Conan the Barbarian has been a part of the Marvel Universe for all but a few months and now, the character is heading into his first big team-up. This May, Conan will be headlining a team in Savage Avengers #1, from the superstar creative team of Gerry Duggan (Savage Sword of Conan) and Mike Deodato Jr. (Thanos).
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Spinning out of a tale that begins in the Savage Land, Savage Avengers will follow an unsanctioned team of Avengers — made up of Conan, Wolverine, Elektra, Brother Voodoo, The Punisher, and Venom — as they work to battle evil magic hailing from Conan’s expansive universe.
According to Duggan, the book’s about a problem that grows large enough that’s no longer something Conan can handle by himself.
“We envisioned a threat, a magical green zone where the evil wizards of Conan’s world are trading spells with the Hand in Japan,” Dugan tells EW. “Conan is on a very Conan-like mission; he’s heard a tale of an amulet so he’s chasing it, and the evil magic sorcerers are doing something that would be a Marvel Avengers problem. It feels like we have found some very fertile ground that is a Venn diagram between those two worlds.”
When Conan starts working other heroes, Duggan says, there’s an initial moment of hesitation as he doesn’t quite understand the powers and abilities of his new-found teammates.
“The Marvel heroes have not quite seen the likes of Conan before, but when you turn it around and look at Conan viewing this, he’s very skeptical of a lot of it because he’s so magic-averse,” Duggan says. “His interpretation of the Venom symbiote, when he first sees it, is that it must be an evil genie. There’s real fun to be had there. At one point Conan believes that Logan hails from somewhere called Pabst, and that’s a well-earned miscommunication. That’s where a lot of fun comes from.”
“Conan is a fish out of water, but everyone will come to respect the skills they’re all bringing to the fight.”
Conveniently enough, Conan’s also set to make an appearance in Marvel’s weekly Avengers: No Road Home #6, which will see the classic character team up with the Scarlet Witch for a mission in the Hyborian Age.
David Finch’s stunning cover for Savage Avengers #1 is below.
Are you looking forward to seeing Conan fight alongside the likes of Elektra and Wolverine? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Savage Avengers will hit shelves in May. Look for an official solicitation for the debut issue in the coming weeks.
