Dell Rusk secretly decided to gather a team of villains to counteract the Avengers. Their first mission was to neutralize the Hulk by using Dark Hulk to cause a disruption downtown. Even with Dark Ms. Marvel as support, the mission was a failure. Later, Ares, Dark Widow, and Dark Hawkeye again began causing mayhem, but were stopped by the Avengers with the aid of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. SHIELD dispatched Avengers and SHIELD agents against Dark Hawkeye, Falcon, and Dell Rusk, learning that Dell was actually the Red Skull in disguise.