Avengers

The Avengers are a fictional team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 (cover-dated Sept. 1963), created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby. Labeled "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", the Avengers originally consisted of Iron Man, the Wasp, the Hulk, Thor, and Hank Pym. The original Captain America was discovered trapped in ice in issue #4, and joined the group after they revived him.

The Avengers could be considered as a Lee and Kirby's renovation of a previous superhero team, All-Winners Squad, who appeared in comic books series published by Marvel Comics' predecessor Timely Comics. A rotating roster became a hallmark of the series, although one theme remained consistent: the Avengers fight "the foes no single superhero can withstand." The team, famous for its battle cry of "Avengers Assemble!", has featured humans, superhumans, mutants, Inhumans, deities, androids, aliens, legendary beings, and even former villains.

The Avengers have appeared in a wide variety of media outside of comic books, including several different animated television series and direct-to-video films. The Avengers also play a central role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) being the focus in multiple MCU feature films, beginning with the eponymous 2012 live-action film, The Avengers, and followed by the sequels Age of Ultron (2015), Infinity War (2018), and Endgame (2019), the latter two of which were based on The Infinity Gauntlet storyline. The Avengers also featured in Captain America: Civil War (2016), which drew loosely from the 2006 comics storyline "Civil War". Individual members of the team also have standalone franchises, such as Iron Man, Thor, Captain America or Ant-Man.

Founders
All of these members helped form the team in The Avengers #1 (September 11, 1963).

West Coast Avengers recruits (1984–1987)
Avengers members recruited by Hawkeye as the West Coast Avengers chair.

New Avengers recruits (2005)
The New Avengers were formed due to a mass break-out at the super villain prison The Raft.

Post-Civil War recruits (2007–2009)
The New Avengers became a splinter group that chose not to comply with federal superhuman registration, as opposed to the governmental-sanctioned team presented in Mighty Avengers then Dark Avengers. The Mighty Avengers after the Dark Avengers launch was an international agency sanctioned team.

Heroic Age recruits (2010–2011)
Characters who have officially joined the Avengers after the events of Dark Reign and Siege.

Shattered Heroes recruits (2011–2012)
After the Fear Itself event, the lineup of the Avengers teams was shifted by Captain America during the Shattered Heroes storyline.

Marvel NOW! recruits (2012–2013)
After the Avengers vs. X-Men event, members from both Avengers and X-Men teams were shifted by Captain America during the Marvel NOW! storyline.

Infinity recruits (2013–2014)
Characters that joined the team during the Infinity event.

Honorary
Heroes that have been granted honorary status during their lifetime or posthumously for acts of great courage and/or sacrifice.

Guardians of the Galaxy (1978)
A group of superheroes from the 31st century, the Guardians of the Galaxy time traveled to the 20th century in vol. 1 #168 (February 1978) and served as honorary members during the Korvac saga.

Young Avengers
A group of teenage heroes modeled after the Avengers, the surviving Young Avengers were awarded honorary membership following the "Children's Crusade" storyline.

Avengers Third Grade
The Avengers promoted several senior Academy students to "Avengers Third Grade", as part of a plan to eventually award them full Avengers membership.

Not officially sanctioned Avengers teams
According to "Empyre Handbook (2020) #1", the following groups, while either affiliated with the Avengers or even using the Avengers name, are not officially sanctioned Avenger franchises and their members do not hold Avengers membership: "Avengers Idea Mechanics", Ultimates (Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers-led), "A-Force", "Occupy Avengers", "U.S.Avengers", West Coast Avengers (Hawkeye/Kate Bishop-led), Savage Avengers".

Avengers Idea Mechanics (2015)
A team created during the Time Runs Out storyline which takes place eight months in the future. Sunspot reveals that he bought A.I.M and used their resources to investigate the incursions.

After the All-New All-Different rebrand, Sunspot took control of A.I.M., and changed the name to Avengers Idea Mechanics.

Ultimates (2015)
An ultimate super team, solving the ultimate problems.

 A-Force (2016)[edit source]
First appearing as part of an alternate universe during "Secret Wars", featuring Marvel's first all-female team of Avengers, but later reemerged in Marvel's primary continuity.

Occupy Avengers (2016)
After Civil War II, Clint Barton (Hawkeye) starts traveling the country and focuses his efforts towards helping the underprivileged with community based problems in an effort to redeem his actions from the event, beginning with the water supply in Santa Rosa. He eventually gains the aid of Red Wolf to help him fight for those who cannot defend themselves

U.S.Avengers (2017)[edit source]
When Advanced Idea Mechanics merged with the U.S. military to form American Intelligence Mechanics, Sunspot, under the alias of Citizen V, formed the U.S.Avengers, a traditionally patriotic-themed team of unsanctioned Avengers.

New West Coast Avengers (2018)
A team founded by Clint Barton and his successor Kate Bishop that decided to revive the West Coast Avengers following an attack by land sharks in Santa Monica.

Savage Avengers (2019)
A group of antiheroes that must work together when the evil wizards of Conan's world start trading spells with the Hand in Japan.

Iago PUC

 * The Avengers are central characters in Marvel: All New, All Different Chronicles. Founding members consist of Captain America, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Black Panther, Thor, and Hulk. As time went by, there came expanded members, consisting of Black Widow, Ronin, Aamir the Phantom Tiger, Redhawk and her pet sidekick Maverick, Ant-Man, Rescue, Wasp, and Crystal and her companion Lockjaw.
 * The Avengers are major supporting characters in Marvel's Spider-Man: Webbed Champion.
 * The Avengers appear as playable characters in Marvel's The Avenging Spider-Man. The group consists of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man, Hawkeye and Hulk, with Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson (as Firestar) joining them as well.