Top 12 Avengers-Number 1

Top 12 Avengers-Number 1

Captain America

Captain America was not a creation of Stan Lee, in fact, the Captain has his origins before Stan was involved with comics and when Marvel Comics was known as Timely Comics. It was 1940, and the United States was still undecided about its policy concerning World War II, but since every other comic company had someone involved in the fight with Hitler and the Axis powers.

Originally he was going to be called Super American, but the adjective had been worn out by that point, so Joe Simon decided to name his character Captain America. In his first issue, Cap got to slug Hitler in the jaw. With that single issue, Captain America was a hit.

So what's Cap's story? I'm sure you've seen or heard it before, but here you go:

Born a Yankee Doodle Dandy (on the 4th of July in case you don't get the reference), Steve Rogers grew up to be a scrawny Fine Arts Student, and when the war started, he wanted to go and fight, but he was deemed unfit for service. He jumped at the chance to be a part of the Super-Soldier project in hopes that it would help him be able to serve his country.

Since the man behind the program is killed by enemy agents as Rogers becomes a Super Soldier, and since he didn't leave complete records of the formula, Rogers is used as a patriotic super hero. He battles America's enemies both at home and around the world, but in a daring attempt to defeat Baron Zemo, both Cap and his partner Bucky are involved in an explosion over the Atlantic, and they are both presumed dead.

Years later, a frozen Captain America is discovered and thawed from the ice. He recovers thanks to the Super-Soldier Serum and joins the team. Cap has often acted as the leader for the team, and his tactical expertise and experience have always been an asset.

Let's talk for a little bit about what makes Cap so special. The Super-Soldier Serum increases his strength, agility, speed, and everything else to beyond peak performance. He has a shield that is made from a blend of adamantium and vibranium (along with some other things) that is invulnerable and can absorb almost any shock it receives. Cap's long experience as a soldier has taught him how to predict the moves his enemies will make and how to counter them.

Cap has been a part of almost every major story line in the Avengers and the Marvel Universe. Although he only has his enhanced strength and the shield, Cap is still more than a match for many of the opponents he faces, but he does so with a humility that makes him endearing.

Let me tell you about some of my favorite Cap moments.

Captain America defeats Iron Man one-on-one. This has happened more than once actually, and every time it happens It makes me happy. Somehow Cap manages to overcome huge obstacles to defeat the man in the super armor.

Captain America defears the Super Adaptoid in possesion of the Cosmic Cube. The Super Adaptoid is a sentient robot that was designed to defeat any and all chalenges by duplicating the powers of anyone it encountered. At some point, this device gained the powers of the Cosmic Cube. (This is not to be confused with the cube in the Marvel movies.) The Cosmic Cube can basically grant any wish its holder might make. Using the power it had copied from the cube, the Super Adaptoid capture the Avengers, who were led by Captain Marvel (aka Photon) and held them in cubes that their powers could not affect. Captain America (then using the identity the Captain since he had been stripped of the title Captain America by the US government) was teleported to the scene. Cap was able to show the Adaptoid that it wasn't as perfect as it thought even though it had immense power. It wasn't able to create something original or even beat the Captain in combat. This proved, the Super Adaptoid shut down.

Awesome shield tricks I don't remember where this happened, but in a storyline Cap needed to get to the bottom of a deep pit. Without taking time to think about it, he jumped and fell

Cap jumps off the SHIELD helicarrier and hijacks a jet while it is in the air.
At the start of the Civil War storyline, Captain America is on the SHIELD helicarrier talking to the woman that is responsible for reigning in all of the heroes that are against registering. Rather than trying to explain the situation and the reasons that the government is taking these actions, she tries to detain the Captain. Cap doesn't take this approach very well and does something no one is expecting-he uses his shield to smash through the glass of one of the windows, and falls.

This is unexpected enough, but then Cap guides his decent so he lands on a jet plane patrolling around the helicarrier and ejects the pilot so he can fly it to safety.

Let's talk about the movies

I didn't do this with the others,but I just appreciated Chris Evans' performance in this role so much. Along with that, the film makers really got the character right. (Certainly better than Cap's first film.) Steve Rogers is all about being that guy that takes one for the team. He will jump on the grenade and think about everyone else first in a combat situation.

