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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
- Sprache: Englisch
Meet Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!
You may be a fan of the Avengers, but can you name the original members of the team? Avengers For Dummies is your guide to this legendary super hero team. Discover the many characters who joined the team throughout the years and explore the multiple spinoffs that keep the story going. Produced in partnership with Marvel Comics and featuring full-color art taken directly from the Marvel Comics archives, this fun and friendly guide will introduce you to the Avengers, their biggest foes, and their most epic battles. Get to know the human side of these formidable heroes and learn about their greatest loves and internal team struggles. Between their powerful abilities, dramatic storylines, and relatable flaws, discover how the Avengers and their fandom has grown in strength for generations.
- Discover the origins of the Avengers, including which heroes suited up first
- See how the Avengers’ mission, alliances, and lineup have changed over time
- Explore the character arcs and how the story of the Avengers has evolved
- Learn about their greatest battles and major enemies
For the avid Avengers collector or the familiar fan looking to dive into the essential storylines, Avengers For Dummies has you covered!
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Seitenzahl: 354
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
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Avengers For Dummies®
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Table of Contents
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Getting Acquainted with the Avengers
Chapter 1: The Coming of the Avengers!
The Timely-Atlas Eras
The Marvel Age
Bringing the Pieces Together: The Avengers Assemble
The Avengers' Earliest Adventures
A Living Legend Joins Their Ranks: Captain America
Chapter 2: Earth’s Mightiest Support
Edwin Jarvis
The Quinjet
The Identicard
The Combat Simulation Room
Deep Space Monitoring Station
Chapter 3: Where the Avengers Call Home
Avengers Mansion
Avengers Auxiliary Headquarters
Hydrobase
Avengers West Coast Compound
Stark Tower
Sanctum Sanctorum
Infinite Avengers Mansion
Avengers Hangar
The Baxter Building
Avengers Mountain
The Impossible City
Part 2: Roll Call
Chapter 4: The Old Order Changeth!
A Weary Team of Heroes Reevaluates Its Purpose
Chapter 5: Expansion and Proliferation
West Coast Avengers
Avengers of the 1980s–1990s
Chapter 6: Avengers of the New Millennium
Avengers Disassembled
New Avengers
Going Cosmic
Chapter 7: Spin-Offs Assemble
Force Works
Young Avengers
The Initiative
Dark Avengers
Secret Avengers
Avengers Academy
Uncanny Avengers
Avengers A.I.
Mighty Avengers Redux
A-Force
U.S.Avengers
Part 3: Earth’s Mightiest Challenges
Chapter 8: The Foes No Single Super Hero Could Withstand
Kang the Conqueror
Ultron
Masters of Evil
The Kree
Thanos
The Zodiac
Count Nefaria
Grim Reaper
Morgan Le Fay
Graviton
Proctor and the Gatherers
The Void
Taskmaster
Doctor Doom
Magneto
Norman Osborn
The Skrulls
Dormammu
Hydra
Michael Korvac
The Beyonders
Chapter 9: When Heroes Team Up and When They Collide
The Avengers/Defenders War
The Korvac Saga
Operation: Galactic Storm
Bloodties
The Crossing
Best Intentions
Avengers Disassembled
House of M
Civil War
Avengers/Invaders
Revengers
Avengers vs. X-Men
Civil War II
Secret Empire
Empyre
A.X.E.: Judgment Day
Chapter 10: Alternate Realities and Timelines
What the Heck Is Earth-616?
Squadron Supreme
Heroes Reborn (1996)
The Queen’s Vengeance
Avengers Forever
MC2
The Ultimates
Next Avengers
Avengers of the Undead
Age of Ultron
Heroes Reborn (2021)
Avengers 1,000,000 B.C.
