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!”
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!
After writing award winning stage plays like “Love Is Dead: a NecRomantic Musical Comedy,” James Asmus created a series of back-ups in X-Men books before moving on to pen “Escape From the Negative Zone” early this year running through the UNCANNY X-MEN, STEVE ROGERS: SUPER SOLDIER and NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANTS annuals. In November he takes over GENERATION HOPE and come December will be teaming up with Ed Brubaker on an arc of CAPTAIN AMERICA & BUCKY.
With such a wealth of characters already under his belt, we wanted to know Asmus’ favorites among Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
“This was hard,” he says. “There [are] a lot of characters I love to choose from, but I ultimately made my picks based on how I feel about them being Avengers. So here we go...”
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5. Captain America
“I know that, since I'm actually writing him right now, it may be shocking to place him so low, even in a top five out of tons of characters. But truthfully, my favorite Cap stories tend to be his solo stories away from the Avengers. Still, he's a huge part of why the Avengers inspire regular folks in the Marvel Universe, and us creators.
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4. Photon/Monica Rambeau
“Underrated! She's a fantastically powerful, but a level-headed and humane character. Maybe she hasn't been crazy enough to fuel a lot of interest, but I love how down-to-earth and relatable she is. In fact, that might be a theme in my choices.”
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3. Squirrel Girl
“The sweetest, silliest, and most non-threatening Avenger of all time, but also the one that illustrates what I love about the Marvel Universe: a character [that] might have been intended as a slight joke on the fringes of this shared universe built up and explored by other fantastically talented creators! Plus, it proves you can never fully anticipate where things are headed.”
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2. Beast
“I know a lot of folks think of him as an
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1. Hawkeye
“Two reasons: [first], he was the character who hooked me deepest in the first Avengers comic I ever read. [Also], he is a regular guy just like you or me—okay, but with abs—who earns his place among gods and powerhouses. I lied. Three reasons—he jokes. And I always love someone who jokes in the face of an apocalypse”
