Across 2025, Marvel has been teasing a traitor hiding among the Avengers’ ranks. Now, just before revealing their identity, the publisher has seemingly spoiled the twist…

Marvel Just Exposed the New Avengers’ Hidden Traitor

Launching in June 2025, New Avengers follows a team of “Earth’s Deadliest Heroes” led by Black Widow and Bucky Barnes. The team were assembled to kill off a group of clones of Marvel’s most powerful heroes, known as the Killuminati.

However, the bigger mystery is who ordered the creation of the clones in the first place. Bucky stumbled across a video suggesting it was Black Widow, while Natasha has her own suspicions.

The only thing we know is that they’re a member of the team: Bucky, Black Widow, Clea Strange, Laura Kinney’s Wolverine, Eddie Brock’s Carnage or Namor…

Carnage Is the New Avengers’ Traitor…

But Not Eddie Brock

In recently revealed solicit information for New Avengers #9 (from Sam Humphries and Ton Lima), Stephen Segovia’s cover shows Carnage devouring the Avengers. With the prior issue following Black Widow investigating the traitor and issue 9’s summary promising that “a shocking revelation from Black Widow leaves the team reeling…” it feels pretty certain that the New Avengers’ traitor is the symbiote serial killer.

Chris Campana’s variant cover offers even more context to the twist, showing Eddie Brock physically fighting Carnage.

While the two are currently bonding together, the symbiote has its own sentience, and in the villain’s recent solo series, Carnage broke into Eddie Brock’s mind and stole many of his deepest secrets.

It therefore seems incredibly likely that the team have been betrayed by the Carnage symbiote masquerading as Black Widow, while its host Eddie Brock has remained unaware of the betrayal.

It’s rare that Marvel outright spoils major twists in its solicit info, but it’s also hard to read this information in any other way, especially given that the prior issue will focus on Black Widow’s investigation.

There’s Still Hope for That Big New Avengers Twist

Thankfully, there’s still more to this mystery, as past issues have suggested the traitor is working for a higher power. That alone is interesting, as Carnage is more of a twisted serial killer than a lackey. Indeed, one of the only people Carnage is subservient to is Knull, God of Symbiotes, although hiring someone to clone Earth’s heroes feels unambitious for the King in Black himself.

Coming in February 2026, it’s a shame that any New Avengers fans who are paying attention just had a twist that’s been building for months spoiled for them. Hopefully, the identity of Carnage’s boss can keep the Avengers intrigue feeling fresh.

New Avengers #9 is coming February 18, 2026.