I loved watching Cap stand up to Thor's hammer and arguing with Iron Man. (Movie Iron Man gets a pass compared to the comic books.) I wasn't expecting Captain America: the First Avenger to be a period piece, but that ended up being the perfect way to introduce the character.

Steve Rogers is a symbol for America, but more than that, he fights for everyone that needs a hand, and that makes him my favorite Avenger. You may or may not agree, but that's what the comment section is for.

Top 12 Avengers-Number 2

She Hulk

Jennifer Walters was one of the last creations of Stan Lee during his original run as Marvel's idea man. She was an attempt to stop the Incredible Hulk television show from creating a cousin for David Banner that they wouldn't have the rights to.

She Hulk is a result of Bruce Banner trying to save his cousin's life. While he was visiting Jen, henchmen of crime boss, Nicholas Trask, shot her while trying to kill her sheriff/father,  and Bruce gave Jen a blood transfusion that also gave her powers similar to the Hulk.

Over the years, it was explained that her appearance was shaped by her subconscious desire to be the ideal woman as opposed to her small and shy original self. She Hulk became a member of the Avengers and had some solo activity before joining with the Fantastic Four to replace the Thing who had left the team during a period of frustration with Reed Richards not being able to return him to his human form.

After her time with the Fantastic Four, Jennifer Walters , who had become a lawyer, took a job as assistant District Attorney, and was given her own solo book, the Sensational She Hulk in which she knew she was actually a character in a comic book.

She Hulk has been a part of many of the legal proceedings of the Marvel Universe when she was counsel for Speedball after the events that led to the Civil War, and tied up legal proceeding for Peter Parker after it was revealed that he was Spider-man.

I know I can't list a lot of contributions from She Hulk as an Avenger, but she's always there lending a helping, green hand. I love her personality and resolve. Whether she's with the Fantastic Four or the Avengers, or just lending a helping hand, she is a great character that deserves to be at a top spot on this list. I just hope that someone decides she deserves a movie, and does it right. Joss Whedon could write and direct it, just make sure he doesn't kill her, OK?

Don't forget about the Lady Liberators too.

Top 12 Avengers-Number 3

Captain Marvel

This name gets tossed around a lot in the comic book world. The first Captain Marvel, and arguably the best is the DC version, but that doesn't have anything to do with the list right now.

We already talked a little bit about Photon and her time as Captain Marvel, but we haven't really talked much about the woman who has bounced almost everywhere in the Marvel Universe.

Carol Danvers started her story as a Security Chief with the US Air Force. At some point, she meets the alien-Kree hero, Captain Marvel. During an investigation, she almost dies in an explosion of the Psyche-Magnetron which melds her DNA with the DNA of Captain Marvel. Ms. Marvel (as she is known at that time) was a strong presence in the Marvel Universe, bouncing between titles on a regular basis.

Later in her story, Rogue decided to kill her. Actually, the precog, Destiny, had seen that Ms. Marvel would cause Rogue to leave Mystique and suggested that they kill Ms. Marvel. Unfortunately for Rogue, she overheard that conversation and took it upon herself to do the job. While absorbing Ms. Marvel's powers, something went wrong, and Rogue ended up absorbing everything from Carol leaving Ms. Marvel a blank slate.

After this event, Carol spends some time with the X-men. While battling the Brood in space, Carol is experimented upon by the Brood, and becomes Binary, who has access to the powers of a white hole. After dealing with the Brood, Carol stays in space with the Star Jammers.

An interesting manifestation of Carol happens inside the mind of Rogue. Since Rogue absorbed all that was Carol Danvers, that personality still lingers as a strong presence. Eventually, Carol is even able to take control of Rogue's body from time to time, especially when Rogue has been knocked unconscious or severely hurt.

Recently, Carol has taken on the title and role of Captain Marvel, left by the Kree hero that left it quite a while ago. It still remains to be seen what will happen with the character, but things are looking pretty good at this point.

