Dark Avengers, Vol. 1: Assemble

Dark Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis

by Brian Michael Bendis, Mike Deodato (Illustrator)

They’re your Avengers, and they are here to protect you! Except…things are not as they seem. With the real Avengers underground, who are these Avenger doppelgangers, and why have they been assembled?

Collecting: Dark Avengers 1-6

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

152 pages, Hardcover

First published September 2, 2009

About the author

A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.

Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.

Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.

Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.

Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.

He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.

Reviews

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following the events of Secret Invasion, Norman Osborn is given control of SHIELD...including Avengers tower and everything in it. His first decision is to make a new organization HAMMER and he follows it up by creating his own Avengers. Only two of the current Avengers wish to join Osborn, so he gets creative when filling his ranks.


Dark Avengers is an interesting concept. Having similarly skilled supervillains fill in and take the name of past Avengers is in theory a smart plan. The volume consists of Osborn assembling the team and deciding how best to get the public to trust them. The funniest part of everything hinges on the fact that the powers that be are willing to let Norman Osborn, who is well known as the Green Goblin, be in charge of a SHIELD type force. In reality I can't imagine that. If he was hired to be a hatchet man of sorts, that would be fine, but for him to be in charge of the organization that protects the public....practically no chance, not unless every other reasonable option is already dead.

Dark Avengers Assemble is an interesting concept, but it's a bit hard to swallow even in a comic book world.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this one but the lifelong Avengers fan in me still feels a bit sick at their shitting all over the Avengers' legacy. I suppose that's the point, though...

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well well well, this was goddamn FUN!

Okay so Norman Osborn is like "United States? You my bitch now" and basically somehow convinces everyone he is a good guy. Sounds fishy right? Trust me everyone in the universe is saying that but the people, the PEOPLE believe in him. Holy fuck this sounds more like our current president situation than anything else. How did you know Marvel!? HOW DID YOU KNOW!!!!

Anyway Norman says we getting the boys together (and girls) to create the team of Avengers no one ever asked for. That's okay though because together it's a bunch of psychos who might kill you for some pocket change. Doing that they use hidden figures to hide behind. Such as Bullseye being the new "hawkeye" and Venom being the new "Spider-man" and introducing a ton of crazy big situations with some excellent fight scenes.

Good: This shit was entertaining from begining to end. I could read Norman dealing with this group for hours. Also the fights are crazy big and fun. The chemistry between the characters is top notch. Oh yeah, let's also talk about Sentry. Was he fucking scary or what? I need to go back and re-read New Avengers again.

Bad: The Doom stuff was a little much. It slowed the pacing down just a tad.

Overall I had so much fun reading this. It's not mindblowing but so goddamn fun that I can't wait to read more. I stopped reading Marvel around Secret Invasion and only got back around 2013. There's a lot I gotta go back and read and I'm pretty excited!

[Jesús De la Jara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Estaré releyendo la saga de Dark Reign y empecé por este volumen que no reseñé anteriormente.
Cuando empecé leyendo esta saga me gustó mucho porque es muy interesante aunque el equipo sea en sí malévolo. Norman Osborn luego de tener el apoyo de la nación para ser el nuevo director de SHIELD cambia el nombre de la organización a HAMMER, llama además a Victoria Hand quien será su nueva subdirectora. La habilidad de Osborn es grande: hace una lista de los fieles a Stark, Capitán América o Nick Fury prometiendo una reforma, pero al final conseguirá casi solo secuaces. El grupo de Dark Avengers (solo Avengers para el público obviamente) tiene en sus filas a Bullseye, Sentry (lo convence mencionando que también tuvo alguna vez la locura), Ares, Moonstone, Venom (MacDonald Gargan), Noh-Varr y Daken (el hijo de Wolverine) muy bien seleccionado. Un grupo que no se conoce en absoluto y que es una versión macabra de los originales.
Me gusta como Norman ordena todo guapeando a María Hill hasta a la misma Miss Marvel recordándole que es militar cómo les vende la idea de ser héroes a algunos Thunderbolt y los demás.
La primera misión es contra Morgana Le Fay. Los dibujos de Deodato son lo máximo.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually a pretty good one and focuses on Avengers getting together under Osborne and we follow him recruiting different people and I love how they relate to the main Avengers and the story with Sentry is awesome. But their first threat is Morgana Le Fey and to rescue Dr Doom and the pressure it brings plus the inclusion of The Sentry makes it awesome. Its magic, time travel and an angry witch and its epic.

