Surprise Hero Joins The Avengers For First Time Ever This October

Published Jul 25, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows. Marvel's Avengers expand their ranks with a new hero, whose abilities might be among the rarest in the history of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Since the team first assembled, the Avengers' original roster of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man, and the Wasp quickly expanded to include Captain America, setting the stage for decades of increasingly diverse recruitment. Over time, the Avengers have incorporated cosmic champions like Captain Marvel, street-level heroes like Spider-Man, supernatural defenders like Doctor Strange, and mutants like Wolverine. Meanwhile, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Swordsman, and Songbird all began their Marvel careers on the wrong side of the law before becoming Avengers. Marvel has also assembled a collection of honorary Avengers and mission-specific allies. The Fantastic Four, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the X-Men, Alpha Flight, the Inhumans, the Young Avengers, the Champions, and countless independent heroes have fought under the Avengers banner for limited campaigns. Villains have occasionally stood alongside the team as well. For example, in Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe, the villains from the Bar With No Name joined Earth's defenders when the King of the Monster attacked, and Sandman briefly tried redemption by joining the Avengers' ranks at some point in Marvel's main timeline. Sometimes, the Avengers' guest recruits don't have any actual superhuman abilities beyond their impressive professional skills and their willingness to fight alongside Marvel's superhero titans. Chef José Andrés Joins The Avengers Meals To Astonish: Avengers #1; Written By Steve Orlando, Paul Eschbach, And Jacob Chabot; Art By Roi Mercado, EJ Su, And Jacob Chabot World-class chef José Andrés is teaming up with the Avengers this October in Meals to Astonish: Avengers, where Andrés and Tony Stark debut their state-of-the-art disaster-relief technology in an unexpected showdown against Ultron in Las Vegas. Besides his acclaimed culinary career, José Andrés is also a humanitarian, and now an ally to the Marvel superhero community. The cover for Meals to Astonish: Avengers #1 features José Andrés holding a paella pan like Captain America's shield, leading a small squad of Avengers composed of Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Black Panther in front of the Quinjet, ready to fight Ultron. This isn't the first time José Andrés has participated in a superhero battle in the Marvel Universe. This March, Andrés teamed up with Peter Parker in Meals to Astonish: Spider-Man, where the celebrated chef himself defeated Electro by outsmarting him inside his restaurant's kitchen. Following his encounter with Spider-Man and Electro, José Andrés is set to become an honorary member of the Avengers. Curiously, José Andrés isn't the only culinary expert joining an Avengers team this year. In Godzilla: Infinity Roar, Doctor Doom adds the baker Herr Kagelmacher to his Avengers of Doom in order to keep Man-Thing well-fed. José Andrés Joins An Exclusive List Of Real-Life Avengers Allies The Avengers Have Met Multiple Real Life Figures Throughout the decades, the Avengers have met countless real-life historical figures. Various line-ups have encountered American presidents such as John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and others, sometimes through fictionalized portrayals tied directly into contemporary events. Franklin D. Roosevelt has also appeared in stories connected to Captain America's World War II adventures, and Winston Churchill and other historical leaders have been featured in flashbacks. In 2026's Doomquest #3, Doctor Doom becomes George Washington, and in 1776, the Avengers time-travel to the heart of the American Revolution. Jonathan Hickman's SHIELD revealed that famed scientists, mathematicians, and inventors like Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, Nikola Tesla, and Leonardo da Vinci are all proto-superheroes, members of the secret Brotherhood of the Shield, in Marvel canon. The Marvel Universe has also welcomed numerous real-life celebrities in official comic appearances, often through memorable guest roles. David Letterman famously teamed up with Earth's Mightiest Heroes in 1983's The Avengers #239. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby themselves have both appeared in several comics, sometimes with humorous meta-fictional twists that celebrate their roles in Marvel's history. Other celebrities like Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Eminem, Jeremy Lin, and Penn & Teller have likewise appeared as themselves across various Marvel titles. In 2021's X-Men #21, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige attended the Hellfire Gala, where he exchanged words with Cyclops. Which is your favorite celebrity appearance in Marvel Comics? Meals to Astonish: Avengers is available October 14 from Marvel Comics Release Date May 4, 2012 Runtime 143 minutes Director Joss Whedon Cast Steve Rogers / Captain America Characters By Stan Lee, Steve Ditko