# A-Force
**A-Force** is an all-female superhero team in [Marvel Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-comics), introduced in 2015 as an Avengers team made up of women from across the Marvel universe, from Dazzler to [Medusa](https://www.edgepedia.org/medusa-comics) to She-Hulk.[1](https://time.com/3699450/marvel-aforce-secret-wars-superhero-female/) The team debuted during the 2015 *Secret Wars* crossover, continued in a 2016 ongoing series after the event ended, and introduced the new hero [Singularity](https://www.edgepedia.org/singularity).[1](https://time.com/3699450/marvel-aforce-secret-wars-superhero-female/) • [2](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/20606/a-force_2016_-_present)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appearance | *A-Force* (2015 series) #1, July 2015, published by Marvel[3](https://www.comics.org/series/89414/) |
| Announcement | Announced February 6, 2015, as an all-female Avengers team replacing the Avengers during *Secret Wars*[1](https://time.com/3699450/marvel-aforce-secret-wars-superhero-female/) • [4](https://comicattack.net/aforcepr/) |
| Original creative team | Written by G. Willow Wilson and Marguerite Bennett, drawn by Jorge Molina[1](https://time.com/3699450/marvel-aforce-secret-wars-superhero-female/) |
| Setting | Arcadia, an island nation in a secluded corner of Battleworld, protected by the team and overseen by Baroness She-Hulk[5](https://mightyavengers.net/comics/issue/a-force-1st-series-1) • [6](https://cnjcomics.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/GENERIC-Secret-Wars-Checklist.pdf) |
| New character | Singularity, described as not a human but a cosmological event that has become self-aware[1](https://time.com/3699450/marvel-aforce-secret-wars-superhero-female/) |
| 2016 series | Written by Kelly Thompson, January to October 2016, 10 issues, with #8–10 tying into *Civil War II*[7](https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/marvel-comics/a-force-%282016%29) • [8](https://avoca-group.com/uploads/file/95877604820.pdf) |
| Context | Marvel's 15th female-led comic book series at announcement[1](https://time.com/3699450/marvel-aforce-secret-wars-superhero-female/) |
## Announcement and purpose
Marvel announced A-Force on February 6, 2015, describing it as a new group of Earth's Mightiest Heroes taking over an all-new era during *Secret Wars*, with the team replacing the Avengers title for the duration of the event.[4](https://comicattack.net/aforcepr/) The Associated Press report carried by [CBS News](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-news) framed the debut as part of the company's intensified efforts to bring more girls and women into its male-dominated fan base.[9](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marvel-comics-debuting-all-female-avengers-team/)
The announcement came amid a broader run of female-focused initiatives at Marvel, which in the preceding five years had promoted the Muslim hero [Ms. Marvel](https://www.edgepedia.org/ms-marvel), an all-female X-Men team, and Captain Marvel.[1](https://time.com/3699450/marvel-aforce-secret-wars-superhero-female/) Writer G. Willow Wilson, also the writer of *Ms. Marvel*, said that a character like Ms. Marvel would once have been considered commercially impossible as a new, female, minority character headlining her own book, but that the character's success had overturned that assumption.[1](https://time.com/3699450/marvel-aforce-secret-wars-superhero-female/) A Spanish-language report in *El País* noted that of the 611 authors Marvel credited in November 2014, only 66, about 10 percent, were women, and positioned A-Force as a step in Disney/Marvel's campaign to attract female comics readers.[10](https://elpais.com/cultura/2015/02/06/actualidad/1423210729_399964.html)
