5 Important Marvel Superhero Teams Who Aren’t The Avengers, But Still Saved the Universe

Nowadays, the Avengers are easily the most recognizable superhero team in Marvel Comics, thanks in no small part to them taking center stage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Avengers have faced off against countless villains that have threatened not just Earth, but the entire universe. Indeed, the Avengers are almost always the first line of defense against universal villains like Thanos, Korvac, Kang, and the Celestials. However, the Avengers are far from the only superhero team in Marvel Comics. Whenever the universe is threatened, there are plenty of important and iconic superhero teams in addition to the Avengers who are always ready to save the day.

Marvel is well-known for having a variety of superhero teams of varying degrees of popularity and power. Even the Avengers find themselves competing for the spotlight when put up against these other big names. And part of how these non-Avengers teams became so popular was their ability to overcome impossible odds and save the universe by working together.

5) Defenders

The Defenders have always been known as Marvel’s “non-team,” given that its rosters tend to be made up of heroes who prefer to work alone but begrudgingly team up when necessary to defeat a common enemy. The Defenders have a rotating cast of characters who rarely stay long. In the “There Are No Rules” story, Doctor Strange assembled a new team of Defenders to attempt to track down a scientist, Carlo Zota, who traveled to the distant past. Doctor Strange, Masked Raider, Red Harpy, Cloud, and Silver Surfer traveled to previous incarnations of the multiverse in search of the scientist. When the team arrived in the Third Cosmos, they discovered two all-powerful beings: Lifebringer One and the Anti-All. These two god-like entities represented the eternal struggle between good and evil. However, the Anti-All was close to defeating Lifebringer One and eradicating all of existence. The Defenders managed to heal Lifebringer One so that it could vanquish the Anti-All.

4) Thunderbolts

The Thunderbolts went from being villains in disguise to genuine heroes and universal saviors. This group was formed as part of a plot by Baron Zemo and the Masters of Evil in which rogues were disguised as heroes called the Thunderbolts to allow them to ambush the Avengers. However, members like Goliath, Screaming Mimi, Fixer, Beetle, and Moonstone preferred being heroes and turned against Zemo. Since then, the Thunderbolts have had a rotating roster of different villains and anti-heroes trying to do good. The story “The War at Home” has the Thunderbolts forced to work with their former leader to deal with one of their members, Genis-Vell, aka Photon. When healed with the power of an alien artifact called the Moonstone, Genis-Vell was inadvertently tied to the fabric of time and space. Genis-Vell’s very existence began threatening to tear the universe apart. Ultimately, Zemo and the Thunderbolts managed to kill Genis-Vell and save the universe from annihilation. The Thunderbolts showed that even former villains could save the universe.

3) Guardians of the Galaxy

A team of intergalactic anti-heroes, the Guardians of the Galaxy were brought together to protect the universe from all manner of cosmic threats. The team of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Mantis, Adam Warlock, and Phyla-Vell were first assembled to combat intergalactic menaces like Annihilus and Ultron. During one of their first missions in the Annihilation: Conquest event, the Guardians were deployed to deal with Ultron, who, after conquering the technorganic race known as the Phalanx, used their forces to take over most of the Kree Empire. However, Ultron’s plans for universal domination were thwarted by the Guardians when Phyla-Vell destroyed the villain’s body. Additionally, the storyline “The Thanos Imperative” had the Guardians attempt to prevent an invasion of the nightmare-inducing Cancerverse that was bleeding into the main universe through a tear in reality. With the help of Thanos of all people, the Guardians waged war against the mutated residents of the Cancerverse. They successfully sealed the tear to save the universe once again.

2) X-Men

Ever since their debut, the X-Men have been just as, if not more, popular than the Avengers. Professor X created the X-Men to protect the innocent and fight for a brighter future for all mutantkind and mankind. Countless iconic mutant heroes have joined the X-Men’s ranks, including Cyclops, Phoenix, Beast, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Gambit, Bishop, and Emma Frost. As one can imagine, such an iconic and powerful superhero team has saved the world numerous times. One of the X-Men’s most iconic universe-saving storylines was the “Phoenix Saga.” The team found themselves transported to an alien planet to rescue Princess Lilandra. Once there, the X-Men discovered that Lilandra’s insane brother, Emperor D’Ken, sought to weaponize the all-powerful M’Kraan Crystal to take over the universe. Not only did the X-Men defeat D’Ken, but when the M’Kraan Crystal cracked and nearly destroyed the universe, Phoenix used her cosmic power to heal it. This was the first of many missions in which the X-Men saved the universe through excellent teamwork and having members with immense powers.

1) Fantastic Four

Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four, have saved the universe just as many times as they have explored it. After being bathed in cosmic rays during a space flight, four astronauts and scientists found themselves imbued with fantastical abilities and became superheroes. Together, Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing push the boundaries of scientific advancements and discoveries as a family. Of course, such exploration oftentimes leads to discovering untold horrors that threaten the universe. In one of their most gut-wrenching storylines, “Three” had the Human Torch sacrifice his life to ensure that the Negative Zone tyrant Annihilus and his Annihilation Wave didn’t cross over to the positive universe, where the villain planned to exterminate all life. And during the 2015 Secret Wars event, the Fantastic Four worked together to defeat God Emperor Doom and restore the infinite multiverse after its initial destruction. No matter the cosmic threat, the Fantastic Four will always save the universe and beyond thanks to their brains, strength, and familial bond.

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