Avengers (Marvel)

The Avengers in Avengers v8 #1.

The Avengers are a superhero team that feature in Marvel Comics.

History

Origin

The Avengers

When Loki, the Asgardian God of Mischief, influenced the monstrous Hulk to destroy a railway line, the Hulk's friend, Rick Jones, and his Teen Brigade attempted to radio the Fantastic Four for help. However, Loki relayed the information to his brother instead, the God of Thunder and wielder of Mjolnir Thor, in order to draw him into battle. Circumstantially, other super heroes – namely Iron Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp – also received the intercepted signal unbeknownst to Loki and arrived at the scene to reason with the green goliath. Not falling for the trick, Thor confronted Loki and exposed his scheme to the other heroes. With Loki defeated and captured, the group agreed they had worked well together and should be formalized as a team. The Wasp suggested the name "Avengers", and Earth's Mightiest Heroes were born. Rick Jones and the Teen Brigade became regular informants to the Avengers, being in constant contact during their initial missions. (Avengers v1 #1)

In the Avengers Mansion, the Avengers faced their next adversity, the alien shapeshifting invader from the extratemporal Limbo known as the Space Phantom, who impersonated the Avengers inciting them to fight each other. Upon his defeat, the Hulk realized his teammates mistrusted his uncontrollable nature and decided to abandon the Avengers. (Avengers v1 #2)

Earth's Mightiest Heroes

In their earliest recorded mission was assisting the United States military in recovering a flying fortress that was stolen back by its creator, the Latverian monarch known as Dr. Doom. Fighting their way aboard the vessel, the Avengers were able to stop Doom from recovering his ship thanks in part to Ant-Man using his newly developed growing powers. While the air fortress was destroyed, the Avengers failed to capture Doom who had actually sent one of his Doombots to capture the fortress for him. (Avengers v1 #1.5)

The Avengers then continued their hunt for the Hulk, which took them to the Nevada desert where their search turned up dry, unaware that the Hulk was heading to New York looking to get revenge against the Avengers. (Fantastic Four v1 #25) Returning to Avengers Mansion the Avengers found the Hulk waiting for them, but they failed to stop him. Following after the Hulk, the Avengers got into a brief clash with the Fantastic Four, before the two teams worked together to go after the Hulk. They succeeded in stopping the Hulk's rampage through New York City, but the Hulk evaded capture once again. (Fantastic Four v1 #36)

Soon the Enchantress resurfaced and sought to get revenge against the Avengers as well. To this end she empowered one of Baron Zemo's former minions with the same technology that created Wonder Man. With her thrall Powerman, the Enchantress succeeded in ruining the Avengers public image forcing them to disband briefly. (Avengers v1 #21) While they were apart, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were almost tricked into joining the Ringmaster's Circus of Crime but busted up the group instead. Meanwhile, Captain America gathered evidence exposing the deception. The reunited Avengers attacked, but the Enchantress fled leaving Powerman to apprehended. It was anything but a perfect victory, as Captain America decided to quit the team, having finally grown fed up of the constant bickering. (Avengers v1 #22) Not long after this the Avengers were targeted by Kang the Conqueror who captured Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch and brought them to his future world where he was trying to conquer the kingdom of the woman he desired, Princess Ravonna Renslayer. Learning of the Avengers capture, Captain America returned to the Mansion and learned what happened. In challenging Kang, he was transported to the future as well where he freed the Avengers and helped prepare Ravonna's people to resist Kang's forces. (Avengers v1 #23) When Kang showed mercy toward Ravonna and her father, his minions saw this as a weakness and turned against him. Kang then grudgingly accepted the Avengers aid in fighting back against his own forces, stopping them from crushing Ravonna's nation. This proved Kang's love for Ravonna and the Avengers were sent home. However, as they were being transported back to the past they witnessed tragedy when one of Kang's men attempted to shoot him in the back, but Ravonna got in the path of the blast, putting her in a death like coma. (Avengers v1 #24)

The Avengers were next targeted by the Grim Reaper who sought revenge against the Avengers whom he blamed for the death of his brother, Wonder Man. Attacking the Avengers at their headquarters his scythe put the heroes in a death like state. This attack coincided with the arrival of the Black Panther who was sent by Captain America to fill in with the Avengers. The Panther happened upon the "murder scene" under investigation by SHIELD and was accused of killing his would be comrades. The Panther fled the authorities and managed to track down the Grim Reaper, defeating him in battle and restored the Avengers back to full health. The Black Panther was then welcomed into the ranks of the Avengers. (Avengers v1 #52)