## The Secret Wars premise
A-Force launched within the 2015 *Secret Wars* event, in which the union of the Avengers was destroyed in the comics; in its place, the female heroes were gathered in Arcadia, described by *Time* as a feminist utopia of sorts, and formed the A-Force when their peaceful home came under attack from a familiar threat.[1](https://time.com/3699450/marvel-aforce-secret-wars-superhero-female/) Within Battleworld, A-Force was set in Arcadia, a peaceful zone in a secluded corner of the planet, overseen by Baroness She-Hulk and her team.[5](https://mightyavengers.net/comics/issue/a-force-1st-series-1) Marvel's promotional copy described the team fighting to protect the small sliver of their world that was left, standing shoulder to shoulder ready to take on the horde.[6](https://cnjcomics.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/GENERIC-Secret-Wars-Checklist.pdf) Wilson described the setting as a kind of feminine paradise within the battle world hosting the *Secret Wars* event.[10](https://elpais.com/cultura/2015/02/06/actualidad/1423210729_399964.html)
The first issue's cast list shows the breadth of the roster: She-Hulk, Medusa, Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Captain Marvel, Rogue, Wasp, Pixie, Snowbird, Rescue, [Aurora](https://www.edgepedia.org/aurora-comics), Elektra, Spider-Woman (Gwendolyne Stacy), Moondragon, Black Widow, Spectrum, Vindicator, Jubilee, Starfire, Hellcat, Lightspeed, Storm, Phoenix, Scarlet Witch, Dazzler, Sister Grimm ([Nico Minoru](https://www.edgepedia.org/nico-minoru)), and Singularity, among others.[11](https://my.comics.org/issue/1357257/?display=grid) In the opening story, a monster that threatens Arcadia is dealt with by Captain Marvel, Dazzler, Sister Grimm, Pixie, and [America Chavez](https://www.edgepedia.org/america-chavez), with America Chavez tossing it over the border into the Deadlands.[5](https://mightyavengers.net/comics/issue/a-force-1st-series-1)
## The 2015 series
The first *A-Force* series ran from July 2015 to December 2015 as a limited series published by Marvel.[3](https://www.comics.org/series/89414/) Its collected edition, *A-Force Vol. 1: Hypertime*, collects A-Force #1–4, the A-Force story from *Avengers* #0, *Avengers* (1963) #83, and A-Force (2015) #1.[12](https://www.marvel.com/comics/collection/55896/) A companion volume, *Warzones!*, was also released; the Grand Comics Database lists it as issue #0 of the series with an on-sale date of November 18, 2015.[13](https://www.comics.org/series/103894/details/)
The series introduced Singularity, Marvel's newest hero, who at the end of the event escaped Battleworld and found her way into the main [Marvel Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-universe).[12](https://www.marvel.com/comics/collection/55896/) • [2](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/20606/a-force_2016_-_present)
## The 2016 ongoing series
After *Secret Wars*, Marvel launched *A-Force* (2016) as an ongoing series in which Singularity, risen from the ashes of Battleworld, tracks down the women she remembers from that universe to reassemble the team: She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Dazzler, Medusa, and Nico Minoru, even though they do not remember her.[2](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/20606/a-force_2016_-_present) • [14](https://comicvine.gamespot.com/articles/first-look-a-force-1/1100-154360/) The series was written by [Kelly Thompson](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelly-thompson) and ran from January to October 2016, accumulating 53 reviews on Comic Book RoundUp over its ten issues.[7](https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/marvel-comics/a-force-%282016%29)
The 2016 series centered on the threat of [Antimatter](https://www.edgepedia.org/antimatter), against which She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Medusa, Dazzler, and Nico Minoru had to put aside their differences and become a real team, the team Singularity knew they could be.[15](https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/56014/a-force_2016_3) Issues #8–10 served as tie-ins to the *Civil War II* crossover event.[8](https://avoca-group.com/uploads/file/95877604820.pdf) The final issue, #10, was published October 19, 2016, and reviewers noted that Marvel had put the series on a hiatus with that issue.[16](https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/marvel-comics/a-force-%282016%29/10) The complete run was later collected alongside the 2015 series in editions that gather A-Force (2015) #1–5 and A-Force (2016) #1–10 with material from *Avengers* #0.[17](https://www.goodreads.com/series/186754-a-force-collected-editions)
