Celebrate Black History Month by delving into the first appearances of Marvel’s most prominent African and African-American characters on Marvel Unlimited!

Unfortunately, not everyone who puts on a costume to defend the defenseless receives the adulation and thanks they so rightly deserve. In the case of Adam “Blue Marvel” Brashear, instead of praise, he received fear and admonishment, just because of the color of his skin.

The 2008 five-issue limited series ADAM: LEGEND OF THE BLUE MARVEL by Kevin Grevioux and Mat Broome kicked off with the villain Anti-Man taking on the Avengers—including Ares, She-Hulk, and Sentry—single-handedly before disappearing.

The story then cut to June 4, 1962 as Anti-Man fought the hero known as Blue Marvel. In addition to trading blows, the two super beings also argued about whether the world should be forced to change or not. The fight ended with Blue Marvel standing victorious over Anti-Man, but with the color of his skin exposed through his torn costume. This resulted in mistrust on both sides of the racial divide.

The Pentagon immediately investigated the images, discovering the Marvel’s true identity as Adam Bernard Brashear, a Magna Cum Laude Cornell graduate with a PhD in theoretical physics who also played football and served in Korea. Though highly conflicted in doing so, President John F. Kennedy asked Adam to stand down when it came to using his powers.

Back in the present, Tony Stark—then the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.—used his clearance to find out the story behind Blue Marvel and why he hadn’t heard of him. Stark learned that the President called Adam in to face a harbinger from space and he disappeared during the cosmic conflict.

Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel (2008) #1

• Published: November 05, 2008
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: February 04, 2009
• Rating: Rated T
• Writer: Kevin Grevioux
• Penciller: Mat Broome, Kaare Andrews

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In reality, though, Brashear had been living a normal life married to a deep undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and teaching physics at the University of Maryland. After learning the truth about his wife, Adam flew to the moon and had a conversation with The Watcher. He then met with Iron Man and the other modern heroes to explain that he and Anti-Man got their powers when Brashear’s experimental antimatter negative reactor exploded, consuming both Adam and his best friend Conner Sims. With Anti-Man returned, they used this information and Adam’s experience to take on the threat.

After talks with Namor and Anti-Man, Blue Marvel faced off against the Avengers, lost someone very close to him, and then finally ended his one-time friend’s life-threatening rampage. With his secret life no longer a problem, Adam eventually returned to being a hero, though not as prominently as he had in the past.

History Lesson

Adam Brashear kept something of a low profile after his introduction to the Marvel Universe, but before long joined up with Luke Cage’s Avengers in MIGHTY AVENGERS. As part of that group he faced off against the Illuminati leading into Secret Wars and then stood as a member of the proactive big brain squad appearing monthly in ULTIMATES and now ULTIMATES 2. As part of that group, Adam has helped cure Galactus of his hunger, save Anti-Man from certain death in Exo-Space and fix the fabric of time and space. That’s a pretty respectable track record for a character who’s been around for less than a decade.

Next week kicks off with the man who went from Tony Stark’s best friend to an armored hero in his own right: James Rhodes!

As Captain America’s big secret comes to light in Secret Empire, heroes will rise to the occasion and team up to stop this infiltration from within. But with most of the Royal Family headed into outer space, a group of younger Inhumans—plus Karnak—must unite to battle the threat of Hydra!

Launching in May, SECRET WARRIORS by Matthew Rosenberg and Javier Garron brings together Ms. Marvel, Quake, Inferno, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, and Karnak to stand against an old friend now revealed as foe. With the “secret” out, we spoke with Rosenberg about how this new team comes together.

Marvel.com: In Secret Empire, Captain America’s full agenda as a Hydra operative comes to light. How does this affect the Inhumans and give birth to this new team of Secret Warriors?

Matthew Rosenberg: Well, Hydra aren’t the most tolerant of organizations, and the Inhumans are known to be a little “different,” so that puts them at odds. And really that is the birth of our Secret Warriors. Many of them are the Inhumans who are a little outside traditional Inhuman culture. They don’t all get along with each other, and they don’t all agree on how to do things, but they are forced together because of their common enemy. And I think that’s a key point to this book: it’s not about Inhumans, or super heroes, or anything like that. It’s about putting aside differences and trying to help people.

Marvel.com: As the Inhumans/Terrigen Mist story has unfolded over the last few years, the Royal Family has been front and center in protecting their people, particularly those just discovering they are Inhuman. What happens when most of them aren’t around to serve as that shield?

