Blade & 9 Other Marvel Comics Heroes You Didn’t Know Were Avengers

Most Marvel Comics fans know Blade as a vampire hunter whose only goal in life is to hunt down blood suckers and kill them. However, what some fans might not know is that Blade was also a member of the Avengers, and he actually joined more than one version of the team over his life. The Avengers formed as one of Marvel’s earliest superteams in 1963. While that team has a familiar lineup with Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Hulk, there have been countless members of the group and its offshoots over the years. There have even been members that no one would have thought would join the team, like Blade.

From Blade and mercenaries like Deadpool to aliens like Yondu and more, here is a look at some Avengers members you might not have known were part of the team.

10) Blade

When Blade first showed up in Marvel Comics, he was mainly one of the horror characters that rarely mixed in with the costumed crowd. However, that changed over the years as the character gained popularity. The release of the Wesley Snipes movie in the 1990s marked the time to move him up the tier list in Marvel Comics. In 2013, Blade finally joined the Mighty Avengers, but he did it using the Ronin identity that Hawkeye used to use. The team eventually learned the truth, and Black Panther invited Blade to join the regular Avengers team, where he helped them in various missions. Possibly the best Blade story during this time was when Black Panther sent him to become the new sheriff of the Vampire Nation after the United Nations agreed to allow them recognition.

9) Deadpool

One of the fun moments in Deadpool and Wolverine came when Deadpool tried to join the Avengers, only to be told there wasn’t a place for him on the team. However, in Marvel Comics, Deadpool joined the Avengers for real. In 2015, Deadpool joined the Avengers Unity Division after the war between the Avengers and X-Men. Captain America wanted to use this to help mutants gain acceptance, and Deadpool used his popularity to help finance the team. However, things went badly after this because Secret Empire saw a fascist take over Captain America’s body, and Deadpool followed, working with this man’s version of the Avengers. Deadpool even murdered Agent Coulson on the fake Captain America’s orders. Deadpool joined the reformed Avengers Unity Division one more time during Fall of X.

8) Agent Venom

Flash Thompson is a fantastic character. He started as a high school bully before he decided he wanted to be a hero. He became one in the war, but ended up in a wheelchair as a result. After years of paralysis, he got a chance to be a hero again when the U.S. government provided him with the Venom symbiote, and he became Agent Venom. In 2012, Captain America chose Flash to become a member of his Secret Avengers team, and he became a loyal member. Later, Flash joined the main Avengers as an envoy with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and representing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, he had several deep-space adventures.

7) Moon Knight

Moon Knight has never been a reliable team member thanks to Marc Spector’s mental health issues. He had a membership early on when he joined Hawkeye’s West Coast Avengers team. However, given Marc’s violent nature, Captain America consistently veers away from the antihero. This all changed when Cap put together his Secret Avengers group. Steve assembled this espionage squad to tackle tasks the regular Avengers couldn’t handle, making it a good fit for Moon Knight. However, in more recent years, he became an enemy to the Avengers, betraying them for Khonshu, who had a war going on behind the scenes against Mephisto.

6) Yondu

Yondu is a character who has been in Marvel Comics for years, but was never really known for much before he arrived in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. In the comics, he was an original Guardians member, first appearing in 1968. However, while he is similar to his movie counterpart, they are not the same character. This Yondu joined heroes like Charlie-27 and Martinex to form the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Guardians were there to help the Avengers in the Korvac Saga and helped the team defeat the oce-human cosmic-powered being. Thanks to this multi-issue run, the team named the Guardians, Yondu included, as honorary Avengers.

5) Havok

Havok is Alex Summers, Cyclops’ brother. He has been a member of several mutant teams, including X-Men, X-Factor, the Brotherhood, and even a cosmic team in the Starjammers. However, he has also been an Avenger, and this happened after Avengers vs. X-Men. After this crossover ended, Captain America realized he hadn’t done enough to help work to integrate mutants into the world, rather than have society continue to fear and hate them. To deal with this, Cap created an Avengers team with mutants and non-mutants called the Uncanny Avengers. He then asked Havok, a mutant, to lead the team.

4) Ares

Ares was a member of Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers team, but this doesn’t count as being an actual Avenger since that team was all villains. It was also notable because Ares was not a loyal team member and was working as a double agent, only to have Sentry murder him when Norman learned the truth. However, Ares has been a real Avengers member, even though he is technically the God of War. Before he joined the Dark Avengers as a double agent, Ares had been a member of the Mighty Avengers when Iron Man threatened to deport him from the United States during Civil War if he didn’t. As an Avenger, he fought in World War Hulk and Secret Invasion.

3) Sandman

Sandman was a villain for most of his career in Marvel Comics. In Avengers #329, the team reformed under a new charter with the United Nations rather than the United States government. Captain America announced the new team, but he had two shocking additions as “probationary” Avengers. These two men were former villains, Rage and Sandman. The two former villains had to prove themselves, and Sandman proved to be a great hero after years of working as a villain with the Sinister Six. He ended up leaving after asking the Avengers for help in a civil conflict, and Captain America told him the team was only meant for bigger things, thanks to their connection to the United Nations.

2) Mantis

Mantis in Marvel Comics is a very different character from the one presented in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. When she was first introduced, it was in the pages of Avengers #112 in 1973. She had met the disgraced Swordsman and helped him regain his confidence before joining the Avengers with him. She worked with the team for about two years before Swordsman died, and she left to find adventure in outer space. She later returned as a member of the West Coast Avengers. Eventually, in 2001, Mantis returned in The Avengers: Celestial Quest, where she sought help, realizing her mind was fragmenting and she was losing herself, with the Avengers agreeing to help her.

1) Iron Fist

Danny Rand was one of Marvel’s street-level heroes as Iron Fist, and with Luke Cage, formed Heroes for Hire. However, he has also used his powers as a member of the Avengers. As expected, he joined the New Avengers, of which Luke Cage was a member. This team was formed as a defiant opposition to Iron Man’s team and the Superhero Registration Act. Thanks to Rand’s wealth, he was able to help finance them, and he even avoided arrest thanks to having a great attorney who got around the law. Iron Fist also worked with the Avengers after they brought down Norman Osborn and the Dark Avengers, and then again later in the Avengers vs. X-Men storyline.

Are you surprised at any of the Avengers on this list? Who are you most surprised to know was a member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? Let us know in the comments below.

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