Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
The Avengers are a fictional team of superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). They are based on the team of the same name from Marvel Comics. They serve as the protagonists in The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). The Avengers are set to return in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
| Avengers | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the Avengers | |
| Universe | Marvel Cinematic Universe |
| First appearance | The Avengers (2012) |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Superhero |
| Founder | Nick Fury Phil Coulson[a] |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Fate | Disassembled as of 2023 |
| Address | |
| Location | Primarily Earth, some actions throughout the galaxy[b] |
| Leader |
|
| Key people | Team roster |
| Purpose | To defend Earth from imminent global threats.[c] |
| Affiliations | |
In the MCU, the Avengers were created by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. He created the group to fight the supernatural battles that humanity could not fight normally. The original Avengers were Steve Rogers (Captain America), Tony Stark (Iron Man), Bruce Banner (Hulk), Thor Odinson, Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), and Clint Barton (Hawkeye). The Avengers officially formed after the murder of Phil Coulson by Loki Laufeyson. They defeated Loki in the Battle of New York. After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2014, the Avengers were given the job of stopping the remaining groups of HYDRA agents. In 2015, Stark created Ultron to protect the Earth. Ultron turned against humanity The Avengers destroyed him in the Battle of Sokovia. After the Battle of Sokovia, James Rhodes (War Machine), Sam Wilson (Falcon), Vision and Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) joined the team. In 2016, the team broke up after an incident in Lagos forced the United Nations to pass the Sokovia Accords. The remaining Avengers were defeated by Thanos in the Infinity War. Five years after the Infinity War, the Avengers reassembled to undo the damage Thanos did. In the end, they defeated him in the Battle of Earth.
Fictional team history
changeFoundations
changeIn 1995, Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. encountered an alien threat to Earth from both the Kree and the Skrulls when Carol Danvers crash landed in a Blockbuster store. The resulting conflict resulted in Danvers and the Skrulls aligning with S.H.I.E.L.D. and agreeing to help Fury in the case of emergencies. Afterwards, Fury created the Protectors Initiative to create a group of heroes to protect Earth from future supernatural threats. He later renamed it to the Avengers Initiative after learning that Danvers' call sign in the United States Air Force had been 'Avenger.'
In 2010, Tony Stark was kidnapped by the Ten Rings. The group attempted to force Stark to build weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) for them. Stark agreed to do so, however didn't and instead built the first Iron Man suit. Stark used the suit to break out of custody and escape, later being saved by Colonel James Rhodes. After the incident, Stark came into conflict with the Ten Rings and was forced to kill his company's spokesperson, who was exposed as a Ten Rings collaborator. S.H.I.E.L.D. cought on to Stark's actions and sent Phil Coulson to provide Stark with a secret identity and an alibi. Stark refused to use and instead admitted himself as Iron Man to the American public. Fury approached Stark afterwards to tell him about the Avengers Initiative, although he initially refused to join.
In 2011, Fury sent Natasha Romanoff to spy on Stark and make a report on his physical and mental wellbeing. Romanoff wrote that Stark was selfish, impulsive, reckless, and not a good fit for the Avengers Initiative. As a result, Fury hired Stark as a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D., but did not let him onto the Avengers Initiative. Later, a series of incidents in Brazil and the United States involving Thunderbolt Ross and Bruce Banner caught the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ross wanted both himself and Emil Blonsky (Abomination) to join the initiative, leading Coulson to send in Stark to convince Ross to not join. Instead, S.H.I.E.L.D. began to consider Banner. Another series of events involving S.H.I.E.L.D. and Asgardian activities in New Mexico led to Thor Odinson agreeing to join the initiative. Finally, in late 2011, Steve Rogers was found frozen in ice (but alive) by S.H.I.E.L.D. and was added to the Avengers Initiative by Fury.
First assembly and Battle of New York
change| Battle of New York | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Children of Thanos Chitauri |
 AvengersS.H.I.E.L.D. World Security Council | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Loki Laufeyson (POW) |
Steve Rogers Tony Stark Bruce Banner Thor Odinson Natasha Romanoff Clint Barton Nick Fury | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Entire Chitauri army deactivated | Tony Stark wounded | ||||||
| Many civilians killed, injured, or displaced | |||||||
In 2012, Loki Laufeyson (working covertly for Thanos) attacked a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. He injured Fury, used mind control to bring Clint Barton to his side, and stole the Tesseract.
Team roster
changeAppearances
changeMovie appearances
change| Year | Movie |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Captain America: The First Avenger |
| 2012 | The Avengers |
| 2014 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier |
| 2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron |
| 2016 | Captain America: Civil War |
| 2018 | Avengers: Infinity War |
| 2019 | Avengers: Endgame |
Television appearances
change| Year | Television series | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | What If...? | 3 |
Related pages
changeNotes
change- ↑ Nick Fury credits Phil Coulson as a founder of the Avengers in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- ↑ As depicted in Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- ↑ As seen on the 'Protector Initiative' in Captain Marvel (2019)