Superheroes are in for some Marvel-ous changes

While the movie versions of Marvel Comics' greatest superheroes get ready to battle an evil robot in next year's Avengers: Age of Ultron, their comic-book counterparts don't even seem like themselves.

Thor's a woman? Captain America is an African American? The Hulk is crazy smart? And Iron Man's a real jerk? (Well, to be honest he already had his moments.)

From August through November, big changes are happening for the Avengers' A-list, and since all of their individual stories were leading to shifts in status quo, "we figured it'd make sense to wrap them all together in a big promotional bow," says Marvel executive editor Tom Brevoort. (These characters and more will be discussed in various Marvel panels during Comic-Con, which starts Thursday.)

Here's what to expect, according to Brevoort and senior editor Mark Paniccia:

Captain America

When Steve Rogers' super-soldier serum is removed, causing the star-spangled hero to lose his abilies, his old partner Sam Wilson takes up the mantle of Captain America while Rogers become his strategic adviser.

And when writer Rick Remender and artist Stuart Immonen'sAll-New Captain America No. 1 debuts in November, it's going to show a very different hero with the iconic red-white-and-blue shield.

Unlike Rogers, Wilson didn't grow up in the Depression but in an urban environment in modern-day America. "He's dedicated his life to serving the community around him," Brevoort says, "whether that was in his job as a social worker or his nocturnal life as the Falcon."

He's also not as much of a soldier, so Wilson won't be as willing as his predecessor to take orders and go along with the chain of command, Brevoort adds. "He'll be guided by his own sense of morality and sense of right and wrong, and what the dividing line is on that."

Having a man of color as Cap shouldn't be a big deal in 2014, but Brevoort says that it's a controversial move that many are excited by and others are upset about. "Hopefully, that friction will aid us in telling stories that are electrifying and meaningful.''

Thor

With October's relaunch of writer Jason Aaron and artist Russell Dauterman'sThor, God of Thunder, a woman will wield the mighty hammer Mjolnir for the first time.

This new Thor will be as powerful, strong and noble as anyone who's held that name, but she'll definitely have a slightly different point of view — which may not play well in mystical lands.

"Asgard is a relatively enlightened place and has been led by an All-Mother of late," Brevoort says. "Yet making the god of thunder a woman is going to raise some eyebrows and bring up some questions, not the least of which is, what is her actual identity? Who is it that's carrying that big swinging croquet mallet around?"

That mystery of who this new Thor really is and why she's worthy of Mjolnir runs through the first year of issues, but staying in the series is the Artist Formerly Known as Thor.

Brevoort says he doesn't know what the longtime Avenger will be called — perhaps Odinson, maybe "The Unworthy" — yet he will certainly have to deal with the ramifications of no longer being able to pick up his trusty hammer.

"He's going through something of a downward spiral initially and will have to dig down deep and look into himself and figure out where his deficiencies are and put them right."

The Hulk

Bruce Banner was shot in the head recently, causing brain damage, but his pal Tony Stark stepped up and used the Extremis bio-technology to save him.

It also gives Banner's gigantic green alter ego a super-intelligent brain that's just as impressive as his biceps, though "there are side effects to that," says Paniccia.

Next month's Hulk No. 5 by writer Gerry Duggan and artist Mark Bagley finds Hulk pondering his new situation and having an epiphany: He needs to rid the world of the poison of gamma energy, including gamma-enhanced beings such as himself.

But folks such as Red Hulk and Banner's cousin She-Hulk may not be fully on board with his new mission statement, which puts the original Hulk at odds with friends and enemies.

"Some of these people are addicted to the power. They've been enhanced long enough that they're used to it and don't want to give it up," Paniccia says. "Hulk fans love seeing big smash-ups and superhuman fights, so we're going to have some pretty epic battles."

Iron Man

Those who routinely root for the bad guy will probably dig Tony Stark's state of mind in Superior Iron Man, launching in November and featuring writer Tom Taylor and artist Yildiray Çinar.

The billionaire playboy now calls San Francisco home, and he's put Extremis into the hands of everybody through their mobile devices. It's tech heaven for Stark, yet it rubs some old pals such as Daredevil the wrong way.

"He's smart enough to know how to manipulate them in the beginning, but it is going to be outside their comfort zone," Paniccia says. "You're going to see people who were close allies to him rethink that."

While not "evil" per se, Stark displays a more self-obsessed and superficial side that hasn't been seen since the life-changing moment that caused him to create Iron Man in the first place.

"He's a guy who's out to keep climbing the ladder," Paniccia says. "He's a profiteer — he wants money and power and all that."