman 2 and Avengers: Secret Wars are filming close together, and now MCU fans are worried Bucky will die in Doomsday
 
 
Ghost, Bob, Yelena, and John Walker peeking around a corner in Thunderbolts
Marvel Movies Avengers: Doomsday star says the movie is like "the Met Gala full of superheroes": "I was truly flabbergasted"
 
 
Letitia Wright as Shuri in Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel Movies The Fantastic Four meets Black Panther as the latest Avengers: Doomsday trailer hits the internet
 
 
Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Lewis Pullman as Sentry, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, and Wyatt Russell as US Agent in Thunderbolts
Marvel Movies Marvel star Lewis Pullman puts Avengers: Doomsday cameo overload fears to rest: "Every character has their moment"
 
 
Spider-Man Brand New Day
Marvel Movies Spider-Man: Brand New Day's comic book cover recreation hints at the villain in Punisher's sights
 
 
Chris Hemsworth as Thor in the Avengers: Doomsday trailer
Marvel Movies Chris Hemsworth's Thor has an old look and a new motivation as his Avengers: Doomsday trailer hits the internet
 
 
Latest in Marvel Comics
The X-Men facing off for a basketball game
Marvel Comics X-Men '97 season 2 gets a comic book prequel that Marvel promises is "vital" to the next chapter of the animated series
 
 
Spider-Man, Hulk, and Punisher posing in the jungle alongside a carved stone head
Marvel Comics Writer Jonathan Hickman is bringing Spider-Man 4 stars Spidey, Hulk, and Punisher together just in time for the movie
 
 
Superman in a battle-damaged costume brandishing both Mjolnir and Captain America's shield
Comics The best Marvel/DC crossover returns to pit the Avengers against the Justice League in the biggest superhero fight ever
 
 
Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus leaping into action in the intro sequence of X-Men: The Arcade Game
Action Games After 13 years away, all-time- classic X-Men: The Arcade Game returns to headline a new collection of retro Marvel games
 
 
Dario Agger charging at Thor/Sigurd Jarlson
Marvel Comics Thor has "nowhere to go but down" as Dario Agger the Minotaur returns to kill him in The Mortal Thor #11
 
 
Spider-Man swinging through New York City
Marvel Comics Marvel brings back the most prolific Spider-Man comic writer of all time to revive Brand New Day before Spider-Man 4
 
 
Latest in News
Silksong
Action Games Hollow Knight: Silksong patch 5 is is "the last significant update" before Sea of Sorrow DLC
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows players protest Nvidia's controversial DLSS 5 "AI slop" filter
 
 
Pikachu on a brick path looking up over its shoulder into the foreground
Tabletop Gaming If you want to collect Pokemon cards again like me, this is the best place to start
 
 
Image of the Asteroid Manor in Starfield, a player-house in a hollowed out asteroid
RPGs Starfield will let you have a true "home among the stars" with its new Asteroid Manor player house
 
 
Spider-Man Brand New Day
Marvel Movies Spider-Man: Brand New Day's comic book cover recreation hints at the villain in Punisher's sights
 
 
Resident Evil Requiem Leon Kennedy
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem lead will reveal Leon's spouse "someday," but not today
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Silksong
    1
    Hollow Knight: Silksong patch 5 is is "the last significant update" before Sea of Sorrow DLC
  2. 2
    Spider-Man: Brand New Day's comic book cover recreation hints at the villain in Punisher's sights
  3. 3
    Assassin's Creed Shadows players protest Nvidia's controversial DLSS 5 "AI slop" filter
  4. 4
    I bounced off of Cyberpunk 2077 for 2 months when I first played it, and that makes it perfect for Xbox Game Pass
  5. 5
    If you want to collect Pokemon cards again like me, this is the best place to start

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...