Mighty Avengers #1
Mighty Avengers #1 (vol. 2, September 2013) is the first appearance of Monica Rambeau under her Spectrum codename — the fourth and most enduring alias of a character who had previously gone by Captain Marvel, Photon, and Pulsar — marking the start of a high-profile creative rehabilitation for one of Marvel's most underutilized veterans. The issue also launched one of the most deliberately diverse ongoing team books of the Marvel NOW! era: a street-level, largely Black-led Avengers roster at a time when such representation was conspicuously rare in flagship titles. Writer Al Ewing used the premise — the core Avengers are off-planet during Thanos's invasion, leaving Luke Cage's ad-hoc crew as New York's only defense — to establish a 'heroes for the people' ethos that carried through to his later Ultimates run. The team's DNA and several of its key players (Spectrum, Blue Marvel) became direct building blocks for Ewing's subsequent, critically acclaimed Ultimates (2015), making this issue an origin point for a sustained creative lineage.
In "No Single Hero," the Mighty Avengers establish their new base in the Gem Theater, but tensions rise fast when Ronin leads a mission to explore the ruins of Attilan—only for the Superior Spider-Man to threaten the theater's collapse. Written by Al Ewing and illustrated by Greg Land, with inks by Jay Leisten, colors by Frank D'Armata, and letters by VC's Cory Petit, this issue sets a high-stakes tone with a cast of powerful figures at odds. The cover by Greg Land captures the chaos in bold, dynamic style.
In "null," the Mighty Avengers establish their new base in the abandoned Gem Theater, but their uneasy peace is shattered when Ronin leads a mission to explore the ruins of Attilan—leaving the theater vulnerable. The Superior Spider-Man, watching from the shadows, makes it clear he won’t let the team settle in without a fight.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The series was launched as part of Marvel NOW! in September 2013, spinning directly out of the Infinity crossover event. Writer Al Ewing — then still relatively new to American superhero comics — was paired with penciler Greg Land, inker Jay Leisten, and colorist Frank D'Armata, with Tom Brevoort and Lauren Sankovitch editing. The team was assembled as a street-level counterpart to the cosmic-scale Avengers titles Jonathan Hickman was writing simultaneously, filling a narrative gap Infinity created by sending the main roster into space. The series ran fourteen issues before being relaunched and retitled Captain America and the Mighty Avengers as part of Avengers NOW! in late 2014, with Ewing remaining as writer throughout.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Monica Rambeau as Spectrum — her fourth superhero codename, following Captain Marvel, Photon, and Pulsar — debuting with a new costume designed in-story by a specialty superhero tailor named Luc.
- First appearance of the second-volume Mighty Avengers team as a group, formed during Thanos's Infinity invasion when the primary Avengers roster was absent from Earth; the team name itself originated from a Twitter hashtag used to describe the heroes.
- Written by Al Ewing with art by Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), and Frank D'Armata (colors); edited by Tom Brevoort with Lauren Sankovitch.
- The Spider-Man appearing in this issue is Otto Octavius occupying Peter Parker's body — the Superior Spider-Man — not Peter Parker himself, adding a layer of dramatic irony to the team dynamic.
- The issue serves as a tie-in to the Infinity crossover (Jonathan Hickman's event series), with Proxima Midnight of Thanos's Black Order serving as the primary antagonist of the opening arc.
- The roster assembled in and around this issue includes Luke Cage, Spectrum (Monica Rambeau), White Tiger (Ava Ayala), Power Man (Victor Alvarez), and a mystery figure in a makeshift Spider-Man costume (later revealed as Blade in the Spider Hero identity/Ronin); She-Hulk, Blue Marvel, and Falcon joined in subsequent issues.
- First appearance of the Spider Hero identity (the shadowy figure accompanying Monica in the costume shop scene), whose true identity was withheld as a running mystery across the opening arc.
- The series was collected in trade paperback as Mighty Avengers Vol. 1: No Single Hero (ISBN 978-0785188742), covering issues #1–5.
Cast · 23 characters
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↩ Reprints Mighty Avengers #1 (2013), Mighty Avengers #1 (2013), Mighty Avengers #1 (2013), Mighty Avengers #1 (2013), Mighty Avengers #1 (2013), Mighty Avengers #1 (2013), Mighty Avengers #1 (2013), Mighty Avengers #2 (2013), Mighty Avengers #2 (2013), Mighty Avengers #2 (2013), Mighty Avengers #3 (2014), Mighty Avengers #3 (2014), Mighty Avengers #4 (2014), Mighty Avengers #4 (2014), Mighty Avengers #5 (2014), Mighty Avengers #5 (2014)
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