Marvel Comics is preparing to expand the Avengers roster with the addition of some heavy hitters. Nowadays, it's hard to find a character in the Marvel Universe who hasn't been a member of the Avengers. However, they typically come and go according to the creative team, with the lineup constantly evolving to handle different threats. When writer Jason Aaron kicked off a new volume of Avengers, the team was billed as its most powerful roster yet, with the likes of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, and more. The team currently finds itself at its weakest point, which is why they're considering a recruitment drive to add some much-needed help.
WARNING: Spoilers for Avengers #50 follow. With the "World War She-Hulk" story arc in the rearview mirror, the Avengers regroup to assess where the team now stands. Unfortunately, they're not in great shape. Even though they have the Agents of Wakanda as support staff and call the corpse of a Celestial their base of operations, they find themselves getting weaker amongst their ranks. She-Hulk is taking time away from the team after ridding herself of her Red Room programming, Blade is the Sheriff of the Vampire Nation in Russia, and Thor is still reeling from learning his mother may be the cavewoman Phoenix of the Prehistoric Avengers.
Black Panther, Captain America, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel also have been dealing with serious issues in their own solo series. This is why Black Panther suggests the Avengers look in-house to increase its membership. For starters, they have Maya Lopez, aka Echo, the new host of the Phoenix Force. Echo is still learning to use her new powers in a solo miniseries, but there is also the young girl who has the powers of the cosmic Starbrand. However, the two surprising additions are perhaps Namor the Submariner and Jane Foster, the Valkyrie.
Namor has spent the last couple of years as an enemy of the Avengers, leading the Defenders of the Deep against the surface world. The Defenders and Avengers have clashed on numerous occasions, but the King of Atlantis is looking to redeem himself after She-Hulk risked her life to save Atlantis from the Red Widow and the Winter Guard. When Namor asks She-Hulk how he can repay his debut, she sends him off to Avengers Mountain to presumably join the team. When he arrives he's interrupted by Valkyrie, who shows up with a Deathlok from the multiverse. Namor also brought a Deathlok with him as a peace offering, but it ends up teleporting away with Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes), who it calls an "omni-Avenger."
The solicitation for February 2022's Avengers #53 features Black Panther, Valkyrie, and Namor working together to stop the Multiversal Masters of Evil from storming Avengers Mountain. The text even references the duo joining Earth's Mightiest Heroes: "The Black Panther fights to defend the mountain alongside his surprising new teammates, King Namor of Atlantis and Jane Foster, the mighty Valkyrie."
Black Panther and Namor, both leaders of their respective nations, have clashed time and time again. Namor infamously flooded Wakanda during the crossover event Avengers vs. X-Men, which carried over to Jonathan Hickman's tenure on Avengers and New Avengers. Jane Foster was a member of the All-New, All-Different Avengers team alongside Sam Wilson as Captain America, Miles Morales, Ms. Marvel, and Nova (Sam Alexander).
What are your thoughts on these new members of the Avengers? Will they fit right in, or will their additions only cause more drama? Let us know in the comments!