15 Best Avengers Comics in History, Ranked

The Avengers are at the top of the Marvel Universe, as the benchmark for superheroism. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes isn’t just a tagline to sell comics. This is representative of the importance of these heroes in the Marvel Universe, and as such, most major storylines revolve around them.

All of Marvel’s biggest, best crossover events have the Avengers in an active role, or at least are so big that the Avengers can’t be left out of the festivities. Even if it’s not a company-wide event, crossovers specific to the Avengers team are important enough to warrant all eyes of the Marvel Universe on them because of how important the team is to Marvel. As the most important team that Marvel has to offer, their presence has given the Marvel brand some of its best and most thrilling storylines. The following are some examples of the best.

15

The Kong Dynasty (2001)

By Kurt Busiek, Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer, Rick Remender, Ivan Reis and Manuel Garcia.

All eyes are on Marvel now as audiences eagerly anticipate how they handle their Kang Dynasty of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the saga originally began with the 2001 comics storyline of the same name. Longtime Marvel villain Kong the Conqueror battles the Avengers to initiate plans for world domination, but this time he succeeds.

Several villains have tried to take over the world and failed before him, but at this point at least, Kong the Conqueror became the first Marvel villain to truly conquer the world.. Even though the crisis is eventually averted and his reign of terror comes to an end, just the fact that Kang is the first to bring the world to its knees is shocking enough to earn this arc a spot on the list.

14

Jed MacKay’s The Avengers Vol.1, “The Impossible City”

By Jed MacKay and CF Villa

Speaking of Kong the Conqueror, Jed MacKay’s first arc as head writer of The Avengers Starts with a bang as they are quickly confronted by a wounded Kong, refusing to die before giving a dire warning to the Super Team. Soon enough, the Avengers are met by the Ashen Combine, a god-level group of villains who really give the Avengers a run for their money. Not only that, but this arc introduces a new living headquarters for the Avengers known as the Impossible City.

This arc does exactly what readers want to see from a new status quo for a series: highlight the stakes, highlight the new dynamic of the main characters, introduce a new threat, and introduce new elements that change existing lore.

13

Invisible Avengers (2023)

By Gerry Duggan, Jonathan Hickman and Javier Garron

This is another recent addition to the Marvel Universe that would be superior if it weren’t so fresh in everyone’s minds. When history shows that revising this arc only improves with age, it will be truly appreciated, but for now, this is One of the most impressive iterations of the Inconvenient Avengers. Not to mention, it was the perfect time to introduce the unsavory Avengers into Marvel’s lexicon while the mutant community was in the midst of a war with anti-mutant organization, Orchis.

The themes that are normally present in X-Men stories are always present for this one. Not only did it make a great super-team of mutants and Avengers, but Captain America led the example of what a literal ally to those in need looks like by stepping on the frontlines when needed.

12

Infinity (2013)

By Jonathan Hickman, Jim Cheung, Jerome Opeña and Dustin Weaver

The word “infinity” in the Marvel Universe, in any context, will always echo these Infinity Gauntlet storyline (more on that later) and the artifact of the same name. However, Jonathan Hickman’s penning Infinity Helped add a new definition to the word infinity in the Marvel lexicon. For many today, Infinity Is the word shared by Hickman’s series in which Thanos targets the Earth, using the Avengers lack while they are in space dealing with the Builders.

Many of the elements introduced in Infinity – including the Mad Titan’s Black Order, and Thanos’ battle with Thor – would be exciting enough to be implemented in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. In its own way, Jonathan Hickman’s Infinity series would be just as significant to the Marvel Universe as the Infinity Gauntlet, even with major repercussions for the Avengers and the Inhumans after the fact.

11

The Korvac Saga

Avengers #167-177 by Jim Shooter and John Buscema

The central figure of the “Korvac Saga” is Michael Korvac himself, someone who was previously introduced as a product of the 31st century in an alternate universe. There, he betrays the human race in favor of collaborating with the conquering Badoon alien race, but ends up betraying himself when the Badoon turn the human traitor into a cyborg. He fled to Earth-616, where a trip in the spaceship of Galactus gives him the god-level abilities of the cosmic power, turning him into a threat that requires the combined efforts of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers to stop.

It’s a space opera in every sense of the phrase, and in that sense, remains thoroughly entertaining in its episodic sci-fi drama..

10

secret invasion (2008)

By Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu

Those familiar with the Secret invasion Comic arcs are still reeling from the MCU flop, but the stained name should not leave the idea of ​​a Secret invasion Puts a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. Secret invasion In comic book form, it made for some of the most compelling and suspenseful reading of any Avengers storyline.. The storyline in question offers readers the shocking revelation that some of the heroes have not only been replaced by shape-shifting Skrulls, but that the Skrulls have been impersonating certain heroes for years.

With bated breath, readers eagerly anticipated week in and week out waiting to find out who was a Skrull and who really was who they said they were. The TV show struggled to re-produce the same magic, however Secret invasion Managed to produce the same excitement in written form that audiences only get from weekly television, which is not an easy feat to pull off.

9

siege

By Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel

Not to be confused with Under siege (don’t worry, we’ll get to it), siege Spins straight out of Dark reignWhere Norman Osborn not only took over SHIELD, rebranded it HAMMER, and introduced his new Avengers lineup comprised of infamous villains. Needless to say, it was time for the real Avengers to take action, indeed was taken. Action is really the theme of this arc, as there are some fun action set pieces throughout the arc.Including when Carol Danvers becomes Venom’s boss and storms across Asgard.

Siege is actually lit with memorable moments all while possessing an extremely compelling Avengers vs. Avengers storyline.