## Reception and cultural footprint
The announcement drew substantial attention on social media, which the writers attributed to spaces like Tumblr and Twitter where fans could connect with authors directly; Wilson argued that women had always read comics, but that historically there had not been as many safe and welcoming spaces for them to talk about them.[1](https://time.com/3699450/marvel-aforce-secret-wars-superhero-female/) *Time* reported that 47 percent of comic fans were female according to Comics Beat, and counted A-Force as the 15th female-led series for the brand.[1](https://time.com/3699450/marvel-aforce-secret-wars-superhero-female/)
Not all coverage was positive. New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore, the historian and author of *The Secret History of Wonder Woman*, wrote a critical essay describing A-Force as a race of lady Avengers led by She-Hulk who come from a feminist paradise whose meaning she questioned, objecting to the characters' appearance.[18](https://sojo.net/articles/force-gender-equity) Wilson responded that the criticized cover posed the characters in a classic superheroes-assemble arrangement and that many of the chosen characters were visually symbolic for readers familiar with their backstories.[19](https://laist.com/shows/the-frame/the-frame-for-may-20-2015)
## References
1. [Why Marvel Decided to Create an All-Female Superhero Team, Time (February 6, 2015)](https://time.com/3699450/marvel-aforce-secret-wars-superhero-female/)
2. [A-Force (2016), Comic Series, Marvel.com](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/20606/a-force_2016_-_present)
3. [GCD :: Series :: A-Force (2015 series)](https://www.comics.org/series/89414/)
4. [PR: Marvel Announces 'A-Force' To Replace 'Avengers' During Secret Wars, ComicAttack.net](https://comicattack.net/aforcepr/)
5. [A-Force (1st series) #1, Mighty Avengers](https://mightyavengers.net/comics/issue/a-force-1st-series-1)
6. [Generic Secret Wars Checklist, CNJ Comics (April 2015)](https://cnjcomics.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/GENERIC-Secret-Wars-Checklist.pdf)
7. [A-Force (2016) Reviews, Comic Book RoundUp](https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/marvel-comics/a-force-%282016%29)
8. [Civil War II (2016) storyline overview, including tie-in list with A-Force #8–10](https://avoca-group.com/uploads/file/95877604820.pdf)
9. [Marvel Comics debuting all-female Avengers team, CBS News / AP (February 6, 2015)](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marvel-comics-debuting-all-female-avengers-team/)
10. [Vengadoras en un mundo de hombres, El País (February 9, 2015)](https://elpais.com/cultura/2015/02/06/actualidad/1423210729_399964.html)
11. [GCD :: Issue :: A-Force (Marvel, 2015 series) #1, cast list](https://my.comics.org/issue/1357257/?display=grid)
12. [A-Force Vol. 1: Hypertime (Trade Paperback), Marvel.com](https://www.marvel.com/comics/collection/55896/)
13. [GCD :: Series :: A-Force :: Details (collected editions timeline)](https://www.comics.org/series/103894/details/)
14. [First Look: A-FORCE #1, Comic Vine (2015)](https://comicvine.gamespot.com/articles/first-look-a-force-1/1100-154360/)
15. [A-Force (2016) #3, Marvel.com](https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/56014/a-force_2016_3)
16. [A-Force #10 Reviews, Comic Book RoundUp](https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/marvel-comics/a-force-%282016%29/10)
17. [A-Force (Collected Editions) Series, Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/series/186754-a-force-collected-editions)
18. ['A-Force' for Gender Equity, Sojourners](https://sojo.net/articles/force-gender-equity)
19. [Feminist criticism from the New Yorker, LAist / The Frame (May 20, 2015)](https://laist.com/shows/the-frame/the-frame-for-may-20-2015)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Comics and sequential art › Comic-book series and issues › Marvel Comics series and storylines › Marvel ongoing series and titles*
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