Top 12 Avengers-Number 4

Thor

While trying to come up with new ideas for heroes, Stan Lee started thinking about mythology. It occurred to him that while most people were familiar with Greco-Roman figures, they weren't really familiar with other groups like the Norse. Since there would be fewer people complaining about discrepancies, Stan suggested that Marvel try using Thor as a hero.

This was great because not only did we get to have Thor, but Norse mythology had already provided a large group of allies and enemies to make writing a little bit easier. Odin and Loki have been huge features in the book, as well as Fenrir and the Midgard Serpent.

One of the most important parts played by Thor was the reason for the creation of the Avengers. Loki was trying to trick and theoretically kill his brother, Thor, by pitting him against the Hulk. Not only Thor replied to the call for help, but so did Ant Man, Wasp, and Iron Man. The four teamed up, and with the help of the Hulk, they managed to defeat Loki's evil scheme.

Since Thor has to split his attentions between Midgard (Earth) and Asgard, he hasn't always been an active part of the Avengers, but his presence is always welcomed, and appreciated.

I think what I really like about Thor is the option of the different worlds. With Asgard, you also get all of the Nine Realms with all of the insanity. Frost Giant, Dwarves, Dark Elves, Hel are all great possibilities, and you get all of the great enemies and allies like Enchantress, the Warriors Three, Sif and the rest.

I almost forgot to talk about Thor's alternate personalities. Early on, Thor had to spend a good portion of his time as Donald Blake, which was referenced in the Thor movie, but the original concept was Donald Blake as a doctor with a bad leg whose cane turned into Thor's hammer. At another point, Thor had disappeared, and a mortal named Eric Masterson was given the powers of Thor in an attempt to find the thunder god.

Thor is a big hit and he has been for a long time. With the success of Thor and the Avengers, look for more and more people to get interested as well.

Top 12 Avengers- Number 5

Photon

Monica Rambeau started her comic book story as a member of the New Orleans harbor patrol and gained her powers while trying to stop the creation of a weapon. Bathed in extra-dimensional energy, she gained the ability to transform her body into any form of energy. This gives her the ability to fly, and project energy either in energy and human forms.

After gaining her powers, Monica decides to become a super hero and takes the name Captain Marvel which while being one of the more popular names in the Marvel Universe, isn't currently in use. After Carol Danvers loses her powers as Binary, Monica gives up the name and becomes Photon.

I don't really know Monica as Photon, but I'll use the name to keep things simpler.

My main connection to Photon is during her time leading the Avengers. I really appreciated her in this role. It wasn't an easy time to be an Avenger, let alone leading the team. The ranks were a bit thin, and the original Avengers all had their own problems that kept them away from the team. Photon still did a great job in my opinion.

She did have some trouble with the Super Adaptoid after it had gained access to the Cosmic Cube, but that is to be expected. Other than that moment, I can't think of a problem she wasn't able to lead the team through.

I especially appreciated her upbeat attitude even in the worst conditions. She hasn't been a regular part of the Avengers for a while, but hopefully she'll be back sometime soon.

Top 12 Avengers-Number 6

Hawkeye and Mockingbird

I know that lots of people are shipping Hawkeye and Black Widow after the Avengers movie, and there is some justification for the connection, but I always preferred to see Clint and Bobbi together. Let's get some background first.

Hawkeye lost his parents at an early age and ran away to the circus with his brother Barney. Clint was trained to be a master archer, and headlines at the circus. Eventually, he decides to use his archery to become a hero. However, his initial encounter with the Black Widow messes that up a little bit. Clint fell in love with Natasha and she convinced him to help her steal industrial secrets from Tony Stark. After a few stories with Clint as a reluctant criminal, Iron Man actually puts him up for membership in the Avengers.

Clint was a part of the smallest team, when the Avengers were really figuring themselves out. It was just Captain America, Scarlett Witch, Quicksilver, and Hawkeye. After a bit, Giant Man, Wasp, and Hercules. Clint was a major player in the Avenger, and the driving force behind the creation of the West Coast Avengers, and the Great Lakes Avengers.

Clint has tried his had at using Pym particles to make him Goliath, but I always prefer him as the man with the bow. He always keeps his foes guessing with all the trick arrows at his disposal.

