The Avengers, a group of Marvel Comics superheroes, are not to be confused with the British TV series of the same name. The group first appeared in 1963 and has had various members, including Hulk and Iron Man. They fight against powerful villains and have had several adaptations, including a 2011 movie.
The Avengers, a group of comic book heroes created by Marvel Comics, are not to be confused with the British television series The Avengers which aired from 1961 to 1969, which focused on spies, or the spy-fi format. Writer and artist Stan Lee created many of the characters that are part of the group of Avengers. Comics involving these superhero collections first appeared in the 1960s and resulted in several permutations of the original theme with “young avengers” changes to the rosters of superheroes involved. This superhero team is garnering increased popular interest due to a 2011 movie featuring the characters and the release of movies featuring two main characters in 2008, Iron Man and The Hulk.
The group of superheroes in the first comic, released in 1963, were Thor, Ant-Man, Captain America, Wasp, Iron Man and the Hulk. In fact, the group’s first adventure was to help Thor defeat his brother Loki. The first comic also describes the Avengers’ purpose, “to fight enemies that no single superhero could resist.” These team-up hero efforts were becoming wildly popular with DC Comics’ introduction of the Justice League, three years earlier in 1960.
As the comic series continued, other superheroes would join the Avengers from time to time, or at least stop by for guest appearances. These include Captain Marvel, Captain Britain, Wolverine, Giant Man, and Spider Man. Rumors are flying about the team roster for the 2011 film, but it’s very likely Hulk and Iron Man will be part of the team, and Captain America clearly will. Other potential superheroes include several members of the X-men and Spider Man. Most conclude that virtually any Marvel Comics hero, including the Fantastic Four, is fair game for inclusion.
The main focus of the Avengers has normally been to fight against various villains who have extreme superpowers and are often of alien or supernatural backgrounds. A few would-be villains have joined the group for short periods of time, including Black Widow and Scarlet Witch. A number of different writers have been responsible for recreating the group over time. These include Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, Jim Shooter, Roger Stern, John Byrne and the team of Bob Harras and Steve Epting.
There have also been several animated productions featuring the group. These include a thirteen-episode TV series that aired from 1999 to 2000 called The Avengers: United We Stand, and two direct-to-DVD movies in 2006. The 2011 feature film was written by Zach Penn and is likely to evolve into two movies, one involving Captain America and the other involving the entire superhero team. The cast includes Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
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