Marvel Dark Reign: The List

Launching from Marvel Comics recent hit limited series' Civil War and Secret Invasion, the current crossover storyline 'Dark Reign' details the rise to power of long-time Spider-Man nemesis and super-villain Norman Osborn as the new commander of S.H.I.E.L.D., now renamed by Osborn as H.A.M.M.E.R.

At the conclusion of the Secret Invasion storyline, as Marvel's heroes battle against the alien race of shape-shifting Skrulls, Osborn sets himself up as a national hero by delivering a fatal gunshot wound to the Skrulls' alien queen, Veranke. Norman Osborn then resigns as leader of his team of anti-anti heroes, The Thunderbolts and disbands the group with bigger goals in mind.

Osborn uses his newfound hero status to become leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., taking the position of former agency head, Tony Stark. Once in place, Osborn quickly sets upon creating a new team of 'New Avengers' replacing the former members with his own group of less-than-heroic former Thunderbolts members which includes the likes of Bullseye, Moonstone and Venom. Osborn even goes so far as to have his new team of Avengers take up the names and costumes of many of the former members of the true Avengers.

This team becomes referenced to as 'The Dark Avengers, while Osborn himself now having access to much of Tony Stark's technology, creates an new identity for himself as 'The Iron Patriot'.

Osborn has recently begun to shift his attention to Marvel's mutant super-heroes, as the Dark Avengers/X-Men crossover series 'Utopia' shows Osborn and his team setting their sites on the X-men, including Cyclops, The Beast and Professor Xavier in the aftermath of an anti-mutant protest that takes place in San Francisco.

In the first chapter of a new eight-part crossover story-arc Dark Reign: The List, long-time Avenger Clint Barton (Hawkeye) has had enough of Osborn's reign of terror and tries to gather the support of the other remaining members of the real Avengers team in a plot to assassinate the Dark Avengers leader. Barton's mission falls short, and it is revealed that Norman Osborn has begun to create a list of all super-powered beings that he deems to be a threat, with the ultimate goal of neutralizing any and all opposition.

The story so far leads me to believe that the real Avengers will soon be gathering their forces to put an end Osborn's reign, and could in fact culminate with the return of Captain America (Steve Rogers) and the disgraced Iron Man uniting all of Marvel's heroes against a common enemy sometime in 2010.

This fall comic shops will be buzzing with excitement as Marvel's Dark Reign saga continues, along with the upcoming, highly-anticipated Wolverine Giant-Size Old Man Logan series finale from Mark Millar and Steve McNiven.

Please check your local comic book store for more information!

 September 2009
•Dark Reign: The List – Avengers
•Dark Reign: The List – Daredevil
•Dark Reign: The List – X-Men

October 2009
•Dark Reign: The List – Secret Warriors
•Dark Reign: The List – Wolverine
•Dark Reign: The List – Hulk
•Dark Reign: The List – Punisher

November 2009
•Dark Reign: The List – Amazing Spider-Man