Bendis Off Both Avengers Titles in 2012

Another bomb-shell has just landed!

First we hear about the Avengers vs. X-Men event beginning this April.

Now Brian Michael Bendis has announced that he is leaving Marvel’s Avengers and New Avengers come 2012.

Speaking with CBR, the writer who has written the Avengers for the past eight years talked about his upcoming arc that sees the Avengers take on the newly re-formed Dark Avengers.

“I’m going to wrap up ‘Avengers’ and ‘New Avengers.’ At the same time the first storyline of ‘Avengers Assemble’ will be done,” Bendis told CBR. “It’s a good time to move on to other things. Before I go, though, I’m ending things big. I’m in countdown mode. You know when you’re watching a show like ‘Breaking Bad,’ and every episode feels like the second to last episode? That’s where I’m at. I’ve been on the Avengers longer than anybody in the history of the book. When you take everything into account, I’ve written over 200 issues. I’m very, very proud of that, and what we have coming up this summer gives me the opportunity to go out on a high note. I know enough about showbiz to know that’s a great time to go.”

Updated: Bendis added:

thanks for the kind words about my avengers departure but my last issue of Avengers is so far away from today you guys are gonna be: ‘wait, i thought he was leaving.’ have no “fear, i’m leaving in a while but i’m leaving big!”