A Captain America-Doctor Strange Hybrid Character Leads Marvel's New Supernatural Team
A new supernatural team from Marvel's past is about to be introduced in an upcoming issue of Avengers. Marvel Comics is gearing up for its summer crossover event Judgment Day, which consists of The Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals. A.X.E.: Judgment Day comes from writer Kieron Gillen and artist Valerio Schiti, and June's Avengers #57 serves as a lead-in to the event by debuting a never-before-seen team of Secret Invaders led by a brand-new character that appears to be a hybrid of Captain America and Doctor Strange named Sgt. Szardos, Soldier Supreme of World War II.
The cover to Avengers #57 from writer Jason Aaron and artist Javier Garron provides the first look at these Secret Invaders. Taking a spot near the bottom of the cover is Sgt. Szardos, the army vet holding a mystic rifle brimming with blue energy. Around Sgt. Szardos' neck is the Eye of Agamotto, one of the artifacts commonly used by Doctor Strange and other Sorcerer Supremes. We also see the rest of the Invaders, which appear to be made up of an Iron Fist, a Phoenix host, a giant green dinosaur, a Starbrand, and a Ghost Rider.
The issue finds the Avengers lost in the past, as they look for help in stopping Mephisto's devious plans. The roster of Secret Invaders mirrors the prehistoric Avengers of 1,000,000 BC, which isn't too surprising since Jason Aaron had a hand in creating the team. It also appears that young Viking Thor wielding his ax Jarnbjorn and the Squadron Supreme's Nighthawk will also factor into the story.
Marvel's description of Judgment Day reads: "The X-Men have achieved immortality and mutants have taken their place as the dominant species on the planet. The Eternals have discovered long hidden knowledge about their species, including a devastating truth about mutantkind. The Avengers have come into direct conflict with the Celestials and are currently using a fallen Celestial as their base of operations, slowly unlocking its secrets… When the Eternals brazenly target the mutant nation of Krakoa, the Avengers try desperately to de-escalate a potentially apocalyptic war. But this is no simple conflict. The Eternals' purpose cannot be denied and mutantkind's future will not be threatened. And after the opening battles, new players and revelations for both sides will emerge as the inhabitants of the Marvel Universe are JUDGED by the greatest power they've ever come into contact with."
The cover and solicit for Avengers #57 can be found below. Make sure to let us know what you think of Sgt. Szardos and his supernatural Secret Invaders in the comments!
AVENGERS #57
Written by JASON AARON
Art and Cover by JAVIER GARRÓN
On sale 6/22/2022
The Avengers are lost in time, and if they're going to stop Mephisto's grand plan, they'll need help from some of history's greatest heroes, whose stories have never been told. Like the mystical man of war, Sgt. Szardos, Soldier Supreme of World War II, and his squadron of supernatural grunts, the Secret Invaders.