Part 4: Tragedies and Triumphs
Chapter 11: Love Lost and Love Found
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Scarlet Witch and Vision
Mantis and Swordsman
Hawkeye and Mockingbird
Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man
Crystal and Quicksilver
Black Knight and Sersi
Firestar and Justice
Black Panther and Storm
Luke Cage and Jessica Jones
Hulkling and Wiccan
Blue Marvel and Photon
Chapter 12: Earth’s Mightiest Internal Struggles
Avengers at Odds
Personal Battles Off the Battlefield
Part 5: The Part of Tens
Chapter 13: Ten Times When the Public Turned Against the Avengers
The Avengers vs. the U.S. Army
A Stormy Public Debut of Cap’s Kooky Quartet
Alien Witch Hunt
Black Panther Accused of Neglecting His Responsibilities
Namor Joins the Avengers
Sersi: Wanted by the NYPD
Allegations of Prejudice
A Bigoted Public Against Mutants on the Team
The Super Hero Registration Act
Protesting the Avengers Just Because
Chapter 14: Ten Avenging BFFs
Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton
Clint Barton and Steve Rogers
Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson
Hank McCoy and Simon Williams
Carol Danvers and Jessica Drew
Tony Stark and Jim Rhodes
Janet Van Dyne and Jennifer Walters
Dane Whitman and Hercules
Luke Cage and Danny Rand
Kamala Khan and Miles Morales
Index
About the Author
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1-1: The android Human Torch makes his fiery debut.
FIGURE 1-2: A scientist, his adventurous wife, her hot-headed brother, and thei...
FIGURE 1-3: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes unite for the first time.
FIGURE 1-4: Mischievous thoughts by a mischievous god.
FIGURE 1-5: Bruce Banner becomes the strongest one there is.
FIGURE 1-6: Rick Jones putting out the call to any available heroes.
FIGURE 1-7: Tony Stark suits up for the first time as the invincible Iron Man.
FIGURE 1-8: Hank Pym venturing into an ant hill, with his new discovery, the “P...
FIGURE 1-9: The winsome Wasp debuts as the new partner of Ant-Man.
FIGURE 1-10: The son of Odin does battle against an alien armada.
FIGURE 1-11: Ant-Man, the Wasp, and Iron Man close in on their target, the Hulk...
FIGURE 1-12: A troll pays the toll for confronting the God of Thunder.
FIGURE 1-13: Loki taken down by the brilliant mind of the diminutive Ant-Man.
FIGURE 1-14: The Space Phantom can take the form of anyone, even an Avenger.
FIGURE 1-15: Namor and the Hulk together spell trouble for the Avengers.
FIGURE 1-16: Captain America takes the fight to the Axis powers.
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: Earth’s Mightiest Butler, Edwin Jarvis, is a man of many skills.
FIGURE 2-2: The Quinjet makes its debut.
FIGURE 2-3: A schematic of Earth’s Mightiest Jet.
FIGURE 2-4: The Identicard — Avengers never leave home without it.
FIGURE 2-5: Captain America and Warbird hone their skills in the Combat Simulat...
FIGURE 2-6: The Deep Space Monitoring Station gives Avengers early warning of c...
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1: Behold the wonder that is Avengers Mansion.
FIGURE 3-2: Always have a backup — that includes Avengers headquarters.
FIGURE 3-3: Hydrobase, aka Avengers Island.
FIGURE 3-4: Hawkeye testing the acoustics of the Avengers West Coast Compound.
FIGURE 3-5: Stark Tower, a gleaming spire in the heart of Manhattan.
FIGURE 3-6: Home of the Master of the Mystic Arts.
FIGURE 3-7: Hank Pym showing off his latest stroke of brilliance, the Infinite ...
FIGURE 3-8: Jarvis is whelmed by the Avengers' new base of operations.
FIGURE 3-9: A look into the home of the Fantastic Four (and temporary Avengers ...
FIGURE 3-10: The husk of a dead Celestial, possibly the most unique HQ in Aveng...
FIGURE 3-11: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes meet a sentient city-sized spaceship.
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4-1: The first official Avengers roster change.
FIGURE 4-2: Cap and Rick Jones are taken aback by the news of the founding Aven...
FIGURE 4-3: Cap’s Kooky Quartet makes its debut to the public.
FIGURE 4-4: The Avenging Archer makes his debut as a hero but gets mistaken for...
FIGURE 4-5: Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, reluctant members of Magneto’s Broth...
FIGURE 4-6: Hawkeye’s former mentor and criminal, the Swordsman, turning over a...
FIGURE 4-7: The Prince of Power, Hercules, joins the Avengers in battle against...
FIGURE 4-8: The king of Wakanda races against time to clear his name and help h...
FIGURE 4-9: Vision makes his villainous debut, only to become a hero and join t...
FIGURE 4-10: After time travel shenanigans, the Black Knight proves his worth a...
FIGURE 4-11: The Black Widow and Daredevil help the Avengers take on the Master...
