AGE OF ULTRON is underway and there are lots of questions after the first two issues. Despite the story taking place "now," readers are left unsure how this fits into the rest of the Marvel Universe, the repercussions the story will have and how it will all end. It was announced earlier that Marvel CCO Joe Quesada would be drawing the final pages to the story. It's been said that this is in part with keeping the ending a secret.
It turns out there's another secret they've kept under wraps but this apparently doesn't deal with the ending. This morning in the New York Times it was revealed that not only was Neil Gaiman making his return to Marvel Comics, he's also bringing his character, the angel Angela, first seen in Todd McFarlane's SPAWN comic.
Despite appearing in SPAWN, Gaiman was the copyright holder for several characters that appeared in the issue he wrote. It was in 2012 McFarlane and Gaiman reached a confidential settlement over the ownership and royalties owed to Gaiman for the characters he created. With full ownership awarded to Gaiman, the plans are to now bring her into the Marvel Universe.
It's mentioned that the plans for Angela to crossover to the Marvel Universe have been underway for "quite some time." It was decided that AGE OF ULTRON would be a good "entry point" for the character.
Some may complain about spoilers over this news but Marvel Editor in Cheif Axel Alonso insists this doesn't count as a spoiler. He refers to her presence as a bonus, similar to the "post-credit scenes in one of our Marvel Studio movies."
AGE OF ULTRON will not be her only appearance. It's been revealed that her next appearance will be in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #5 by Brian Michael Bendis and co-written by Gaiman. What this means for the character and the Marvel Universe remains to be seen.