Avengers Unveils Historic New Team, All Members and Powers

Published Sep 11, 2026, 6:31 PM EDT Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words. Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II. Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno. There are some new Avengers in town, as Marvel introduces the official evil opposites of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. In an exciting and experimental new project from superstar artist Alex Ross, Marvel has turned the Avengers franchise on its head. The recent Marvel Dimensions - an original graphic novel from Alex Ross, Jason Millet, Josh Johnson and Ariana Maher - introduces a new reality known as the In-Verse, billed as the polar opposite of Earth-616 (while still crossing over with Marvel's mainstream canon.) In the In-Verse, the Avengers are a villainous team known as "1st Strike," working as the brutal enforcers of an imperial America to keep the world under their thumbs. Here are the key 'evil Avengers' Marvel just debuted. American Sword, aka Steve Rogers The leader of the In-Verse's superhumans, American Sword is the champion of the USA, which in this reality is known as 'The American Stronghold.' American Sword operates out of St. Patrick's cathedral, commanding 1st Strike with the mission of maintaining the status quo. This involves taking on any 'villains' who threaten their stranglehold on the planet, while also carrying out routine assassinations of protestors and political dissidents. American Sword is suggested to work closely with this reality's version of Sam Wilson's Falcon, whose codename isn't given, but who is blindfolded and carried by various birds, suggesting a far more extreme usage of his ability to control avian life. Falcon originally debuted as Cap's partner before taking the codename, apparently ending up stuck in the role in this world. American Sword's enemies include Helios (an apparent Hydra stand-in) and the O-Men (who appear to be a heroic AIM), and he has clashed with Earth-616's Captain America in the past in a contest organized by the Grandmaster, described as "perfectly matched" against his heroic opposite. Blacksmith, aka Tony Stark The evil answer to Iron Man is a version of Tony Stark who experienced the same tragic origin as in Earth-616, but decided to give up on his humanity instead of seeking redemption. A genius inventor, Blacksmith clearly enjoys killing, with American Sword having to remind him to allow their lessers to carry out executions rather than doing it himself. Like the mainstream Doctor Doom, Blacksmith always wears his helmet, only showing his true face to those he's about to kill. Godhammer, aka Thor Odinson An evil echo of Thor, Godhammer is the 1st Strike's chief executioner. Once heroic, he was corrupted by unknown means, with his brother Loki becoming a hero as the Asguardian (recurring enemies Absorbing Man, Hela and Ulik the Troll are also heroes in this reality.) Like American Sword, Godhammer has faced Earth-616's Thor and was apparently his equal in combat. Gargantuan and Locust, aka Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne Depicted in a dark reflection of their classic relationship, the evil Giant-Man and Wasp work in constant partnership, torturing and interrogating the enemies of 1st Strike. As founding members of the evil Avengers, the two exert special privileges, and are considered among the most authoritative members of the team, entitled to delegate to non-founders. Wanda Maximoff The only one of the evil Avengers who doesn't appear to have a codename, Wanda is the romantic partner of Nightmare (aka the evil Vision) and a powerful sorcerer. Wanda refers to herself as an elder entity at the end of the comic, when the 1st Strike clash with a heroic version of Galactus. This implies that this version of Wanda has been possessed by the Elder God Chthon - the entity which wrote the Darkhold. This has happened multiple times in Marvel lore, even in the context of Wanda joining an evil Avengers roster - in both the AvX and Secret Empire events, Wanda joined an evil Avengers roster with Chthon pulling her strings. Nightmare In an unusual move, the In-Verse's version of Vision is actually classic Marvel villain Nightmare. In regular canon, Nightmare is a Doctor Strange villain who preys on humanity in the realm of dreams, where reality is so malleable that he's capable of anything, including defeating Galactus and the Celestials. Nightmare mentions that he has chosen to manifest on Earth and work with the evil Avengers as a way to find inspiration for future nightmare scenarios. In a fun detail for the creepy villain, Ross appears to have used Willem Dafoe as a character model for the character. Golden Idol, aka T'Challa The evil Avengers' answer to Black Panther is a money-obsessed trader whose armor is made of gold. Golden Idol uses a network of money men to collect information on 1st Strike's enemies, and appears to have American Sword's respect as a tactician. As one of the In-Verse villains who fought their Earth-616 opposites, it appears that Golden Idol is one of the world's greatest combatants, having fought to a draw against the mainstream T'Challa. The evil answer to Quicksilver, Pietro Maximoff's speedster still believes himself to be the son of Magneto (aka Magnus) in this reality. He also shows brotherly affection for Wanda, suggesting he's unaware of her possession, or that Chthon and Wanda are somehow in partnership and sharing one body. Gatling, aka Clint Barton The In-Verse's answer to Hawkeye uses gatling-gun gauntlets rather than a bow and arrow, and is one of the least respected of the 1st Strike. Ordered around by American Sword, Gatling appears to have the rebellious streak of Earth-616's Hawkeye, albeit kept in check by the team's rigid power structure. Despite not being particularly concerned about threats to the status quo, Gatling is willing to carry out the mass execution of protestors, evincing a psychopathic boredom while doing so. The In-Verse's Other Heroes While these are the core members of 1st Strike, the comic makes it clear there are as many evil heroes as Earth-616 has good. Fans also see evil versions of Wonder Man, Iron Fist, Power Man, Tigra, Daredevil, Spider-Woman, Ms. Marvel and of course the Hulk, who is now a walking nuclear weapon known as 'The Reactor.' Reminiscent of The Boys, these heroes live as a superhuman upper class, filling their days with illicit partying and idle cruelty, protected by their stranglehold on the world's mere mortals. Of course, this world also has its own answers to the X-Men (the celebrated Exalted and enslaved Branded), Defenders (the Aggressors), Fantastic Four (the Unknowables), and Spider-Man (Spider-Menace), with Marvel Dimensions making it clear this reality is the dark equal of Earth-616 in every way. As mentioned above, the comic establishes that 1st Strike and Earth-616's Avengers have already met and fought, with the cosmic Grandmaster pitting them against each other in a totally equal battle that ended in a stalemate. It's a bold move that leaves no barriers to using the In-Verse in future stories, since Earth-616's heroes are already familiar with their evil opposites. Marvel Dimensions is a visually gorgeous, creatively ambitious story that successfully creates an opposite to Earth-616 that's as sprawling and complex as the heroic iteration fans know. With the evil Avengers ruling this reality with an iron fist, Marvel fans can surely expect to see the In-Verse return soon, along with its cast of nefarious 'heroes.' Marvel Dimensions is available now from Marvel Comics.