FIGURE 4-12: Contrary to the look of the cover, Mantis and Swordsman are not th...
FIGURE 4-13: When the respective big brains of the Avengers and X-Men clash.
FIGURE 4-14: With the other Avengers waylaid, Moondragon and Beast step up to t...
FIGURE 4-15: Hellcat becomes a super hero, whether the Avengers like it or not....
FIGURE 4-16: The Whizzer challenged the Avengers, only to befriend them in the ...
FIGURE 4-17: The first Marvel character to return from the dead (other than Cap...
FIGURE 4-18: Mar-Vell is in the crosshairs as McCarthyist alien witch hunts beg...
FIGURE 4-19: Two-Gun Kid gives the order to “Shoot ‘Em Down,” welcoming the Ave...
FIGURE 4-20: The debut of the classic black and gold Ms. Marvel costume.
FIGURE 4-21: The Falcon debuts.
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5-1: The West Coast Avengers spring into action in their own ongoing ser...
FIGURE 5-2: Bobbie Morse bursts into action in her own series.
FIGURE 5-3: No longer “The Cat” in name only, Greer Grant-Nelson is now Tigra.
FIGURE 5-4: Jim Rhodes is no longer in Iron Man’s shadow — he’s now War Machine...
FIGURE 5-5: Moira Brandon proves even a civilian can be as brave as an Avenger....
FIGURE 5-6: Jocasta is locked and loaded.
FIGURE 5-7: She-Hulk breaks the fourth wall yet again.
FIGURE 5-8: Monica Rambeau returns to the Photon codename and costume.
FIGURE 5-9: Judgment Day approaches, yet Starfox is ready for the afterparty.
FIGURE 5-10: Namor races against the clock to stop a terror cell from Atlantis....
FIGURE 5-11: Ben Grimm goes solo once more.
FIGURE 5-12: Firebird: super hero and social worker.
FIGURE 5-13: Doctor Druid, looking as smug as ever.
FIGURE 5-14: Moon Knight strikes at the underworld, metaphorically and literall...
FIGURE 5-15: Marrina returns to her former team, Alpha Flight.
FIGURE 5-16: Ravonna Renslayer’s plans are as complex as Kang’s.
FIGURE 5-17: Hank Pym’s tech is stolen once again, this time by Rita DeMara, th...
FIGURE 5-18: The Forgotten One will never back down from a fight, even against ...
FIGURE 5-19: One-half of Marvel’s first family, the Invisible Woman and Mister ...
FIGURE 5-20: John Walker becomes disenfranchised with his government, much like...
FIGURE 5-21: Quasar lends the Avengers a hand during the Kree-Shi’ar War.
FIGURE 5-22: The android Human Torch makes his triumphant return.
FIGURE 5-23: Demolition Man tries his best to prove his worth.
FIGURE 5-24: Machine Man steps out into his own series by Jack “The King” Kirby...
FIGURE 5-25: Living Lightning and the other Avengers team with Venom against th...
FIGURE 5-26: Julia Carpenter stands with the rest of Force Works against Avenge...
FIGURE 5-27: Chris Powell once again unlocks the power of Darkhawk.
FIGURE 5-28: Sersi and the other Eternals try to piece together their fractured...
FIGURE 5-29: After spending years in the black costume, Spidey returns to his c...
FIGURE 5-30: Stingray lends a pro bono hand to the Heroes for Hire.
FIGURE 5-31: When his grandmother was killed, the super-villain community truly...
FIGURE 5-32: A reformed Sandman takes on the reformed Masters of Evil (Thunderb...
FIGURE 5-33: Crystal bringing her vast elemental powers into battle.
FIGURE 5-34: After spending time merged with Thor, Eric Masterson strikes out o...
FIGURE 5-35: The alternate Earth Swordsman and Magdalene fight back an assault ...
FIGURE 5-36: Deathcry joins the Avengers, whether they like it or not.
FIGURE 5-37: The Avengers find help in the form of a former enemy, Masque.
FIGURE 5-38: Justice helps train recruits for the Initiative.
FIGURE 5-39: Firestar fights a personal battle tougher than any super villain f...
FIGURE 5-40: The former Triathlon now blazes a trail as the new 3-D Man.
FIGURE 5-41: Silverclaw and the Avengers getting off on the wrong foot.
