The Avengers are Marvel’s greatest team and they have the history to prove it. The team first came together when a threat rose that no one hero could handle and have since more than earned the name “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”. They have called the greatest heroes ever members and faced off against threats that would end any other team out there, saving the day when the chips are down. Their battles have become the stuff of legend and more than once their adventures have been the focus of the biggest stories in Marvel history. Many of the House of Ideas’ greatest event comics ended up starring the Avengers.
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While not every event story is important, some of them have been crucial to the history of Earth-616. The Avengers have played an integral role in these events, the most important of which have shook the firmament itself. These are the ten most important Avengers event comics, stories that showed that they earned the name “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”.
10) Infinity
Jonathan Hickman’s run on the Avengers was amazing and its halfway point was Infinity. The six-issue event series with art by Jerome Opena, Dustin Weaver, and Jim Cheung saw the team join the war against the Builders. These ancient aliens decided to kill every race in the galaxy and destroy the Earth, ending the threat of the Incursions, with the Avenger commanding the forces of the various interstellar empires. As the team battled their foes in space, Thanos attacked the Earth with the only the Illuminati in his way. The Avengers first saved the entire universe by defeating the Builders before taking down Thanos, allowing his Inhuman son Thane to freeze him with his new powers. They showed they were more than up to any threat and became the Universe’s Mightiest Heroes.
9) “Onslaught”
“Onslaught” changed the Marvel Universe and it did it by getting rid of the Avengers. This event started out in the X-Men books, as the mysterious Onslaught attacked the team. It was revealed that Onslaught was Xavier, turned evil after mindwiping Magneto, and he decided to destroy humanity, attacking New York City with a fleet of Sentinels. The Avengers and Fantastic Four jumped into the battle, eventually sacrificing themselves so the villain could be defeated. They ended up in an alternate universe for over a year and the rest of the superhero community had to step up in their place.
8) Siege
“Dark Reign” was a brilliant period in Marvel history, as Norman Osborn was given control of the Avengers, SHIELD, and the Superhero Initiative. Shenanigans ensued and it all culminated in Siege, by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel. This story saw Osborn, his Dark Avengers, and the Hood’s gang attack Asgard at Loki’s bidding. The Avengers jumped into the battle, but things would go from bad to worse when the Void took control of the Sentry. The team was able to defeat the monster, killing the Sentry in the process. Steve Rogers, just resurrected, became commander of SHIELD and a new era of the Avengers was born from the ashes of the old.
7) Avengers vs. X-Men
The Avengers and the X-Men never had a great relationship and the coming of the Phoenix Force set them at odds in Avengers vs. X-Men, by Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Jason Aaron, John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel, and Adam Kubert. The two teams battled it out, with the Phoenix Five rising on the X-Men’s side. The power drove them mad, with the only Earth’s Mightiest Heroes standing in their way. It all ended with a battle against Dark Phoenix Cyclops and the re-powering of the mutant race. This story was the conclusion of the Bendis era of the Avengers, ending the story that had began all those years ago in “Avengers Disassembled: Chaos”, a time when they became the most popular team around again.
6) “Avengers Disassembled: Chaos”
“Avengers Disassembled: Chaos” was the beginning of years of stories and its aftermath made the Avengers into the most popular team in comics. The team has the worst day ever, as dead friends and old enemies show up to attack them, starting a battle that would destroy Avengers Mansion. The various members of the team assemble, eventually finding out the truth behind the attacks, one that will shake them to their cores and lead to the end of the team: Scarlet Witch has turned on them. This four-issue story by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch birthed the New Avengers and changed the face of the Marvel Universe for years to come, a truly iconic Marvel story.
5) House of M
House of M was a controversial moment in Marvel history. The story spun out of “Avengers Disassembled: Chaos”, with the X-Men and the Avengers joining together to decide the fate of the insane Scarlet Witch. Quicksilver warned her that they were coming to kill her and she changed the world, creating an Earth where mutants were in control. Wolverine kept his memory along with mutant Layla Miller and the two restore the memories of their allies for a final battle. It all ends with Wanda de-powering the mutant race, the X-Men left with a pathetic remnant of the mutant race.
4) “The Kree-Skrull War”
Once upon a time, the Fantastic Four was the team that saved the Earth from threats from outer space but all of that changed in “The Kree-Skrull War”, by Roy Thomas, Neal Adams, John Buscema, and Sal Buscema. This story saw the team embroiled in a war between the two races, who had both targeted Earth to discover a way to jumpstart their evolution. This was the story that showed that the group was more than just Earth’s defense force and was one of the most powerful forces in the entire universe.
3) Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion was the culmination of New Avengers (Vol. 1). That series had started with Electro hired to break the villains out of the Raft by mysterious benefactors and this book by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Yu pay that off. The heroes had discovered the Skrulls were about replacing people, however there was a big problem: the New Avengers and the Mighty Avengers are at each other’s throats still because of Civil War. The two teams – and the planet – were blindsided by the Skrull attack, but able to pull it together and win. However, Tony Stark was blamed for letting the Skrulls take control of SHIELD and Norman Osborn was given control of the superhero national security apparatus. This story kicked off “Dark Reign” and changed the tenor of the Marvel Universe, with the heroes on the run from the villains, who controlled everything.
2) Civil War
Civil War broke the Marvel Universe, setting the heroes against one another. A villain attack on Stamford, Connecticut sees the government pass the Superhero Registration Act, with Iron Man fighting on their side and Captain America against them. Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s series saw the two sides clash, with Iron Man bringing the villains onto his side. After seeing the damage they’ve caused in their conflict, Cap surrenders. This created two Avengers teams – one that stayed underground and unregistered and one under the control of Tony Stark, the new Director of SHIELD – and gave readers some amazing stories.
1) Secret Wars
Secret Wars spun out of the Hickman run, with the Incursions destroying the multiverse despite the Illuminati’s efforts. However, some one is successful – Doom. Stealing the power of the Beyonders, he pulls together the debris of the multiverse, creating Battleworld as God Emperor Doom. This nine-issue series from Hickman and Esad Ribic saw the remnants of the Avengers, the Illuminati, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the Cabal trying to set the universe right. Doom gave up his power to Mister Fantastic, leading to an all-new multiverse.
What’s your favorite Avengers event comic? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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