Update 1 Apr 14, 2010: Two more Secret Avengers are revealed in the pages of Marvel Comics this week. One is whom many guessed, and one is a bit of a surprise.
The silhouette of a woman (or, some thought, a man with his arms crossed in a deliberate tease) was not of the top contender for most folks, the Scarlet Witch. Nay, we sayest unto you, it is Valkyrie of Asgard.
Valkyrie is no stranger to The Avengers. She made her first appearance in the pages of their book, and has been a member of The Defenders alongside other one-time Avengers in both of her incarnations. her quote, "I am in control of my life" may be a reference to the constant destiny-driven nature of Asgardians, or to a more literal personal control, having ended her term with the Initiative.
The other revealed silhouette is a character almost every reader guessed: Moon Knight. Moon Knight has had two variations of his ongoing series over the past four years, with writers from the worls of crime novels and television taking the character and trying to mold him into something other than a "Marvel Batman" in the eyes of unfamiliar readers. Like James Rhodes, Moon Knight was also a member of the West Coast Avengers, and like Valkyrie fought alongside the Defenders for a short time as well.
Moon Knight's defining characteristic, however, has been his long battle with multiple personalities. From moments where his god, Khonshu has taken over, to the distinct people inside his head that have each taken the wheel, this is a character that is consistent only in his unpredictability.
Original Story: The Secret Avengers were teased in mere shadow early February 2010. The book, by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Mike Deodato Jr, has remained a, well, secret.
That is, until now.
Marvel today released the first two non-silhouetted versions of the teaser images, and they're exactly who many of you guessed they'd be.
Beast, a founding member of the X-Men, has been an Avenger in the past. He was famous friends with fellow Avenger Wonderman in an oft-comedic pair. Now, after a brief stint with government agency S.W.O.R.D., Henry McCoy joins one of the Avengers squads once more, here to "Focus on the solution, not the problem."
James Rhodes has donned the original suit of armor as Iron Man in the past, but he's much more comfortable in his heavy-duty and much more weaponized War Machine armor. Rhodey has had quite the journey of late, being fused with his armor and becoming a cyborg that was more machine than human. After battles with Norman Osborn and his H.A.M.M.E.R. agency, Rhodes wound up in a cloned human body, and back in more standard (see: not an actual part of his body) suit of armor. He joins the Avengers far from the first time, as well, having been a member of multiple versions of the team.