FIGURE 5-42: Though it takes convincing by S.H.I.E.L.D. and Iron Man, Jack of H...
FIGURE 5-43: A former thief with his heart in the right place takes up the mant...
FIGURE 5-44: Lionheart drops in on the new Excalibur team.
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: The worst day in Avengers history.
FIGURE 6-2: The beginning of the New Avengers era.
FIGURE 6-3: Marvel’s original hero for hire, Luke Cage.
FIGURE 6-4: Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman, spins her web in her first ongoing ...
FIGURE 6-5: Wolverine is the best at what he does, but what he does isn’t very ...
FIGURE 6-6: The Sentry, aka the man with the power of a thousand exploding suns...
FIGURE 6-7: The former killer for hire works toward redemption.
FIGURE 6-8: Danny Rand prepares to learn more about the lineage of the Iron Fis...
FIGURE 6-9: Doctor Strange has to save Eternity itself from the wicked Dormammu...
FIGURE 6-10: An abducted son is the one thing that will make Ares once again be...
FIGURE 6-11: So begins the Winter Soldier’s road to redemption.
FIGURE 6-12: Alias Investigations is reopened by private investigator Jessica J...
FIGURE 6-13: Cassie Lang proves she was every bit the hero her father was as St...
FIGURE 6-14: Amadeus Cho proves that he is a Hulk who’s totally in control.
FIGURE 6-15: Marvel Boy arrives in the prime Marvel Universe.
FIGURE 6-16: The mystery of “Who Is the Red Hulk” begins.
FIGURE 6-17: Stalking the rooftops, Daredevil fights to keep the streets of Hel...
FIGURE 6-18: The weather goddess uses her status to fight for mutant rights on ...
FIGURE 6-19: The Avengers prepare to face the most significant threats they’ve ...
FIGURE 6-20: Tamara Devoux helps the Avengers unravel the mystery of the dying ...
FIGURE 6-21: The last survivor of an alternate universe comes to help prevent o...
FIGURE 6-22: Farmer, astronomy major, and super hero Izzy Kane is the first Ear...
FIGURE 6-23: Sunspot reunites with his teammates from the original New Mutants....
FIGURE 6-24: Manifold is more than just a support player — he played pivotal ro...
FIGURE 6-25: The last of her species, Abyss is loyal to the enigmatic Builders,...
FIGURE 6-26: Nightmask was created as a tool for the Builders, but his free wil...
FIGURE 6-27: Kevin Connor’s light didn’t shine for long as Starbrand, but it sh...
FIGURE 6-28: Miles Morales, the newest Spider-Man, swings onto the scene.
FIGURE 6-29: Ms. Marvel returns, this time as one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, ...
FIGURE 6-30: Sam Alexander fights to be the Nova that his father once was.
FIGURE 6-31: Nadia van Dyne overcomes her Red Room training to become the unsto...
FIGURE 6-32: The deadly secret of Avenger X’s powers had her go from Avenger to...
FIGURE 6-33: Robbie Reyes carries on the Ghost Rider’s legacy, but it’s not a s...
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: From the ashes of the Avengers West Coast comes Force Works.
FIGURE 7-2: The Young Avengers are Marvel’s newest super heroes, whether the Av...
FIGURE 7-3: Welcome to the Initiative. We hope you survive the experience.
FIGURE 7-4: The Dark Avengers were a threat to both the New and the Mighty Aven...
FIGURE 7-5: Steve Rogers’ Black Ops unit known as the Secret Avengers.
FIGURE 7-6: Avengers Academy, created to keep at-risk super-powered youth from ...
FIGURE 7-7: The Avengers Unity Division, aka the Uncanny Avengers.
FIGURE 7-8: The Avengers A.I. unit specializes in deescalating situations with ...
FIGURE 7-9: Luke Cage assembles a team of Mighty Avengers.
FIGURE 7-10: She-Hulk leads an all-women’s Avengers roster, A-Force.
FIGURE 7-11: Roberto Da Costa’s U.S.Avengers.
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8-1: The entire timeline trembles as the Kang Dynasty ensues.
FIGURE 8-2: Ultron Unlimited proved to be the Avengers’ most brutal battle agai...
FIGURE 8-3: Baron Zemo and his Masters of Evil can overwhelm even Earth’s Might...
FIGURE 8-4: The Kree Empire’s lust for conquest makes them a formidable threat....