I like how Bendis explores the dark nature of this team and how they are willing to go the way and cross the line and how Osborne is fooling everybody and the story with Atlantean terrorists happen which is so cool and like leads to Utopia next which is one of my fav. events.

This is a dark reign time for the Avengers and nothing is as it seems and everything has changed and I love it. Showing characters whose morals are sketchy at best and exploring that is awesome. Its a must read for sure and also the beautiful art of Finch is just wow.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normie takes half his Thunderbolts and converts them to fake Avengers, then adds Ares, Sentry and Noh-Varr, alongside Daken. They fight Morganna le Fay for Doom, and attack an Atlantean cell after Namor refuses. Also GOblin started to resurface and Sentry fights his nature with "help" from Norm, who knows a thing about voices in the head.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

It’s the aftermath of Secret Invasion. The Skrulls got wrecked, Norman Osborn (yes, the Green Goblin in a suit and tie) somehow ended up running the entire security apparatus of the United States, and the world collectively said, “Let’s trust that guy.” Classic Marvel logic. From this glorious lapse in judgment comes Dark Avengers, Vol. 1: Assembled, where Osborn builds his own team of “Avengers.” Translation: “villains, psychos, and general disasters wearing other people’s costumes”.

Quick setup: Osborn handpicks his crew—Bullseye dressed as Hawkeye, Moonstone pretending to be Ms. Marvel, Venom hulking around as Spider-Man, and Daken doing his best Wolverine cosplay, among others. They’re sent on “heroic” missions while the public claps and cheers, blissfully unaware that half the team should probably be in padded rooms. Volume one kicks off with their messy debut and a reality check in the form of a battle with Morgana Le Fay (because what’s a Bendis book without a little magic chaos?).

And no… these aren’t noble warriors fighting for truth and justice. These are flawed, angry, self-serving maniacs with just enough PR spin to pass for heroes. They’re like the Thunderbolts if you stripped out the whole “maybe we can redeem ourselves” angle and just left the cynicism and sociopathy.

All this works so well because of Brian Michael Bendis. His writing here is spot on for this cast of train wrecks. The man thrives on sarcasm, snappy dialogue, and self-absorbed characters. so, naturally, he was born to write the Dark Avengers. The banter is sharp, the egos clash beautifully, and every page has that mix of dark humor and simmering tension. You can practically feel Norman Osborn’s fragile grip on sanity in every panel, and watching these “heroes” try to function together is half comedy, half slow-motion disaster. Bendis doesn’t just make this concept work, he makes it fun, like watching a reality show where everyone is terrible, and you wouldn’t dare change the channel.

Mike Deodato’s art? Perfect fit. It’s moody and detailed without drowning the page in shadows or textures. The characters look dangerous, powerful, and more than a little unhinged which, let’s face it, they are. Deodato gives the book a cinematic punch, making the action big and bold while still keeping the tone dark enough to remind you this is not your grandma’s Avengers. It’s polished but never sterile, detailed but never cluttered. Honestly, it’s some of his best work, and it elevates the whole series.

Dark Avengers Vol. 1 isn’t just a fun spin-off—it’s Marvel letting Bendis and Deodato lean into the dysfunction, cynicism, and outright insanity of superhero comics. It’s clever, it’s nasty, and it’s beautiful to look at. Granted, Norman Osborn in charge of national security is still the single dumbest idea in Marvel history. But hey, it made for some great comics…

[Tripp · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was but a wee lad, I read a lot of Justice League of America. Looking back, sure the stories are goofy, but my own kids love them now, so I suppose I wasn't too far off the mark. Having read a lot of them I eventually got to the point where I wanted the bad guys to win. Not temporarily, in a way to be overturned in the same comic or in the next, but for a long time.

My forlorn hope has finally come true in the Dark Avengers story line. It is now complete but it lasted for over a year. You can read the first few issues in the first trade hardcover. If you are curious about the backstory you can follow the convoluted Civil War/Skrull Invasion story line, but what you need to know is that the major heroes of Marvel are discredited. Norm Osbourne, the former Green Goblin and chief baddie of the first Spiderman movie, creates a new Avengers team out of the mentally unstable and wicked potential heroes. Hence the idea of the Dark Avengers.

Now, this could have devolved into lots of hand rubbing and "mwu ha ha ha" laughing, but it actually works quite well. It plays like an Avengers story where the bad guys are running things. The bad guys either want to be good guys, believe they are good guys or just appreciate the opportunity to wreak havoc on the government dime. It helps that Brian Bendis writes the stories. Along with Ed Brubaker, he is one of the greatest comic writers out there today.

