Marvel's Thunderbolts Series Rebrands as New Avengers

With the *Thunderbolts* movie now captivating audiences in theaters, Marvel Comics is poised to conclude one era of the franchise and usher in a new chapter for this iconic super-team. However, there's an intriguing twist: just as Marvel surprised MCU fans by retitling *Thunderbolts* as “The New Avengers” following its first weekend of release, the new *Thunderbolts* comic is undergoing the same transformation. This shift challenges heroes like Carnage, Clea, and Wolverine to embody the legacy of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Can they rise to the occasion?

The journey to becoming a cohesive and effective Avengers team will be a formidable challenge for these characters, as writer Sam Humphries recently shared with us. Dive into the details of the *Thunderbolts/New Avengers* transition, discover how Humphries assembled this unique yet powerful team, and uncover the looming threat that necessitates such formidable forces.

The New Avengers #1: Exclusive Preview Gallery

View 19 ImagesWho Are the New Avengers?

Given Marvel Studios' notorious secrecy surrounding upcoming projects, we were eager to learn when writer Sam Humphries was informed about the title change during the development of his *Thunderbolts* pitch. Was the *New Avengers* concept part of his initial plan, or a later addition? Humphries clarified that the title change was part of the plan from the outset.

"It was part of the very first conversation I had with Alanna [Smith]," Humphries told IGN. "It's been exhilarating and maddening to keep this top secret for months. Like planning a surprise party, but 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 be worked out behind the scenes, so I had to be prepared to pivot on a dime. But the whole plan was locked in by the time I started the first issue. You can see it in the lineup -- the New Avengers and the Killuminati both have echoes of [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 distinguish itself with a bunch of bastards."

"Jed's got a killer lineup of do-gooders in the Avengers book, and I wanted our book to distinguish itself with a bunch of bastards.” As for the lineup, Humphries reveals that he had significant freedom in selecting the *Thunderbolts/New Avengers*. His goal was to represent the various major superhuman facets of the Marvel Universe.

"Oh, this was so much fun," Humphries says. "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 hints, the New Avengers aren’t necessarily paragons of virtue and heroism. This team comprises hardened killers, monsters, and one irritable underwater monarch. Much like the original New Avengers from 2004, they are united by fate and circumstance, and immediate harmony is unlikely.

"I think the phrase I used in my pitch was ‘interpersonal dynamics go BOOM,’" Humphries says. "These aren't level-headed guardians of humanity, these are a bunch of hothead 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

Despite the new series mirroring the MCU's title change, the *New Avengers* roster differs significantly from its cinematic counterpart. The one constant is Bucky Barnes, who remains after the current *Thunderbolts* team takes its final bow in *Thunderbolts: Doomstrike*. Bucky will face the daunting task of uniting this group of strong personalities and even stronger powers into a functional team.

"I have so much love for Jackson [Lanzing] and Collin's [Kelly] long, glorious run with Bucky," Humphries says. "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 necessitate the combined might of Wolverine, Namor, Carnage, Clea, and Hulk? Inspired by the classic Illuminati lineup, the New Avengers' adversaries in the series are an offshoot known as the “Killuminati.”

Art by Josemaria Casnanovas. (Image Credit: Marvel)"Someone tried to make duplicates of the Illuminati, and someone f***ed up," Humphries teases. "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* series pairs Humphries with artist Ton Lima, whose previous work includes *New Thunderbolts* and *West Coast Avengers*. Humphries shares that the art in this series draws inspiration not from the MCU, but from another popular action movie franchise.

"Ton is a BEAST," Humphries says. "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 recent changes, explore why Thunderbolts was renamed The New Avengers, and discover why the MCU has a big problem with Sebastian Stan’s Bucky.