Avengers #11 Review/SPOILERS

[XPac]

The best they can come up with for an international team is Sabra and Arabian Knight? I suppose it's reflective if the real world. Human rights violators unite

I feel like Batroc should represent France

You could probably put together a descent team of people made up of characters from the Original Contest of champions if they wanted to. Shamrock, Blitzkreig, Peregrine, etc. They'd largely be a bunch of Z listers though.

[protege]

The best they can come up with for an international team is Sabra and Arabian Knight? I suppose it's reflective if the real world. Human rights violators unite

I feel like Batroc should represent France

Well, i thought arabian knight was dead, so that’s a nice surprise. I’m looking forward to seeing sunfire again- is the black panther calling this group the illuminati? Do the avengers know about this?

[protege]

You could probably put together a descent team of people made up of characters from the Original Contest of champions if they wanted to. Shamrock, Blitzkreig, Peregrine, etc. They'd largely be a bunch of Z listers though.

I know they’ve developed a lot of international heroes since then, but i doubt i’d know any of them.

[protege]

It'll be interesting to see how they brought Phil back.

Given he's a shield agent, the usual explanation is a Life Model Decoy. But that wouldn't explain why he's suddenly evil Phil, unless I guess SHIELD wanted the LMD to be more on the evil side.

I thought SHIELD doesn’t exist at the moment.

[rpmaluki]

I can't even with this Coulson. There has to be an explanation and it better be a good one.

[Michael Watkins]

Well, i thought arabian knight was dead, so that’s a nice surprise. I’m looking forward to seeing sunfire again- is the black panther calling this group the illuminati? Do the avengers know about this?

it's a new Arabian Knight introduced in a Union Jack mini (along with Sabra's latest costume). it's always weird to see Sunfire represent Japan. he spent a lot of time as a member of Alpha Flight and an x-man (or uncanny avenger). I don't think that either position had him as a Japanese official. it'd be like dennis rodman representing the united states. he's just a local celebrity at this point.

[Lonewolf36]

she's French. but I thought that she went off with that roving contest of champions group. that would make her a hero without a country, at this point (speculatively).

Guillotine is part of the team that initially formed during the Contest of Champions which became the Champions of Europe but then so is Captain Britain and Peregrine. I believe Guillotine also works for the government of France as an agent but i could be wrong on that. I would have placed Guillotine/France, Vormund/Germany, Talisman/Australia and White Fox/South Korea there as well. Possibly even Black Gold/Aqiria. https://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Black_Gold
Shamrock has retired and moved to the Stares but one of the Kinsmen http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/kinsmensrn.htm would work for Ireland. Blitzkrieg and Defensor are both dead from the Contest of Champions.

[Hypestyle]

how old is Coulson in the comics? How would he have "grown up" idolizing superheroes, really, besides the Golden Age folks.. (who was in-canon active in the 1950s and 60s, if anyone?)

[Snoop Dogg]

-Sabra and Navid interacting again feeds my soul

-Avengers books continue to use X-Men characters better than X-Men

-Coulson revival was the weakest part of #700 for me, but this completely justifies it. Psychotic crazy Coulson is now my guy.

-THE BEAR

-Nice Thor speech

Everything is cool, cool, cool. Thank you, Jason Aaron. I owe you my life.

[Rosebunse]

how old is Coulson in the comics? How would he have "grown up" idolizing superheroes, really, besides the Golden Age folks.. (who was in-canon active in the 1950s and 60s, if anyone?)

This wouldn't be a bad explanation. If anything, this would add some credibility to Coulsen's feeling. The guy may have been a long time superhero fan who would have had to really go out of his way to get those trading cards. He probably was considered a nerd for it, but it spurred him to join SHEILD and be pro-superhero once our current generation of heros cropped up.

I really can see some of Coulsen's anger here. Nazi Cap was allowed to get so much power because he was a superhero. Superheros bring with them supervillains and they are basically gods who have decided to act on their own.

Coulsen was murdered by Deadpool, a man many people still think probably shouldn't have been an Avenger in the first place. And Deadpool was originally made an Avenger so that Cap could have a killer on the team.

