Marvel Comics has announced the formation of an "All-New, All-Different" Savage Avengers ongoing title, complete with a new line-up consisting of Anti-Venom, Weapon H/Hulkverine, Daredevil/Elektra, Black Knight, Cloak & Dagger, and Conan the Barbarian.
And then there's Deathlok, included in Leinil Yu's cover for Savage Avengers #1 alongside the team, but billed in Marvel's full announcement as the story's villain, pursuing the Savage Avengers as they accompany Conan to the Hyborian Age.
Savage Avengers was announced in a series of teasers that first revealed several pairs of heroes, along with the words "All-New" and "All-Different," with the third (and seemingly last) image revealing the new super-team as a new incarnation of the Savage Avengers.
Now Marvel has named the title's creative team of writer David Pepose, known for his creator-owned comics including Spencer & Locke, Scout's Honor, and the Ringo Award-winning The O.Z. (and as a former Newsarama writer/editor!), along with Marvel Comics staple artist Carlos Magno, fresh off his work on the recent Kang the Conqueror limited series.
As for the team themselves, Hulkverine (better known as Weapon H) is Clay Cortez, a super-soldier subject with all the abilities of Hulk and Wolverine combined.
Meanwhile, Agent Anti-Venom is classic Spider-Man supporting character Flash Thompson, who was resurrected in the Venom-centric King in Black event with a new Anti-Venom symbiote.
Dane Whitman is fresh off two storylines - one crossing over with the X-Men - which revealed that his daughter, Jackie "Jacks" Chopra, is a mutant (she's also a Black Knight, sharing the title with her dad).
The fourth is the current, second Daredevil, Elektra. She took up the mantle when Matt Murdock was imprisoned, and ended up keeping it even when he returned to the streets as the Man Without Fear.
Then there's Cloak & Dagger, AKA Tandie Bowen and Tyrone Johnson, a long-running duo whose powers of light manipulation and teleportation through darkness complement and feed each other.
Deathlok is usually a cyborg killing machine from the future, though there have been several incarnations of the character over the years, so it's not clear which version this is. Currently, a group of Deathloks from around the Multiverse are appearing in Jason Aaron's core Avengers title, which deals with a new Multiversal Masters of Evil. It's unclear if or how these stories may be connected.
And of course, there's Conan the Barbarian, who was the unifying star of the original Savage Avengers from writer Gerry Duggan and artist Mike Deodato Jr., which recently concluded after 28 issues featuring Conan teaming up with heroes from the Marvel Universe.
"Making my Marvel debut with Savage Avengers is like getting drafted to the Yankees and then being told you also get to play for the Rangers on the weekend - not only do I get to write Conan the Barbarian, one of the most iconic characters in sword and sorcery, but I get to throw him into the wildest adventures imaginable alongside a brand-new crew of Marvel fan-favorites!" Pepose states in the announcement.
"I can't wait for readers to see what sparks fly when Conan and company are pitted against the most dangerous Deathlok of them all. Get ready to experience an epic battle of Cyborg versus Cimmerian, because this May, only the Savage will survive…"
Savage Avengers #1 goes on sale on May 4. Here's a look at the variant covers released by Marvel so far, including covers by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Kaare Andrews, John Romita Jr., Jan Bazaldua, and Rafael Albuquerque.
Will the All-New, All-Different Savage Avengers join the ranks of the best Avengers line-ups of all time?
