The Avengers are the most popular group of superheroes in the 21st century. The Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2008 and started the build-up to the biggest cinematic event in superhero history: 2012’s The Avengers. It made the team into a cultural icon. It was a quite a time to be a fan of the team, but that titanic fandom never really translated to comic sales. The Avengers have steadily fallen down the charts, something that shouldn’t be possible for such a famous team. A big reason for this is that comics can be extremely hard to get into, and MCU fans just didn’t know where to look. However, there are plenty of perfect places to start reading Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The team has been around for over 60 years, with many jumping-on points. These stories will give readers what they need without needing to know everything about them. These seven stories are perfect for new Avengers fans, guiding them into the best parts of the team’s history.
7) Avengers: Twilight
Avengers: Twilight is the perfect encapsulation of the team’s greatness. This six-issue miniseries from Chip Zdarksy and Daniel Acuna takes place in the future, where a a fascist government has taken over and traditional superheroes have been outlawed, with Captain America’s supersoldier serum removed from him. However, Luke Cage gives him a chance to re-enter the fight and Cap takes it, leading to a battle with Iron Man’s son and a mysterious man who claims to be related to Jarvis, the Avengers’ old butler. This alternate future tale has a low bar for entry and is one of the greatest Avengers stories ever, period. It’s Kingdom Come for 2020s Marvel, and anyone who knows the team will love it, especially in the current political climate.
6) New Avengers (Vol. 1) #1-6
Look, New Avengers has never been perfect, but it is a pretty good place to start. Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch brought together a new team of Avengers with the story “Breakout”, which ran through New Avengers (Vol. 1) #1-6. Spider-Woman, Luke Cage, and Daredevil are at the Vault to meet with a prisoner when the power goes out. Electro has been paid to break open the ultimate prison, and a new team of Avengers come together to figure out what exactly is going on. This book introduces Wolverine and Spider-Man to the group, and it leads to one of the most beloved periods in recent Avengers history, as well as being the key to ’00s Marvel.
5) “Avengers Disassembled: Chaos”
So, “Avengers Disassembled: Chaos” might seem like a weird thing to tell new fans to start, but it actually works. This Bendis/Finch story ended the last era of the team with an unrelenting assault by some of their most dangerous foes, including Ultron, the Kree, and basically everyone else you can think of. Avengers from around the world gather at the Mansion to battle alongside their fellows, and the secret at the center of it all shatters the team forever. This story just needs you to understand that that Avengers are the greatest time ever, and this is their last day. Read it with that in mind, and this is exactly the kind of big, emotional spectacle a new Avengers fan needs to see.
4) Uncanny Avengers (Vol. 1) #1-6
After Avengers vs. X-Men ended, Marvel took the team in new directions and one of those led to Uncanny Avengers (Vol. 1) #1-6, by Rick Remender, John Cassaday, and Olivier Coipel. This story combined members of the X-Men and the Avengers against Red Skull after shows up with the telepathic powers of Charles Xavier from harvesting pieces of the dead professor’s brain. This is rip-roaring Marvel action, with Captain America, Wolverine, Scarlet Witch, Rogue, Havok, Thor, Wasp, and Wonder Man in issue 6 giving readers the goods when it comes to drama. This was a new kind of Avengers series, and it led to great stories over the run of this book. A great story for an Avengers fan looking for something a little different.
3) Avengers (Vol. 1) #4
Avengers (Vol. 1) #4 isn’t the first issue of the team’s adventures, but it’s honestly the most important one, because it’s Captain America’s first issue with the group. This Stan Lee/Jack Kirby legend sees Namor go into a rage and find a mysterious figure in the Arctic ice, leading to the Avengers finding the greatest hero of World War II, the Sentinel of Liberty: Captain America. This is everything good about Silver Age Marvel in one comic, and you will be in love with it immediately. The bombastic dialogue combined with Kirby’s signature energetic imagery gives this story an oomph that some others lack and will hook you immediately.
2) Avengers (Vol. 5) #1-3
Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run is flawless and it all begins here. Avengers (Vol. 5) #1-3, by Hickman and Jerome Opena, sees an alien attack from Mars answered by the Avengers… and the team easily defeated, with only Cap escaping. He dusts off an idea he and Iron Man had been working on: the Avengers Machine. What follows is the assembling of the most powerful team of Avengers ever and a battle you have to see to believe. Hickman’s Avengers (Vol. 5) and New Avengers (Vol. 3) are one of the greatest Avengers epics you can imagine, and this story is the beginning of all of that, leading to Secret Wars. Seeing as how the MCU is going in this direction, this is perfect for new fans.
1) Avengers (Vol. 3) #1-3
Avengers (Vol. 3) #1-3 kicked off the legendary Kurt Busiek/George Perez run on the team. This was a reboot after the disastrous “Heroes Reborn” initiative, with the team returning from an alternate universe. However, suddenly, every member of the team are pulled into medieval times when their foe Morgana Le Fay decides that she wants to rule all of time. This is classic Avengers action like you could only get from Perez, with Busiek giving readers the kind of big superhero drama that makes this team so legendary. This is peak Avengers and every fan of the team, even those who just watched the movies, will love it.
What’s your favorite new reader-friendly Avengers story? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Prime Video -
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics -
Image courtesy of Disney -
Image via Penguin Random House