Kree-Skrull War

Seeking to free Rick Jones from the Negative Zone, Captain Marvel invaded the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building and caught the Avengers' attention. In their intervention, the Avengers witnessed the accidental escape of the terrible Annihilus, who was immediately pushed back through the Negative Zone portal. A disoriented Mar-Vell took the opportunity to escape in one of the Avengers' Quinjets, with the intention of returning to his home, the Kree Empire. Captured by the Avengers with the help of Jones in Cape Canaveral, Mar-Vell was shown to be afflicted by deadly radiation from the Negative Zone. In the Kree Galaxy, Ronan the Accuser staged a power coup against the Supreme Intelligence. As the new supremor of the Kree Empire, Ronan sent a Kree Sentry to attack Mar-Vell. (Avengers v1 #89)

Avengers Machine

Under the pretense the Avengers needed reshaping, Iron Man presented Captain America with a chart to expand its roster: the Avengers Machine. (Avengers v5 #1)

Overview

In appearance, the Avengers were a team of superpowered heroes that gathered to defend the world. (Avengers v1 #1) Due to their membership, they came to be regarded as Earth's Mightiest Heroes. (Avengers v1 #1) They had also been referred to as being the Mighty Avengers. (Avengers v1 #7)

The Charter came to be created by the founding Avengers who had also signed it. (Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes v1 #1) One iteration was put forth to the United Nations Security Council which set specific procedures into place for the team along with requirements for what was by then a respected and powerful superteam. (Avengers v1 #329) Under Order 834.23, Avengers could be recalled back to active service. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could apply this order and that people having served into the Initiative fall under that order. (Fantastic Four v1 #642)

An Avengers Code Omega emergency were threats that could bring an end to the world. (Marvel Team-Up v1 #60)

After gaining sovereign nation status, Embassy ID cards gave them top-level security clearance in over a hundred countries and 10% off at Starbucks. (Avengers v3 #61)

A fail-safe plan developed by Bruce Banner in case the Hulk ever went on a rampage was the Icarus Protocol. This involved placing the threat in a shuttle and launching it into the sun in the hope it would be destroyed. (Uncanny Avengers v3 #12) Vision had secretly created the Avengers Failsafe Program that was a database of new young heroes to become the next wave of Avengers should the hero team be destroyed or disbanded. (Young Avengers v1 #3)

Hank Pym came to create an extradimensional headquarters named the Infinite Avengers Mansion that resided in Underspace and was accessible through Pym Portals. Though not infinite, it possessed a million different floors that were styled on the Avengers Mansion with portraits of its various members decorating the walls. (Mighty Avengers v1 #27)

Later on, the Avengers moved to a new headquarters based in the corpse of the Celestial Progenitor that was placed in the Arctic Circle and came to be known as Avengers Mountain. (Avengers v8 #8)

Members

• Iron Man :
• Thor :
• Hulk :
• Hank Pym :
• Janet van Dyne :
• Captain America :
• Hawkeye :
• Scarlet Witch :
• Quicksilver :
• Black Panther :
• Hercules :

Notes

• The Avengers were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where they made their first appearance in Avengers v1 #1 (September 1963).

Alternate Versions

• In Avengers v3 #2 (1998), an alternate version of the Avengers were created by Morgan Le Fay in a altered reality designated as Earth-398. In this world, Le Fay came to rule and the Avengers were her enforcers where they were known as the Queen's Vengeance.
• In Ultimates v1 #2 (2002), an alternate version of the Avengers appeared in the world of Ultimate Marvel set on Earth-1610. This version were a government sponsored team that were referred to as the Ultimates.

In other media

Television

• In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers appeared in the setting of the animated television series.

Films

• In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Avengers made multiple appearances in the shared continuity setting:
• In The Avengers, the Avengers appeared in the setting of the 2012 live-action film.

Video games

• In Marvel's Avengers, the Avengers appeared in the setting of the video game.

Appearances

• Avengers v1: (1963)
• Avengers v3:
• Avengers v5:
• Infinity v1:
• Avengers World v1:
• Avengers: No Road Home v1:

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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