Bobbi Morse has a very confusing background before she started working with SHIELD and became Mockingbird, and I'm planning to ignore all of that. I want to talk about the woman that got Clint Barton to settle down, at least a little. Mockingbird doesn't have any super powers, but she has been trained by SHIELD, and wields a staff that can separate into two batons that she has been extensively trained to use.

The best thing about Mockingbird is when she takes her name literally, and makes fun of her opponents. (This is something that I appreciate in a lot of heroes.) Hawkeye and Mockingbird make a great team. I'm not sure of their status now that Bobbi isn't dead any more. Hopefully these two can get it together.

Note: There have been lots of stories about Clint hooking up with other heroes. My favorite was the issue of What if? where the heroes of the first Secret War never made it back to earth, and Hawkeye ended up marrying She-Hulk.

Top 12 Avengers-Number 7

The Hulk

Of all the characters considered to be Avengers, the Hulk is probably the most unconventional. If you go back to the origins of the Avengers, you will find that Loki tried to use the Hulk to destroy his brother, Thor, but unintentionally brought together the heros that would become the Avengers. The Hulk played a huge part in winning that battle, and he agreed to join the team.

Shortly after the team formed, the team's distrust of the the Hulk became apartent to even the Hulk's single-minded intellect. He left the team and rarely has anything to do with them. He does pop up from time to time, usually unexpected, but not unwanted.

The Hulk is a creature that exists because of the bravery of one man, Bruce Banner. While doing tests with Gamma radioation, he noticed a young man, Rick Jones, near the location of a Gamma bomb that was about to explode. Banner hurried to the site and saved Rick, but Banner was caught in the blast. Exposure to the Gamma radiation should have killed him, but instead, it transformed him.

In the original concept, Banner became the Hulk at night, but later, the transformations happened when Banner got angry. Generally the Hulk is only looking to express his anger through destruction, and the madder he gets, the stronger he gets. Bruce is always looking for a cure for his condition, and some of these attempts have led to some very interesting storylines.

Let me tell you about a couple of my favorite Avengers-related storylines involving the Hulk:

It's the 90's and one creative team decides to see what happens when you seperate Bruce Banner from the Hulk. In the comics, the job is done and it doesn't turn out well at all. The seperated Hulk is full of rage and does not have the calming influence of Banner to bring that rage under control. In one issue, the Avengers decide to deal with the problem since the Hulk is one of their own.

The East Coast team sends Hercules, and Namor, while the West Coast team sends Iron Man and Wonder Man. The four heroes do their best, but it isn't enough to stop a Hulk without the Banner persona. This Hulk does not have a limit to how much rage it can possess, and since the Hulk gets stronger the madder he gets, there is no limit to his strength either. Eventually, the Hulk gets bored with the fight and wanders away.

I also really enjoyed the time when the Hulk and Bruce Banner were united as one coherent being. He could think, but he still had the strength to do whatever he wanted. This Hulk was very different from your typical "Hulk smash" creature. Eventually, the rage took over the mind and the Hulk went back to his usual stories.

The Hulk has also been the most used in movies and television. Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno did an excellent job bringing David Banner's story to life. (I guess Bruce just wasn't right.) The show ran for several seasons with tie-in movies involving Daredevil, and Thor.

The Hulk has also had two movies recently and a role in the Avengers. Look for the green beast to continue to entertain.

Top 12 Avengers-Number 8

Vision

At some point during the writing of the Avengers, someone came up with a crazy idea. (In this case, I'm talking about the writing staff right now.) They thought it might be a good idea to make an character that was an android to explore some unique ideas. That is when the Vision was created. Even with an idea, someone has to make that idea work. So the writers started exploring possibilities, looking for ideas that could lead to stories that would draw the readers. (Isn't this the eternal goal of comic book writers?)

Vision was originally created by Ultron in a plot to destroy his own creator, Henry Pym. The sythezoid was given the brain patterns of Simon Williams (aka Wonder Man) who was still believed to be dead. This was an error on Ultron's part since he didn't know that Wonder Man had died his first death as a hero.