Matthew Rosenberg: You end up with a lot of people, especially young people, who are stuck trying to find their way on their own. Which I love, personally. These are characters whose heroes have left; their mentors have left and their government has left. And the question becomes, “Who are they on their own?” Obviously Ms. Marvel, Moon Girl, and Quake are all heroes on their own terms, but this still has some profound effects on them. There are opportunities for some of our cast to be the next great leaders of Inhuman society, and there are opportunities for some to cut those ties entirely. This is going to be a lot of big choices our Warriors have to make before all of this is over.

Marvel.com: One Royal who is sticking around is Karnak. What role will he play in the book?

Matthew Rosenberg: Karnak is much older, arguably wiser, and definitely crazier than the rest of the team. He assumes a sort of mentor/adviser role as we go, but things are never that easy with Karnak. But he definitely is good at breaking things and that will come up.

Marvel.com: With Quake and Ms. Marvel you have two young heroes with dynamically opposite experiences thus far in their careers—one has spent most of her time in the shadows as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, while the other has fully embraced the traditional costumed hero role, with a fresh “we can all make the world a better place” attitude. How do each of them react to the Captain America news?

Matthew Rosenberg: It’s funny because those two, their different life experiences, are the heart of the book in some ways. The spy vs. the super hero. But Captain America means so much to both of them that it is a real hard blow. It is the kind of thing that can make you question everything you believe in and even yourself. And how they deal with it, what they want to do about it, that is the challenge. Quake is always going to be a destructive force by nature. It’s who she is. And Ms. Marvel is a hero above all else. So watching them have their worlds rattled is a big part of the fun.

Marvel.com: Javier Garron has some experience with the Inhumans, coming off of Inhumans vs. X-Men. What’s it been like working with him on this next chapter in that saga?

Matthew Rosenberg: It’s been amazing! This book is really tricky in a lot of ways. We have a big cast of very iconic looking characters. We have a lot of crazy action and just as much real personal quiet moments. And Javier is just killing all of them. His work is so gorgeous, his characters feel so real, and his pages are so dynamic. There is a fight scene in issue #1 that I thought was pretty neat when I wrote it. Looking at Javier’s art, I think it will be something people really lose their minds over. It isn’t like anything I have seen in a Marvel book in a while. I’ll just leave it at that.

But yeah, this book is 100 percent the Javier Garron art show at this point. I just want to give him the coolest stuff to draw. Luckily for me, sometimes that is Quake sitting alone on the D train and sometimes it’s a dinosaur chasing Hydra agents through a forest. He makes all of it next-level cool.

Marvel.com: Finally, thus far at Marvel you’ve been working mainly on solo books like ROCKET RACCOON and KINGPIN, but now you’re not only getting to tackle a team, but one that’s playing a pretty big role in a Marvel Universe-wide event. What’s it been like for you, taking on Secret Warriors?

Matthew Rosenberg: It’s a dream come true. I know that is as cliché and cheesy an answer as it gets, but there is literally nothing else on Earth I’d rather be doing. Working with these characters, a lot of whom are the legitimate next generation of Marvel heroes, and getting to build their relationships and add little bits to their lives—it’s been amazing. Having Moon Girl and Karnak be weird to each other? Getting to make Quake and Ms. Marvel square off against each other? Helping Inferno become a true badass in the Marvel Universe? It’s the kind of job you hope to get one day if you write comics long enough. I am not taking a second of this for granted. I genuinely love these characters and I really hope that comes through on every page we put out.

It’s all out in the open this May when Matthew Rosenberg and Javier Garron present SECRET WARRIORS!

So we’re all in agreement: Groot is the best, right?

If you consider yourself a Groot fan—and really, how can you not—you’ve got a lot to look forward to, because he’ll soon get his own series! In the upcoming I AM GROOT #1—coming this May—our hero will find himself stranded on a strange planet, trying to make his way home.

We chatted with writer Christopher Hastings about what we can expect.

Marvel.com: It’s really interesting that Groot is getting his own series, given the way he communicates. Have you found it challenging to think of ways to convey his emotions and experiences without ordinary dialog?

Christopher Hastings: Groot’s lack of communication definitely poses a challenge, but I’ve really made it a point to tackle everything from that position, not to try and ignore or work around the problem. I’m really making it a point that the story works with his character, and that he finds himself in situations where he can clearly show emotional reactions, even if he can’t express something that more complex language demands.

Marvel.com: We’ll find Groot in a very vulnerable position: smaller than normal, and on an unknown planet where he has difficulty communicating with people. How did you go about exploring how he would handle this kind of situation?

Christopher Hastings: Groot certainly feels vulnerable on this scary world we strand him on, but I consider this little Groot a very impulsive character, so we won’t see him quivering in a safe cave for the length of the series.

