It's been over a decade since the Marvel Cinematic Universe began with Tony Stark stepping onto the podium and declaring to the world, "I am Iron Man." At that time, no one could possibly anticipate that this one moment would cause other super-powered beings, both benevolent and sinister, to throw their respective hats into the ring.
However, time waits for no man - be they flesh, spider, or iron. This particular continuity has been going on for a while, and as amazing or invincible as the Avengers may be, they are still not invulnerable to the sands of time. Just how old are Earth's mightiest heroes? Let's find out.
10 Tony Stark is 49
Born in 1970 to Howard and Maria Stark, Tony was pushing 40 when he was kidnapped by the Ten Rings and forced to create weaponry for their devious purposes. It was that day when a moral epiphany struck him to use his intellect and technology to protect rather than destroy. During the twilight years of his life, Tony had to shoulder the burden of protecting Earth from the threats of worlds unknown - even if that came at the expense of people's civil liberties. The last film to feature the wisecracking billionaire genius would place his age at around 49.
9 Steve Rogers is 101
After battling the forces of Hydra and the nefarious Red Skull in Captain America the First Avenger, Steve Rogers was suspended in a block of ice until his eventual release in 2011. Because of this, Steve had the looks of a 24-year-old despite being old enough to be Tony's grandfather. A common source of friction came from Steve's old-fashioned values being at odds with the more modern and morally ambiguous world around him. It's most likely why Steve decided to go back in time and live out the rest of his years with the woman he loved.
8 Natasha Romanoff is 35
Natasha was born in 1984. As a child, she was indoctrinated into a secret Soviet-Russian training program called the Red Room. Its purpose was to take young women and train them to be elite assassins. Natasha would rise through the ranks of the organization and be granted the title of 'widow.' She would later defect from the organization to join S.H.I.E.L.D. and become one of the founding members of the Avengers. She and the other original members would be spared by Thanos' snap, eventually culminating in her heroic sacrifice in Vormir.
7 Sam Wilson is 45
In 1978, Sam was born in Harlem to Paul and Darlene Wilson. When he came of age, Sam enlisted in the United States Air Force. There, he rose in the ranks and became a test pilot for a special propulsion system dubbed the EXO-7 Falcon. In 2014, Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D and Sam came to the assistance of both Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff in saving the organization. It was here that the bond between Sam and Steve was formed which endured Ultron, the Sokovia Accords, and the threat of Thanos. When Steve went back in time to live the life he lost, he bequeathed his shield to Sam.
6 Peter Parker is 16
Peter Parker was recruited by Tony Stark at the very young age of 14 during the events of Captain America Civil War, making him the only Avenger at the time to still be in High School. When Thanos snapped his fingers at the end of Avengers Infinity War, Spider-Man was one of the many heroes who was reduced to dust.
Thankfully, once the remaining members traveled in time and gathered all the Infinity Stones, he and all the other slain heroes were brought back, having not aged in the intervening years.
5 Dr. Stephen Strange is 42 but could be immortal
With the ability to foresee and manipulate time, Doctor Strange may be the only Avenger to have essentially achieved immortality. Strange was once a gifted and renowned medical doctor until a car accident changed his life forever. When he discovers the world of the mystic arts, Strange decides to use his academic prowess to reject his former life and take on the role of the Sorcerer Supreme. He also has the ignominious honor of having died more times than any other Avenger due to his time loop with the dread being Dormammu.
4 Thor is 1,500 years old
In 2008, the aforementioned thunder god was set to take his father's place on the throne. However, the intervention of Frost Giants mixed with Thor's arrogance prompted Odin to exile his son to Earth. As the Asgardian prince adjusts to life in the mortal realm, he learns to empathize and even protect them from threats such as his wicked brother Loki. By the time of Thor Ragnorok, he has finally taken his rightful place as the king of Asgard.
In Avengers Infinity War, Thor confides to Rocket Raccoon that he's 1,500 years old.
3 Bruce Banner is 50
Dr. Bruce Banner was born in 1969 - making him one year older than Tony Stark. In 2003, an experiment with gamma radiation changed his life forever, causing him to change into a rampaging beast whenever his emotions become too stimulated. This separate personality would be known as the Hulk. S.H.I.E.L.D. would later recognize Bruce's scientific abilities as well as his alter ego's gift for smashing things and recruit him to their organization. Eventually, Bruce would be able to overcome the Hulk's anger issues and don the persona of Professor Hulk.
2 Scott Lang is likely in his forties
While Scott Lang's official age has yet to be revealed, it is known that he got his master's in engineering and betrothed Maggie sometime before the year 2007. It would make sense to place him in his mid-twenties by that point. While Scott managed to avoid Thanos' reality-bending snap, he was stuck for years in the quantum realm between the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers Endgame. Scott was also subjected to Banner's time travel experiments which changed him to both an elderly man and an infant before restoring him to his approximate proper age.
1 Clint Barton is approximately in his late thirties to early fifties
Clint Barton's specific date of birth is also unspecified. Clint's skills in archery and other forms of combat were recognized by Nick Fury who recruited him into S.H.I.E.L.D. It was due to Clint's efforts that Natasha was able to defect from the Red Room. Since Natasha was born in 1984, it can be deduced that Clint was born somewhere around that time for him to be the proper age to both challenge and recruit her. Clint is also old enough to have fathered three children - the eldest of which appears to be in his early teens.