*UPDATED* Rumor: Kevin Pennington to play Quasar in The Avengers?

*UPDATE*
A source within Marvel Studios has revealed to IGN Movies that the below press release is a fabrication, a fake, a ruse, a scam, a hox, a hornswoggle.  Oh well!


Check out this press release....

"S.H.I.E.L.D. invites you to join the AVENGERS initiative

Meet the cast of S.H.I.E.L.D. and join the Avengers initiative! Marvel Studios to announce a S.H.I.E.L.D. Assembly in New York City for spring 2011. During principal filming, S.H.I.E.L.D. will be out in full force in NYC to recruit and find new members. Cast members on hand include Samuel L. Jackson (Director Nick Fury), Clark Gregg (Agent Phil Coulson), Cobie Smulders (Agent Maria Hill) and Kevin Pennington (Agent Wendell Vaughn). Fans will get the chance to meet the stars and get their photograph taken with them at the event."

That comes from a radio station out in NYC giving fans a chance to meet some of the stars of The Avengers. If you're in the city, you might want to look into it, although you'll note there isn't exactly a date available. Kinda makes it hard to show up, eh? Maybe you can camp out in your favorite superhero duds.

Regardless, that's not what I'm interested in. It's that last castmate on the list there..."and Kevin Pennington (Agent Wendell Vaughn)".  Wendell Vaughn would be the space faring superhero known as Quasar, in the comics a frequent member of The Avengers and wielder of the devastating Quantum Bands.  If this release is to be believed, his presence comes as a bit of new information on the film.

As for the person playing him, we learned back in May that he had signed on to star in at least three Avengers related flicks as a SHIELD agent. So this appears to mesh perfectly with that info. 

Whoever put this release together has some pretty up to date contacts, as it already includes Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, which was only confirmed a couple of days ago.  If the rumor about Yvonne Strahovski showing up as Ms. Marvel pans out, then I think we've got our best indicator yet that The Avengers is going to center around outer space adventures likely involving the Kree and the Skrulls.