After 18 Years, Marvel Officially Turned One Hero Into the REAL First Avenger

The Avengers are the premier team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but despite their name, a superhero that isn’t a member of the team is the franchise’s true avenger. From the release of the original Iron Man, the MCU was building up to The Avengers, with the sequels to the 2012 crossover film being the biggest event movies in the franchise. Tons of MCU characters have become part of the Avengers since the original film, yet one of the few vigilantes who isn’t in an Avengers movie is the MCU’s best example of one.

Most of the MCU’s biggest heroes are tied to the Avengers brand in some way, with Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, and more being part of the lineup. On top of that, characters who often aren’t part of the Avengers have become associated with the team in the MCU, such as Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Avengers: Doomsday is taking things even further by tying in multiversal characters like the Fantastic Four. With how many characters fall under the Avengers title, it’s interesting that they oftentimes don’t actually live up to their name.

The Punisher Actually Avenges People, Whereas The Avengers Defend

When Nick Fury approaches Tony Stark in the post-credits scene of Iron Man, he introduces something exciting: the Avengers Initiative. This initiative is what led to the Avengers being the team name in the 2012 film, and the title has stuck in the MCU ever since. However, the name raises a question: what are the Avengers avenging? Some would say that they are avenging Agent Coulson’s death in The Avengers. However, the team was already working to stop Loki, and their goal didn’t change all that much following Coulson’s killing. Plus, the Avengers were already named before this incident, making the title seem quite arbitrary.

In the comics, the name was introduced in 1963’s The Avengers no. 1, in which Wasp suggests the name because it is “colorful and dramatic.” It seems like the MCU’s name is similarly meaningless, as even after the 2012 film, the team isn’t really avenging anything. The closest argument that can be made is that they are avenging the victims of Thanos’ snap in Endgame, but again, they were already fighting to oppose Thanos in Infinity War. According to Merriam-Webster, “avenge” means “to take vengeance for or on behalf of.” So, for the Avengers to live up to their name, their missions should be retaliatory rather than preventative.

So, the Avengers defend more than they avenge. After all, the idea of vengeance is much more morally grey, so it would be hard for the MCU to tell heroic stories if the characters are constantly seeking revenge. However, there is one MCU hero who undeniably exists in these moral greys and has a story built on avenging: the Punisher. Frank Castle’s entire deal is that he is attempting to get revenge on the people who killed his family. While Frank seems to be lashing out upon his introduction in Daredevil season 2, The Punisher season 1 is focused on Frank avenging his family, while season 2 shows the repercussions of these actions.

So, Frank Castle is the MCU’s true first avenger, even if he isn’t part of the actual Avengers team. The Punisher explores the themes of vengeance and asks questions about whether Frank’s actions are justified, something that no Avengers movie ever explores. It is possible that Doomsday could center its story of the superhero team actually avenging someone or something, but for now, Frank is one of the MCU’s only true avengers.

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Ironically, The Punisher’s Corner Of The MCU Features A Better Name For The Avengers

The MCU’s Frank Castle originates from Netflix’s Defenders universe, which ironically features a more apt name for the Avengers. These shows introduced the Defenders, a team consisting of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. The Avengers aren’t really avenging anyone, but they definitely are defending people. Most often, they’re attempting to defend Earth from extraterrestrial threats, or from man-made ones like Ultron. Calling the Avengers “the Defenders” would fit much better narratively, whereas characters like the Punisher could work better with an Avengers label.

However, this change would obviously never happen in the MCU. The Avengers are one of comics’ most iconic teams, and the MCU would never burn this brand recognition for such a pedantic reason. However, upon further examination, it is hard to deny that the “Avengers” name doesn’t make much sense.

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