10 Best Avengers & Number 1’s Not Iron Man

The Avengers have a pretty common superhero team origin. One day, Loki was able to come up with a plan that Thor couldn’t handle on his own, and Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp, and the Hulk were all called in to help. Since that day, the Avengers have been Marvel’s main defense force, combining the greatest heroes of the Earth in a squad that has battled the deadliest villains of all time. Over the years, many heroes and villains have heard the call of Avengers, and the team has earned its nickname as “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”. Membership in the Avengers are considered the moment that someone’s made it as a hero, and some of the greatest Marvel characters of all time have gotten their chance with the Avengers.

The Avengers have gone through multiple eras over the years. There are some heroes who are born Avengers, for lack of a better term, always being a member of the group, and becoming the people most associated with the team. Other heroes have found their way on the team by more circuitous routes, but have proven that they deserved their place on the team. These ten Avengers are the best members of the team, becoming legendary heroes in their adventures with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

10) Captain Marvel

Carol Danvers has earned her place in the pantheon of the greatest Avengers. She joined the team as Ms. Marvel after working with the Kree Captain Marvel. She became a key member of the team, forming friendships with the group’s most important members. She’d leave the team and not return for years, her waning powers causing her to become an alcoholic. Being an Avenger helped Carol at her lowest times, and she soon regained her place with the team’s upper crust. The Avengers were the road to superstardom for Carol, and working with the team gave her the push she needed to step up and become Captain Marvel. Carol has led the team several times, and has become one of their most efficient powerhouses. Captain Marvel has become a top-flight Avenger, and is right where she belongs when she’s with the team.

9) Luke Cage

Luke Cage might not strike anyone as a major Avenger, but they’re very wrong. Luke Cage joined the Avengers after Scarlet Witch’s rampage, and quickly showed that he was Avengers material. He fought alongside the team against multiple enemies, and when Civil War struck, Luke Cage took responsibility. After Captain America’s surrender, Luke became team leader, keeping the Avengers together in the most difficult circumstances imaginable. He led the team while Tony Stark and Norman Osborn hunted for them, and was able to still battle against enemies like the Skrulls, the Dark Avengers, and the Hood’s gang of B and C-list villains. The Avengers has often been a place for heroes to shine, and Luke Cage was able to find himself as a hero with the team. He proved that he was always ready for the A-list, and was an Avenger to his core.

8) Hank Pym

Hank Pym is a founding Avenger, and fought alongside the team as Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, and Yellowjacket. Hank Pym is often defined by the one time he slapped the Wasp, but there’s much more to Hank than that. To begin with, Pym is a perfect example of a superhero with bipolar disorder, the highs and lows of his mental state affecting him but never beating him. He was also the creator of Ultron, another black mark against him as an Avenger. However, the thing about Hank is that he never stops fighting, never gives up. He’s made a lot of mistakes, but that’s never stopped him from trying to make up for them. Hank Pym’s genius and never say die attitude are his defining traits, and the Avengers know that when Hank’s on his game, there are few out there who can match him.

7) Black Widow

Black Widow was raised as a Soviet assassin, first making her acquaintance to American superheroes because of missions against Iron Man. She’d soon change her spots, and joined the Avengers. Black Widow was able to put her black ops skills to great use as an Avenger, able to come up with new ways of dealing with their enemies. She became a top member of the group, and has even led the Avengers at times. Black Widow’s fighting skills are top notch, and her decades of experience have given her a leg up on many opponents. Black Widow might have faded away as an Avenger, though, if it wasn’t for the MCU. She was put back in the spotlight because of the movie, and put back on the team, showing that the Avengers without Black Widow is boring.

6) The Wasp

Janet Van Dyne joined the Avengers alongside her boyfriend Hank. He gave her his Pym Particles so she could shrink, and created her Wasp suit, allowing her her to fly and fire off wasp sting energy blasts. The Wasp was the fashion plate socialite of the Avengers, but she proved that she was more than just a pretty face in battle. The Wasp became one of the Avengers premiere combatants, mastering the use of size and her suit’s weapons systems. She became Chairwoman of the Avengers, and led them through some of their greatest battles. In many ways, she was a much better Avenger than Hank Pym, dealing with the trials and tribulations of superpowered life with the kind of good nature she brought to a fashion show. The Wasp is the best female member of the Avengers by a wide margin, creating a legacy of excellence that some people never would have expected from her.