Vision had several occasions where he betrayed the Avengers because of his robotic nature. He built Ultron an adamantium body, and driven a bit unstable by losing his body in a fight with Annihilus, Vision tries to take over all of the computers in the world in order to make the world a better place.

Vision develops a relationship with Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlett Witch) and unconsciously using her hex powers, Wanda enables the couple to have a pair of twins. This relationship causes lots of trouble though, because of Wonder Man's brain patterns. Because Vision is basically Wonder Man, Simon also falls in love with Wanda creating an awkward love triangle.

Although he has had many set backs, Vision is a capable hero who brings a lot to any team he joins. He has super-human strength and the ability to fly, but the most important ability is being able to alter the density of his body. Vision can calculate at amazing speeds, and does not need to sleep so he can handle extended missions.

Top 12 Avengers-Number 9

Janet Van Dyne was a wealthy socialite with no real concerns on her mind until the day her father, a scientist, was killed. She then teamed up with Henry Pym, the scientist and hero known at the time as Ant Man. Hank used his Pym particles to allow Janet to shrink in size, and sprout wings from her back when she was at wasp size. She could also shoot energy blasts called 'wasp stings.'

In her early career, Jan was a bit of a flake. In the one TPB I read recently, she made a comment about wishing she could "contribute like the boys" or some such nonsense at least three times in the ten issues, and she wan't part of all of the stories.

Fortunately, Jan got over that attitude, as well as her marriage to Hank. They were married for quite a while after Hank got his head out of the clouds, and realized she actually liked him, but the marriage ended when, under pressures to be stronger, faster, better, he finally cracked under the pressure of the super hero life. (This pressure influenced him to led him to try Goliath, and Yellowjacket personas, as well as the creation of Ultron.)

My real experience with Jan was the time frame when she was the Chairperson of the East Coast branch of the team. At first it could be said that she only held the role because she was one of the founding members of the team, but she quickly became the leader that the team needed, and worked hard to make their adventures worth the money for the comic book. She worked hard to improve herself while still shopping and having make overs with the girls whenever she could find the time.

One of her most impressive feats was pushing her ability to become the Wasp by reducing the amount she had to shrink in order to gain use of her wings and stings. She actually reached the point where she could be almost at her full height which made her a very fierce woman with whom to tangle.

With or without the team, she has faced some of the biggest names in the Marvel universe including, the Hulk, Hercules, and she even held her own for a while against the Absorbing Man.

Just because she's small and a bit flaky at times, doesn't mean you should count out the Wasp.

Top 12 Avengers-Number 10

This one also has to be a combo job. This pair of pals probably would have been higher on the list, but I never really saw much of them, however, Beast and Wonder Man make a pretty enjoyable combination.

Beast and Wonder Man

Although he is a genius that will quote whatever obscure thinker you want to mention, the Beast is still a zany guy at heart. That may have to do with his roots as one of the original X-men. Beast and Iceman were often playing jokes or trying to use humor to lighten the dark situations those youngsters faced. When the original team was rescued from ? the Living Island by a new batch of recruits, everyone had to make a decision about what the future would hold.

Beast decided that since he had graduated from the Xavier Institute that he would move on from the X-men. He started off doing research with the Brand corporation until an experiment with a hormonal extract further mutates his body turning him into a blue ball of fur. He would be the funny man on a number of different teams, but one of the most-remembered teams was the Avengers. That is where he met and developed a wonderful bond with Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man

Simon Williams started his career as a villain trying to gain revenge on Tony Stark for the loss of William's family business as makers of weapons. After losing his business, Williams tried embezzling money. After he is caught and goes to jail, he agrees to be part of an experiment to turn him into a super being with ion-based powers.

Unfortunately for Simon, his early attempts at villainy ended in death. This led to some complications when it turned out that he wasn't really dead, just waiting for his body to adjust to its new ionic powers. After waking up, Simon joined with the Avengers and became a regular with the team. There was also another complication because while Simon was comatose, his brain patterns were used to give the android, Vision, a personality. This personality fell in love with the Scarlet Witch, which is exactly what happened with Wonder Man when he woke up. (However, at that point Vision and Wanda were already married.)

