Welcome to Comic Book Legends Revealed! This is the seven hundred and seventieth installment where we examine three comic book legends and determine whether they are true or false.
As usual, there will be three posts, one for each of the three legends.
NOTE: If my Twitter page hits 5,000 followers, I'll do a bonus edition of Comic Book Legends Revealed that week. Great deal, right? So go follow my Twitter page, Brian_Cronin!
COMIC LEGEND:
Both of Ronin's secret identities were spoiled ahead of time.
STATUS:
True
In an early edition of Comic Book Legends Revealed (what's funny is that it was almost twelve years ago and it was already #159. That sounds like such a high number to still be a dozen years ago), I wrote about the original mystery of Ronin in the New Avengers.
I'll repeat what I wrote then...
At the time of the New Avengers launch, the big story was that there was going to be a mysterious new Avenger called Ronin.
And in a big shock, in an article in USA Today, writer Scott Bowles revealed the following:
A "mystery member" is also on the team, but he won't be identified for several issues. Suffice to say he's a Marvel favorite, a Hollywood hit, and the item in his hands is a big clue.
Here is the cover Bowles was working off of, Joe Quesada's variant cover for the first issue of New Avengers...
So, from that, it pretty much has to be Daredevil, right?
Marvel favorite?
Check!
Hollywood hit?
Check (more or less)!
The item in his hands?
Check (just like Daredevil's clubs)!
In addition, in the first storyline, where the Avengers form in relation to a big supervillain breakout, Matt Murdock is right there along with Luke Cage and Jessica Drew...
But it was NOT Daredevil, as he turned down a chance to join the team in the next issue...
Ronin then showed up for the first time for real in Avengers #11...
And then, in New Avengers #13, the "actual" identity of Ronin was revealed to be Echo...
After denying that Ronin was ever meant to be anyone but Ronin, Bendis revealed in the introduction of the New Avengers Vol. 1 HC, that, yep, Ronin WAS originally meant to be Daredevil. Bendis had thought the reveal was off the record when he mentioned it to the USA Today reporter, but instead, it ended up being published. Meanwhile, Bendis also planned on having Daredevil be in jail at the end of his run on Daredevil and the beginning of Ed Brubaker's follow-up arc, so upon further thought, he figured it really did not make much sense to make Daredevil Ronin ANYways even withOUT the secret being blown (which it was), so Echo became Ronin.
However, my pal Miken A. wrote in to remind me that somehow ECHO's role as Ronin was ALSO spoiled!
You see, New Avengers #13 was a bit delayed, and so the book Avengers: The Ultimate Guide, came out a few weeks before the issue...
And in that book, Echo's identity as Ronin is revealed...
I have a whole column for accidental spoilers, but the fact that this happened TWICE was interesting enough for me to feature as a Comic Book Legend, as well.
Thanks to Miken for the information! If anyone else has a legend idea, feel free to write me at brianc@cbr.com!
_______________________________________________________________________________
Check out some entertainment legends from Legends Revealed:
1. Did a Woman Accidentally Get a Speaking Role in a Star Trek Movie?
2. Did How I Met Your Mother Create An Actual Canadian Sex Acts Website?
3. Did Marlon Brando Urinate Onstage to Upstage Another Actor?
4. Did a Movie Studio Spread Rumors About Their Own Star’s Death For Publicity?
_______________________________________________________________________________
Check back later for part 2 of this installment's legends!
Feel free to send suggestions for future comic legends to me at either cronb01@aol.com or brianc@cbr.com