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In its next roster shuffle, The Avengers further distinguished itself from Justice League of America by questioning the idea of heroism itself. Whereas the JLA members were all unambiguously heroic, more than a few Avengers started their careers as villains. When Thor, Giant-Man (the former Ant-Man, who would later change his name again to Goliath), and the Wasp simultaneously leave the team, Captain America finds himself heading a new squad of Avengers, each of whom has a checkered past. The bow-wielding Hawkeye previously fought against Iron Man, whereas Quicksilver, a mutant speedster reminiscent of DC’s Flash, and the Scarlet Witch, a young woman with the power to alter probabilities, had been members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants along with their father, Magneto. The theme of redemption is reinforced when Wonder Man, introduced as a villain in The Avengers no. 9 (October 1964), returns from the dead as a hero and takes his place in the Avengers’ ranks.

From its inception, The Avengers was a hit, and the series’ initial success doubtless owes much to the power-packed renderings of Kirby, who had not only cocreated Captain America with writer Joe Simon in 1941 but had also collaborated with Lee on such Marvel mainstay titles as The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, and Journey into Mystery. Artist Don Heck ably took over the penciling reins after Kirby’s departure, and Lee continued writing the book until he handed the series off to Roy Thomas in 1966. Over the next several years Thomas worked with such notable Marvel artists as Heck, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Barry Windsor-Smith, Sal Buscema, and Neal Adams, whose brief run on the title in 1971 is widely regarded as among the finest Avengers work ever done.

In its next roster shuffle, The Avengers further distinguished itself from Justice League of America by questioning the idea of heroism itself. Whereas the JLA members were all unambiguously heroic, more than a few Avengers started their careers as villains. When Thor, Giant-Man (the former Ant-Man, who would later change his name again to Goliath), and the Wasp simultaneously leave the team, Captain America finds himself heading a new squad of Avengers, each of whom has a checkered past. The bow-wielding Hawkeye previously fought against Iron Man, whereas Quicksilver, a mutant speedster reminiscent of DC’s Flash, and the Scarlet Witch, a young woman with the power to alter probabilities, had been members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants along with their father, Magneto. The theme of redemption is reinforced when Wonder Man, introduced as a villain in The Avengers no. 9 (October 1964), returns from the dead as a hero and takes his place in the Avengers’ ranks.

From its inception, The Avengers was a hit, and the series’ initial success doubtless owes much to the power-packed renderings of Kirby, who had not only cocreated Captain America with writer Joe Simon in 1941 but had also collaborated with Lee on such Marvel mainstay titles as The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, and Journey into Mystery. Artist Don Heck ably took over the penciling reins after Kirby’s departure, and Lee continued writing the book until he handed the series off to Roy Thomas in 1966. Over the next several years Thomas worked with such notable Marvel artists as Heck, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Barry Windsor-Smith, Sal Buscema, and Neal Adams, whose brief run on the title in 1971 is widely regarded as among the finest Avengers work ever done.In its next roster shuffle, The Avengers further distinguished itself from Justice League of America by questioning the idea of heroism itself. Whereas the JLA members were all unambiguously heroic, more than a few Avengers started their careers as villains. When Thor, Giant-Man (the former Ant-Man, who would later change his name again to Goliath), and the Wasp simultaneously leave the team, Captain America finds himself heading a new squad of Avengers, each of whom has a checkered past. The bow-wielding Hawkeye previously fought against Iron Man, whereas Quicksilver, a mutant speedster reminiscent of DC’s Flash, and the Scarlet Witch, a young woman with the power to alter probabilities, had been members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants along with their father, Magneto. The theme of redemption is reinforced when Wonder Man, introduced as a villain in The Avengers no. 9 (October 1964), returns from the dead as a hero and takes his place in the Avengers’ ranks.

From its inception, The Avengers was a hit, and the series’ initial success doubtless owes much to the power-packed renderings of Kirby, who had not only cocreated Captain America with writer Joe Simon in 1941 but had also collaborated with Lee on such Marvel mainstay titles as The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, and Journey into Mystery. Artist Don Heck ably took over the penciling reins after Kirby’s departure, and Lee continued writing the book until he handed the series off to Roy Thomas in 1966. Over the next several years Thomas worked with such notable Marvel artists as Heck, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Barry Windsor-Smith, Sal Buscema, and Neal Adams, whose brief run on the title in 1971 is widely regarded as among the finest Avengers work ever don