Summary
- The Avengers are pivotal in Marvel content, major storylines revolve around them showcasing their importance.
- Avengers team crossovers are crucial; each major event includes them earning their spot as Marvel’s top team.
- Must-read arcs like Infinity Gauntlet and Civil War define Marvel’s captivating storytelling and unforgettable characters.
The Avengers are at the pinnacle of the Marvel Universe, as the benchmark for superheroism. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes isn’t just a tagline to sell comics. It’s representative of the importance these heroes hold over the Marvel Universe, and as such, most major storylines revolve around them.
All of Marvel’s biggest, best crossover events have the Avengers in an active role, or at least are so big that the Avengers can’t be left out of the festivities. Even if it’s not a company-wide event, crossovers specific to the Avengers team are important enough to warrant all eyes of the Marvel Universe on them because of how important the squad is to Marvel. As the most important team that Marvel has to offer, their presence has given the Marvel brand some of its best and most thrilling storylines. The following are a few examples of the very best.
15 The Kang Dynasty (2001)
by Kurt Busiek, Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer, Rick Remender, Ivan Reis, and Manuel Garcia
All eyes are on Marvel now as audiences eagerly anticipate how they handle their Kang Dynasty of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the saga originally began with the 2001 comics storyline of the same name. Longtime Marvel villain Kang the Conqueror combats the Avengers to embark on plans for world domination, but this time, he succeeds.
Several villains have tried to takeover the world and failed before him, but at this point at least, Kang the Conquerer became the first Marvel villain to truly conquer the world. Even though the crisis is eventually averted and his reign of terror comes to an end, just the fact that Kang is the first to bring the world to his knees is shocking enough to earn this arc a spot on this list.
14 Jed MacKay’s The Avengers Vol.1, “The Impossible City”
by Jed MacKay and C.F. Villa
Speaking of Kang the Conquerer, Jed MacKay’s first arc as head writer of The Avengers starts with a bang as they quickly are confronted by a wounded Kang, refusing to die before delivering a dire warning to the super-team. Soon enough, the Avengers are met by the Ashen Combine, a God-tier group of villains who truly give the Avengers a run for their money. Not only that, but this arc introduces a new living headquarters for the Avengers known as The Impossible City.
This arc does exactly what readers want to see out of a new status quo for a series: highlight the stakes, highlight the new dynamic of the central characters, introduce a new threat, and introduce new elements that change the existing lore.
13 Uncanny Avengers (2023)
by Gerry Duggan, Jonathan Hickman, and Javier Garron
This is another recent addition to the Marvel Universe that would be higher if it wasn’t so fresh in everyone’s minds. When history does show that revisiting this arc only improves with age, then it will be truly appreciated, but for now, this is one of the most impressive iterations of the Uncanny Avengers. Not to mention, this was the perfect time to reintroduce the Uncanny Avengers into the lexicon of Marvel while the mutant community was in the midst of a war with anti-mutant organization, Orchis.
The themes that are normally present in X-Men stories were ever-present for this one. Not only did it make for a tremendous super-team of mutants and Avengers, but Captain America led the example of what a literal ally to those in need looks like by stepping onto the frontlines when needed.
12 Infinity (2013)
by Jonathan Hickman, Jim Cheung, Jerome Opeña, and Dustin Weaver
The word “Infinity” in the Marvel Universe, in any context, is always going to echo the Infinity Gauntlet storyline (more on that later) and the artifact of the same name. However, Jonathan Hickman’s penning Infinity helped add a new definition to the word infinity in the Marvel lexicon. For many today, Infinity is the word shared by Hickman’s series in which Thanos targets the Earth, taking advantage of the Avengers’ absence while they are in space dealing with The Builders.
Many of the elements introduced in Infinity – including the Mad Titan’s Black Order, and Thanos’ battle with Thor – would be exciting enough to be implemented into Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. In its own way, Jonathan Hickman’s Infinity series would prove just as significant to the Marvel Universe as the Infinity Gauntlet, even having major repercussions for the Avengers and the Inhumans after the fact.