Anyway, Wonder Man and the Beast were on the Avengers together. They fought all kinds of evil during that time. However, what makes them most memorable, and gets them a spot on this list is the way they did it. There are lots of antics and some hearty banter as well.

Top 12 Avengers-Number 11

Justice and Firestar

I had to put these two together. Ever since they became a couple, it just seems like a natural combination to me. (I'll do the same thing a few other places as well.) Both of these characters have extremely detailed and complicated back stories, and it is only their lack of time with the Avengers that puts them so low on the list.

My first experience with Firestar was as a part of the television show Spiderman and his Amazing Friends. This was a Saturday morning cartoon that starred Spidey, Firestar, and Iceman. I'm not sure who came up with the team, but it was a fun show, and I really grew to appreciate all three of the characters.

Firestar has the power to generate microwaves and she uses them to create heat that allows her to fly and shoot heat blasts. She was originally brought in for Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends and she was brought into the X-men comics to give a new mutant for Emma Frost and Professor X to fight over. In the end, neither one won, and Angelica went off on her own and wasn't really seen much.

A while later, Firestar was recruited by Night Thrasher to battle Terrax a former herald of Galactus. This is where her character managed to do a lot of developing, and form the relationship with Vance Astrovik who used to be called Marvel Boy, but switched to Justice.

Vance Astro was slated to be the biggest hero in history when he took off on a one-man flight to Centauri IV at sub-light speed. The journey took him close to 1000 years, and when he landed, he was greeted by a large human colony. It turns out that faster-than-light speed had been developed shortly after he stared on his historic flight so everyone was able to beat him there. Because of complications on the trip, Vance was trapped in his flight suit. Also, during the trip, Astro's latent telekenisis developed.

Afer arriving, Vance was abducted by the Badoon along with Yondu, a native of the planet. Most of the other inhabitants of the planet were wiped out. Taken to Earth, they encountered Charlie-27 who was born on Jupiter, and Martinex from Pluto. The four managed an escape and formed the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Later during their adventures, the Guardians went back in time, and Vance accidentally caused his younger self to develop his powers and thus creating a new reality. This other Vance is actually who we want to talk about.

Vance ran away from home because his new powers led his father to become abusive. Vance joined the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, an organization for wrestlers with super powers. After returning home, he applied to the Avengers, but was rejected. Vance jumped at the chance to found the New Warriors.

After the Warriors disbanded, Justice and Firestar joined the Avengers. He is currently working as a teacher for the New Avengers.

Technically, Vance and Angelica aren't together anymore. (Maybe they are though, Marvel can let threads like that drop from time to time.) However, I think they were always best when they were together. Hopefully someone at the Bullpen will sort that out some time soon.

Top 12 Avengers #12

Tigra

Greer Grant Nelson was an ordinary woman until with a wonderful husband and not many worries int the world until her husband was shot in an off-duty incident. (He was a cop.) While trying to make a living, she started working for a scientist who had developed a way to help a person reach their ultimate potential. That is when Greer became the Cat. (Part of a 1970's attempt by Marvel to gain new female readers.)

As, the Cat, Greer had a special suit that mimicked a cat that included claws that had were attached to a line so she could swing from place to place, or secure her enemies. Later Greer was turned into the Tigra to act as the defender of a secret race of Catpeople.
Tigra has spent time with the Avengers and West Coast Avengers, and her unique skills have often proven to be very valuable. I like Tigra because her partially feline personality is fun to experience.

Sadly, Tigra is often the target for "we need a death syndrome" which is experienced by both Marvel and DC comics. Fortunately, Greer isn't dead at the moment.

Top 12 Avengers-Honorable Mentions

There are so many Avengers to choose from, and it seems a shame to leave any of them out, but I do have to keep this list at 12, just because that's what I do. However, I can still list some honorable mentions to help out a little. It won't let me list Team-Leader Era Wasp, or War Machine, but I did squeeze them in here.

