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

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!