As revealed at this year's San Diego Comic Con, the West Coast Avengers will return this November with an all-new and surprising line-up headed up by Iron Man and also featuring Spider-Woman, War Machine, Firestar, and even Ultron. Now Marvel has revealed that another former villain will be joining the squad: Blue Bolt.
Unsure who that is? Don't worry, it's a new character, though one that riffs on the '40s Joe Simon creation of the same name. Real name Chad Braxton, the new Blue Bolt is described as being an "experienced Marvel henchman with unrefined lightning-based abilities." He will cross paths with the Avengers thanks to a new prison release program.
"Reckless, undisciplined, and downright rude, Blue Bolt may just be the biggest jerk in the entire Marvel Universe," says a statement about the new book. "Can the Avengers whip him into shape or will Blue Bolt's abrasive attitude – and lack of morals – tarnish the team's legacy forever?"
The new series comes from the creative team of writer Gerry Duggan and artist Danny Kim. Above you can see some promo artwork by Todd Nauck for the new book highlighting Blue Bolt's appearance, as well as a design sheet by Kim. Is it us, or is there a hint of David Bowie in there? It would make sense given the latter's fondness for a lightning bolt...
"The Avengers have seen a lot of rough customers over the years," said Gerry Duggan in a statement. "Hell, even Deadpool and Wolverine have been Avengers at different points. But the Avengers haven't seen a bigger @$!&^% than Blue Bolt. He's mean, he's self-centered, narcissistic, and he's only on the Avengers West Coast squad to shave time off his sentence. And wait until you find out what he's in jail for. Yeesh."
West Coast Avengers #1 is published by Marvel Comics on November 27.
The original West Coast Avengers is one of the best Avengers teams of all time.
