The Avengers is one of comics’ biggest success stories. Combining the biggest heroes into one team wasn’t a new idea but it worked like gangbusters for Marvel. The team’s popularity would ebb and flow over the years, with their status as the centerpiece of the MCU eventually making them one of pop culture’s biggest names. The comics are still their longest-running home, with decades of fan-favorite storylines to choose from.
Over the years, the Avengers have gone through a lot of big changes. Many of these changes have redefined the way fans look at the team, changing them and the Marvel Universe for the better.
10 Avengers #1 (2018) Brought Many Changes To The Team
Roster changes have been a hallmark of the Avengers since the beginning and in the post-MCU era, it made sense to bring the team more in line with the movies. Avengers #1 (2018), by writer Jason Aaron and artist Ed McGuinness, did that, combining MCU stalwarts like Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel with She-Hulk and Ghost Rider.
The book began a story that pit the team against the Celestials and saw them getting a new headquarters and a new leader. It set the tone for the team ever since, with their adventures taking them all over the Earth and beyond.
9 Avengers #1 (1998) Revitalized The Team After The Doldrums Of The ’90s
The ’90s weren’t a great time for the Avengers. The decade started out well enough but things got worse as the years went by, with Marvel trying to have the team chase the success of the X-Men by playing into the trends of the decade with disastrous consequences. Marvel tried to boost sales with the Heroes Reborn books, but the quality of the stories hurt the whole thing.
The Avengers needed a shot in the arm and that what’s Avengers #1 (1998), by writer Kurt Busiek and artist George Perez, gave the team. The opening story of their iconic run pit the team against Morgan Le Fay and was a back-to-basics take on the team. It was just what the doctor ordered and led to an Avengers renaissance.
8 All-New All-Different Avengers #1 Remixed The Team For A New Era
The 2010s were a time of shifting status quos at Marvel, which affected the Avengers as much as any other book. 2015’s All-New All-Different Avengers #1, by Mark Waid, Adam Kubert, and Mahmud Asrar, saw the Avengers reflect the changes in the Marvel Universe as Iron Man, Jane Foster’s Thor, Sam Wilson’s Captain America, and the Vision bring together a new team.
Teaming up with young heroes Ms. Marvel, Miles Morales, and Nova, it was a classic Avengers roster shake-up that reflected the Marvel Universe around it. While it only lasted until the next status quo began, it was an interesting time in Avengers’ history.
7 Civil War Caused A Schism In The Avengers
Civil War is one of the most important stories of the ’00s. Written by Mark Millar with art by Steve McNiven, the story centered on an ideological difference between Captain America and Iron Man that blossomed into an all-out superhero war, one that consumed the Marvel Universe. Drawing in hero and villain alike, the Avengers were very different at the end of the conflict.
Split into two teams, one underground and illegal and the other the public face of the superhero community, it led to an era of Avengers stories unlike anything fans had seen up to that point. It set the stage for years of stories.
6 Avengers #16 (1963) Debuted Cap’s Kooky Quartet
Marvel villains becoming heroes is a venerable tradition and a big reason for that is Avengers #16 (1963), by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. The first major Avengers roster shake-up saw Cap bring three former villains on the team – Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch – and changed the Avengers forever.
Those three would all become icons, their stories playing out for years in Avengers comics. The book established the Avengers as a place where anyone could be a hero and set the precedent for former villains becoming heroes, something that would change the team and the Marvel Universe forever.
5 Avengers #1 (2012) Started A Bold New Era
Jonathan Hickman is one of comics’ best current writers and his runs on Avengers and New Avengers are legendary. Avengers #1 (2012), by Hickman with art by Jerome Opena, began his run. Introducing the Avengers Machine and pitting the team against Ex Nihilo and Abyss brought the biggest Avengers team ever into being.
Combining the greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe, Avengers under Hickman became one of the best pure superhero books on the market. It showcased the best heroes fighting the biggest threats, which is what the Avengers are all about.
4 Dark Avengers #1 Introduced The Most Unique Avengers Team Ever
Secret Invasion brought huge changes to the Marvel Universe and the biggest came in Dark Avengers #1, by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mike Deodato Jr. Norman Osborn, now in charge of the Superhero Initiative, brought together his own team of Avengers, recasting villains like Bullseye, Moonstone, Venom, and Daken as Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, and Wolverine.
Joined by Ares and the Sentry, holdovers from the last Avengers team, Osborn’s Dark Avengers was a force to be reckoned with, enforcing his will and saving the day in their own way. It was a huge change from other Avengers teams and was better for it.
3 Uncanny Avengers #1 Heralded A New Era Of Cooperation Between The X-Men And Avengers
After Avengers Vs. X-Men, the two teams had to reconcile and work together. For years, the Avengers had ignored the plight of the mutants, and the X-Men needed to be seen as heroes again. Uncanny Avengers #1, by writer Rick Remender and artist John Cassaday, was the first step in this process. Combining the most powerful members of both teams, it was a great change of pace.
Pitting this new group against a now telepathic Red Skull and his S-Men, Uncanny Avengers combined action-packed plots with great characterization to create an Avengers experience like few before. Melding the two teams led to some great stories.
2 New Avengers #1 Set The Team’s Pace For Years
The ’00s saw Marvel revamping their major franchises and in 2005, it was the Avengers’ turn. After closing out Avengers with Avengers Disassembled, writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist David Finch launched New Avengers #1. Combining Avengers mainstays Captain America and Iron Man with B-list heroes like Luke Cage and Spider-Woman and A-listers like Spider-Man and Wolverine changed the team for years to come.
New Avengers was Marvel’s flagship book for years. It starred some of Marvel’s most powerful heroes and took a different approach to Avengers stories that paid dividends in the eyes of many fans. It set the pace for the Marvel Universe for years and is fondly remembered.
1 Avengers #4 (1963) Re-Introduced A Legend To The Marvel Universe
If one hero defines the Avengers for most readers, it’s Captain America. He’s the team’s best leader and has been a massive part of the team. All of that started in Avengers #4 (1963), by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Bringing classic Marvel hero Captain America into the Silver Age changed the Avengers forever.
The Avengers may have existed before Captain America joined the team but they weren’t really the Avengers yet. Captain America joining the team completely changed the group, giving them the perfect symbol to rally around.
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