Published Jan 29, 2026, 7:00 AM EST
Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.
Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.
Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.
After more than eight decades, a classic Marvel hero is finally joining the Avengers for the first time. But what has motivated Earth's Mightiest Heroes to finally welcome this new recruit, and exactly which version of the hero are we getting?
Citizen V Is Joining the Avengers
Marvel recently revealed solicit information for the upcoming Iron Man #4, including a variant cover from Mark Bagley. The cover shows Citizen V in an official Avengers jacket complete with the 'A' logo - the kind that Steve Rogers' Avengers Emergency Response Squad has been handing out to heroes over the last year. It seems that after 85 years, Citizen V will finally join the Avengers.
Across 2025, the Avengers Emergency Response Squad recruited a lot of first-time members, from Elektra's Daredevil to Mister Immortal, Captain Beyond and mutant Somnus. While their digital series concluded last year, it seems the team lives on, and will bring Citizen V into the fold.
While Marvel hasn't yet shown Citizen V joining the team, there's no other reason the character would be shown wearing the jacket, leaving fans confident that the hero will join later this year.
Mark Bagley designed Citizen V's modern costume for 1997's Thunderbolts #1, making him the perfect person to celebrate the character's promotion.
Who Is New Avengers Hero Citizen V?
The original Citizen V debuted in 1941's Daring Mystery Comics #8, created by Ben Thompson. The WWII hero worked undercover in countries occupied by the Nazis, supporting resistance cells and gathering members of his V-Battalion freedom fighter group. This hero was later killed by the original Baron Zemo.
In the mid-90s, the modern Baron Zemo took on the name alongside a new costume, as part of the Thunderbolts' plan to portray themselves as superheroes. However, when Zemo's plan was exposed, the identity was taken on sincerely by Dallas Riordan - the Thunderbolts' former government liaison and later rival.
Other holders of the name are John Watkins III (the grandson of the original) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who only recently took on the identity during Doom's takeover of Earth.
Citizen V is generally depicted as a non-superpowered character, though they're an expert fighter - especially with a sword - and utilize a range of gadgets, including the flying V-glider.
Citizen V Is Becoming a Big Part of Iron Man Lore
Fans knew from promotional art that Citizen V would be a part of Iron Man's new era, but it's not yet clear why or how. Iron Man #1 shows Citizen V spying on the Tony Stark Award ceremony when AIM attack, but so far that's all fans have seen.
However, with Steve Rogers launching a new Illuminati with the goal of "taking down Tony Stark," it may be that the Avengers recruit Citizen V as a dedicated anti-Iron Man agent. Indeed, maybe they already have, and Iron Man #4 will only reveal this fact.
Fans will find out exactly why Citizen V is being offered a place on the Avengers in the months to come, but after serving in WWII and a heroic rebirth in the '90s, it's absolutely time for this classic hero to become one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Iron Man #1 is available now from Marvel Comics, with issue #4 coming April 8.
English (US) ·