The best thing about reading comics about superhero teams is that they don’t always get along, but Marvel Comics has some of the most dysfunctional teams in history. The company really got its start with teams, as Fantastic Four was its first-ever superhero series. However, they quickly followed DC’s lead and had their most powerful heroes join forces on a new team called the Avengers. From that book, when the team couldn’t seem to get along with Hulk, to later books where teammates never seemed to be on the same page, Marvel always had a way to make the team dynamics much more intense.
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From teams who never seemed to get along to those teams who are often close but end up fractured because of trust issues, here is a look at Marvel teams who can’t seem to stay on the same page.
7) West Coast Avengers
The original West Coast Avengers never had a chance, and that was expected when Hawkeye was named the team leader. This is also why the book remains one of the greatest in Avengers history. Hawkeye was always anti-authority at that time, and making him the leader was an interesting choice. However, there was so much at work against this team that it’s a surprise they lasted as long as they did.
Vision, Wonder Man, and Scarlet Witch (and later Jim Hammond) were all on the team, and that was always a mess. It also didn’t help that this was when White Vision debuted, which made his and Wanda’s relationship even more toxic. Hawkeye and Mockingbird were married, and that caused problems. James Rhodes was Iron Man here and refused to reveal his identity to his teammates. When the government sent U.S. Agent to be the new leader, it destroyed all their chemistry and marked the end. When the Avengers forced them to disband, several quit outright and formed Force Works.
6) Midnight Sons
There was no way the Midnight Sons would ever get along for more than a limited number of battles. These mainly were monsters in Marvel Comics, and none of them trusted each other. It was Doctor Strange who initially formed the team to battle Lilith, and they only worked together out of desperation. Strange knew this was a combustible unit, so he sent them on their separate ways after the battle.
However, the team reformed many times, with members including Blade, Morbius, Elsa Bloodstone, DaimonHallstorm, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, and nearly every version of Ghost Rider. These monsters often lost control thanks to their base impulses, and this usually caused more problems than it solved. However, that is also what made the comics so fun to read.
5) Dark Avengers
The Dark Avengers were never going to be on the same page. Norman Osborn united these villains to impersonate the real Avengers, with names like Bullseye replacing Hawkeye, Scorpion as Venom, and Daken as Wolverine. They also had heavy hitters like Sentry and Ares. However, as villains, they barely got along with each other and only stayed united thanks to Osborn’s threats.
However, they fractured thanks to their mistrust of anyone around them. Ares turned out to always be a double agent, which went wrong when Osborn found out and had Sentry murder him in cold blood. Things finally went off the rails when Loki betrayed them, and this marked the end of the Dark Avengers.
4) The Illuminati
The Illuminati were created to help protect the Earth from behind the scenes, but they caused more damage than good. The group consisted of the world’s biggest and best heroes, with Professor X representing the X-Men, Black Bolt representing the Inhumans, Reed Richards representing the Fantastic Four, Namor representing the oceanic world, Doctor Strange representing the mystical side of the planet, and Iron Man representing the Avengers.
However, these heroes made terrible decisions. They inadvertently caused Secret Invasion and World War Hulk. They even destroyed another Earth to prevent an Incursion, before they turned on Captain America and wiped his mind. As the world was coming to an end during the final Incursions, this group was fighting each other instead of saving the planet.
3) Strange Academy
Strange Academy was doomed from the start. These were children with mystical powers whom Doctor Strange invited to learn how to harness their abilities and receive a formal education, taught by some of the world’s most renowned mystics. However, while many of their teachers had their best interests at heart, they also misled them about the purpose of their presence. Strange wanted to hold all these kids down and limit the heights of their powers. When the most powerful of the Strange Academy students learned the truth, she lashed out.
This almost destroyed the Earth because Emily Bright ended up making a deal with Dormammu, which would have allowed him access to this world. Ironically, the one person who cared about Emily the most was Doyle Doemammum, and he helped save the world. Strange Academy became Doom Academy, and the trust never returned.
2) The Ultimates
The Ultimates was the Marvel Ultimate Universe version of the Avengers. However, as this was set in a more “realistic” world, it meant that the heroes were more flawed than ever, and no one could trust each other. Captain America was too old-fashioned and disrespected those around him, especially women like Wanda Maximoff. No one believed Thor was an actual god, and this caused too much mistrust as well. Black Widow ended up as a double agent and killed Hawkeye’s family.
This also led to a huge event where the Ultimates battled a new team called the Avengers, and this ultimately resulted in the unfortunate death of that world’s Spider-Man. The entire focus of the Ultimates was built on a lack of trust, and this team never got its act together for long, only resolving its issues during big battles here and there.
1) X-Men
The X-Men have always had to fight the world that fears them because of who they were born to be. Humans hated mutants because they were born with powers, and it caused these heroes to fight to save a world that feared them. It was always made worse because the X-Men were also always fighting each other. This was mostly centered around Cyclops, who always deemed his way the best, and Wolverine, who never seemed to get on the same page.
The most notable example of this was the Schism, which saw Wolverine and Cyclops fight over their differing beliefs on the direction of the X-Men. There were also moments where people like Beast turned evil against his teammates, and in the giant X-Men crossover series, where the mutants fought each other as much as they fought to save the world.
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