FIGURE 8-5: After gathering the six Infinity Gems, Thanos became the most power...
FIGURE 8-6: The Zodiac has plagued not only the Avengers but several other supe...
FIGURE 8-7: Count Nefaria is a man who’s “super” enough to take on multiple tea...
FIGURE 8-8: Grim Reaper proves that family can sometimes be the most frustratin...
FIGURE 8-9: Morgan Le Fay is one of the most persistent magic-based menaces.
FIGURE 8-10: Graviton’s raw power means that he should never be underestimated....
FIGURE 8-11: Proctor and the Gatherers aren’t recurring villains, but they caus...
FIGURE 8-12: The Sentry’s evil half, the Void, possesses near-limitless power.
FIGURE 8-13: Taskmaster is one of the deadliest hand-to-hand fighters in the Ma...
FIGURE 8-14: Even in an alternate reality, the monarch of Latveria, Doctor Doom...
FIGURE 8-15: The survival of mutantkind is Magneto’s top priority, no matter wh...
FIGURE 8-16: The more significant menace to the Avengers wasn’t the Green Gobli...
FIGURE 8-17: The alien Skrulls launch their deadliest-ever campaign against Ear...
FIGURE 8-18: Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, has designs on Earth.
FIGURE 8-19: The tendrils of the terror group Hydra reach far and wide.
FIGURE 8-20: Michael Korvac’s mad lust for power led to him wiping out the Aven...
FIGURE 8-21: The Beyonders will fix the Multiverse, even if it means destroying...
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9-1: The first major team crossover event for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes w...
FIGURE 9-2: Never before had one villain nearly single-handedly ended the Aveng...
FIGURE 9-3: Operation: Galactic Storm was the biggest Avengers crossover event ...
FIGURE 9-4: The Avengers and X-Men unite to protect an innocent child and preve...
FIGURE 9-5: If ever there was an Avengers story rife with drama, it was “The Cr...
FIGURE 9-6: Avengers Disassembled was the worst day in Avengers history.
FIGURE 9-7: The Scarlet Witch still tries to atone for what happened in “House ...
FIGURE 9-8: The Civil War left the super-hero community divided on how they sho...
FIGURE 9-9: The New and Mighty Avengers join forces with the time-displaced Inv...
FIGURE 9-10: Believing that the Avengers are failing at their job, Wonder Man o...
FIGURE 9-11: AvX left many physical and mental scars on the Avengers and the X-...
FIGURE 9-12: In Civil War II, Iron Man stood on the side of civil liberties thi...
FIGURE 9-13: Hearing Captain America shout “Hail Hydra” was one of the most fri...
FIGURE 9-14: The Avengers and the Fantastic Four wind up on opposite sides of a...
FIGURE 9-15: Judgment Day comes for the X-Men and, by proxy, the Avengers, cour...
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10-1: The first time that the prime Marvel Earth was referred to as Eart...
FIGURE 10-2: The world’s greatest heroes of Earth 712 are the Squadron Supreme....
FIGURE 10-3: Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld shocked the industry with their return to ...
FIGURE 10-4: With Earth remade into a modern Camelot, the Avengers are also tra...
FIGURE 10-5: Younger heroes take center stage in
A-Next
.
FIGURE 10-6: The Ultimates features an edgier take on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes....
FIGURE 10-7: The offspring of the Avengers fight to prevent an apocalyptic futu...
FIGURE 10-8: The monstrous Avengers of the Undead from Earth-666.
FIGURE 10-9: “Age of Ultron” gives us a world in which Ultron nearly achieves h...
FIGURE 10-10: The Heroes are reborn again. This time, the Squadron Supreme are ...
FIGURE 10-11: The Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C.
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11-1: The Avengers’ first power couple, Ant-Man and the Wasp.
FIGURE 11-2: The Vision and the Scarlet Witch came together as a couple against...
FIGURE 11-3: The tragic romance of Mantis and the Swordsman.
FIGURE 11-4: A by-the-books secret agent and a rebel without a cause, aka Mocki...
FIGURE 11-5: Though they didn’t work out as a couple, Scarlet Witch and Wonder ...
FIGURE 11-6: The Inhuman elemental and the mutant speedster, Crystal and Quicks...
FIGURE 11-7: The Black Knight and Sersi fight for control of themselves and the...
