The Avengers return in Avengers #1, a new issue by writer Chip Zdarsky, artist Marco Checchetto, colorist Matthew Wilson and letterer Cory Petit. The series reintroduces the team in a Marvel Universe reshaped by the events of Avengers: Armageddon and the latest Captain America story, where public opinion has turned sharply against superheroes.
That hostility follows a chain of disasters. The Avengers’ intervention in Latveria to depose the Red Hulk spilled into neighboring countries. David Colton, an Avenger who recently gained new powers, then began destroying the world’s nuclear weapons, prompting Russia to launch a nuclear attack on the United States. The Red Hulk later exploded while fighting Russia, killing thousands of civilians.
Against that backdrop, Spider-Man argues that the Avengers are still needed, even as other heroes appear reluctant to return. Zdarsky builds the team’s reassembly through character pairings, including Spider-Man with Luke Cage and Wolverine with Colton. Wolverine gave Colton his new Miracleman powers and feels responsible for him.
The issue also focuses on Carol Danvers, who lost most of her powers while trying to absorb the Red Hulk’s explosion. She saved some people but could not prevent other deaths, leaving her traumatized. Now unable to fly and struggling with alcoholism, Carol speaks with Daredevil in his neighborhood. Their scenes bring the two heroes together in an exchange shaped by Matt Murdock’s outlook.
The threat that ultimately draws the Avengers together comes from Mephisto. Following Doctor Doom’s cancellation of Mephisto’s contracts, the demon is now calling in the deals he made. The consequences vary depending on the bargain: people who traded their souls to have children could put those children in danger. The Avengers’ first challenge is to protect those affected, including Aunt May, whose life Spider-Man once saved through a deal with Mephisto in One More Day.
The issue closes on that connection, setting up the opening arc around the fallout from Mephisto’s contracts and the Avengers’ return at a time when the world distrusts them.
Sources: Comic Book Resources.