11 The Korvac Saga
Avengers #167-177 by Jim Shooter and John Buscema
The central figure of the “Korvac Saga” is Michael Korvac himself, someone previously introduced as a product of the 31st century in an alternate universe. There, he betrays the human race in favor of collaborating with the conquering Badoon alien race, but ends up being betrayed himself when the Badoon turn the human traitor into a cyborg. He flees into Earth-616, where a trip into Galactus’ spaceship gives him the God-tier abilities of the Power Cosmic, turning him into a threat that demands the combined efforts of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers to stop.
This is a space opera in every sense of the phrase, and in that sense, remains utterly entertaining in its episodic sci-fi drama.
10 Secret Invasion (2008)
by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu
Those familiar with the Secret Invasion comic arc are still reeling from the MCU flop, but the stained name shouldn’t let the idea of a Secret Invasion put a bad taste in anyone’s mouth. Secret Invasion in comic book form made for some of the most compelling and suspenseful reading for any Avengers storyline. The storyline in question offered readers the shocking revelation that some of the heroes not only were replaced by shapeshifting Skrulls, but the Skrulls had been impersonating certain heroes for years.
On bated breath, readers eagerly anticipated week in and week out waiting to find out who was a Skrull and who truly was who they said they were. The TV show struggled to re-produce that same magic, but Secret Invasion managed to produce the same excitement in written form that audiences only get from weekly television, which is not an easy feat to pull off.
9 Siege
by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel
Not to be confused with Under Siege (don’t worry, we’ll get to it), Siege spins directly out of Dark Reign, where Norman Osborn not only took over S.H.I.E.L.D., rebranded it into H.A.M.M.E.R., and introduced his new Avengers line-up comprised of infamous villains. Needless to say, it was time for the actual Avengers to take action, action indeed was taken. Action is truly the theme of this arc, as there are some fun action set-pieces throughout the arc, including when Carol Danvers becomes Venom’s host and storms across Asgard.
Siege is actually littered with memorable moments all while housing a wholly compelling Avengers vs. Avengers storyline.
8 The Avengers: Under Siege (1986)
by Roger Stern and John Buscema
Under Siege may not hold the same sort of significant weight in Avengers history that a lot of storylines on this list seem to hold, but it does manage to be one of the most shocking stories to emerge in Avengers history. In an attack orchestrated by Baron Zemo, Avengers Mansion is under attack when the heroes least expect it. Never have the heroes been made to look as vulnerable against the supervillains at this point as they do here, especially on such a psychological level.
It was rare to see villains manage to get the one-up over superheroes in the Marvel Universe. That’s why it was such a shock to see the superheroes defeated like this in a way that seems to come out of nowhere both for them and the reader.
7 The Infinity Gauntlet (1991)
by Jim Starlin, George Pérez and Ron Lim
The Infinity Gauntlet may very well be the pinnacle of Marvel storytelling. So much of modern Marvel stories, both on-panel and onscreen, seem to trace back to The Infinity Gauntlet. Every superhero that Marvel had to offer at the time, including The Avengers, were on the board to try to stop Thanos and, for a moment at least, it seemed as though none of them would be enough to stop an Infinity Gauntlet wielding Thanos determined to impress Death.
Thanos was by no means a new character in Marvel lore, but this six-part series and its related tie-ins were enough to instantly elevate him into becoming the ultimate villain. Thanos certainly made an impression as an enemy of the Avengers that stands to this day, but really, this set him up as the biggest of Big Bads to the entire Marvel Universe. As a whole, the story set the bar for what Marvel looks like at its most captivating and few storylines, even those on this list, have managed to meet that bar.
6 Kree-Skrull War (1972)
by Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, Neal Adams, and John Buscema
Some will argue that the Kree-Skrull War may be the best storyline to ever come out of the Avengers comic line-up. The idea was merely to put the Avengers and the planet Earth smack dab in the middle of a raging war between two unforgiving races of alien. On paper, it’s a simple premise, but the execution managed to remain relevant years later.