This is just the sort of thing to bring a lapsed nerd back to the church of comics.

[jorge · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I was reading X-Necrosha but found out I needed to read Utopia before to completely understand everything. AND I needed to read Dark Avengers before reading Utopia, so here I am! Ugh, comics are exhausting sometimes.

The plot follows Norman Osborn who has seized control of SHIELD and Stark Industries. By default, he assumed control of the registered Avengers. Ms. Marvel was having none of Osborn's crap and decided to quit the team despite going against superhuman registration laws. Osborn decides to assemble a new Avengers team with people that are as far from Avengers as you can get; criminals, psychopaths, and hired killers. These Dark Avengers include some really powerful characters such as Sentry, Marvel Boy, and Ares, which make the team pretty damn OP.

Their first mission involved saving Doctor Doom from the ultra-powerful sorceress, Morgana Le Fay. She's pretty much near impossible to beat as she entrenched herself within the timestream to always come back once killed. I love how she easily got rid of Sentry and Ares! Magic in the Marvel Universe is so damn creative and always makes the story more entertaining. She probably would've gotten rid of all of them had they not had plot armor!

Anyways, this was a fun read even though I don't like Osborn.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Reign was perhaps the best status-quo change to come out of a Marvel event, with the superhero world flipped on its head, as an evil Cabal took over for the Illuminati of the time, and villains took the roles of many heroes. This is the heart of it, where a new, evil group of Avengers comes into power.

And it's fascinating.

This is in part a continuation of the excellent Thunderbolts run by Warren Ellis, which put Norman Osbourne at the head of the group. It carries over Osbourne, Moonstone, Bullseye, and Venom from that comic, and their continuing characterization is some of this volume's strongest work. In particular, the characterization of a Osbourne, who seems like he really wants to be a hero, is great, as is his interaction with The Sentry.

However, there are other heroes too, like Ares, Sentinel, Marvel Boy, and Daken (making his first appearance in the larger Marvel Universe). Sentinel probably gets the best attention of these, but then he was a character heavily used by Bendis before, being viewed now through a very different lens. Daken seems to be the one character who really gets short shrift: he's barely here, and you wonder why Bendis included him on the team.

The largest arc in this volume is a battle with Morgaine LeFay, and it's quite strong. There's exciting action here, fun timey-wimeyness, and a general feeling of epic battle. It's a nice contrast to Bendis' more quiet talks, which are intriguing as well.

Overall, a great start to a great era for the Marvel Universe.

[Sidekicks Wanted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bob/The Sentry is one scary dude. I really don't know who the other people were. I'm going to have to look into it to figure out what I just read.

[Asounani · Rating 3 out of 5]

NICE!!!!

Realmente disfruté este comic solo por Morgana y Venom

[Michael Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember back in 2009 the whole Dark Reign storyline felt dated before it had even begun: a hardening of the line in the Marvel Comics Universe at a time when it felt like politics in the real world was going in the opposite direction. Freed from that context, Dark Avengers can be enjoyed on its own merits.

In the wake of Secret Invasion, Norman Osborn is given control of SHIELD and command of the Avengers. He quickly replaces the former with the more Bush Doctrine HAMMER and the latter with his own mightiest analogues: Ares for Thor; Marvel Boy for Captain Marvel; Bullseye for Hawkeye; Daken for Wovlerine; Venom for Spider-Man; Moonstone for Ms Marvel; Iron Patriot for both Iron Man and Captain America; and the Sentry for the Sentry (the Sentry's troubled).



(On a side note, Dark Avengers was published before the Marvel Cinematic Universe properly took off: it'd be interesting to see how much those movies have changed the idea of the default Avengers line-up. The Sentry in particular now feels like an artefact of the time.)

The series is a sequel to Warren Ellis's Thunderbolts, and reflecting the real world critical and commercial success of that title by having its characters literally replace the Avengers is the sort of post-modern gag I can get behind.



If anything, Dark Avengers feels relevant now in exactly the way it didn't back in 2009: now, when all the worst people in America have been given the chance to do things their way; when you've got a leader who will use words of compassion, and statements of vague belief in the might of his great country, to pursue a hideously cruel agenda.

"And really, do you think for a second that the President of the United States and the Joint Chiefs of Staff would allow a murderous costumed maniac to lead an important initiative in this, the most important time in our history?"

Mind you, Osborn has a degree of competence Trump could only dream of.

