5 Avengers Who Deserve to Lead Their Own Team

The Avengers are the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and they are only as effective as they are because they have been led by some of the greatest strategic minds that the universe has ever known. Steve Rodgers, Sam Wilson, the Wasp, and more have all taken a swing at leading the Avengers and plenty more teams, and all shown that they have everything it takes and more to guide a superhero team to victory. Of course, not just the best of the best deserve to lead, and far more heroes than they have taken up the burden of leadership. Sometimes, in fact, it’s better to see heroes who aren’t always the ones in charge take command.

Today, we’re going to celebrate that very desire by looking at five Avengers who aren’t currently leading teams of their own and imagining what type of team they could lead. These heroes have all stretched their leadership muscles at one point or another, but they haven’t taken that center stage in a proper team in quite some time, and it would be very interesting to see them try it once again. These five heroes all have the potential to tell very interesting stories, and they all have just the right amount of crazy to be incredibly entertaining while bossing people around. Without further ado, let’s analyze some Avengers.

5) Luke Cage

Luke Cage is one of the most charismatic and effective leaders in Marvel. He’s led the Avengers, chosen by Captain America himself, and currently operates as the mayor of New York City. Between running an entire city and being a dad, Luke is often way too busy to headline or lead teams, but that’s the perfect opportunity to throw him back into the ring. He has a unique perspective on the types of crimes heroes normally can’t fight, given his status as a politician and specifically Wilson Fisk’s successor to the mayorship. He could lead a team of heroes to battle political injustice as much as physical ones, directed from his office like an actually good-hearted Amanda Waller. 

4) Ant-Man

Hank Pym is one of the founding Avengers, but ever since that unfortunate slap, his name has been forever synonymous with mental instability and borderline villainy. He’s hopped back and forth between being a hero, villain, and everything in between for years, but that experience is exactly what would make him a perfect team leader. Ant-Man has struggled for redemption more than any other Marvel character, so imagine Hank gathering a team of other people who want to prove to the world that they can be heroes, too. He could lead the ultimate redemption squad, and his insane scientific knowledge could make them one of the best-equipped teams there will ever be.

3) Hawkeye

Hawkeye is one of the most underrated leaders. He’s one of the classic Avengers and is one of the most deeply connected heroes in the world, knowing practically everyone that there is to know. He showed that he can lead a team to success by transforming the fledgling West Coast Avengers into an officially sanctioned offshoot of the team. However, he tends to funnel everything into his leadership to the point where leading the West Coast Avengers cost him his marriage. That’s just another aspect that could be interesting to explore. Let Hawkeye lead a team where he is almost killing himself to ensure they succeed, and have his teammates grapple with his obsession versus their effectiveness.

2) Scarlet Witch

As the brand-new Sorcerer Supreme, Wanda is at the perfect place to create a whole new magic-based superhero team. In the past, Doctor Strange’s magic teams were clandestine and dealt with major demonic threats, but Wanda could bring everything into the light. She could bring the world’s greatest and most underrated magical minds under her banner to protect the world in new ways. She’s the perfect person to lead, given that she has enough influence to sway the most popular magicians and the knowledge of and care for the underrated ones to value their skills. Wanda’s character arc over the past decade is all but begging for her to take on a role like this. She’s the world’s greatest sorcerer, and the next step is to make the world’s greatest team.

1) Hulk

The Incredible Hulk is the strongest hero in the Marvel business, but that doesn’t mean that he can do everything alone. While he normally prefers to fight alone, the Jade Giant has been in all sorts of teams, from the Avengers to the Defenders. He’s rarely been at the head, which makes sense, given his temperament. Still, a team with Banner as the brains and Hulk as the field presence could make for an incredibly interesting dynamic. If those two could work together, then they could definitely coordinate a team of the world’s strongest heroes to back up the Hulk’s unyielding power. It could be a chance for the Hulk to grow in a totally new way, and that’s always a great aspect for a character.

Which Marvel hero do you want to see lead their own team? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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