Top 10 Avengers Facts

The Avengers may be the world’s greatest superhero team but that doesn’t mean every comic book character wants to be a part of it. Both Spider-Man and Daredevil declined to join the team when first offered because they preferred to fight evil on a small-scale basis. Spider-Man in particular would actually come to blows with the team on multiple occasions, although both characters would eventually join. Even the Hulk, a founding member of the team, refused to rejoin for an extended period of time.

With all the cloning, deaths and rebirths, it can be confusing to try to keep track of comic book character’s ages. Black Widow is a fan favourite among viewers because of her femme fatale nature, but it may surprise you to realize that she is actually over 70 years old. That’s right, she is a next level cougar. This certainly explains how she played an important role as a spy during the Cold War. We have to say – she looks pretty damn good for her age.

After Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Wasp, and Ant-Man teamed up to defeat Loki, they decided to work together – but first, they needed an epic name. It was actually the Wasp who suggested that they call themselves the Avengers, wanting a name that was both colourful and dramatic. Ant-Man immediately supported the name, and the rest, as they say, is history. Considering the important role the Wasp played in creating the team, it’s a bit surprising that Marvel left her out of the first Avengers film – although she appears poised to appear in future instalments.

Despite originating in different universes and owned by rival companies, the characters from Marvel and DC have appeared in numerous crossovers. The most famous, without doubt, was when the Avengers met the Justice League. Superman grows disillusioned with the Avengers’ failure to improve Earth while Captain America believes that the members of the Justice League are fascists. After some initial conflict, the two teams actually band together and fight evil. As cool as it is to see the two teams fight, it’s even cooler to watch Superman use Thor’s hammer. Turns out the Man of Steel is very worthy.

In the original comic, Nick Fury is actually white. That was changed for the Ultimate universe, however, where the character was redesigned to look like Samuel L. Jackson. What’s interesting, however, is that this occurred in 2001 – several years before Jackson would take up the role as Nick Fury in the film franchise. Allegedly, Jackson contacted Marvel after he saw his likeness being used, and they promised to give him the part if they ever made a movie. He has since become a key, unifying character across the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Although the original team is perhaps the most famous, there have been dozens of different versions of the Avengers. The West Coast Avengers, for example, consist entirely of heroes based in Los Angeles, including Hawkeye, Vision, and Iron Man. The Dark Avengers used an even stranger twist, with the team composed of supervillains disguised as superheroes. Norman Osborn, for example, assumed the role of Iron Patriot, while Ragnarok was Thor. There have been over 80 heroes who have appeared on some version of the Avengers, making it nearly impossible to keep track of all the different rosters.

It didn’t take long for the Avengers to change up its roster. By the 16th issue, all of the founding members had left the team, leaving only Captain America behind, who actually wasn’t a founding member – but more on that later. Cap was joined by Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Hawkeye, all of whom had originally been portrayed as villains. This transition to a new team was an extremely risky venture for Marvel but was ultimately successful, and is still considered to be one of the more amazing stunts in comic book history.

The first Avengers comic appeared in 1963, but it wasn’t until 1970 that Marvel decided to trademark the name. What they might not have expected, however, was to run into legal trouble in the UK when they released the film. In Britain, the Avengers was a spy series that was created in the 1960s. Because the series predated the superhero team, Marvel did not have rights to the name for the film. As such, the 2012 film was called “Marvel Avengers Assemble” in the UK, despite the fact that the famous catchphrase is never uttered in the film.

Daredevil may not have wanted to be part of the Avengers, but it was “Daredevil” #1 that made the Avengers happen. When Marvel realized that the first issue of their new series wasn’t going be ready in time for print, they decided to group several existing Marvel characters together to create a team. This would allow the characters to jump right into a story without needing to write a new origin story. Stan Lee was the one who suggested the idea, and together with Jack Kirby, created Marvel’s first superhero team.


Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honourable mentions:

Hank Pym Originally Created Ultron

They Had a Crossover With David Letterman

The Hulk Left The Team Early

Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe refers to Captain America as the First Avenger and he is part of the classic Avengers line-up, he wasn’t a founding member in the comics. As mentioned earlier, the original team was Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Wasp, and Ant-Man – Cap didn’t appear until the fourth issue of the series, when he was discovered encased in ice. He was given founding member status, however, because of the Hulk’s departure, and quickly assumed a leadership role.

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