FIGURE 11-8: Justice and Firestar graduated from New Warriors to Avengers, but ...
FIGURE 11-9: The wedding of the century between Black Panther and Storm.
FIGURE 11-10: Luke Cage and Jessica Jones: detectives, heroes, and parents.
FIGURE 11-11: Hulkling and Wiccan are perhaps the highest-profile LGBTQ couple ...
FIGURE 11-12: Blue Marvel and Photon endured tragedies but always came back str...
Chapter 12
FIGURE 12-1: The first significant fracture in the friendship of Steve Rogers a...
FIGURE 12-2: The Avengers discover that Black Panther first joined the team to ...
FIGURE 12-3: During a period of Hawkeye doubting himself, he started using Pym ...
FIGURE 12-4: One of several times that Hank Pym was offered an “easy out” for h...
FIGURE 12-5: Vision was put back together but lacked the emotions he previously...
FIGURE 12-6: Monica Rambeau didn’t need to hear yet another comment about how “...
FIGURE 12-7: Black Widow harbors guilt over the Avengers’ “death” on her watch....
FIGURE 12-8: That sobering moment when Carol Danvers finally realized that she ...
FIGURE 12-9: The typically comedic She-Hulk has had instances where she lost co...
FIGURE 12-10: Jessica Jones and Luke Cage hunt the Skrull who kidnapped their d...
FIGURE 12-11: Sam Wilson fights an unjust system, arguably even harder than Ste...
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Begin Reading
Index
About the Author
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Avengers For Dummies®
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ISBN 978-1-394-29935-5 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-394-29936-2 (ebk)
Introduction
And there came a day unlike any other when Earth’s mightiest heroes 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!
This intro to my very first issue of The Avengers, which was #189 by Steven Grant, Mark Gruenwald, Roger Stern, and John Byrne, let me know that I was about to witness something special. That intro prepared me for the most mind-blowing adventures and, at times, the most heart-wrenching soap operatics. My journey as a comic book reader started with my favorite character, Iron Man. Old “Shellhead” led me to check out that incredible team he was a part of, the Avengers. It’s there that I encountered a loud-mouthed jerk who I hated at first, yet over time, became my other favorite super hero, Hawkeye.
About This Book
Avengers For Dummies is a handy-dandy book that allows you to dive into any portion of Avengers lore in whatever order you wish. If you choose to read about the history of the team first, by all means, start from the beginning. Those who choose to read about the villainy that the team has faced can dive in there first. It’s your prerogative how you digest the information that was painstakingly put together.
Trying to condense over 60 years of lore into a couple hundred pages is a daunting task for anyone. I hope that I rose to the challenge in the eyes of the readers. That being said, you may not see every single ancillary title or supporting character that has ever appeared. That’s okay. This book is a broad-strokes guide that is here to take you on a journey, but not too deep in the weeds.
Foolish Assumptions
There are fans of the movies who might not know that Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are the mutant children of Magneto. Those who guessed this are correct … and incorrect (long story explained in later chapters). Others believe the super hero “Civil War” was just a conflict between a handful of Avengers. This book helps to clarify the events in the source material that inspired the movies and television shows.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout this book, icons in the margins highlight certain types of information. Here are the ones I use:
Remember icons flag important bits of lore that are worth storing away in your brain.
Technical Stuff icons point out little details of character or plot. Sometimes, I use it to flag bits of nerdy trivia or explain in-jokes, comic-book jargon, inconsistencies, and changes in the characters’ continuity over the years.
Beyond the Book
A quick trip to www.dummies.com will allow you to search for the Avengers For Dummies Cheat Sheet. This cheat sheet has an hors d’oeuvres–size sampling of the excellent main course that awaits you in this book. You can also visit the Marvel Unlimited app, which allows you to access thousands upon thousands of comics that you can read on your tablet or smartphone.
Where to Go from Here
While I recommend reading Chapter 1 to learn about the history and formation of the Avengers, from there, you can jump around to any chapter that gets your attention, whether that’s super villains (Chapter 8) or soap operas (Chapter 11). Any path you choose should lead you to the realization that the Avengers are one of the most extraordinary super hero teams around.
Part 1
Getting Acquainted with the Avengers
IN THIS PART …
Discover how and why the Avengers were created.
Get to know the Avengers' tools and resources.
Take tours of the Avengers’ multiple homes.
