Avengers (comics)
| Avengers | |
|---|---|
Cover of The Avengers (vol. 3) #38 (March 2001). Depicting (left-to-right): Hulk, Iron Man, Wasp, Thor, Vision, Captain America, Wonder Man, Hank Pym (as Goliath), Scarlet Witch, Carol Danvers (as Warbird), Quicksilver, and Delroy Garrett (as Triathlon). Art by Alan Davis. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Avengers #1 (September 1963) |
| Created by | Stan Lee (writer/editor) Jack Kirby (artist/co-plotter) |
| In-story information | |
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| Member(s) | |
| Roster | |
| See: List of Avengers members | |
The Avengers are a superhero/antihero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 (cover-dated September 1963). Labeled "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", the original Avengers consisted of Iron Man, Ant-Man, Hulk, Thor, and Wasp. Captain America was discovered trapped in ice in issue #4, and joined the group after they revived him. The Avengers are an all-star ensemble cast of established superhero characters from the Marvel Comics portfolio.
Diegetically, these superheroes usually operate independently but occasionally assemble as a team to tackle especially formidable villains. This in contrast to certain other superhero teams such as the X-Men, whose characters were created specifically to be part of their team, with the team being central to their identity.
The cast usually features a few highly popular characters who have their own solo books, such as Iron Man, alongside a number of lesser-known characters who benefit from exposure, such as Quicksilver, Wonder Man, and Tigra.
The Avengers have appeared in a wide variety of media outside of comic books, including several different animated television series and direct-to-video films. Beginning in 2008, the group were adapted in a film series from Marvel Studios, known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, culminating with The Avengers in 2012, with more appearances of the team in subsequent films.