Introducing the Kree, Skrull, and their relationship proved vital to the Marvel Universe’s growth, especially as that same relationship continues to evolve over time. Speaking of relationships, this storyline introduced the love affair between Scarlet Witch and Vision, which itself would have long term ramifications for the Marvel Universe moving forward.
5 Avengers Disassmbled (2004)
by Brian Michael Bendis
The concept behind Avengers Disassembled was simple – create an event that would eventually lead to the exit of core members of the team, and eventually lead to the end of the Avengers roster as readers knew them at the time. Brian Michael Bendis and co. were able to take a simple premise and stretch it to an important moment of intrigue.
What makes this event most important is Scarlet Witch’s storyline, which leads directly into House of M. As later in the list will show, House of M is a pivotal point in the Marvel Universe overall – not just for the Avengers – but audiences cannot possibly get to that point without Avengers Disassembled first laying the groundwork for it. For that reason alone, Avengers Disassembled is a must-read for any fan of the team.
4 House of M (2005)
by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel
This is a tricky one to categorize because the storyline is just as rooted in the X-Men franchise as it is the Avengers franchise. Some will argue that this is more of an X-Men storyline than an Avengers one but, really, this story arc managed to affect all sides of the Marvel Universe leaving no stone unscathed. This is especially the case for Scarlet Witch, as the story affectively re-painted Wanda Maximoff into a tragic hero constantly seeking redemption. It took years for mutants to recover from her actions. Wanda’s consequences brought about the revival of Hawkeye and the Shadow King, as well as Wolverine’s full memories.
For those still not convinced, the fact that the story is a direct sequel to Avengers Disassembled, follows Wanda’s friction with the team, and puts a leading spotlight on Wolverine during his Avengers run helps justify this as an Avengers story.
3 Avengers Disassembled
Multiple writers and artists led by Brian Michael Bendis
On top of serving as a follow-up to House of M, it also serves as the Avengers as they were known to be at the time. The team actively broke down, leading the way for a new roster just in time for the Brian Michael Bendis era. It was a harrowing road to get there, and for anyone who loved the prior era, utterly bittersweet. To mark a new beginning, a revamp was in order that changed the course of Avengers – and Marvel – history entirely.
Not every new element introduced in this storyline was a slam dunk or stuck around long term (i.e. Spider-Man gaining organic web shooters) but the attempt at something new while closing out the prior era in an emotional way was commendable, not to mentioned pulled at heartstrings.
2 The Children’s Crusade (2010)
by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung
The placement of this entry on the list may be deemed controversial, as House of M proved more significant to the Marvel Universe in the long run. However, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade is a direct sequel to House of M, completing the trifecta of storytelling that began with Avengers Disassembled. After Scarlet Witch went missing after the events of House of M, her son Wiccan sets off to find her in hopes of helping her repair the damage she’s done and return powers back to the mutant community.
The Children’s Crusade offers a satisfying bit of closure that closes out one of Marvel’s biggest storylines and opens the door for a drastic future featuring the next generation of heroes, two of whom – Wiccan and Hulkling – became major Marvel players starting with this story arc.
1 Civil War (2006)
Civil War series by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven
One can argue that Civil War has to be the most important storyline to take place in the Marvel Universe, as so much stemming from this event is still affecting the Marvel Universe today. Iron Man and Captain America’s relationship largely hinges on their feud during this arc, with Iron Man still apologizing for his part. The whole reason Spider-Man and Mary-Jane still aren’t together anymore is because Peter Parker sold his soul to Mephisto in the direct aftermath of this event.
Even beyond its importance in the grand scheme of things, Civil War is just a mighty gripping read from start to finish. It starts on a high note and ends with a bang that no one saw coming. Civil War was filled with exciting twists and turns, but the fact that it remains as relevant today as when its books first started hitting the shelves in 2006 is what makes it a significant tentpole in Avengers history.