Chapter 1
The Coming of the Avengers!
IN THIS CHAPTER
Reviewing the early days of Timely-Atlas Comics
Reliving the beginning of the Marvel Age
Walking through the founding of the Avengers
Okay, True Believers! When did Marvel Comics begin?
Some say that the Marvel Age began in November 1961 with the launch of Fantastic Four #1. Others will argue that their origins were over two decades earlier, in Marvel Comics #1, released in October 1939. Well, in this particular case, both sides are correct. In 1939, the seeds were planted for something that would start to germinate in 1961 and, over time, would bloom into the fantastical interconnected narrative we know today as the Marvel Universe. As we take a trip down the merry Marvel memory lane, we’ll look at some super heroes you know and some you may have never heard of, how the Avengers were formed, where they live, and how they function. Fasten your seatbelts — you’re about to go on a wild ride!
The Timely-Atlas Eras
Timely Comics was the brainchild of magazine publisher Martin Goodman. Marvel Comics issue one, shown in Figure 1-1, featured several tales. Most notable were Carl Burgos’ and Bill Everett’s stories, as they gave birth to two of the pillars of the Golden Age of comics, the android Human Torch and the scion of Atlantis, Namor the Sub-Mariner.
Shortly after that, just as America was on the cusp of taking part in World War II, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby would create the most iconic character of the Timely era, the patriotic hero Captain America. Although many other heroes would be brought to life under Timely, these super-hero tales came to a grinding halt during the 1950s.
In 1951, Goodman began his own distribution company, Atlas Comics. This creation would ultimately allow for a more varied line of books (crime, horror, romance, and more). However, Goodman would face two of his biggest challenges in the middle of that decade. The first would be the McCarthyist witch hunts brought about by the book Seduction of the Innocent. Its author, psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, determined that comic books had a negative effect on children. The heavy censorship brought about by Senate subcommittees investigating Wertham’s claim led to another major disaster for Atlas.
The shrinking market, which took out many of Goodman’s competitors, began to affect his company as well. The final comic bearing an Atlas logo was released in 1957, followed shortly by a transition to the name Goodman Comics under the Independent News umbrella. The other arms of Independent News saw success. Goodman Comics did not. That was until Stan “The Man” Lee saw an assist from Jack “The King” Kirby and began the Marvel Age.
© 1939 Timely Comics. Story and art by various artists. Cover art by Frank R. Paul.
FIGURE 1-1: The android Human Torch makes his fiery debut.
The Marvel Age
A slew of anthologies featuring tales of fantasy (Journey Into Mystery), horror (Strange Tales), and science fiction (Tales of Suspense) set the stage for two creators to change how people viewed super-hero comics. The combination of stunning visuals by artist Jack Kirby, along with the layered characterization by one of Goodman’s editors, wordsmith Stan Lee, helped Fantastic Four #1, shown in Figure 1-2, kick off the Marvel Age with a bang in November 1961. The book was groundbreaking in that it featured characters who bickered and didn’t always get along. It also featured at least one hero whom the public perceived as a monster. The mind-blowing designs and layouts by Kirby made fans come back for more every month. More top-notch creators, such as Steve Ditko, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and Joe Sinnott joined the fray.
What followed was the creation of Marvel’s Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Iron Man, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and many more. Between 1961 and 1963, some of your favorite characters in animation and live-action were born on the four-colored page. Yet, to the editor-in-chief and one of the heads of this creative brain trust, something was missing, something that was inspired by their distinguished competition, no less.
Story and art by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
FIGURE 1-2: A scientist, his adventurous wife, her hot-headed brother, and their gruff pilot friend went into space and came back transformed into something fantastic.
Bringing the Pieces Together: The Avengers Assemble
The Marvel Age was partially a response to DC Comics’ resurgence in 1956 and their successful revitalization of The Flash and Green Lantern. DC eventually brought their heaviest hitters together in their all-star team-up book, Justice League.
Not to be outdone, Goodman sought to have a similar team book with a lineup of Marvel’s biggest stars at the time. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby understood the assignment. Along with inker Dick Ayers, colorist Stan Goldberg, and letterer Sam Rosen, Lee and Kirby created The Avengers, shown in Figure 1-3, which debuted in September 1963 (the same month that X-Men #1 launched).
Story by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby.
FIGURE 1-3: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes unite for the first time.
