West Fly Avengers #1 by creator Gerry Duggan, artist Danny Kim, colorist Arthur Hesly, and letterer Joe Caramagna officially revives the classic team, which had its last incarnation wrapped up in 2019. However, the new West Fly Avengers features a twist, with Tony Stark leading a crew of former criminals alongside a seemingly reformed Ultron unit.
So who comprises the new West Fly Avengers? What caused Ultron’s change of heart? And who is the concealed villain lurking in the shadows? We will address all these queries and more as we break down everything you need to know regarding the new West Fly Avengers #1. Clearly, we will be diving into some serious spoilers from here on out.
What’s the situation with Ultron?
As many Avengers comic fans are aware, Ultron is the creation of Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man – a notorious AI determined to annihilate the Avengers and ultimately all organic life on Earth. However, there is an Ultron unit in the new West Fly Avengers who has apparently turned away from his genocidal ambitions to become a hero, and we are introduced to him right at the beginning of West Fly Avengers #1.
The catch is, we do not know how this transformation occurred just yet. All we genuinely deduce from contextual hints in the narrative is that whatever it took for Tony Stark to give Ultron a chance in the Avengers, it was evidently quite contentious. We can also assert with some clarity that this version represents a completely different reformed Ultron from the one introduced in Avengers Inc.
Why is Tony Stark donning his old armor?
As depicted in the recently relaunched Iron Man #1, Justine Hammer, the new Iron Monger, employed a magically enhanced virus to render all of Tony Stark’s advanced armors inoperable. In response, he constructed the so-called Improvised Iron Man armor, which is considerably more low-tech.
But in West Fly Avengers, he has another choice – he has reverted to his classic Silver Centurion suit from the ’80s, which he donned for a time as part of the original West Fly Avengers. This suit contains some advanced technology, yet it is old enough to have evaded Justine Hammer’s sabotage.
Who’s on the squad?
When we first encounter the new West Fly Avengers, Tony is joined in the field by James Rhodes/Battle Machine, his long-time ally and a member of the original West Fly team, along with Ultron, and Jessica Drew/Spider-Girl, who has previously served as a double agent for Hydra.
There is another member who is likely unfamiliar to most readers – Blue Bolt. Blue Bolt is based on an old Marvel character from the ’40s. However, in this instance, he represents a new iteration of the character, a villain with electrical powers who is attempting to reform as a hero alongside the West Fly Avengers. He has also been characterized as “the biggest jerk in the Marvel Universe.”
What’s the story with Firestar?
The final member of the team, who we already know will likely be joining up beginning presumably in West Fly Avengers #2, is Angelica Jones, the mutant hero Firestar. She is a former Avenger and member of the X-Men whose recent history has led her through some dark times.
When Tony reconnects with her towards the end of West Fly Avengers #1, she’s drinking heavily to cope with her struggles, as she’s grappling with having to serve as a secret double agent for Orchis, which has left many of her fellow X-Men believing she was genuinely an anti-mutant traitor.
Who is the hidden villain?
Of course, there’s a significant villain lurking behind the scenes in West Fly Avengers #1, and the villain’s introduction is both chilling and indicative of an Avengers-level threat. We’ll go ahead and reveal the twist – it is Ultron.
No, not the team’s previous hero Ultron. A different, more grotesque Ultron, who grants a severely ill woman some form of immortality along with an end to her suffering, which he accomplishes by decapitating her and placing her head directly into a Matrix-like apparatus.