Agents of Atlas Reading Order

This was 1958. A superhero team formed by the government must rescue President Eisenhower, who has been kidnapped by the Yellow Claw. Following the success of this mission, the team existed briefly before being disbanded by the higher powers. But nearly 40 years later, their leader of the time, Jimmy Woo, brought them back together to defend humanity. They are the Agents of Atlas!

If you never heard of the Agents of Atlas, this is because this retro team didn’t actually exist during the 1950s. The team originated from the pages of an old What if? issue, which asked “What If The Avengers Had Fought Evil During The 1950s?” and featuring, for the occasion, an alternate team consisting of heroes from the Golden Age. This particular team reappeard in Avengers Forever where their reality was destroyed.

Conceived as a sort of love letter to the forgotten heroes of Atlas comics, the team was finally reintroduced to the 21st Century and retroactively made part of the main continuity as The Agents of Atlas. Though they never made it big, the group gained a cult following, enough to save the world in several short comic book series.

After several years of inactivity, Marvel revamped the team in 2019. The group is now made up of Asian and Asian American superheroes known as The New Agents of Atlas.

To know more about the underrated Agents of Atlas, follow our Agents of Atlas Reading Order!

The Original Agents of Atlas

Created by writer Jeff Parker and artist Leonard Kirk (and editor Mark Paniccia), The Agents of Atlas made their first appearance in Agents of Atlas #1, released in October 2006.

The Original Members of Agents of Atlas!

Formed in 1958, the original team was brought back together by their leader nearly 40 years later. This original roster consisted of:

• Jimmy Woo – A secret agent from the 50s who made his debut in Yellow Claw #1 (Oct. 1956) only to become later a desk worker for the SHIELD.
• Namora (Aquaria Neptunia) – Coming from Atlantis, she is most known for being the cousin of Namor. First appearance in Marvel Mystery Comics #82 (May 1947).
• Gorilla-Man (Kenneth Hale) – This soldier of fortune encountered the Gorilla Man, then became immortal at the cost of being a Gorilla-Man himself. First appearance in Men’s Adventures #26 (Mar. 1954).
• Human Robot (M-11) – Created by a scientist, the robot went on a short-lived killing spree after someone messed with its regulator before ending up in San Francisco Bay and shorting out. He was later sought out by Jimmy Woo. First appearance in Menace #11 (May 1954).
• Marvel Boy/The Uranian (Robert Grayson) – A regular human boy raised on the planet Uranian who has now psychic powers. First appearance in Marvel Boy #1 (Dec. 1950)
• Venus – A Goddess/immortal siren with a hypnotic voice. First appearance in Venus #1 (Aug. 1948).

The team is back to solve the mystery behind THE 3-D MAN! This story is the last in Jeff Parker’s run on The Agents of Atlas.

• Atlas: Return of the Three Dimensional Man
  Collects Atlas (2010 Marvel) #1-5 and material from Incredible Hercules (2008-2010) #138-141, Assault on New Olympus (2009) Prelude and Enter the Heroic Age (2010)

While Jeff Parker concluded his run, the original team of Agents of Atlas reappeared a few times before the Marvel Universe was rebooted following the Secret Wars event!

• Fear Itself: The Home Front
  Collects Fear Itself: The Home Front #1-7 (“The Age of Anxiety story”). Tie-in to Fear Itself. Written by Peter Milligan.
• Secret Wars: Agents of Atlas #1.
  Collected in Secret Wars: Journal / Battleworld. one-shot set during the Secret Wars event. Written by Tom Taylor.

The New Agents of Atlas

With writer Greg Pak and artist Nico Leon, the team was revamped in 2019 as a new team made up of Asian and Asian American superheroes, called the New Agents of Atlas.

The New Cast of Agents of Atlas

Part of the new cast of Agents of Atlas are superheroes with whom Jimmy Woo already worked for a short time (more info below). He reunited them, and several new Marvel Characters to stop the Queen of Cinders invading the Asian continent. This roster consists of:

• Jimmy Woo – Still the team’s leader!
• Aero (Lei Ling) – Chinese heroine with air-based powers. First appearance in Aero #1 (Sept. 2018)
• Brawn (Amadeus Cho) – Member of the Hulk Family. Korean-American genius. First Appearance in Amazing Fantasy vol. 2 #15 (January 2005).
• Crescent and Io (Dan Bi) – South Korean heroine and her magical bear spirit based on the character who first appeared in the game Marvel Future Fight. First appearance in War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1 (May, 2019)
• Luna Snow (Seol Hee) – South Korean K-Pop idol with ice-based powers. First appearance in War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1 (May, 2019)
• Shang-Chi – the Master of Kung-Fu. First appearance in Special Marvel Edition #15 (Dec. 1973)
• Silk (Cindy Moon) – Member of the Spider-verse. Cindy Moon is a Korean-American who was also bitten by the same radioactive spider that gave Peter Parker his powers. First appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (April 2014).
• Sword Master (Lin  Lie) – Chinese superhero who can wield the mystical Sword of Fu Xi. First appearance in Warriors of Three Sovereigns #1 (May 2018). As of February 2022, he is the current Iron Fist.
• Wave (Pearl Pangan) – A Filipina heroine with elemental water powers. First appearance in War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1 (May, 2019)
• White Fox (Ami Han) – South Korean super spy and the last of the kumiho, a race of shapeshifting nine-tailed foxes. First appearance in Avengers: Electric Rain #1

The New Agents of Atlas Reading Order

Before the New Agents of Atlas… The Protectors! Part of the team met during a charity event attacked by an alien army. The group then called themselves the Protectors. It can serve as a prelude to the new team.

• The Totally Awesome Hulk Vol. 3: Big Apple Showdown
  Collects The Totally Awesome Hulk #13-18.
• Hulk: World War Hulk II
  Collects Incredible Hulk #714-717.

The New Agents of Atlas team was formed during the War of the Realms. Woo recruited into the Atlas Foundation most of the Protectors teams and new Asian and Pacific superheroes for new adventures.

• War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas
  Collects War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1-4.
• Agents of Atlas: Pandemonium
  Collects Agents of Atlas #1-5. Contains a story written by Jeff Parker featuring the original team of Agents of Atlas.
• Incoming! #1
  Contains a 4-page story with the team.
• Atlantis Attacks
  Collects Atlantis Attacks #1-5. The New Agents of Atlas team-up with the Original team.

Since the conclusion of Atlantis Attacks, the team hasn’t played a significant role in any title. But a few members have appeared in some individual stories such as Death of Doctor Strange: White Fox Vol 1 #1 (as well as the White Fox Infinity Comics limited series), or a few issues of Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comic (#34-36) featuring Crescent and Io.