The 7 Best Avengers Comic Book Stories of the 1980s, Ranked

The Avengers really started hitting their stride in the 1980s, with great villains, some groundbreaking storylines, and the rise of some often overlooked members, including the arc where Wasp took over as the team’s leader. This decade in Marvel Comics saw some massive events taking place, including one of their most powerful heroes almost conquering the world, an event where a group of villains actually almost beat the entire Avengers team in their home, and the iconic story of one of the team’s founding members suffering a mental breakdown in a moment that changed the team forever. It was an action-filled decade.

With some of the best storytelling of 1980s comics, here is a look at the seven best Avengers storylines in Marvel Comics from the decade of excess.

7) Behold the Vision

“Behold… The Vision” was actually the name of the first Vision appearance from 1968 that introduced the world to Vision. That was The Avengers #57-58, when Ultron created Vision and the synthezoid betrayed his father and joined the Avengers. In “Absolute Vision” in 1985, Vision tried to take over the world to force world peace, and those events led to this second storyline using the title “Behold the Vision” in the pages of West Coast Avengers #45.

In this story, the U.S. government seized Vision and then broke him down into pieces, while also taking out his memory and erasing everything to ensure he could never do what he did in “Absolute Vision” again. Hank Pym rebuilt Vision, but since Wonder Man wouldn’t allow his brainwaves to be used again, Vision lost his previous personality, effectively ending his marriage to Scarlet Witch and changing his status-quo in Marvel Comics forever.

6) By Friends … Betrayed!

“My Friends … Betrayed!” is an Avengers storyline from the 1980s that took place in Avengers Annual #10 in 1981. A lot happened in this story, which was written by Chris Claremont and Michael Golden, and it told two stories that really changed one Avengers character forever. This issue remains known as the first appearance of Rogue in Marvel Comics, as she absorbed all of Carol Danvers’s powers, memories, and personalities, before eventually fleeing to the X-Men to find help. This stripped Carol of her powers, which she lost for years, but there was also a secondary story that ties up one of the most controversial moments in Marvel Comics history.

Previously, Carol was pregnant and gave birth to a child who rapidly grew up and admitted he was Marcus, the son of Immortus. He then made Carol fall in love with him and took her into the future. The title “My Friends … Betrayed!” actually refers to this storyline, where Carol rejects the Avengers for not saving her from Marcus, who took her to the future to continue to defile her. From Carol’s story arc through Rogue’s introduction, this remains a landmark Avengers issue.

5) The Taskmaster

The Taskmaster remains one of Marvel Comics’ most entertaining villains, a sarcastic but brilliant tactician who can perfectly mimic anyone’s fighting skills just by watching them once. He made his debut in The Avengers #195-196 in 1980, and he was an immediate threat to the team since he had mastered Hawkeye’s archer skills, Captain America’s use of his shield, and even Spider-Man’s agility and fighting skills. He was basically a mimic of every Marvel hero he had ever seen fight.

He was so great that the storyline was just named “Taskmaster” after him, and in the years since, he has lived up to his reputation, and Taskmaster even teaches everyone from SHIELD and government agents to mercenaries and criminals using his mastery of all fighting techniques. Created by David Michelinie and George Perez, this storyline opened the door for Taskmaster to become a wide-ranging villain for several heroes.

4) The Kang Dynasty

“The Kang Dynasty” and “The Council of Kangs” really made the classic Marvel Comics villain a force to be reckoned with in the 1980s. The storylines ran from The Avengers #267-269 in 1986 by Roger Stern and John Buscema. While Marvel had introduced Kang, Rama-Tut, and Immortus in the 1960s, this storyline really broke down the idea that one dominant Kang wanted to kill all his variants to consolidate power and create his own Council of Kangs.

This was pure sci-fi fantasy for Avengers fans, and when the team ends up in a Temporal Limbo, they have to figure out what is going on and put an end to the murderous Kang before he gets too strong to ever stop. This was also the story that showed Immortus was the future version of Kang, after hinting at their connection for years. This arc influenced every Kang storyline in Marvel Comics in the years to come.

3) Absolute Vision

As mentioned earlier, the second “Behold the Vision” storyline saw the U.S. government delete Vision’s memory and emotion banks after he tried to take over the world in the name of peace. That storyline, where he attempted the coup, is the better of the two stories and one of the top three Avengers tales from the 1980s. The story was “Absolute Vision” and ran from Avengers #238-254. This all started when Vision learned there was an Ultron control crystal in his brain that had influenced his emotions for years.

Vision then supplanted Wasp as the Avengers team leader and then ordered the formation of the West Coast Avengers. By Avengers #254, his entire plan was in place and he had taken over the world’s computer networks, databases, weapons systems, and decided he needed to control the world to ensure peace. This was a story about free will and the nature of power, and it was an early look at the fears of artificial intelligence.

2) The Court Martial of Yellowjacket

“The Court Martial of Yellowjacket” actually started to form in the last couple of years of Avengers comics, before the actual story of his complete breakdown happened in The Avengers #212-213 in 1981. This part of Hank Pym’s story saw him use his stinger blasts to fire on the Elfqueen after Captain America convinced her to surrender, which led to this trial. Hank created a robot that he could beat to prove his heroic nature, but Wasp had to stop it when the robot grew out of control. Hank was kicked out of the Avengers and Jan filed for divorce.

The moment that Hank Pym slapped his wife was shocking, and it was something that he has still never lived it down. This was the biggest downfall of an Avengers member, and as a founder of the team, it hit even harder. It was also Marvel’s strongest depiction of domestic violence at the time, which destroyed Hank Pym’s legacy as a hero.

1) Under Siege

“Under Siege” remains one of the most iconic moments in Avengers history, especially when it comes to their most powerful villains. This ran from The Avengers #270-277 in 1986 and followed Baron Zemo (Helmut Zemo) as he led his Masters of Evil against the Avengers in a methodical attack. What happened next made this a memorable story.

Zemo, along with dozens of other villains, attacked the Avengers at their mansion, beat Hercules into a coma, captured and savagely beat Edwin Jarvis, and then worked to psychologically decimate Captain America. They even destroyed Cap’s shield in a shocking moment, and then Zemo destroyed pictures and letters from Bucky Barnes, showing his pure evil nature. When it comes to villain wins, this is the best Marvel Comics story ever, and the best Avengers story of the 1980s.

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