Avengers Debuts Major New Hero Today, Everything We Know

Published Nov 4, 2026, 6:30 PM 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.

The history of Marvel's Avengers franchise just changed forever, with the launch of the radically different new Avengers Volume 10. However, as the new roster gathers and a powerful villain appears for the first time, a new Marvel hero is also introduced - one fans didn't know was coming.

Avengers Volume 10 follows the Avengers Armageddon event, in which the team disbanded following what's being called 'The Red Hulk Incident.' With public sentiment and international law turning against heroes, Iron Man has gone into hiding while Captain America lies in a coma.

Meanwhile, a guilt-ridden Spider-Man begins to bring together a new team, including Wolverine, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Captain Marvel and David Colton's Miracleman. However, as was the case for the original Avengers with Captain America, it seems it will be the arrival of an unexpected hero that actually forges them together as a team.

Avengers' New Hero Is Paige Howley

Avengers Volume 10 opens on a very normal morning for Paige Howley - a young woman whose mother Julie works for Amanda Spring, Luke Cage's new mayoral rival. Spring is running on an anti-superhuman platform, with the mayoral election imminent.

Avengers #1 refers to Paige as 'Howley' in the comic and 'Rowley' in its tease for the next issue. It's not yet clear which is accurate, but most fans are currently assuming the former.

Paige is depicted as an early-twenties Gen Z character with no apparent experience with superpowers, whose biggest concern is not becoming a "nepo baby" by accepting an intern position at her mother's firm. However, as her day progresses, New York goes to Hell, and she seems to be at the center of it.

She Has a Talking Grimoire Named 'Grimsby'

As the city plunges into chaos, her father John hands her a book he calls 'Grimsby,' declaring, "I relinquish ownership to my daughter." The book is initially shown with a fake cover teasing "FORGOTTEN KNOLEDGECH" (likely a typo) and is capable of talking with its owner.

Fans don't get to see much of Grimsby, but it's clear that the book is somehow bound to Paige and possesses supernatural knowledge, with the summary for issue two calling it a "prophetic book." Not only does it tell her who is after her and why, but it directs her to seek out the Avengers.

She's Tied to Mephisto

Paige's discussion with Grimsby reveals that she is the "result" of a deal between her parents and Mephisto. In last week's Captain America #16 - from Chip Zdarsky, Valerio Schiti, Romulo Fajardo Jr. and Joe Caramagna - Doctor Doom officially took over Hell, usurping Mephisto.

As his first act as ruler of Hell, Doctor Doom declared all of Mephisto's past deals null and void. This reckless act was Doom's attempt to win the denizens of Hell into his service voluntarily, but has had catastrophic consequences on Earth. It seems that with the deal formally broken, supernatural forces have kicked in to reverse their effects.

It's not clear exactly what deal Paige's parents made with Mephisto - potentially to have a child in the first place, or to save Paige's life at a young age - but it seems to mostly include her mysterious father...

Her Father Has Superpowers

While Julie appears to be a regular human, John clearly isn't. As the chaos begins, his eyes turn red and one hand turns into a purple claw, allowing him to manifest a blood-red sword.

It seems John may be some kind of demon who made a deal with Mephisto to live a normal human life. If so, that may mean Paige has latent powers beyond just access to Grimsby...

Angels Are Trying To Kill Her

The specific chaos visited on New York comes in the form of what appear to be angels, pouring out of the sky and slaying those who made deals with Mephisto in the past. The angels carry golden swords that have the ability to teleport those they strike. The Avengers are able to claim some of these swords and turn them against the horde, but they don't yet know where they're sending them.

Sadly, these angels aren't the only threat bedeviling the city. Mephisto appears to also be at large, claiming the hearts of his victims - likely for ends that the angels are hoping to prevent by getting to them first. The angels are led by a hammer-wielding warrior named the Adjudicator, who ends the battle entering into combat with Paige's father.

Despite their appearance, it's possible these angels aren't actually divine. The Avengers settle on calling them "Celestial Lawyer," and it's possible that they're a form of supernatural immune system. While the cover to Avengers #2 shows the team fighting the Adjudicator, the cover to issue #3 shows a gloating Mephisto holding them in his palm, suggesting that he's the real threat of this arc.

Only Spider-Man Can Save Her

The issue ends with Grimsby guiding Paige to Spider-Man, who she claims is the only one who can stop "what's happening." As fans know, Spider-Man made a deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May back in 2007's 'One More Day,' sacrificing his marriage to Mary Jane Watson. That makes Aunt May a target for the angels, with the creatures descending on her as the issue concludes.

Paige reaching out to Spider-Man seems to reference a revelation from 2021's Amazing Spider-Man #74​​​​​​​. That issue revealed that the reason Mephisto targeted Spider-Man in the first place was due to a vision of the Wall-Crawler taking part in his ultimate defeat, with some confusion about whether it will be Peter or his daughter who finally brings down Mephisto.

That vision showed New York in flames as heroes battled against a demon army, and it seems like Avengers Volume 10 will pay off that prophecy. However, Avengers Armageddon saw Tony Stark experience a tech-based prediction of Mephisto killing Spider-Man, leaving huge questions about how their clash will play out.

Tony saw Spider-Man's death using the 'What If Machine,' which creates pocket realities to play out hypothetical questions. The death answered Tony's question of what would happen if superheroes kept operating as they have in the past.

Avengers Fans Weren't Expecting A New Hero

With David Colton only taking the Miracleman identity in Avengers Armageddon, fans assumed he'd be the new point of view character for Avengers Volume 10. To the contrary, it seems like Paige Howley has been introduced as a low-tier magic character who has never dealt with superheroes before - indeed, her mother is making a living by helping to go after them.

So far, Paige isn't particularly powerful, however Grimsby seemingly lets her see the future, and it's possible she'll unlock further demonic powers as the adventure continues, potentially including her father's sword. Public disapproval of superheroes and her mother's job seemingly give the character every reason in the world to take on a costumed identity while helping the Avengers.

Avengers Volume 10 promised to shake up the franchise and do something new with a more street-level roster, however no fan expected that issue 1 would introduce a new hero with such a unique profile. Fans can follow Paige's development as a character as this new era of Avengers continues.