My Favorite Avengers of All Time

I’m not sure why the other nerds continue to let me remain in the club with these lists of comic characters and teams.  Their lists consistently out-do mine!  As well they should, too, considering they’ve both got a decade or better more of comic reading than I do (Editor’s Note: Did he just call us old?)

But I’m doing what I can to at least keep up, and I still stand by my X-men team (though in hindsight Rogue would certainly have been a better pick over Colossus for reasons Clave gets into in his list of X-men), but have no clue how my Avengers build will stack up!  Here it goes anyway: My favorite Avengers of all time.

I’ll start with the ones I have in common with Jason.  The first two were shoe-ins.  The third pick we have in common comes a bit more from personal preference.

 

Captain America

I agree completely with Jason who said, “Captain America IS the Avengers.”

What Cap lacks in the form of what some might call “big” power or lots of guns, he makes up for in leadership, determination, morality, and motivation.  When Cap runs towards a threat, others fall in line behind that shield every time.

Few “deaths” in the Marvel Universe rang so loud as Steve Rogers’; proof positive of the clout he carries and the influence he exudes.  No Cap, no Avengers.

 

Doctor Strange

I’ve got limited exposure to Doctor Strange, but come on…how can you argue against granting a spot on your team to Steven Strange, The Sorcerer Supreme?

Even (and maybe especially) against non-magic foes, the dude is dangerous.  It’s always better to have a weapon on hand rather than just easily within reach, and so it is with Doctor Strange.

 

Beast

I like having a “brain” on the team, and the options were somewhat limited when it comes to the Avengers cast.  You’ve got Ironman/Tony Stark, who is a solid choice in his own right, but I don’t love his ego and tendency to do his own thing.

Mister Fantastic is a genius, no doubt, but I’ve never been a fan of the whole “I’m stretchy” thing.  I want something more in the field.  I could go with Hank Pym, too, but I’ve also never been a fan of shrinking/growing as a powerset.

I go with Beast for brains and brawn.  He just seems a better asset in the lab and in the field than the other geniuses to me.

 

Black Widow

Ah, my femme fatale.  Black Widow makes my list, which may make some scoff.  So what if she doesn’t actually have any powers?  That might be an argument for why I shouldn’t be an Avenger, but this is actually a strong argument for why she should.  Many of the Avengers cast don’t have any superhuman powers (Hawkeye, Mockingbird) or are ordinary humans augmented by suits (Ant-Man, Ironman, War Machine).

Although powerless, Natasha Romanov is deadly.  Intel, infiltration, stealth, martial arts, marksmanship, tactics, GADGETS.  She’s basically a ninja who lets you see her face because she isn’t afraid of you knowing who she is.  You’re not the threat.  She is.

There must be something to her for her to hang with the likes of Thor, Ironman, the Hulk and company…

 

Sentry

For muscle, I’m going with Sentry, which might be a total tool move, but I’m sticking with it.  Incredible strength, speed, near-invulnerability, energy projection…He’s a Superman analogue basically.

He’s stood toe-to-toe and held his own (or bested) some of the strongest in the Marvel Universe; including the Hulk and Thor – straight up taking a strike from Mjolnir like it was no big deal and putting the fear of God into the god of thunder.  And since we’re not above quoting from wikipedia here at Nerds on Earth:

“Nick Fury has stated that S.H.I.E.L.D. has not yet found a way to kill the Sentry, and Iron Man’s scanners have found no physical weaknesses in his body.”

That all the credentials I need to see.  I mean, sure, he’s a bit unstable in the brainpan, but his pros outweigh his potential cons…right…?

 

Wolverine

I’m somewhat surprised that Wolverine didn’t make it onto Jason’s Avengers build to be honest.  He’s got a spot on mine for sure!

I take Wolverine not just for his powerset, but for the way he carries himself in battle.  He’s more than willing to take orders…if he agrees with them.  If not, he does what needs done.  If Captain is incapacitated for some reason in the field, Wolverine is a strong and willing number two leader.

Plus he’s not beyond dealing a deathblow.  If he thinks killing is unavoidable or necessary, he’ll strike.  Most of the folks who have populated the Avengers rosters over the years don’t have this quality about them.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but again: I’d rather have the weapon on hand.  And good luck killing him.

 

Spider-man

Lastly, I call in Spider-man.  His powerset makes him an outstanding wingman and he’s proven in team settings (In fact, he loves teams! He’s been a part of more teams/team-ups than just about anyone else on the Avengers roster, save maybe Wolverine), but he’s also formidable all by himself; routinely besting baddies bigger, stronger, and faster than he is.

Spider-man would also be the much needed source of levity for the group, too.  I’ve admittedly compiled a team of hard-noses (with the exception of Beast occasionally).  Spidey wouldn’t just be comic relief, though, which is important and why I believe he rounds out the roster quite nicely.

 

Read Jason and Clave’s list of their 7 favorite Avengers, then tell us in the comments who you’d pick for your 7!