[Makenzie Rivera · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dark Avengers: Assemble by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato is a short novel on the Avengers being arrested and brought down by the government, allowing the Green Goblin aka Norman Osborn to take over and create his own team of superheroes. This time, they were all criminals. I liked the art style very much because it was bright in colors and had lots of details which really captured my attention. In my opinion, this was not a favorite of mine. It took me awhile to read and I did not really enjoy the plot or genre as much as I thought I would.

I think the plot fits the story well because it involves the many problems superheroes face, like the public questioning them and villains fighting them. It takes place where the old Avengers tower was which also fits the plot because they are all criminals trying to take the Avengers’ places. The central conflict of the story is the criminals trying to take over the Avengers tower and becoming good superheroes by fighting bad guys. I think it does have a satisfying resolution because they end up killing the villain of the story. I do not recommend this comic if you get confused easily because I definitely did, but if you understand plots that are difficult to follow and like superhero based comics then I recommend this comic because there was a lot of action.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm reading this as part of my Venom/Carnage/Toxin/symbiote readthrough of the Spider-Man universe.

This isn't a completely necessary volume if you're just reading it for Venom, there's one moment in the first issue that changes some of the rules for Mac/Venom but mostly this is just an average post-Secret Invasion/pre-Seige Marvel book. It's a clearly short term status quo being set up and dismantled, and the characters eah get a few moments to shine but it feels like filler. Granted, it's Bendis filler, so if you enjoy quippy dialogue and seemingly purposeful plotting, it's a fun read. But it's neither his best work nor the best work for keeping up with Venom.

[guanaeps · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bombastic nature of Bendis and Deodato compliment each other well. Rain Beredo with the colors, always a visual treat.

Dark Reign. Normie's Avengers. A fascinating time in the Marvel Universe.

Quick, yet entertaining. Can't complain.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good - not great. I love the premise behind this, but the initial story left a little to be desired.

[Mark Jesmer]

Only made me slightly sick

[Stephanie Suke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a version of the team, the avengers that is unknown to the public in its fictional universe. It contains several members who are super villains disguised as superheroes. Some of the characters are, Venom, Ares, and Norman Osborn. They all portray character like tony stark, Hawkeye, wolverine, and ms Marvel. The major theme of the story is super villains taking on superhero personas. Overall. It’s a really good book and I really enjoyed the modern twist on the avengers.

[Ben Comeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark Avengers Assemble is a story of how Norman Osborn (formerly the Green Goblin), takes over S.H.I.E.L.D after it falls apart. He assembles a new squad of avengers that all have their own dark past. The art style is very cutting edge and always has you anxious to see what’s next. I feel as though this comic book puts a nice twist on what the typical Avengers squad is and I will likely read the rest of the series. The characters are obviously not that likeable since they’re all “evil” but it is a nice twist. One character that changes throughout the story is named Bob who can’t really control his powers but towards the end becomes more accustomed to them and gains control. If you are a Marvel fan this is definitely a good one to read.

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always have low expectations for these Dark Avengers books, but then they pleasantly surprise me.

[Desiree Brunelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

the dark avenger is about a women named Morgana, who is a witch crafter in the dark after who also time travels. the main character Doctor Osborn is a man who hates toney stark and created his own avengers when the old ones went away when shield went away. his new name is called HAMMER, where he assembled all the hero's that the avengers either didn't like or thought weren't able to do what they could do with out trying to kill each other. through out the book is mainly Osborn recruiting hero's for his team and making sure they know that if they screw up or try to kill each other then they would be off the team " if any of you start any macho ego @%*$ with each other.. any button pushing, any testosterone...your out..no three strikes. no warnings. your out." At one point doctor doom was being attacked by Morgana who wants to stop Osborn because she hates him and he's evil so she wants him to die. the dark avengers first mission is to stop Morgana before she can kill doctor doom who is an ally of HAMMER. after a brutal battle doom travels back in time and traps Morgana in the age of the dinosaurs so she cant time travel. When they return they are attacked by Atlantis's. they use a man named The Sentinel who recently returned from the dead to stop the Atlantis's. After their victory they fed their prisoners to Venom. at the very end Dr. Osborn starts to her the voice of his alter ego the Goblin again.

I thought this book was pretty good, to me it was kind of confusing to follow a lot of information was giving and I did not really know each character very well so for me it was a little confusing but I did enjoy the story a lot and I thought it was a pretty good book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read superhero or syfi/ fantasy. or who ever like the avengers like I do a lot.

