By TJ Dietsch
“And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth's mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born—to fight the foes no single super hero could withstand!”
As the Heroic Age dawns on the Marvel Universe and we prepare for a new chapter in the ongoing saga of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, each Friday Marvel.com will present a different column focusing on the one and only Avengers. From line-ups to costumes to villains to classic stories and beyond, we’ve got you covered on the history of Marvel’s most prolific team of heroes!
So let the call go out: Avengers Assemble!
Fred Van Lente made his name at Marvel chronicling the adventures of the Greek demigod Hercules as well as undead fan favorites in installments the MARVEL ZOMBIES series, so he's no stranger to various versions of the Avengers. Coming up with a list of his favorite among Earth’s Mightiest Heroes wasn't exactly a Herculean effort for the writer who submitted the following…
5. Vision
“I liked his Mr. Spock act a lot. More than Mr. Spock's Mr. Spock act, come to think of it.”
4. Scarlet Witch
“Vision's main squeeze. An android and a mutant: This is what 10-year old nerds think is romantic.”
3. Wonder Man
“I loved he was a goofball actor. In INCREDIBLE HERCULES, Ares bashed that cinder block over his head out of love.”
2. Beast
“Another fun character I thought was better used on Avengers than X-Men. He's too much of bon vivant for brooding racism allegories.”
1. Hercules
“Well, duh.”
Good Team. Just Add Captain America, Thor and/or Iron Man and you have a classic Avengers team.
I always liked it when Simon and Hank were on the team together. They had a very fun and believable friendship.
Excellant cast. You could rotate/Replace Hawkeye with either Beast or Simon, and lose nothing.