SPOILER WARNING: This article contains majors spoilers for Nick Spencer, Daniel Acuna and Angel Unzueta's "Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega" #1.
Move over, Wendell Vaughn -- there's a new Quasar in town!
In Nick Spencer, Daniel Acuna and Angel Unzueta's "Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega" #1, Avril Kincaid -- one of Maria Hill's S.H.I.E.L.D. officers stationed at Pleasant Hill -- inherited Vaughn's Quantum Bands, effectively making her the new Quasar. As she searched for a weapon to stabilize the situation on Pleasant Hill, she bumped into Vaughn, a previous Quasar, and he bequeathed the Quantum Bands to her.
As he reveals to her, Vaughn lost control of the Quantum Bands and voluntarily turned himself into Hill for the Pleasant Hill program. However, when Kobik's illusion began to fall apart, he remembered who he was and chose to surrender the Quantum Bands to Kincaid, who went on to singlehandedly save the Avengers in their time of need. At the end of the issue, Vaughn is seen mentoring Kincaid, training her to become the new Quasar.
Kincaid will be the latest in a line of characters to inherit the title, including Neutron, Phyla-Vell and Richard Rider. The Quantum Bands grants the user the ability to tap into a limitless energy source called the Quantum Zone, which they can then use to project and manipulate quantum energy.
The issue also teased the formation of the Thunderbolts. After throwing Bucky out of a window, Kobic -- the living embodiment of the Cosmic Cube -- appeared to him to apologize and ask for his protection. He reluctantly agreed, and she asked if she could bring along her friends: the new Thunderbolts team.
Additionally, the World Council made an important decision regarding the direction of S.H.I.E.L.D. After the failure of the Pleasant Hill project, the World Council put Maria Hill on probation as they review her ability to act as S.H.I.E.L.D. director.
"Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega" #1 is now on sale.