The New Avengers (vol. 1) #1
Title: “Breakout! Part One”
Medium: comic
Cover date: Jan. 2005
Publisher:
62 characters in this story:
In the first few pages of this issue, a mysterious unseen figure hires Electro to break Sauron out of the Raft. This event leads to the formation of the New Avengers. According to one source, this mysterious figure was later revealed to be Siri, a Skrull infiltrator who came to Earth and posed as Elektra.
A more likely theory is that this person in the shadows was Brainchild. There are many references in early issues of The New Avengers identifying the Savage Land Mutates as the people who hired Electro to bust Karl Lykos (Sauron) out of the Raft, and Brainchild was the leader of the Mutates at the time. The introductory page for New Avengers: Most Wanted Files (included the New Avengers volume 2 trade paperback) specifically states: "...Electro was paid by Brainchild of the Savage Land Mutates... to break Sauron out of the Raft, and the other escapees were freebies to confuse the issue."
It is later revealed that the woman who appears to be Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman) in this issue is actually Veranke, queen of the Skrulls who are engaged in an invasion of Earth via infiltration and replacement of key heroes.
Many additional villains have been identified by other sources as appearing in this issue, but we believe these sources are incorrect. These characters were generally identified as having made a cameo in New Avengers #1 because later issues in the series established them as among the villains who broke out of the Raft during the breakout that began in this issue. There is a large two-page spread showing various villains freed by Electro on pages 20-21. But I have carefully looked at all the characters there and identified them. No other pages in this issue show incarcerated super-villains.
Characters identified (we believe incorrectly) by other sources as appearing in this issue are: (http://marvel.wikia.com/New_Avengers_Vol_1_1): Answer, Crusader (Charles Blackwood), Cutthroat (Daniel Leighton), Hydro-Man, Mister Hyde, Razor-Fist (Douglas Scott), Tiger Shark (Todd Arliss), (ComicBookDB.com) Barbarus (apparently Blackout was mistaken for him), Zzzax, and the Brothers Grimm (mistaken identification of Crossbones, who wears a slightly similar mask).
