Avengers Assemble: Steve Orlando on the Returns of Avengers Mansion, Jackets, and More (Exclusive)

Some familiar and classic Avengers tropes are about to make a comeback in a major way. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes just survived a massive vampire invasion in Blood Hunt, with Captain America (Steve Rogers) leading a makeshift team of newer and older Avengers against Baron Blood. This is the inspiration behind Avengers Assemble, a new series from writer Steve Orlando and a rotating group of artists that models the Avengers after a real-life rapid response unit. The team will be based out of the iconic Avengers Mansion and features a roster of A-listers as well as lesser-known names, all working together to divert the next catastrophic event.

ComicBook spoke to Avengers Assemble‘s Steve Orlando about the upcoming series, where we found out why now is the time for this type of team to come together, the selection process for the team’s roster, the returns of Avengers Mansion, ’90s era jackets, and Jarvis, favorite characters, threats to watch out for, the artists working on the title, and much more. We can also exclusively reveal the first look at interior pages from Avengers Assemble #1.

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Avengers Emergency Response Squad Assemble

ComicBook: The Avengers brand continues to grow with the additions of the recently announced West Coast Avengers and your Avengers Assemble. Why is now the right time for an Avengers Emergency Response Squad to assemble?

Steve Orlando: In the wake of Blood Hunt and its resolution that set up Doctor Doom as the new Sorcerer Supreme, something that’s always been true is now more apparent than ever — the threats don’t stop coming. And more than that, they don’t wait in line. Blood Hunt showed Steve Rogers how much a group of impromptu Avengers could do, after the main team was scattered by Varnae’s warriors. He’s taken that to heart, and he’s patterned this group after real rapid-response rescue teams. And some of that may not look like a traditional superteam–it means not every hero deploys on every mission (just like not every squad in a firehouse responds to every call). But it also means there will be Aveng.e.r.s. ready at a moment’s notice, no matter when–even when some are already deployed. As more and more threats mount, the way the Avengers attack the problem has to change. Rogers is trying to maintain the momentum from Blood Hunt and stay ahead of the crisis curve.

Classic and New Avengers

There appears to be a nice mix of classic Avengers and newcomers in the series. Can you walk us through how the selection process was made for the rotating cast of characters?

We were in luck! The current Avengers roster is one of the most powerful ever–but it’s a tight group, too! That left many classic Avengers open for this year, for a chance to reunite and return to their friends. But with the mandate of always being ready, there needed to be new perspectives as well–that brought us Night Thrasher, that brought us Lightspeed. And as time goes on, it may even bring us more–the possibilities are astonishing!

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Avengers Mansion Is Back

Avengers Mansion has popped up here and there over the years, but now it’s officially back with its doors open. What type of interpersonal relationships can fans look forward to, and who will be calling Avengers Mansion home during your run?

Everyone on the team! With the Aveng.e.r.s. being patterned off how first responders work shifts and deploy, there will always be people staying at the Mansion, ready to deploy. Everyone will have a room there, even if they’re not all there all the time. And Jarvis and Mister Sweeny will be there too! As you’ll see, there are bonds old and new waiting–Lightspeed and Night Thrasher connecting over their shared experience as former teen heroes from different eras, Wonder Man and She-Hulk jousting over Jen knowing when Simon’s bluffing, Hercules being both a disruptor and a forthright beefcake with a heart of gold. Everyone will have an opinion! And behind it all, it’ll be Jarvis keeping the lights on.

Avengers Jackets Are Also Back

Let’s talk about the return of the Avengers jackets! Whose idea was it to go for a unified look with the ’90s leather jackets?

Oh I mean, I think if you’ve read my work you’ll know it was mine! But this isn’t just nostalgia for the 90s–it needed to be more than that. When I was working disaster relief myself with my friends at World Central Kitchen, I learned a lot about rescue work that I didn’t expect. One of those things was the importance of logos, branding, etc, which may not seem important. But in a crisis situation, it’s vitally important that who you are and what you do is instantly recognizable. So, these jackets will do that for our team. When they arrive, from different backgrounds and eras, everyone will instantly know the Aveng.e.r.s. are united and that they’re here to help.

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Story Structure

Are these one-and-done stories, or will there be a storyline running through each issue?

Both! That’s the sweet spot–comics readers deserve as much story as possible in every single issue, they demand a damn meal. But at the same time that we’re telling one-off stories, we’ll be building the overarching threat. After all, we just said that threats don’t wait in line! So each issue will feature more and more chaos, building to the climactic showdown.

Favorite Characters

Have any of the characters surprised you to the point where you’ve found yourself wanting to find more page space for them?

Oh, absolutely–it was Hercules! He’s been a blast from moment one. And he gets moments, for sure! Everyone gets their moment. But I didn’t expect to have as much fun as I’ve been having with Hercules. Wonder Man has always been a favorite and didn’t disappoint, just like She-Hulk. And of course, it’s been great having Lightning on the roster. I loved him as a kid reading back issues, he was great in No Surrender and No Road Home and he’s great now!

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Villains and Threats

Red Skull’s daughter is the villain in the first issue, but what other threats and bad guys can you tease us with?

The first thing I’ll say is that Sin won’t be coming alone, in her way–she’ll have a boost she hasn’t had before. But there’ll be other threats snaking their way into the story, starting with issue one. From here, we’ll be jumping through the Marvel Universe with a wild array of threats: the ghosts of the Super-Apes! New Nightstalkers for a New World! The tragedy of Victory–And the tears of the devil himself!

Artist Collaboration

To wrap up, what’s the collaboration process been like with Cory Smith, Scot Eaton, Marcelo Ferreira, and Valentina Pinti? I imagine it’s not too different from the work you’ve already been doing on the different Spider-Man 2099 miniseries.

It’s been invigorating! As you said, this isn’t my first rodeo on a series with multiple artists–but as a creator, I personally find it to be a joy. One of the best parts of this job is that a story that begins with you as the writer can come back and surprise you. Having a different collaborator for each issue keeps the work even more energetic and surprising–more organic, more dynamic, and lighter on its feet. So, I write the most exciting script I can–after all, my collaborators are my first audience. So, if they’re excited by the story, I’ve set them up to crush things. And then? I get out of the way and let these masters work.

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