8

The Avengers: Under Siege (1986)

By Roger Stern and John Buscema

Under siege May not hold the same kind of significant weight in Avengers history that many storylines on this list seem to hold, but it may be one of the most shocking stories in Avengers history. In an attack orchestrated by Baron Zemo, Avengers Mansion is under attack when the heroes least expect it. Never have the heroes been made to look as vulnerable against the supervillains at this point as they do here, especially on such a psychological level.

It was rare to see villains manage to get the one-up over superheroes in the Marvel Universe. That’s why it was such a shock to see the superheroes being defeated in a way that seems out of nowhere both for them and for the readers.

7

The Infinity Gauntlet (1991)

By Jim Starlin, George Pérez and Ron Lim

The Infinity Gauntlet Could very well be the pinnacle of Marvel storytelling. So much of modern Marvel stories, both on the panel and on the screen, seems to trace back The Infinity Gauntlet. Every superhero that Marvel had to offer at the time, including the Avengers, were on board to try to stop Thanos and, for a moment, it seemed as if none of them would be enough to stop an Infinity Gauntlet that was decided by Thanos. To impress death.

Thanos wasn’t a new character in Marvel lore, but the six-part series and related tie-ins were enough to instantly elevate him to become the ultimate villain. Thanos certainly made an impression as an enemy of the Avengers that stands to this day, but really, it placed him as the biggest of big bads in the entire Marvel Universe. As a whole, the story sets the bar for what Marvel looks like at its most captivating and few storylines, even those on this list, have managed to meet that bar.

6

Kree-Skrull War (1972)

By Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, Neal Adams and John Buscema

Some would argue that the Kree-Skrull war might be the best storyline to come out of the Avengers comic line-up. The idea was only to put the Avengers and the planet Earth in the middle of a raging war between two unforgiving races of aliens. On paper, it is a simple premise, but the execution managed to remain relevant years later.

Introducing the Kree, Skrull, and their relationship proved vital to the growth of the Marvel Universe, especially as the same relationship continues to evolve over time. Speaking of relationships, the storyline introduced the love affair between Scarlet Witch and Vision, which itself would have long-term ramifications for the Marvel Universe going forward.

5

Avengers Disassembled (2004)

By Brian Michael Bendis

The concept behind Avengers disassembled Was simple – create an event that will eventually lead to the exit of core members of the team, and eventually lead to the end of the Avengers list as the readers knew them at the time. Brian Michael Bendis and co. Was able to take a simple premise and stretch it to an important moment of intrigue.

What makes this event most important is the Scarlet Witch storyline, which leads right into House of M. As later in the list will show, House of M is a pivotal point in the Marvel Universe overall—not just for the Avengers—but audiences can’t get to that point without Avengers disassembled First lay the ground for him. For this reason alone, Avengers disassembled is a must-read for any fan of the team.

4

House of M (2005)

By Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel

This is a tricky one to categorize because the storyline is just as rooted in the X-Men franchise as it is the Avengers Franchise. Some will argue that it is more than that X-Men Storyline like an Avengers But one, indeed, The story arc managed to affect all sides of the Marvel Universe and leave no stone unturned. This is especially the case for Scarlet Witch, as the story affectionately repaints Wanda Maximoff into a tragic hero constantly seeking redemption. It took years for mutants to recover from her actions. Wanda’s consequences brought the revival of Hawkeye and the Shadow King, as well as Wolverine’s full memories.

For those still not convinced, the fact that the story is a direct sequel to Avengers disassembledFollowing Wanda’s friction with the team, and putting a leading spotlight on Wolverine during his Avengers run helps justify this as an Avengers story.

3

Avengers disassembled

Multiple writers and artists led by Brian Michael Bendis

On top of serving as a follow-up to House of M, it also serves as The Avengers as they were known to be at the time. The team actively broke down, leading the way for a new roster just in time for the Brian Michael Bendis era. It was a hard road to get there, and for anyone who loved the previous era, extremely bittersweet. To mark a new beginning, a revamp was in order that changed the course of Avengers – and Marvel – history entirely..

Not every new element introduced in this storyline was a slam dunk or stuck around long-term (ie Spider-Man gaining organic web shooters), but the attempt at something new while closing the previous era in an emotional way was commendable , not to mention pulled in the heart.

2

The Children’s Crusade (2010)

By Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung

The placement of this entry on the list may be deemed controversial, viz House of M Proved more relevant to the Marvel Universe in the long run. however, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade is a direct sequel to House of MFinish the trip of the story that began with Avengers disassembled. Still Scarlet Witch are missing after the events of House of MHer son Wiccan sets out to find her in hopes of helping her repair the damage she’s done and return powers back to the mutant community.

The Children’s Crusade Offers a satisfying bit of closure that closes one of Marvel’s biggest storylines and opens the door for a drastic future with the next generation of heroes, two of whom – Wiccan and Hulkling – became major Marvel players starting with this story arc.

1

Civil War (2006)

Civil war Series by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven

It can be argued Civil war It should be the most important storyline to take place in the Marvel Universe, as so much stemming from this event is still affecting the Marvel Universe today. Iron Man and Captain America’s relationship largely hinges on their feud during this arc, with Iron Man still apologizing for his part. The whole reason Spider-Man and Mary-Jane aren’t together anymore is because Peter Parker sold his soul to Mephisto in the direct aftermath of this event.

Even beyond its importance in the grand scheme of things, Civil War is just a terrifically gripping read from start to finish. It starts on a high note and ends with a bang that no one saw coming. Civil war was filled with exciting twists and turns, but the fact that it remains as relevant today as when his books first started hitting the shelves in 2006 is what makes it a significant tentpole in Avengers History.