The newest addition to the Avengers, Mark Twelve, is a powerful rival to anyone else on the team. Mark Twelve was previously known as "Victor Shade," but his true identity as Ultron-12 has been revealed. He has taken on a more human form and the Avengers are thrilled to have him on board.
The Avengers have gained a new member in the form of a heroic Ultron, who despite being a relatively new character, has a rich legacy. In Avengers Inc. #5, a new version of Ultron, known as Mark Twelve, joins the team after defeating his villainous counterpart. Mark Twelve possesses the ability to overwrite Ultron's code and has taken on a more human form by utilizing Ultron's newly constructed body. This development marks the entrance of a new Avenger, and it seems that there will be many exciting adventures ahead for Janet Van Dyne's team alongside Mark. Interestingly, Mark Twelve has been appearing as "Victor Shade" since Avengers Inc. #1, initially believed to be the evil Ultron but later revealed to be a fakeout. The true evil Ultron is actually spread across the consciousnesses of various B-List Avengers villains. It's worth noting that all issues of Avengers Inc. are written by Al Ewing, illustrated by Leonard Kirk, colored by Alex Sinclair, and lettered by VC's Cory Petit.Hank Pym has orchestrated Victor Shade's amnesia as part of a secret plan to counter Ultron's infiltration of his tech. By ensuring that a portion of Ultron inside Whirlwind is based on the heroic Ultron-12 from the West Coast Avengers, Hank can prevent Ultron from taking over. Although the original Ultron-12 dies, Hank still possesses his original code, which he uses to create Mark Twelve. Mark is not a reborn Ultron-12 but is based on him, much like Ultron himself is based on Hank. This development is not surprising considering the tradition of Ultron offshoots becoming fully-fledged characters, as seen with the original Human Torch Jim Hammond and the Vision, who was partially based on Hammond. Mark Twelve has been intentionally imbued with the positive attributes of both characters by Hank, who Mark refers to as his father. As the Hank Pym/Ultron/Vision family tree continues to expand, Vision refers to Mark as "Uncle Mark," adding to the complexity of their relationships.Mark Twelve fulfills a key requirement for joining the Avengers as he is a reformed villain, to some extent. Many Avengers lineups have included former villains for instance, "Cap’s Kooky Quartet" was comprised of mostly former villains such as Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch. While Mark Twelve has established himself as a hero in his own, he still grapples with Ultron's villainous legacy. Nevertheless, he proven himself worthy of being considered a genuine member of the Avengers by heroes like Wasp and Vision. You can find Avengers Inc. #5 from Marvel Comics in stores now!