[Artemy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man did I not expect this to be that good. I'm not usually into stories about how a bad guy is pretending or trying to be a good one. Take Superior Spider-Man, for example, I hated that one. Well, now I believe that if Bendis was to write SSM, maybe It actually would be an awesome book everyone thinks it is. Because, see, Dark Avengers is pretty much the same story: a bad guy finds himself in a position to do good (but not really). Only here we have everything SSM did not but desperately needed: motivation, character charisma, humour, likeable (even if they're not good people) main and supporting characters, and, I repeat, HUMOUR. Not much, but just enough. And of course, there is also art by Mike Deodato as an added bonus.

Anyway. Loved it. Want more.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the worthy successor to Ellis' Thunderbolts I was looking for. (Probably not surprising when you consider that this is essentially that same team.) Like Thunderbolts, this book is more about the dysfunction among the team than the battles with bad guys. The conversations between Osborne and Sentry are just pure gold.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what happens when truly psychotic people (as opposed to the Thunderbolts, who I consider merely opportunistic) pretend to be heroes. What happens is a big train wreck although the story itself is not a train wreck.

[Tym · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story wasn’t really all that cohesive but it was fun reading Dark Reign from the top and watch these psychos try to pretend to be superheroes. I wish Noh-Varr had gotten more time and that I understood Victoria Hand’s motivations but I’ll read the next volume.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Spider-Man villain leads this team. Buuuutttt who is it ?

[Juan · Rating 5 out of 5]

que joyita dios mio

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alright story. The Avengers are gone so Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin turns good and uses villains to replace the Avengers having them dress up and take the monikers of previous Avengers. It's a neat concept that's sorta like Suicide Squad.
Most of it this volume is focused on showing the cast, setting up plotlines, and establishing the Dark Avengers' dynamics. I found this good as I enjoyed the dynamics of the cast to be the best part of the comic. Each team member is willing to be on the Avengers but its clear they're a bit tenuous and uneasy with each other. Like all team-based comics some parts of the cast do get more spotlight (Moonstone, Sentry, and Osborn) than others but it's extreme here. While Moonstone, Sentry, and Osborn get to full explorations you're left with other characters like Daken, Wolverine's son, who barely talks or does anything and others like Ares who feel like they're there to serve a niche than be a fully-fleshed out character. I wish there were more dynamics though since many characters do little and characters bounce off of each nowhere near enough. And the ones who do like Moonlight and Sentry each bounce off of Osborn in more private settings meaning the team aspect doesn't really feel relevant to their dynamic. This is a team that doesn't bounce off of each nearly enough since when it's the best part. Instead Bendis gives us a lot of personal plotline for characters like Sentry and Norman. I don't mind this since Norman's and Sentry's relationship is one of my favorite parts and it gets especially interesting as Nathan begins to slip back into the Green Goblin and plays into Sentry's Void persona.
The art side is alright. It's all seemingly done only by Mike Deodato. If you like strong shadows (⅓ of everything id hidden in shadows), that glossy 2000s Marvel coloring (if you see a preview of this on Kindle or something you’ll get what I mean), buff men, and stripperific women, whoo boy is this the comic for you. I mean, Moonstone’s outfit is literally like just panties for the bottom half. Props to Deodato's effort as there is a LOT of unique paneling and oodles and oodles of spreads. Although some of the paneling choices confused me as some felt dynamic or eye-catching just for the sake than adding anything to the story.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 1.
In the wake of the Secret Invasion, surprising hero-of-the-hour Norman Osborn is given control of SHIELD, the Initiative and the Avengers. He creates a new security organisation, HAMMER, and gathers a group of dangerous individuals to be his new Dark Avengers. Their first mission leads them to the aid of Doctor Doom against the sorceress Morgana Le Fey.

The main selling point of this new team of Avengers is somewhat akin to the original team of Thunderbolts, in that it is made up of (mostly) villains masquerading as heroes. It creates an interesting dynamic which is further enhanced by the inclusion of the violent Ares, the mentally unstable Sentry and Osborn himself, who is still struggling against the personality of the Green Goblin buried within himself.

I will say that the Dark Avengers' first mission together was something of a disappointment. They more or less have to battle endless waves of nondescript demonic monsters, with it all feeling a bit like those big-budget blockbusters (the MCU among them) which just have the heroes fighting lots of samey CGI baddies, lacking any actual emotional content.

I did, however, particularly like the dynamic between Osborn and Doom, as well as that between Norman and Namor later in the book. It's clear that Osborn feels he is in the ascendant, but the likes of Doom and Namor are not ones to accept that lightly.

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