Marvel’s Doctor Doom Assembles the Superior Avengers

“Let me show you what it means to save the world,” Victor von Doom told Doctor Strange in the final moments of Blood Hunt #5. After an incorporeal Strange transferred Doom the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, the leader of Latveria gave his word: He would surrender the title upon using it to save the world. But his work had only just begun. When Doom cast a spell that helped Earth’s mightiest heroes end the vampire invasion, he told the Avengers, “You have but one man to thank: Earth’s new, superior Sorcerer Supreme.”

As Strange embarks on a mission to become the first Sorcerer Supreme of Asgard, and Sam Wilson’s Captain America leads a team of heroes and villains to overthrow Emperor Doom, the self-proclaimed Emperor of the World is assembling the Superior Avengers — “deadlier, meaner, and all-around superior to any Avengers team that’s come before,” per Marvel.

RELATED: One World Under Doom, Explained: How Doctor Doom Became Earth’s New Superior Sorcerer Supreme

The Latveria-based team includes Doctor Doom’s versions of the villains Abomination, Doctor Octopus, Ghost, Killmonger, Malekith, and Onslaught. The six-issue limited series, which ties into the mega-event One World Under Doom, is from writer Steve Foxe (X-Men ’97, New Champions) and artist Luca Maresca (She-Hulk, X-Men: Forever), whose designs put a Latverian twist on the enemies of the Hulk (Abomination), Spider-Man (Doc Ock and Lady Octopus), Iron Man (Ghost), Black Panther (Killmonger), Thor (Malekith), and the X-Men (Onslaught). See the all-new characters below.

“Introducing any new character to the Marvel Universe — let alone an entire cast of them— is both an honor and no small terror,” Foxe said in a statement. “So when editor Wil Moss reached out about developing an intense, secretive team of Avengers for One World Under Doom, I knew I had to swing for the fences.”

Foxe continued, “The Avengers that readers are going to meet here may have familiar names, but you’ll quickly come to learn why they consider themselves superior to other teams. This book features some of the most ruthless, wide-scale action I’ve ever written at Marvel, and I’m so thrilled to be telling this story alongside Luca Maresca. Luca nails both the subtler mind games at play in our story and the (sometimes literally) breakneck action.”

“Doctor Doom is one of my favorite villains, and I can’t wait for fans to learn the story of his new Avengers,” Maresca added. “In designing these characters, I tried to keep as many elements of their classic versions as possible. In clothing or equipment, they always have some reference to their source character or their media versions. I was very excited to co-create new Marvel characters. Giving them a life and a new identity is something I love to do, and as the story progresses, I’m excited to peel back their layers, deepening them and baring their soul! Readers are in for some big surprises!”

On stands April 16 with a cover by One World Under Doom artist R.B. Silva, Superior Avengers #1 asks the questions: “Are they really who they claim to be? Where did they come from? And, most importantly, whose side are they really on?”

A synopsis states, “And there came a day, unlike any other, when Doctor Doom ruled the world…and he needed an Avengers team all of his own! Kristoff Vernard, son of Victor Von Doom, has been tasked with building the newest iteration of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! But who are these would-be heroes? And how did they come to be the Superior Avengers? Find out in a tale unlike any other in the landscape that is One World Under Doom!”

Superior Avengers: Abomination

Superior Avengers: Doctor Octopus

Superior Avengers: Ghost

Superior Avengers: Killmonger

Superior Avengers: Malekith

Superior Avengers: Onslaught

One World Under Doom #1 (of 9) goes on sale Feb. 12, launching a series of tie-in titles that includes Doom Academy (Feb. 19), Thunderbolts: Doom Strike (Feb. 19), Red Hulk (Feb. 26), and Superior Avengers (April 16).