Stan Lee celebrated his 94th birthday yesterday, and while we could argue all day about what his greatest creation/co-creation is, it may very well be The Avengers who have had the greatest impact.
Appearing for the first time in 1963, Lee and Jack Kirby brought together Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, The Wasp, and The Hulk to create a team dubbed Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Since then, they've appeared in many different forms with countless heroes (and villains) joining their ranks. Oh, and let's not forget their two big screen adventures which each easily sailed past that all-important $1 billion mark.
What you'll find here then is a look at ten pretty amazing facts about The Avengers. From the story behind their creation to a look at some very weird adventures and moments in their history, this list will tell you all you need to know about what makes these heroes both so mighty and so very unique.
10. The Hulk Fought The Team Dressed Up As A Robot Clown
The early issues of The Avengers are pretty hit and miss, and arguably not quite as good as some of Stan Lee's other Marvel work from the time. That's evident from how he handled The Hulk (one adventure was quickly wrapped up with the Jade Giant becoming so angry that he just reverted to being Bruce Banner), but did you know just how weird things got in the first issue?
After being defeated by the team, the powerful hero took refuge in a travelling circus. However, so no one would realise he was actually The Hulk, the hard to miss monster instead posed as a robot clown called Mechano. Chances are that this baffling story decision was a result of the comic being rushed out (we'll get to why that was a little later), but this is no doubt one of the oddest moments in both the history of The Hulk and the team!
9. The Avengers Were Saved By...David Letterman?!
Late Night With David Letterman was at the height of its popularity back in the mid 80s, and The Avengers comic book was finding a similar level of success, so a crossover was thought up that saw a number of Earth's Mightiest Heroes appear on the show. However, they were ambushed by a villain who tried to take them out with camera mounted lasers. Letterman would save the day by knocking him out with a giant doorknob, and this was easily one of the strangest moments in the team's history.
Many familiar faces have shown up in the comic books over the years with mixed success (Uri Gellar and Barrack Obama for example), but this particular adventure is probably better off being forgotten. After all, why would a team like this need to be saved by a late night talk show host of all people?
8. We Have Daredevil To Thank For The Creation Of The Avengers
Stan Lee and his artistic collaborators launched hit after hit in the early 1960s, with characters like Spider-Man and the X-Men remaining some of Marvel's most popular characters to this very day. Daredevil was one of the new superheroes who struggled a little at first, but before that title even launched, there were some problems at the printers which led to issue #1 being delayed.
Pressured to dream up something new to fill the void left by the Man Without Fear, Lee decided to throw a bunch of Marvel characters together in order to create a team which would rival DC's popular Justice League of America. With that, The Avengers were born, and the adventures of Earth's Mightiest Heroes would forever change the Marvel Universe as fans then knew it.
7. "The Avengers" Wasn't Trademarked Until 1970
These days, we're always hearing about Marvel trademarking various team names and titles, but it doesn't seem as if the publisher was too sure that The Avengers would be a long lasting hit back when the team was created. The comic book series sold well, but back then it was common for titles to be canceled and forgotten about after just a few years.
After all, the comic book industry was still relatively young, so that's probably why the company didn't make a move to file "The Avengers" trademark until 1967. That wouldn't be finalized until 1970 and would come back to bite Marvel Studios decades later. When it was time for The Avengers movie to be released in 2012, they were forced to change the title in the UK to Avengers Assemble because of The Avengers TV show!
6. Ms. Marvel Married Her Own Son
With decades of history behind them, it should hardly surprise you to learn that Earth's Mightiest Heroes have gone through some seriously weird sh*t. That's particularly the case for Carol Danvers. Long before she had her own solo series and was rebranded as Captain Marvel (in a much less revealing outfit), the hero was part of a storyline in Avengers #200 which saw her impregnated against her will by the villainous Marcus Immortus.
However, a bizarre sequence of events later saw her give birth to Marcus, only for her son to age rapidly and them to fall in love. A controversial story which fans still highlight as one of the worst moments in the history of both Carol and the team, the whole thing was explained away with mind control and is unlikely to ever be adapted for the big screen!
5. "Avengers Assemble" Has A Very Different Meaning In The MCU
We've yet to hear any character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe say "Avengers Assemble!" (though Captain America came close in Avengers: Age of Ultron), so chances are the studio is saving that for Infinity War. However, unlike the way it's been used as a call to arms in the comics books, it turns out that the line had a very different meaning on the set of the first movie.
It's been revealed that when Chris Evans wanted to hang out with his follow cast members, a text would be sent out saying the line, a very different way to use that call to arms for Earth's Mightiest Heroes. "Chris [Evans] sent us a text that said, 'Avengers assemble at such and such bar, at 9 o’clock on Saturday night,'" Chris Hemsworth explained back in 2012. "That was a good group effort. We paid for it at work, the next couple of days."
4. Black Panther Literally Punched Off The Red Skull's Jaw
Before tackling the Justice League and a long list of other DC Comics characters, Geoff Johns penned a lengthy run on The Avengers. One of the most underrated arcs he was responsible for came in the form of "Red Zone," a surprisingly powerful story about the Red Skull unleashing a virus on America which was designed to wipe out any and all ethnic minorities.
It goes without saying that Wakandan King Black Panther had something to say about this, and upon removing his gloves, the hero brutally beat the Nazi villain, and the beatdown culminated with him literally punching the Red Skull's jaw clean off his head. One of the most violent and rewarding moments in the history of The Avengers, not even Captain America has done this!
3. Iron Man Once Had To Charge His Armor Like A Cell Phone
When Iron Man first joined The Avengers, his teammates believed that Tony Stark was the one funding the team and that Iron Man was his bodyguard who worked alongside them on his behalf. Sadly, that's a status quo which didn't last for as long as it probably should have (as it would have been a lot of fun to delve into), but that barely scratches the surface of how weird things were for the Armored Avenger back in the 1960s. Originally, Iron Man had to charge up his suit using a wall outlet!
This piece of imagery was common in some of the team's earliest adventures as Tony would sit there wearing his armour and using regular old electricity to keep him alive and it working. That can't have been kind on the electricity bills at Avengers Mansion, so it's probably a good job that he's a billionaire!
2. The Wasp Named The Team "The Avengers"
If you're more familiar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe than what goes on in the comic books, chances are you'll be a little confused by why so many fans are upset that Ant-Man and The Wasp were left out of The Avengers back in 2012. It's actually Edgar Wright who is to blame for the founding members of Earth's Mightiest Heroes being MIA, but it became clear way back in 2008's Iron Man that, on the big screen, it was Nick Fury who named the team.
However, while he may have thought of the Avengers Initiative, it was Janet Van Dyne who dreamed up their moniker in the comic books. Having come together to take down Loki, the five heroes thrown together by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby needed a name, and it was "The Avengers" which was first suggested by The Wasp and quickly settled on by her husband, Ant-Man.
1. They Once Fought The Justice League
Depending on your familiarity with the comic books and your knowledge of the team's history, you may or may not know that The Avengers once embarked on a pretty epic adventure with the Justice League of America! Titled JLA/Avengers, the story was penned by Kurt Busiek, with art by George Pérez. Revealing that their worlds were part of the same Multiverse, the series saw the teams both fighting each other and working side by side.
Them observing the differences between their two worlds was particularly fascinating, but things got really exciting when the heroes were forced to put their differences aside to take on Krona. This led to an epic moment you must have seen at some time or another as Superman stood tall holding both Thor's hammer and Captain America's shield!
Which of these facts about The Avengers is your favourite? Have we missed any good ones or made any mistakes? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section!