Al Ewing's 10 Favourite Comic Book Scenes

4. U.S.Avengers #8 - “The Idea Is Alive.”

U.S.Avengers was an offshoot of my New Avengers book, and there was some discussion late in the day about whether we should just carry on with the New Avengers numbering – I plumped for the new #1, but I think I’d make a different choice today.

Either way, though, we were always going to increase the role of Dr Toni Ho from supporting cast member to big-time superhero. And, as the daughter of Iron Man character Ho Yinsen, I’d been wanting to put her in a similar dilemma to her father – trapped in a cave, with some tech scraps, working to save a friend’s life.

The scary part of that being that Professor Yinsen ended up sacrificing his life. And naturally, there’s a moment when Toni has to step up and risk the same fate, distracting the guards at a critical moment with one of the better speeches I’ve written, if I may say so myself – not just making a character I invented look cool, but also shining a light on how an often-forgotten supporting player gave the Avengers something to Avenge before Phil Coulson was just a glint in a screenwriter’s eye.