Get ready for a wild ride as we dive into the world of Marvel's most unconventional Avengers team! The Longshots are here, and they're about to shake up everything you thought you knew about superhero squads.
Published just a few hours ago, this article takes us on a journey through the weird and wonderful world of Marvel's most random superhero collaborations. With an entry bar so low, the Avengers have welcomed hundreds of characters over the years, and the X-Men are no exception, with their countless factions turning almost everyone into mutant heroes.
The Age of Revelation has unleashed a storm of events that impact every major Marvel character, mutant or not. Even Mojo, the master of twisted reality shows, is feeling the side effects. After the 3K gene bomb and the X-Virus led to the extinction of television networks, Mojo is on a mission to find a new way to keep his business afloat.
Fast forward a few years in the Marvel timeline, and the status quo has shifted dramatically. Both Avengers and X-Men heroes are now willing participants in Mojo's latest reality show extravaganza.
Enter Mojo's Longshots, a superhero team so random it's almost genius. Written by Gerry Duggan and Jonathan Hickman, with art by Alan Robinson and Yen Nitro, Longshots #1 promises to be a wild ride. To ensure maximum impact from the get-go, Mojo hires Hellcat, the top bounty hunter in the game, to recruit his cast. Hellcat brings together a unique quartet: a bald Kraven, dedicated to hunting land sharks; a Rhino who's lost his horn and his will to live; a Bishop wielding the Winter Soldier's arm; and a Wonder Man who seems to have outlived his time with the Avengers. But wait, there's more! This diverse group was hand-picked by Mojo's consultant team - a squad of child X-Men. Talk about a recipe for chaos!
Mojo's Longshots draws inspiration from Marvel's greatest "non-team" - the Defenders. Known for their lack of formal structure, the Defenders have an ever-changing roster, with Hulk, Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer, Valkyrie, and Namor as its most frequent members. If Mojo's experiment succeeds, the Longshots could become the multiversal equivalent of an anthology TV show's rotating cast.
But here's where it gets controversial... Is Mojo's Longshots the wildest Marvel team ever? While their line-up is certainly unexpected, Marvel has a long history of strange team-ups. Take the Great Lakes Avengers, for instance, with their 2D hero Flatman and the living portal Doorman. Or the Daydreamers, featuring the unlikely duo of Man-Thing and Howard the Duck. Even the original Champions had an eclectic mix, bringing together Hercules, Ghost Rider, Black Widow, and Angel.
And this is the part most people miss... Some of the weirdest team-ups have been fleeting but no less bizarre. In 1977's Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2, Ghost Rider and the Thing teamed up to ensure the birth of Jesus Christ went smoothly. And in 2020's Iron Man (Vol. 5), Tony Stark assembled the short-lived Space Friends, including Scarlet Spider, Frog-Man, Human Torch, and our old friend Hellcat.
But wait, there's more! Villain teams are even more erratic. Most iterations of the Lethal Legion are hilariously unbalanced, with Ultron teaming up with Swordsman, and Namor's arch-nemesis Attuma joining forces with the Phone Ranger. The Sinister Sixteen had Kingpin overshadowed by the likes of Magneto and Loki. Who knows what the future holds for Mojo's Longshots?
Longshots #1 is now available from Marvel Comics, and it's a must-read for any Marvel fan looking for a good laugh and a wild ride. So, what do you think? Are Mojo's Longshots the weirdest Avengers team ever? Or do other Marvel teams give them a run for their money? Let us know in the comments and join the discussion!
