Since their first comic appearance back in 1963, the Avengers have been involved in countless world-threatening battles. From their earliest origins on-page to the largest of the ever-expanding team seen on the silver screen, Earth's Mightiest Heroes have created some of the most jaw-dropping moments in all of Marvel's history.
In nearly every Avengers story there's a new and improved collection of heroes defending the Earth, thrilling both readers and viewers alike. From their first battle against Loki to finally taking down the Mad Titan, take a look at some of the Avengers most epic battles of all time.
10 Battle of New York
2012 was a monumental year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In Marvel Studios' epic Infinity Saga, the first Avengers movie set an epic tone for the next 16 films. None of that would be possible without the Battle of New York. With Loki leading a Chitauri army into Manhattan, we finally get our first look at a fully-formed, original six, Avengers team. From seeing Iron Man and Captain America perform their first shield-repulsor beam team-up to the Hulk taking down a leviathan, the Battle of New York still stands as one of the most epic MCU Avengers moments.
9 Ultron Unlimited
Throughout the history of the Avengers, the mad sentient robot Ultron is one of many reoccurring enemies. A creation of the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym, Ultron has appeared as both a solo villain, as well as a leader of a robot army comprised of controlled robots. The Ultron Unlimited storyline follows Ultron as the latter, as he leads his army against the small nation of Slorenia. The Avengers battle through multiple waves of cyborg foe, all in an effort to reach Ultron himself. In perfect harmony, Hank Pym in the form of Giant-Man finally defeats Ultron's final form, leading the Avengers to an improbable and hard-fought victory.
8 Secret Wars (1984)
This storyline was one of Marvel's first tie-in comics, bringing together the Avengers and X-Men into one collective narrative. With Earth's Mightiest Heroes, along with a number of their most well-known foes, transported to a land known as Battleworld, a massive battle ensues.
This war was initiated by the Beyonder, a powerful cosmic being, pinning the two sides against one another with a massive power posed as a reward for the victor. The 12-part Secret Wars is one of the most popular tales in Marvel history, obviously making the battle one of the most epic as well.
7 Airport Fight
The MCU is chock-full of amazing and epic battles, most pinning the Avengers against some sort of intergalactic or mystical threat. However, in Captain America: Civil War, we finally get to see the Avengers fully battle one another. Although the MCU has shown smaller bouts between the likes of Iron Man and Thor or Thor and Hulk, this was the first time the Avengers were truly split.
The epic airport battle is one of the most breathtaking cinematic events in all of Marvel's history as it changed the course of the MCU moving forward. From the introduction of Spider-Man to Ant-Man traveling on one of Hawkeye's arrows, the airport battle will always be an incredible watch.
6 Secret Invasion
After years of buildup, the alien Skrull race had successfully planted agents throughout multiple superhuman teams, including the various Avengers. With the events of Civil War already having transpired, certain members were already skeptical of one another, making the Skrulls' plan to invade Earth even easier.
This epic saga pinned some of the most powerful Avengers against Skrull forms of themselves, obviously resulting in some incredible fights. The conclusive battle of the storyline is one of the best in Marvel's rich comic history, with the Avengers finally showing some reconstructive cohesion to bring down the alien invaders...kind of.
5 Civil War
Of the countless incredible story arcs in Marvel's vast history, the Civil War storyline is easily one of the most notable. As the inspiration for Captain America: Civil War, this 7-issue tale pins Avengers against one another, setting up some beautifully epic fights. In the seventh and final issue, we finally see the full-scale tilt between opposing groups, including the climactic one on one between Iron Man and Captain America.
There's a bizarre thrill in seeing the Avengers square off against each other, seeing the infamous heroes put aside the typical villain-fighting and just fight their so-called allies. Civil War is a fan-favorite that offers some of the best inter-Avenger bouts ever seen on either page or screen.
4 Avengers vs X-Men
Speaking of heroes fighting heroes. The Avengers vs X-Men story was a solid break in the typical action of both Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the wildly powerful mutant collective. If you've ever fantasized about Captain America fighting the Wolverine, look no further. This story pins some of the most powerful X-Men against some of the premier and original Avengers in a gloriously epics way. There's plenty of variety in all the fights, with almost every major character getting a crack at their opposition.
3 Onslaught: Marvel Universe
Well, now that you've seen the Avengers battle the X-Men, why not check out the two groups teaming up. With a psychic entity known as Onslaught threatening Earth, the two superhero groups must team up to prevent disaster. In this battle, we see every part of the Avengers and X-Men, along with the Fantastic Four and, believe it or not, some infamous villains. In all the glory of the massive fight, there is actually some tragedy as well that completely alters the Avengers narrative moving forward.
2 Avengers: Endgame Final Fight
It should come as no surprise that the epic conclusion of the "Infinity Saga" made its way on to this list. After Thanos' snap wipes out half the universe and the Avengers are left battered and broken, the short roster of heroes manages to successfully pull off the time heist. However, as Tony Stark so beautifully puts it, "you mess with time, it tends to mess back." It's hard to pin down what the best part of this battle is. It could be Captain America finally proving his worth and wielding Mjolnir, or it could simply be the epic return of all the dusted Avengers. In either case, the final battle of Avengers: Endgame is by far the most incredible superhero battle ever seen on the big screen and will certainly be hard to top.
1 Infinity Gauntlet
That brings us to the biggest and baddest of any Marvel event. For the first time, the Avengers are tested by the mad titan Thanos, looking to bring ruin to half the universe. With the Infinity Gauntlet and all six Infinity Stones, Thanos is by far the most powerful being there is. The story features a massive battle at the home of the Mistress of Death, that results in Thanos losing the guantlet to Adam Warlock. Although the Avengers are successful in reviving their fallen friends, Thanos' escape does leave much to be desired. Luckily, there is plenty of follow-up to the massive Marvel event.