Secret Avengers by Rick Remender

In 2012, Rick Remender took the reins of Marvel’s Secret Avengers for a tight, three-issue story arc that put a covert, black-ops spin on the super-spy team. Working with artists Andy Kuhn, Patrick Zircher, and Renato Guedes, Remender’s run spotlighted a roster of operatives including Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Captain Britain, with the Venom-symbiote-wielding Flash Thompson adding a volatile edge. Though brief, this era distilled the series’ core concept: a secret unit of Avengers tackling missions too dangerous for the public eye.