So I can see some of Coulsen's anger.

[LordUltimus]

Well, i thought arabian knight was dead, so that’s a nice surprise.

Saudi one is still dead, this is a Palestinian one created in the '00s.

[Huntsman Spider]

This wouldn't be a bad explanation. If anything, this would add some credibility to Coulsen's feeling. The guy may have been a long time superhero fan who would have had to really go out of his way to get those trading cards. He probably was considered a nerd for it, but it spurred him to join SHEILD and be pro-superhero once our current generation of heros cropped up.

I really can see some of Coulsen's anger here. Nazi Cap was allowed to get so much power because he was a superhero. Superheros bring with them supervillains and they are basically gods who have decided to act on their own.

Coulsen was murdered by Deadpool, a man many people still think probably shouldn't have been an Avenger in the first place. And Deadpool was originally made an Avenger so that Cap could have a killer on the team.

So I can see some of Coulsen's anger.

Pretty much this. Coulson feels betrayed, and he's hardened himself to strike back at those he once idolized. Also not helping is that a lot of people in-universe see no difference between HYDRA-Cap and the "real" Captain America, so I'd say that's a factor in Coulson's darkening character as well. To him, it would seem like, "All they have to do is say, 'It wasn't me, it was a clone or an impostor or mind control,' and they can get away with anything they want," and that would fuel his sense of resentment and betrayal even more.

[Rosebunse]

Pretty much this. Coulson feels betrayed, and he's hardened himself to strike back at those he once idolized. Also not helping is that a lot of people in-universe see no difference between HYDRA-Cap and the "real" Captain America, so I'd say that's a factor in Coulson's darkening character as well. To him, it would seem like, "All they have to do is say, 'It wasn't me, it was a clone or an impostor or mind control,' and they can get away with anything they want," and that would fuel his sense of resentment and betrayal even more.

Exactly! The Avengers and the hero community in general put themselves above the law and people get hurt. And Coulsen was one of them, which was made worse by the fact that he probably believed himself to be a part of thay world. And then he was rudely kicked out of it by a man he idolized and a man he thought he was friends with.

[Huntsman Spider]

Exactly! The Avengers and the hero community in general put themselves above the law and people get hurt. And Coulsen was one of them, which was made worse by the fact that he probably believed himself to be a part of thay world. And then he was rudely kicked out of it by a man he idolized and a man he thought he was friends with.

That as well, and it wasn't just a matter of putting themselves above the law, but also above the people they supposedly protected. I mean, even if we excuse Captain America as having been replaced by a Cosmic Cube-created copy that was loyal to (the dream of) HYDRA, let's not forget that another founding Avenger also joined up with HYDRA-Cap, without having to be replaced or possessed/brainwashed like Captain America, Vision, and Scarlet Witch were, and that guy was allowed to rejoin the Avengers like nothing happened. That ought to have raised more than a few eyebrows, to say the least, but no, let's let bygones be bygones, which is the real problem behind a lot of the last decade or so of events; that the unpleasant implications or consequences of the heroes' actions are supposed to just be glossed over or completely ignored. The fact that Coulson is back from the dead and in an antagonistic role gives me some hope that this could change, because it should; after all, didn't Secret Empire end with the heroes promising themselves and each other that they'd "do better"? This could be their big chance to make good on that.

[Dreaded Porcupine]

I wonder if the Squadron will end up as a credible threat to the Avengers. On paper they're a powerful enough team, but the Avengers have frankly been spanking one version of the Squadron or another for decades

Also wonder if down the line they will try and give the Squadron another spin off book.

Overall, I'm cool with a talking heads issue considering this book ships more than once a month. It was interesting stuff. Needs a bit more face punching move foreward though.

They should be credible. The Hulk mopped the floor with the Avengers. I can see Hyperion doing the same thing since Thor can't seem to win a fight these days. Hyperion has a team as well. On paper they seem pretty evenly matched. Would love to see the Squadron written well with a spin off down the road.