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-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

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!