LOS ANGELES — When Marvel resets its entire publishing line later this year for its "All new, all different" initiative, the world of comic books will get a strong shot of diversity, the scope of which is still coming to light.

Red Wolf, welcome to the party.

Marvel's first and primary Native American character is getting his own book starting in December, Mashable can exclusively reveal. Native Americans have a long history in the comic books, but Red Wolf — who's returned to the fray this year in its current alt-universe Western-themed "1872" run — hasn't had his own series since 1976.

The signs that this was coming were there; when Marvel announced its reboot, Red Wolf was right there in the teaser art (below, bottom right corner):

Marvel's all-new, all-different line. Image: Marvel

Red Wolf was introduced in 1970 as William Talltrees in Avengers #80, and was the star of his own nine-issue series that started in 1972 with stories set in the Old West. The new Red Wolf will reside in the American Southwest, where his more grounded powers — think of him as being to New Mexico what Daredevil is to Hell's Kitchen — will be put to the test against some very gnarly criminal elements in what's being described as a "gritty, brutal crime series."

"We don’t have a lot of characters who appear in the Southwest," said Jake Thomas, who's editing "Red Wolf." Though he'll be connected to the Marvel world at large, "He’s going to be a little bit of a man apart out there."

The creative team includes writer Nathan Edmondson and artist Jeffrey Veregge, a member of the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe based out of Kingston, Washington, who's also of Suquamish and Duwamish decent. Veregge is doing covers, design and consulting; the artist on the book is Dalibor Talajić

"There's not a character like Red Wolf out there right now," Veregge told Mashable. "As a native, I’m really excited to see that he can do things, he can figure out things and stand with Captain America, and hold his own in this universe. That’s what’s awesome about it: You have all these characters of different nationalities and ethnicities, but it’s not all about their culture. It’s about them being a hero."

Though there have been various iterations of Red Wolf over the decades, this character will have his own origins, backstory and powers. For instance, the Red Wolf of old had the power to communicate with wolves; whether that's the case remains to be seen with this new run.

Though there will be supernatural elements, "we’ve made him a little bit of a regular Joe. We’re not too beholden to the Red Wolf of old — this is our take on that character," Edmondson said.

Though he'll be existing in the same primary Marvel universe as Spider-Man, Captain America and the other Avengers, Red Wolf will be from the same alternate universe as "1872," meaning he's not connected to any existing Native American tribe.

"Nobody should go to this looking as its historical," Edmondson said. "He comes from another dimension, after all. But it's very important for us to approach it in as authentic a way as possible. Jeffery offers this, and not just for consultation, but with his creative input — his covers jump out from 100 feet away."

Red Wolf is getting his own book in December.

"Above all, he’s resourceful," Edmondson said. "He’s kind of in a sense the Jason Bourne of the West, who can find a way out of any situation, or a way to use the resources of whatever room or position he may be in — he’s not a gunslinger, but he might use a gun if he has to. ... But beyond all that, he’s just a brawling, tough-as-nails fighter."

This post has been updated to correctly attribute quotes to Nathan Edmondson.

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