While the Avengers stand as the Marvel Universe's premier superhero team, one crossover event hit Earth's Mightiest Heroes in such a dramatic fashion that they decided to disband, seemingly for good: 2004's "Avengers Disassembled," with the main series by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch. Many concurrent titles would tie-in to the story as the team was brought to its lowest point, only to discover the true culprit was one of their most trusted teammates. In the aftermath, a new team would rise from the ashes while the fallout would reverberate across the Marvel Universe for years to follow.
Here is a quick overview of "Avengers Disassembled," how the crossover event was quietly set up and how its fallout would inform the direction for many of Marvel's heroes moving forward.
The Lead-Up
The mental health of the vastly powerful Scarlet Witch had steadily deteriorated after she lost her twin sons conceived with longtime love interest Vision, with her memories wiped to spare her further emotional anguish. Captain America had entered a tenuous romantic relationship with Wanda shortly before the event, with their breakup putting a strain on Wanda's mental condition as her memories gradually began to resurface while noticing strange behavioral changes from his longtime friend Falcon.
In the meantime, the Avengers and superhero community at large faced heightened scrutiny after being recruited by Nick Fury to carry out an illegal coup in Latveria during the 2004 miniseries Secret War. While Fury had kept the true nature of the mission's legality a secret, the Avengers and wider superhero community faced inquiries from multiple foreign governments due to their involvement in the mission. Iron Man faced considerable pressure, with Tony Stark currently serving as the United States Secretary of Defense, while the United Nations' recognition of the Avengers as an international peacekeeping force was called into question from the incident.
The Story
"Disassembled" started with a bang, as Avengers Mansion was hit by several simultaneous threats, resulting in the loss of several longtime members, including Ant-Man and Vision, while the headquarters and home was devastated in the attack. As Tony became inebriated during an important U.N. presentation under mysterious circumstances, causing the Avengers' funding and privileged status to be revoked, the heroes realized these incidents were all related before discovering Wanda had descended into madness to subconsciously create threats for the team to endure as she was wracked with renewed grief for her children.
While the main story was told in Avengers #500-503 and the one-shot special Avengers Finale as the team disbanded, tie-in story arcs would explain the other heroes activities leading up to and during the crossover. Iron Man #84-89 had Tony learn his loved ones were also being targeted, ultimately resigning from his position as Secretary of Defense to prevent further harm. Thor's absence during the main event was explained in Thor #80-85 as the Asgardians faced Ragnarok, resulting in their withdrawal from the Marvel Universe for a time.
The Impact
The most immediate consequence of "Disassembled" was the formation of the New Avengers, which in turn led to Civil War and the Superhero Registration Act. The Young Avengers would similarly take up arms in the fallout, picking up the pieces many of their predecessors had left behind, with Wanda's magically reborn twin sons serving as prominent members of the initial roster.
Wanda's continued mental instability led to the 2005 crossover event House of M, ultimately resulting in the eradication of the vast majority of the mutant population due to her reality-altering powers, radically redefining the X-Men for years to follow. While this action would eventually be undone, the Children of the Atom are still visibly haunted by it, even as they move into the bold, new future of Dawn of X.
The seeds of the following decade of comic stories set in the Marvel Universe were all set in motion by "Disassembled," creating a new sense of vulnerability and turmoil among Earth's Mightiest Heroes as they faced an uncertain future. The dissolution of the original Avengers lineup set the tone for the heroes, with an escalated sense of tension and mistrust, even between the oldest friends, while a new generation of heroes stepped up to fill the void and prove themselves worthy enough to be recognized as Avengers. "Disassembled" marked a cataclysmic end of sorts but, more than that, it offered a new direction for the Marvel Universe to follow from its fallout.