Nick Spencer and Luke Ross will be teaming up with S.H.I.E.L.D. for an official secret agent superteam with the Secret Avengers relaunch at Marvel NOW! in February 2013. Announced Saturday morning via Entertainment Weekly, the book will feature a very unique new twist: the team members, made up of military lifers, mainstream Avengers heroes, and even a villain or two, won't actively know they're on the team. They'll get called up for missions via codewords implanted years ago, and disperse after. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has decided that they want their own Avengers team," Spencer told EW. "But Avengers are loose cannons: They’re independent operators, they don’t have security clearance, they have a history of becoming bad guys.”

That memory keyword won't just activate the team, it'll also mindwipe them of the mission they just completed after each one - and if comic book fans know one thing, it's that mindwipes can be undone, and never turn out well.

“It’s a very different kind of book, a covert ops, black ops spy book," said Spencer.

As for that lineup, Marvel's The Avengers movie fans will recognize Nick Fury, though in the main Marvel Universe this one is actually Nick Fury, Jr. and "a field agent" says Spencer, who will be active on missions. Tragic hero and fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulston also appears on the cover of the book, while fellow movie alums Hawkeye and Black Widow are also along for the ride. Hawkeye's ex-wife Bobbi Morse aka Mockingbird, the mostly-villainous Taskmaster, Hulk (green version, who has already been listed as a new S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in Marvel NOW!), and a new Iron Patriot are the other initial reveals to the team. Spencer also promises while not a team member, secret agent and former frequently-mind-wiped hero The Winter Soldier will be around quite a bit, too.

The S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric Secret Avengers team comes at a fortuitous time, with a show being developed by Joss Whedon that may have some themes, and characters, in common with the book. While Spencer had already started writing when that announcement hit, “It’s not a bad announcement to get when you’re working on this book!” he proclaimed.

SHIELD wants its own Avengers team? That operates in secret? I think they mean that Marvel wants a SHIELD book but they need to slap an Avengers tag on it so it will sell. What is the purpose of forming a team and calling them Avengers when they're not necessarily Avengers, they're not working with the main Avengers team and nobody in the general public will know about them? That would be like me opening Secret McDonalds in my basement that has nothing to do with regular McDonalds except maybe I hired a couple ex-McDonalds fry cooks and then I don't tell anybody outside of my house about my Secret McDonalds. What would be the point in that?

sounds like crap

Ughhhhhhhhhhh

Secret Avengers makes more sense this way. S.H.I.E.L.D. has always kind of been tied to the Avengers. It would make sense for them to have a team of human superheroes that work for them. It also lends more credibility to their covert missions. S.H.I.E.L.D. is an espionage style group. What doesn't make sense is the roster. Why Marvel can't seem to create a decent Avengers roster as of late is beyond me..it's like they pick names out of a hat.

Where's Nick Fury? The real one?

Where's Nick Fury? The real one?

@Vance Astro said:

@Gambit1024 said:

Where's Nick Fury? The real one?

We need a "get rid of Nick Fury Jr." petition going....

Agreed. Keep ultimate characters in the ultimate universe.

i'm down with the team and shield. i'm giving fury a chance.

i like a SHIELD centered black ops team but id go with a harder lineup: Hawkeye to lead, Black widow and Mocking bird cause of their spy-chick style, War Machine and Red Hulk because of their power and military training, G.I.Ant Man (o'grady) because... well hes awesome, and round out the team with the Winter Soldier. if youre gonna go black ops, go bad @ss black ops.

sounds cool to finally have taskmster on a team

 secret agent and former frequently-mind-wiped hero The Winter Soldier will be around quite a bit, too.

@War Killer said:

@danhimself said:

secret agent and former frequently-mind-wiped hero The Winter Soldier will be around quite a bit, too.

Yeeeaaah...Bucky's going to kill the new Nick Fury once he finds out their playing with his head. Guarantee it.

yeah I think the most interesting thing about the book is going to be when the heroes find out that SHIELD has been messing with their heads

@War Killer said:

@danhimself said:

secret agent and former frequently-mind-wiped hero The Winter Soldier will be around quite a bit, too.

Yeeeaaah...Bucky's going to kill the new Nick Fury once he finds out their playing with his head. Guarantee it.

yeah I think the most interesting thing about the book is going to be when the heroes find out that SHIELD has been messing with their heads