Though it might seem all shawarma-snacking and friends-from-work, the life of an Avenger can be full of pain. Every triumph the team has ever had was the result of sacrifice, with members turning on each other in superhero civil wars, and others giving their lives to save the day, and much of it through violence. Though their victories are many, they all are hard-fought.
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The brutality inherent to the life of a superhero can take many forms, ranging from physical punishment to emotional battering. From classic Bronze Age tales to modern alternate universes and everything in between, the brutality Marvel's Avengers have faced is almost immeasurable.
This article contains mention of sexual assault and domestic abuse.
10 The Last Avengers Story Was A Grim 90s Alternate Future
The 90s were a grim and gritty time for superhero comics, a trend that the Avengers did not escape. Writer Peter David and illustrator Ariel Olivetti's The Last Avengers Story is the prime example of this trend, a tale of an alternate future when the few surviving Avengers were little more than relics.
Things were tough for the Avengers in this comic: Tigra and Wonder Man had been killed by the Hulk, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch by the Vision, and the rest of the team scattered to the wind. An aging Hank Pym pulled together a last team for a final, depressing stand against an alliance of Ultron, Kang, and the Grim Reaper that resulted in a last pyrrhic victory.
9 Civil War Split The Avengers Down The Middle
When the Marvel Universe split down the middle in 2006's Civil War, it was the Avengers who took the hit the hardest. On one side stood Iron Man, Hank Pym, Carol Danvers, and the Mighty Avengers; on the other, Captain America, Falcon, Luke Cage, and the rest of the Secret Avengers.
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By far the most brutal moment was when the Pro-Registration team's Thor clone killed Goliath. That, and the final battle that saw Captain America tackled by first responders, made the heroes wake up and realize the immense toll their philosophical differences had had on the world around them. The heroes would heal, but the team would never be the same.
8 Secret Empire Was Not A Fun Read
2017's Secret Empire was not a particularly well-received crossover for a variety of reasons, but the biggest was the gut-punch twist that Captain America had been a Nazi sleeper agent his entire life. This twist was especially brutal, as for many fans, it undermined everything the character stood for.
Hydra Cap quickly made his mark on the Marvel Universe, killing heroes and co-opting others in his fascist crusade for world domination. The poor taste and timing of this comic, as well as the mediocrity of its storytelling made Secret Empire one of the Avengers' most brutal reads.
7 Marvel Universe Vs. The Avengers Saw The Whole World Die
In the early 2010s, the world loved zombies. Following the successes of stories featuring the Punisher and Wolverine, the House of Ideas published a new chapter: Marvel Universe vs. The Avengers.
The grim world of Marvel Universe vs. saw the MU washed in a plague that turned people into intelligent, cannibalistic zombies. As depicted through the eyes of Hawkeye, the Avengers led efforts to contain the virus and save the populace. Their efforts were continually thwarted by infection, greed, and even Doctor Doom. As the series ends, most of the team lay dead or vanished and Hawkeye's skull is smashed by an infected Thor.
6 "Lost In Space-Time" Abused Mockingbird
Not all the Avengers' troubles are planetary in scope. For one mission of the West Coast Avengers, the biggest tragedy was that of Mockingbird and Hawkeye. During the events of "Lost In Space-Time," Mockingbird is separated from the team. She ends up in the Wild West, where she is brainwashed and assaulted by the Phantom Rider.
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When Mockingbird has the opportunity to save the Rider's life, she refuses and he falls to his death. When the two are reunited, Hawkeye sees his wife's actions as wrong for not saving human life. Heart-wrenching and upsetting, this story was the beginning of the end of their marriage.
5 "Time Runs Out" Capitalized On Captain America And Iron Man's Rivalry
Jonathan Hickman's multi-year, multi-title run on Avengers is one of the most impressive feats in mainstream comics. Its conclusion is also one of the genre's most brutal. As the Illuminati seek to protect their Earth from the threat of planet-exploding incursions, they must make hard choices about who lives and who dies.
The story sees the Avengers break into two competing factions. One, (Iron Man's), seeks to protect the 616 by any means necessary, while the other, (Captain America's), seeks to stop what they perceive as wanton violence. The tale's end sees the 616's final destruction as a backdrop for a hateful battle between the two leaders.
4 Ultimatum Emphasized Misery And Death
Marvel's Ultimate imprint rebooted the Marvel Universe for the 21st century, streamlining continuity and providing more grounded takes on the company's classic characters. However, much of the line was ground to a halt in 2009's ultraviolent Ultimatum crossover.
Ultimatum reveled in its violence. Dozens of heroes were killed, but certainly the most gruesome, aspect of the series was when the Blob ate the corpse of the Wasp. Yellowjacket responded by enlarging and biting Blob's head off. Gory and unrepentant, Ultimatum is one of Marvel's most brutal comics.
3 "The Court-Martial Of Yellowjacket" Is A Story About Mental Health And Domestic Abuse
A founding member of the Avengers, Hank Pym's legacy was tarnished not by his creation of robotic supervillain, but instead by domestic abuse. Following a mental breakdown, Pym struck Janet Van Dyne, his wife, in an act that would permanently define the character.
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Following this, Pym had a robot attack Avengers Mansion in hopes that his defeating it would make the team respect him. Wasp took the machine down and Pym was ejected from the group. Wasp then divorced him. A sad, brutal story, Hank Pym's downfall remains a difficult read.
2 "Under Siege" Was The Avenger's Most Pyrrhic Victory
Though the Avengers have fought hundreds of enemies, few have held a grudge as much as Baron Zemo II. Determined to destroy the team who he believed had killed his father, Zemo created a new, sinister version of the Masters of Evil. Under his leadership, the team took down the Avengers with brutal efficiency.
The villains assembled by Zemo delighted in their job. They put several heroes in the hospital, took over and destroyed Avengers Mansion, and hurt plenty of civilians along the way. Though their rampage was eventually stopped, the Avengers faced the largest defeat they ever had during "Under Siege."
1 Disassembled Took Apart The Avengers
Though there are certainly more brutal stories, there is no story more personally brutal to the Avengers than Disassembled. The comic sees the Avengers systematically destroyed, their very personal weaknesses being subconsciously exploited by the Scarlet Witch as she sought to return her children to life.
The series sees multiple Avengers die, the Mansion abandoned, and the team disbanded. What makes this story particularly difficult is that, when the Avengers find out who is responsible, they cannot exact any sort of justice. They can only lament and try to move forward from the massive tragedy.
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