Black Panther

T'Challa is the King of Wakanda, a small kingdom in Africa that has the distinction of being the most tribal in appearance and attitude, but also the most technological country in the world. This is because Wakanda is the leading supplier of Vibranium, a rare metal that absorbs vibrations. (Captain America's shield has vibranium in it and that is why he can handle being hit by Thor's hammer in that scene in the movie.)

The king of Wakanda also fills a special role because he is the leader and defender of his country as the Black Panther. The king trains his body to the peak of human perfection, and develops the skills needed to fight the enemies of Wakanda.

The Black Panther was first introduced to bring some diversity to the Avengers, and his characterization in the comics reflected that forced situation. This is a trend, that is a bit of a shame. I already talked about Triathlon, but it also happened with Falcon. Why can't they just become part of the team and that is it?

Panther had an attitude for a bit (and so did some of the Avengers, so I guess he had a right to be upset) but the team eventually managed to get beyond the race issue and get down to the business of saving the world. Panther hasn't been an active member of the Avengers for a while, but he does keep popping up. Most notable in recent events was his marriage to Ororo Monroe (aka Storm). That didn't last very long, and I'm glad it didn't. Storm has too much going on to be tied down to being Queen of Wakanda.

Hercules

Hercules is a bit behind the times. He really only wants one thing out of life, glorious adventures. Unfortunately that means that he isn't always thinking about the repercussions of his actions. Cap might be trying to talk his way out of a dangerous situation, and hen Herc just jumps in and slugs the guy which looks cool, but then starts a major battle.

With that being said, Hercules is strong and faithful. If he considers you a friend, he will face heaven and hell to save you. He is the actual hero that faced the challenges back when Greece was the cradle of civilization and was eventually given immortality.

He does tend to forget that us 'mere mortals' are mortal, but that may have something to do with spending time with heroes that never seem to stay dead.

Starfox

An Eternal from Titan, a moon of Saturn, Eros, aka Starfox didn't have much time for anything that didn't involve having fun or meeting women. That all changed when is brother, Thanos, killed most of their people. Thanos (who is that mysterious purple guy you spotted at the end of the Avengers.) Starfox can stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain and like all Eternals, he is super strong, resistant to harm, can heal quickly, and fly.

Starfox is an on-again-off-again kind of guy, so it is hard for him to make the list.

Antman

Henry Pym helped to start the Avengers as the shrinking Antman, but he's not the guy I want to talk about. Pym was always too worried about his power level even though he had proved his ability to save the world time and time again. Scott Lang, on the other hand, is more than happy to be the man who hangs out with ants.

Scott has been an Avenger, the scientific advisor for the Fantastic Four when Reed went missing, and helped to save the world many times. He is a great character and a great hero too.

Top 12 Avengers (the bottom of my barrel)

For your opinion to be worth anything, you have to have favorites and you have to have things that you do not care for at all. Hence the posting of a few characters that I don't enjoy. I do need to make a clarification here. In two of the three cases, I'm glad that the characters exist. They add to the storyline and serve a purpose, but I wouldn't want to hang out with them, or fight evil with them.

As I write this, I am trying to figure out alternate ways to write "He's a jerk." I'll figure that out down the road, but that phrase really does sum up this category. Remember too, that this category is about the comic book characters and not the movie personas.

Iron Man

I know there are going to be come complaints about this one. Tony Stark is a huge part of the Avengers mythology. He is a Founding Father, but he's also a jerk.

The quality from the movies that I think that people appreciate most about Iron Man is that while he looks out for his own interests first, he is also concerned about making the world a better place. (as long as it makes him look good.) This is not always the Iron Man that we get in the comics.

Here are some of the grievances I have against Tony Stark.