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5) Hawkeye

Hawkeye proved himself as an Avenger when no one thought it possible. Hawkeye was first manipulated into using his archery skills against Iron Man by the Black Widow, but changed his spots when Captain America invited him to become an Avenger. Hawkeye was something of a loudmouth who always had to have the last word, but he was a whiz on the battlefield. His archery skills and his arsenal of trick arrows allowed him to even the odds with the Avengers most powerful foes, and his kinetic fighting style kept him constantly on the move, so that no one could hit him. Hawkeye helped started the West Coast Avengers, as well, his time as an Avenger paying off as he hoisted the mantle of leadership. Hawkeye makes such an excellent Avenger for a simple reason — bravery. Hawkeye is a normal guy with a bow and arrow, albeit with some cool trick arrows, who fights the greatest threats alongside the most powerful heroes. The fact that he can stand alongside them as an equal tells you everything you need to know about Hawkeye as a superhero.

4) The Vision

The Vision was created by the Avengers’ greatest enemy Ultron. Ultron decided that the best way to defeat the Avengers was from the inside, so the Vision was programmed into fooling the Avengers into trusting him and attacking. However, the Vision broke through his programming and decided to help the team, becoming one of the greatest Avengers of all time. The Vision is an extremely powerful being, his synthetic nature giving him super strength, control over his molecular density, flight, and the power to fire power solar lasers, but that’s not why he made such a great Avenger. The Vision became a great Avengers because of his love for his teammates and the innocent, giving his all to make a difference in a world he was created to destroy. Despite not being human, Vision did his best to assimilate into the team and learn what it was like to be person. The Vision’s struggle with his robotic nature made him into a very well-rounded character, one that Avengers fans have loved for decades.

3) Iron Man

Iron Man has played a very important role in the Avengers over the years. Tony Stark used his wealth to help bankroll the team, allowing them to use his swanky Fifth Avenue mansion as their headquarters. He even paid members a stipend, so they could concentrate as much as possible on being a superhero. He created much of the technology associated with the Avengers, and has led the team on multiple occasions. There have been times when Iron Man wasn’t exactly the best hero in the world, but he always did his best to make sure the Avengers were strong and ready for any threat. Iron Man has caused his share of problems as an Avenger — his creation of the Illuminati and the entire Civil War debacle are examples of that — he’s also been the Avengers’ most important member when they needed him the most. The Avengers wouldn’t exist in the form they’re in if it wasn’t for Iron Man.

2) Thor

Thor is the muscle of the Avengers, and has long been one of the team’s guiding lights. While he wasn’t as important to the formation and day to day workings of the Avengers as Iron Man, he was the founder who best exemplified the warrior spirit that defined the Avengers. Thor was the always the first Avenger on he field, throwing himself at the most powerful foe, and he was the last Avenger to leave, making sure that all of his friends got away safely. Thor is the example that all of the other Avengers follow. On top of that, he’s usually the most powerful member of the team, the power of the storms and Mjonlnir making him the kind of warrior that the Avengers have needed on multiple occasions. Thor hasn’t led the Avengers very often in his tenure with the team, but he’s done some thing just as important — he’s always there for his teammates, ready to tear down any foe who dared stand against the Avengers.

1) Captain America

Captain America is not a founding Avenger. The team found him after they already formed, frozen in ice since World War II and still alive because his super solder serum. He immediately become one of the team’s most important members, becoming the person most associated with leadership of the Avengers in the Marvel Universe. Captain America’s modern day adventures have seem him put his expertise in combat to the test, and this mastery of tactics have allowed him to lead the Avengers to victory against the most deadly foes imaginable. Captain America is the Avengers’ greatest icon, the ultimate superhero for the ultimate superteam.

Who do you think is the best Avenger? Sound off in the comments below.