The first chapter
The inaugural chapter of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes featured Loki Laufeyson, the god of mischief, shown in Figure 1-4. At the tail end of a war between Asgard and the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, a youthful Loki, a Jotun himself, was taken in by Odin and raised as one of his own in the royal family of the mythical realm, Asgard. Along with a genius-level intellect, Loki has phenomenal strength and durability, is long-lived, and possesses a vast knowledge of sorcery. Imprisoned on the Isle of Silence for his numerous transgressions against his adopted home, Loki still looked for a way to best his brother, Thor, God of Thunder.
Loki sought to create chaos and pin the blame on the Hulk, the Marvel Universe equivalent of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Courtesy of mental manipulation by Loki, this monster was made to believe that there were explosives planted on a bridge. Surprisingly, the monster had a conscience and tried to take the explosive out. Unfortunately, the monster accidentally destroyed this bridge. A young ally to the monster got wind of what was going on and tried to get the word out to any heroes out there who could intervene.
Story by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby.
FIGURE 1-4: Mischievous thoughts by a mischievous god.
The Avengers lineup
Before I continue with the story, let's go over the roster of everyone involved.
The Incredible Hulk
The monster in question is better known to the world at large as the Incredible Hulk, shown in Figure 1-5. When nuclear physicist Bruce Banner was caught in the heart of a gamma bomb detonation (one that he saved teenager Rick Jones from as the kid wandered onto the test site), Banner was exposed to a massive dose of gamma radiation. The gamma triggered a change within him, initially causing him to transform into a giant gray monster that roamed the desert at night. Over time, symptoms of the mutation evolved. Whenever Banner experienced any sort of rage, he would transform into a nearly eight-foot-tall over half-ton super-strong and completely invulnerable green engine of destruction.
Story by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby.
FIGURE 1-5: Bruce Banner becomes the strongest one there is.
Rick Jones
Rick Jones (shown in Figure 1-6) lost his parents at a young age, and he bounced from orphanage to orphanage. One orphanage in particular had a particularly unsavory administrator, one who smashed Rick’s guitar, the sole item left to him by his late father. Jones became a drifter and later a rebellious teenager. Shortly after his sixteenth birthday, Jones took a ridiculous bet to drive out to an Army weapons test site. It was there that he met Bruce Banner, a man who risked his life to save Jones by rushing him to a protective trench before the gamma bomb detonated. From that moment on, Rick felt indebted to Banner.
So, when Loki’s machinations attracted the attention of Jones and some of his friends (known as the Teen Brigade), Rick was confident that other heroes could help diffuse the situation before it spread to a densely populated area. Rick’s SOS went out to any costumed heroes, several of whom answered the call.
Story by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby.
FIGURE 1-6: Rick Jones putting out the call to any available heroes.
Iron Man
Tony Stark is the son of Maria and Howard Stark. Their vast fortune comes from Howard’s work as a weapons manufacturer and industrialist. Tony was a genius engineer and inventor who had no problem following in his father’s footsteps. That was until a consultation for a weapons contract overseas, which led to an explosive device destroying their transport. It also embedded shrapnel dangerously close to his heart.
Taken captive by those responsible for the attack, Tony and another brilliant scientist, Ho Yinsen, were forced to create deadly advanced weaponry. Instead, they constructed one very small and one very huge key to defeating their captors: a device to keep the shrapnel from entering Tony’s heart, as well as a giant suit of high-tech armor to break out of their prison. They would not leave unscathed, as Yinsen sacrificed his life to ensure Tony’s escape. Once freed, Tony, as the Invincible Iron Man (shown in Figure 1-7), sought to protect the country and innocents everywhere from dangerous technology in the hands of evildoers. Fortunately for the world (and unfortunately for Loki), Stark was assisted by another brilliant mind in the forming of the Avengers.
Story by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber. Art by Don Heck. Cover by Jack Kirby.
FIGURE 1-7: Tony Stark suits up for the first time as the invincible Iron Man.
Ant-Man
Doctor Henry Pym (shown in Figure 1-8) is a man of many talents, including biochemistry, entomology, and robotics, for starters. After getting his doctorate in biochemistry, he met and married a political dissident from Hungary. They were attacked by the secret police shortly thereafter, and his wife was murdered. After this, Hank tried to figure out a way to battle crime and corruption.
