The 7 Best Avengers Comic Book Stories of the 1970s, Ranked

The Avengers first formed as a team of Marvel’s most iconic early-era heroes who needed to fight together to stop a world-threatening evil. By the 1970s, the team had slowly become an eclectic mix of heroes, but their goal was still to save the world from threats none of them could handle alone. This led the team to battle alien threats, which introduced the most iconic of all alien wars in Marvel Comics between the Kree and Skrull Empires. It also featured some mystical adventures, a battle with a nearly immortal being, and the rise of the villain who dominated the first stages of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Here is a look at the best Avengers comic book stories of the 1970s.

7) “The Serpent Crown”

“The Serpent Crown” introduced the Avengers to another team in the multiverse when they ended up on an alternate Earth where the Squadron Supreme operated. This story started out with the Avengers confused, as they didn’t realize they were on an alternate Earth, which led to the inevitable fight between the two superhero teams. However, the main villain was the serpent-god Set’s cult, the Serpent Cartel.

The two teams had to uncover a political conspiracy as the cult infiltrated Roxxon Oil and used the Serpent Crown to place the U.S. President under their control. When the Avengers returned home, they had to find their world’s version of the Serpent Crown to ensure it didn’t fall into the wrong hands. This storyline also has a behind-the-scenes importance as it introduced George Perez to the title. The story played out in Avengers #141-144 and Avengers #147-149.

6) “The Celestial Madonna”

Future Guardians of the Galaxy member Mantis made her debut in Avengers #112 (1973) as a half-Vietnamese, half-German martial arts hero. However, it didn’t take long for her to discover her destiny as the “Celestial Madonna,” and she was destined to mate with a Cotati plant-entity to produce a messianic child. This seems problematic on several levels, but Marvel found a way to make it work. This took place in Avengers #129-135 and Giant-Size Avengers #2-4.

In the comics, Mantis fell in love with the Swordsman, and it was the hero who stood by her side when Kang the Conqueror showed up to abduct Mantis, knowing her destiny. Swordsman sacrificed his own life to save her, and the Cotati reanimated him, allowing a double marriage (alongside the Vision and Scarlet Witch’s wedding). The storyline was unique at the time, with more adult-themed ideas. It also introduced the connection between Kang, Rama-Tut, and Immortus into Marvel Comics.

5) “The Yesterday Quest”

“The Yesterday Quest” ran from Avengers #185-187 from David Michelinie and John Byrne. This was the storyline that presented the origin of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, although much of it was retconned years later. This story sees a man named Django Maximoff abduct the twins, claiming to be their real father, and taking them to Eastern Europe, which leads Wanda to Wundagore Mountain.

Much of what happens here did have a lot to do with Wanda and Pietro’s origins, as the High Evolutionary’s ruined citadel was there along with Modred the Mystic. Wanda also learns that Chthon was awakened on the night of her birth, and the Darkhold was the element of her powers. This was the storyline that directly tied into everything from “Avengers Disassembled” (2004) and “House of M” (2005) to even her later appearances in the MCU.

4) “Thanos War”

Thanos was the most important villain in the MCU in its first phases, and he really rose to prominence in the 1970s in the pages of the Avengers comics. This storyline played across three comics, in Iron Man #55, Captain Marvel #25-33, and Avengers #125 (1973-1974). Iron Man #55 featured Thanos’ first appearance in Marvel Comics, as well as that of Drax the Destroyer.

This was the storyline that really showcased the cosmic artwork of Jim Starlin, the man who helped create the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe. Thanos was seeking the Cosmic Cube to win the love of the cosmic being, Death. This story arc introduced Mentor, Eros (Starfox), and the world of Titan. It also helped make Captain Mar-Vell into a cosmic champion. This storyline led to what would eventually become the Infinity Gauntlet stories of the next two decades.

3) “Avengers/Defenders War”

The Avengers were an organized superhero team, while the Defenders were the perfect example of a “non-team” that operated outside most established law enforcement control. This led to the battle between the two heroic teams in 1973. The story stretched across both titles, from Avengers #115-118 and Defenders #8-11. This remains known as the first actual Marvel Comics crossover event, something that is normal today.

Loki and Dormammu were the villains here, pulling the strings to force the Avengers and Defenders to fight each other. The Defenders thought they were saving the Black Knight, and the Avengers thought they had to stop the Defenders, who they assumed had become villains. This included several hero vs. hero battles that Marvel became known for, but at the time, it was a fresh idea. By the end, the Avengers and Defenders joined forces to stop Dormammu in a large-scale battle.

2) “The Korvac Saga”

“The Korvac Saga” remains one of the best storylines in Avengers history, and it was one of the only times that the Avengers fell in defeat, without any question about their survival. Michael Korvac was a 31st-century cyborg who downloaded the knowledge of Galactus and uploaded it into his system, gaining godlike powers with the Power Cosmic. He then settled on Earth in the modern day and quietly began his plans to reshape the universe into a utopia.

However, this would strip humanity of all personal freedom, and the Avengers teamed with the 31st-century version of the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop him. They all failed miserably, and Korvac ended up killing all of them. However, when he noticed the woman he loved had begun to doubt him, he realized what he had done, resurrected all the heroes, and took his own life to end the threat. This was a rare time when the villain wanted the best for humanity, but went too far. The story took place in Avengers #167-168 and #170-177 (1977-1978).

1) “Kree-Skrull War”

The Avengers’ biggest storyline of the 1970s was easily the “Kree-Skrull War.” This was the event, even more so than the “Thanos War,” that set the table for the Marvel cosmic universe. Running from Avengers #89-97, Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, Neal Adams, and John Buscema introduced the centuries-long intergalactic war between the Kree and Skrull Empires, and then they placed Earth in the middle of their latest battle.

After the shape-shifting Skrulls infiltrated Earth and the Kree turned the world’s governments against the Avengers, everything eventually rose to a full-scale alien war on multiple planets. The story also had smaller moments, from the start of the romance between Vision and Scarlet Witch to Rick Jones gaining the Destiny Force from the Supreme Intelligence. This was also a deeply allegorical look at real-world wars and even the classic Red Scare during the McCarthy era. Nothing was bigger in the Bronze Age than this Avengers storyline from the 1970s.

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