The Avengers have one of the most storied existences in all of comics. They weren’t Marvel‘s first superhero team of the Silver Age, but they would prove to be the most popular as the years gone on, eventually conquering the box office with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The team’s comics have combined the House of Ideas’ greatest heroes to battle some of the most deadly threats that anyone could ever imagine. This has led to some amazing stories, ones that have made the team into one of the most legendary groups in pop culture history.
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The Avengers have existed for over 60 years, and during that time some of the greatest creators ever have worked on their comics. They have taken readers into the hearts of some of the most unbelievable battles of all time, all while populating them with some of the greatest heroes ever. These ten Avengers stories are the best in Marvel history, and if you love the team, you need to read them.
10) “Avengers World”
Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run was amazing, and you’re going to see a lot of it on this list. This quality was there from the start, with Avengers (Vol. 5) #1-3, by Hickman and Jerome Opena, giving readers the tale known as “Avengers World”. Biotic missiles from Mars strike the Earth, and the Avengers investigate, with only Captain America returning after losing a battle to Ex Nihilo and Abyss. Cap brings together the most powerful Avengers roster ever to defeat the mysterious foes and what follows is why the team is the best of the best. This is everything you love about the team — the best heroes and the biggest battles — and it will knock your socks off.
9) “The Kang Dynasty”
Kurt Busiek’s time writing the Avengers was amazing, and like Hickman, you’ll see him a few more times on this list. Busiek told some amazing stories starring the team and “The Kang Dynasty” is his swan song with them. Running through Avengers (Vol. 3) #41-55, by Busiek, Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer, Ivan Reis, and Manuel Garcia, it starred Kang the Conqueror as he succeeds in finally taking over the Earth, with only the Avengers able to fight back. This story is an epic; Busiek is able to capture the feel of old school Avengers comics and meld it with brilliant modern-style storytelling. The art is fantastic, bringing the story to life perfectly.
8) “The Korvac Saga”
The Avengers have faced a lot of underrated villains, and one of those battles gave readers one of the best stories ever. “The Korvac Saga” ran through Avengers (Vol. 1) #167-177, by Jim Shooter, David Michielinie, Bill Mantlo, George Perez, Sal Buscema, and David Wenzel, pitting the team against the godlike Michael Korvac. He was a 30th century who gained godlike powers, coming back to the present chased by the future Guardians of the Galaxy. What followed is the kind of battle that you could only get from the Avengers, keeping you on the edge of your seat the whole time.
7) Avengers (Vol. 1) #4
An argument can be made there there is no more important single of issues of the team’s comic than Avengers (Vol. 1) #4, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This story brought Captain America to the present after a battle with the Hulk and Namor, with the team discovering the Sentinel of Liberty frozen in the ice of the Arctic. This issue is a perfect example of why Lee and Kirby were such a great team; engrossing dialogue with a rhythm that will hook you combined beautifully with Kirby’s dynamic character acting and bombastic action scenes. You’ll never forget Cap taking down Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in a submarine, Kirby’s pencils giving the fight a sense of movement you don’t get often get in comics. This one is an all-time classic, and belongs in the pantheon of the greatest Avengers stories.
6) “The Kree-Skrull War”
Roy Thomas is the most important Avengers writer, and the perfect example of why is “The Kree-Skrull War”. The story ran through Avengers (Vol. 1) #89-97, by Thomas, Neal Adams, Sal Buscema, and John Buscema, and saw the Earth dragged into the millennia-spanning war between the Kree and Skrull Empires. The Avengers, along with Captain Marvel, jumped into battle to protect humanity and gave readers the first major epic in the team history. Before this story, the team was merely Earth’s Mightiest Heroes; “The Kree-Skrull War” made them the Marvel Universe’s Mightiest Heroes. This is classic Marvel at its best, with awesome art, compelling characters, dynamic dialogue, and exciting events that will blow your mind.
5) “Under Siege”
Marvel Comics in the ’80s was awesome, with Avengers flourishing under writer Roger Stern and artist John Buscema. Their entire run is fantastic, but there’s one story that stands out above the others: “Under Siege” from Avengers (Vol. 1) #270-277. Baron Helmut Zemo, obsessed with avenging his father’s death against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, brings together the largest and most powerful Masters of Evil ever, and attacks the team, taking prisoners like Captain America and Jarvis and occupying Avengers Mansion. This is peak Avengers, a story that takes the team down a lot of notches before building them back up again for one of the greatest victories in their history. Stern and Buscema were cooking, and this story is perfect example of what they were capable of.
4) New Avengers (Vol. 3) #16-21
Hickman’s New Avengers (Vol. 3) brought the Illuminati back together to stop the Incursions, a multiversal wave of destruction that threatened the Earth. New Avengers (Vol. 3) #16-21, by Hickman, Rags Morales, Valerio Schiti, and Salvador Larocca, saw the team find an Earth whose heroes, the Great Society, had been figuring out how to save the Earths that the Incursions threw at them, something they hadn’t able to do. However, the two teams are soon pitted against each other, and the Illuminati has to decide what kind of heroes they want to be. This is a fantastic superhero story, dealing with the morality of superheroes and just how far they’ll go to save their worlds, with gorgeous art that brings the story to life.
3) Avengers Forever (Vol. 1) #1-12
Avengers Forever (Vol. 1) came during Kurt Busiek’s run, spinning out of events in Avengers (Vol. 3). The 12-issue series, by Busiek, Roger Stern, and Carlos Pacheco, saw Immortus and Those Who Remain decide to destroy humanity, after watching them conquer every future. A team of Avengers from across time is brought together, with time-lost versions of Captain America, Yellowjacket, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel III, and Songbird joining Wasp, Giant-Man, Rick Jones, Libra, the Supreme Intelligence, and Kang, in order to save humanity. This is a deep dive into Avengers continuity meant to fix some problems that had come up over the years, and it does that by giving readers some amazing Avengers action from three masters of superhero comics. It’s got the goods.
2) “Time Runs Out”
Hickman’s run on Avengers (Vol. 5) and New Avengers (Vol. 3) ended with “Time Runs Out”. The story ran through Avengers (Vol. 5) #35-44 and New Avengers (Vol. 3) #24-33, by Hickman, Mike Deodato, Stefano Caselli, Valerio Schiti, Jim Cheung, Paco Medina, Nick Bradshaw, Dustin Weaver, Kev Walker, Szymon Kudaraski, Mike Perkins, Dalibor Tjalic, and Mike Mayhew. The Avengers and Illuminati do their best to stop the Incursions all while battling each other. Meanwhile, two separate groups have their own plan to end the Incursions, and they don’t care who they have to destroy in the process, all as time runs slowly out. This story has all of the answers to every question from the Hickman run, and the kind of epic superhero sci-fi action that makes Hickman’s work so perfect for the Avengers.
1) “Ultron Unlimited”
Avengers (Vol. 3) was kicked off by Kurt Busiek and legendary artist George Perez. The two of them gave readers some fantastic stories, but their best, and the best Avengers story of all time, is “Ultron Unlimited”, from Avengers (Vol. 3) #19-22. The mad android returns with an army of adamantium drones and decides that it’s time to destroy humanity, with only the Avengers in his way. This is peak Avengers, with the team facing off against their most deadly foe in a battle unlike any the team had ever faced before. Superhero comics don’t get much better than this, a feast for the eyes action epic that will pull you in and never let you go.
What are your favorite Avengers stories? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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