And without Rocket, he does get very frustrated trying to talk to people. Part of his quest will involve finding a way to get others to understand that he wants to get back home.

I also try to explore how other characters interpret Groot. We often see him through the lens of the Guardians he spends time with, especially Rocket. How would someone who doesn’t know him interpret his intentions?

I Am Groot #1 cover by Marco D’Alfonso

Marvel.com: Groot has so much heart. Would you consider it particularly hard for him to get separated from the others?

Christopher Hastings: Of course! He’s a little kid tree. He feels devastated. All he wants is to get back to them, and he has no idea how.

Marvel.com: Everyone loves Groot! What do you think makes him so lovable?

Christopher Hastings: I think something about the oblivious glee he puts out there. I see him as a troublemaker, but you can’t get mad at him!

Marvel.com: Groot will need to find his way to the center of this new world. Without giving too much away, what challenges will he face on his journey?

Christopher Hastings: Like I said, Groot’s a little troublemaker. And the planet he lands on has remained in a sort of stasis for a very long time. The creatures that still live there would rather that stasis not get disturbed but…Groot doesn’t care! Groot wants to get home! He’ll upset everything to pull it off. But he definitely needs to figure out a way for people to understand what he says first.

Marvel.com: Would you like to tease or mention anything else?

Christopher Hastings: When I pitched the story, I mentioned that I envisioned it as something like “Labyrinth” or “Return to Oz.” A lot of that vibe comes from really fantastical location and character designs. We just started getting the first bits of artwork in from the series artist, Flaviano, whom I consider more than perfect for the job. This book will look totally unique. And he clearly knows how to make Groot as adorable and funny as possible.

Get your fix of adorable adventure with I AM GROOT by Christopher Hastings and Flaviano, kicking off this May!

On March 8, POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #14 by David Walker and Sanford Greene promises to plunge the title heroes into a fight that combines supernatural and street elements.

The team has worked on and off together since the Danny Rand and Luke Cage-starring book launched last year. Like the heroes in the book they make, they’ve become something of a dynamic duo. We talked with Greene about continuing the magically inclined themes from the earlier issues, working with Walker, and approaching new and existing characters.

Marvel.com: This issue kicks off the “Street Magic” story line which pits two of the most well-known street-level heroes against supernatural elements. How has it been mixing those genres so far?

Sanford Greene: Honestly, we’ve been mixing those elements pretty much from the beginning. The first story arc was where we laid the foundation for the idea of “Street Magic,” and we had so much fun that we decided to keep going with it. More than anything, I’m just happy that I get to draw Brother Voodoo. I hope that wasn’t a spoiler.

Marvel.com: When it came to designing some of the supernaturally themed characters in the series, what was the process like?

Sanford Greene: Some of them already existed, so it was really about building on what was already there. You take any character that already exists, and you bring your own sense of style into the mix. For me, it’s really just part of the process of getting comfortable drawing the character, even if it is only for a few panels.

Marvel.com: Generally speaking, how much looking back do you do when it comes to bringing existing characters into the book?

Sanford Greene: David and I collaborate on finding all the images I need for reference for each issue. Sometimes he just embeds links into the script, which is good, because he’s pulling out some obscure characters.

Marvel.com: You’ve obviously been a huge part of this book, launching it with David, working on various arcs and creating covers. Would you say your understanding of these characters has grown in that time?

Sanford Greene: Most definitely. I’ve been living with Luke and Danny for well over a year now. Same with some of the other characters, like Tombstone and Black Mariah, and that really helps to develop a feeling of knowing a character. It also helps when the writer is giving you specific emotions to play with or describing the tone of how a scene needs to feel. But as far as knowing Luke and Danny—yeah, I feel like I know them better than I did before. If I didn’t feel that way, it would mean I wasn’t honestly putting myself into the art.

Marvel.com: Along similar lines, you’ve worked with David since the series started, how has your working relationship changed in that time?

Sanford Greene: David is a tremendous writer. However, I think he’s been going out of his way to write scripts that will be difficult to draw, just to see if he can break my spirit. Of course, I’m just kidding. We knew each other casually before we started working together, but we’ve developed a friendship over the course of this run. He’s definitely asked a lot from me as an artist, but he’s never asked for anything that I couldn’t do, even if it meant pushing myself a bit harder than usual—or a lot harder than usual. But seriously, he’s also given me freedom when it comes to some of the action sequences, which are usually the most fun to draw. I think that between the two of us, we did the best book we could possibly do, and in the end, that’s what matters the most.

To get in on the “Street Magic” action, check out POWER MAN & IRON FIST by David Walker and Sanford Greene!