It’s Time for the Avengers to Break Up, Permanently

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have defended the Earth from all types of threats, from the domestic to the cosmic. No matter how bad things may look, civilians at least know the Avengers will be there to save the day. After all, that’s what superheroes do. Superhero teams like the Avengers just save the day with larger numbers. If one Avenger isn’t up for the job, they can rely on their teammates to pick up the slack. But let’s admit it… the Avengers brand as a whole has run its course. All good things must come to an end, and that also goes for the Avengers.

There may not be any vocal complaints about the Avengers brand, but that could be due to fan fatigue. Ever since Avengers became a household name, thanks in large part to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Comics has continued to push more and more Avengers content to its readers. There can come a point of oversaturation, where the market is flooded with the same thing, but with a different name printed on it. However, that’s not the only thing working against the Avengers.

The Avengers as a Team Concept Has Run Its Course

There is certainly an appeal to seeing some of the most popular heroes in the Marvel Universe all functioning together on the same team, like on the Avengers. Instead of watching their solo adventures, the Avengers usually come together to face a foe that none of them could defeat individually. Readers have been following these types of storylines for years, and at some point, you have to admit that they’ve run their course.

With so many different Avengers teams over the years, it can be challenging to keep up with the rotating rosters and teams. Yes, we know the Avengers will either be led by Captain America or Iron Man, or more recently, Black Panther or Captain Marvel. The Avengers have at least shown growth by letting other heroes step up in a leadership role, so that’s good. But does there have to be an official Avengers team to keep the world safe?

The Avengers could accomplish the same end goal if they just came together whenever a disaster strikes. Sure, there is an advantage to honing your skills together in the field of combat, and knowing who your teammates are instead of being blindsided by whoever is free during a crisis. But the Avengers are professionals, and they all know each other by now. Therein lies the bigger problem with the Avengers.

The Avengers Concept Is Diluted

In an effort to raise the profile of underutilized heroes, Marvel has added more and more B-tier and below heroes to the Avengers roster. Not every member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes has to be an A-lister, but you might as well say any hero can apply for an Avengers membership. Being an Avenger used to be a prestigious honor, but now, not so much. This all started when Spider-Man and Wolverine joined the Avengers during Brian Michael Bendis’ run on the title. It was cool to see heroes who typically were denied membership get welcomed with open arms. But this era of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes also saw the most oversaturation.

There were the Avengers, New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Secret Avengers, Young Avengers… we could go on and on. If you wanted your book to sell and catch eyeballs, slap the word “Avengers” on the cover. It’s slightly calmed down since then, though we do have the return of West Coast Avengers, along with Savage Avengers and various Avengers Infinity titles exclusively on Marvel Unlimited. The brand is diluted and watered down, in need of a fresh coat of paint to revitalize the franchise. If the Avengers as a team went away for a while, fans would start demanding their comeback. And if you don’t believe it would work, Marvel did it with the Fantastic Four to great success.

The Avengers are cool, but no longer a necessity in the larger Marvel Universe.

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