• Armor Wars-Tony realizes that his Iron Man technology is getting into the wrong hands and he decides to take it all back. This isn't such a big deal when he is attacking Hydra or AIM, but then he starts going after SHIELD too. Captain America confronts Tony about the issue and Iron Man tries to blow Cap away.
• Operation Galactic Storm-The Kree and Shi'ar are at war which wouldn't be a big deal except that the war is in our solar system. It's a long 19-part story that covers several titles. At the end of the conflict, there is some conflict between the team about whether or not to kill the Supreme Intelligence, the leader of the Kree people. Cap holds a vote, and the vote is against such a move, and orders the team not to proceed. Iron Man rounds up the dissenters and they proceed to kill the Supreme Intelligence.
• Civil War-Sure Tony didn't pull the trigger of the gun holding the bullet that killed Steve Rogers, but he was the man that made that moment possible. By taking the pro-registrations side in Civil War, he basically made it impossible for heroes to do the work that they wanted to do. Since this rant shouldn't be all about Tony and Steve, let's add the rotten hand he dealt Spider-Man. Spidey is on the pro registration side at first, but he changes his mind as the conflict continues. When that happens, Iron Man publicly announces Peter's identity for everyone to see. The Kingpin tries to have Spidey assassinated, and Aunt May gets shot instead. One Last Day happens. It's all Iron Man's fault.

Triathlon aka 3D Man

Triathlon is a man who was given the strength, speed, and endurance of three men. He also has the ego of three men, and none of the ability to back it up.

There came a time in continuity where people were upset that the Avengers weren't diverse enough. Enter Triathlon. He was foisted on the team, and even though he was never invited by the team or proved his value, he was there.

Even though they tried to accept him and make him a part of the team, Triathlon's attitude made that a difficult prospect. he wouldn't work with the team most of the time, and looked down his nose at most of them too. I think I'd better stop talking about him, because I feel like I'm just being mean now.

Quicksilver

Sure he's the son of Magneto. Sure he is a mutant, hated and feared by the world. Sure his wife took their daughter and left, but does he really have to be a jerk about it?

Quicksilver started out in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants with his sister, the Scarlett Witch. When Magneto was sent into exile. At that point, they didn't know who their father was. They decided the Avengers was the best place to show their true nature. Even with this backstory, Pietro was always an arrogant jerk.

That's the bottom of my Avenger's barrel. Next up we will have the honorable mentions.

Excelsior!

Top 12 Avengers

So lots of people have been thinking about the Avengers ever since Joss Whedon's movie came out this summer. It's not surprising to me that the movie did so well. Fans have only been preparing for this for around a decade. Each movie prior to the Avengers was basically like a long trailer. (Iron Man 1 + 2, Thor, Captain America, and both Hulk movies.)

I have some issues with the way the movie came together, but I'll save that for a separate opinion, after all this is just a Top 12 list. However, the Avengers have had a long history (1963-present) Member have come and gone, but several things have been consistent. Let's let Stan Lee take care of that part with the opening heading at the start of most of the 70's era Avengers comics:

"And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth's mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born—to fight the foes no single super hero could withstand! Through the years, their roster has prospered, changing many times, but their glory has never been denied! Heed the call, then—for now, the Avengers Assemble!"

The Avengers got their start when Loki decided to mess with his brother, Thor. He tried to use the Hulk as a weapon, but all it did was bring together a new team of heroes. That original team consisted of Iron Man, Thor, Ant Man, Wasp, and the Hulk. The Hulk didn't last long, and it didn't take much time for the minds of Marvel to think up a way for Captain America to return from the dead after his disappearance at the end of World War II.

Characters have come and gone since those days, but the team usually consists of seven members. At least one of those members tends to be one of the founding five. (Due to the Hulk's unstable nature, Captain America is generally considered the fifth founding member.)

So now that we have the basic background, I can give you the details on how this list is going to work. The choices will be made on characters that I feel either contributed the most to the team, or to my enjoyment of the Avengers. It won't be a matter of power levels or strength. I may pair up a couple of characters from time to time if I feel they are linked in a special way.

Other than that, it will just be my opinions, and if you don't like them, that's your choice to make. Feel free to argue with me in the comments.

One other thing, I'm not really up to date on what is currently going on in Marvel, and I have some issues with certain people becoming Avengers just because they are popular (Spider-Man and Wolverine come to mind because they don't fit the team profile very well. Besides, Spidey has said "No" on multiple occasions in the past, and the one time he did say "Yes" he quit by the end of the issue.)

Hopefully you will enjoy the list, and it won't take as long to write as the Top 12 X-men one took. (I just realize that I never finished that particular list. Oops)

Excelsior!