Current Members:
Steve Rogers a.k.a. CAPTAIN AMERICA
Anthony Stark a.k.a. IRON MAN
Jessica Drew a.k.a. SPIDER-WOMAN
James "Logan" Howlett a.k.a. WOLVERINE
Peter Parker a.k.a. SPIDER-MAN
Carl Lucas a.k.a. LUKE CAGE
Robert Reynolds a.k.a. SENTRY
RONIN (New Mysterious Member)
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Current Team
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Synopsis:
There came a day,
unlike any other, when Earth's Mightiest Heroes found themselves united
against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born -- to fight
the foes no single hero could withstand. The team's roster has prospered
through the years, changing many times, but the Avengers' glory is ever
undeniable. Heed the call, then -- for now, the Avengers Assemble!
Base of operations: Avengers Mansion, New York City
First appearance: Avengers (Vol. 1) #1 (1963)
History:
A handful of Earth's foremost superhuman
adventurers were united by chance when Loki,
Asgardian God of Mischief, attempted to discredit
the green-skinned behemoth known as the Incredible
Hulk. Odin's second son hoped to draw his heroic
foster brother -- Thor, Norse God of Thunder -- into
battle. Hulk's ally, teenager Rick Jones, dispatched a
help message to the fabled Fantastic Four, Earth's first family of super
heroes. But Loki intercepted the distress call and redirected it to
Thor. Inadvertently, the summons also fell into the hands of three other
heroes: the armored Iron Man, and the diminutive Ant-Man and Wasp. Together,
they tracked down the Hulk and discovered Loki to be the true culprit.
A spectacular battle ensued; in the end, the Asgardian trickster was
apprehended.
Before the heroes
went their separate ways, Ant-Man suggested they continue their partnership;
the five readily agreed. The newly formed team assembled a short time
later at the midtown-Manhattan mansion of industrialist Anthony Stark
-- a.k.a. Iron Man, although this fact was unknown to his teammates
at the time. Stark soon donated the mansion for the Avengers' exclusive
use and established a foundation to cover all operational expenses incurred
by the non-profit team.
The Hulk's instability
and questionable reputation brought his tenure with the Avengers to
an abrupt end. Although the heroes never have considered him an enemy,
they feel that it is their responsibility to keep a watchful eye on
the gamma-irradiated ex-Avenger.
In the wake of the
Hulk's departure, World War II-era Super-Soldier Captain America became
the first full-time resident of Avengers Mansion, as well as the team's
initial recruit. During the waning days of the war, a bomb-loaded drone
plane launched by Nazi technician Baron Zemo had exploded with Cap and
his sidekick, Bucky, aboard -- killing the youngster, but hurling his
mentor unhurt into the icy Arctic. The Super-Soldier Serum prevented
the crystallization of Cap's bodily fluids, allowing him to enter a
state of suspended animation. Decades later, he was discovered and rescued
by the Avengers.
When the team's
founding members took a leave of absence, they were replaced by three
reformed criminals: the expert archer Hawkeye, and the brother and sister
duo of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. Captain America became the
team's first permanent chairman -- a post he held for years, through
constant roster changes.
The official ties
between the Avengers and the U.S. government grew to the extent that
the team was granted direct computer access to certain classified information
networks. But with those ties came unwanted interference, as the National
Security Council began to take a more active interest in the team's
internal affairs. For a time, agent Henry Peter Gyrich was appointed
as the Avengers' government liaison. Gyrich instituted procedures that
restricted active membership, and he initiated a strict screening procedure
for new recruits. The new policies went so far as to dictate membership
according to government standards of equal-opportunity employment. Gyrich
eventually was reassigned, and the powers-that-be limited the Avengers'
access to security-related information following an incident in which
the ethereal android known as the Vision attempted to seize benevolent
control of the world.
Though they stand
alone as the world's most celebrated champions of justice, the Avengers
relationship with the government and the public has been something of
a roller-coaster ride. Often, members' actions have been questioned,
and the team's administration has come under fire. At the height of
a media frenzy that saw critics attack the Avengers' inclusion of mutant
heroes and lack of minority members, the team was asked to restructure
its roster according to the preferences of the American public. This
resulted in the appointment of Triathlon, super-athlete and member of
the elusive Triune Understanding cult.
A rash of attacks by Asgardian creatures on every person who had ever been an
Avenger caused the majority of them to gather back together at the Mansion.
The attacks were traced to the magics of Morgan le Fay, who had kidnapped the
Scarlet Witch and was using her to shape reality into le Fay's own image.
Defeating le Fay and reversing her spell, the founding members culled the
team down to a manageable number and announced the reforming of the Avengers.
They regained their priority status from the government and a new liaison in
Duane Freeman who, unlike Gyrich, admired the Avengers and did his best to help them.
"Kang War", which saw the destruction of several major cities, including Washington, D.C
Members joining during this period included Jack of Hearts and Scott Lang,
the second Ant-Man. Freeman had died when Washington D.C. was destroyed, and
his replacement as liaison to the UN was none other than Gyrich, who surprisingly
now took his job to back up the Avengers seriously.
"Chaos", it saw the return of Jack of Hearts, the destruction of the mansion
and also claimed the lives of Ant-Man, the Vision and Hawkeye. Tony Stark was
also forced to resign as the United States Secretary of Defense and the United
Nations severed their ties with the Avengers.
All this senseless mayhem turned out to have been caused by the Scarlet Witch,
who had gone insane once more over the memory of her lost children and had lost
control of her reality-altering powers. Eventually, Doctor Strange was forced to
put the Witch in a coma and she was taken away by her father, Magneto. Her story
continued in the House of M series.
With the team in disarray and the Mansion a wreck, She-Hulk, Henry Pym, the Wasp,
Captain Britain and Warbird expressed their desire to leave in the Avengers.
Faced with this as well as the loss of both funding by Tony Stark and the authority of
the United Nations, the team agreed to disband.
The supervillain prison Riot at the Raft, the Maximum-Maximum Security Facility at
the Ryker's Island prison. Electro instigated the riot to free Karl Lykos, also known
as Sauron. Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
and Daredevil quelled the riot, with assistance from the imprisoned and seemingly insane Sentry.
The heroes decided to remain together as a new team of Avengers with the exception of Daredevil,
who turned down Captain America's offer. They later added Wolverine to the team following a trip
to the Savage Land where they reapprehended Sauron.
After Tony Stark headquartered them in the newly-built Stark Tower, the Avengers have since
made it their most important mission to learn the truth about the Sentry, and to capture the
remaining super-powered criminals who escaped during the riot. A new character named Ronin,
who will appear in New Avengers #11, is also slated to join.
While the team has
faced difficulties internally and externally, the Avengers always have
risen to the challenge -- meeting and defeating any and all threats
to the planet.
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