The Avengers have earned their title as Earth's Mightiest Heroes a number of times over as they save the world routinely every day before dinner, though those victories aren't always easy. Marvel's elite superteam have had some incredibly hard-fought battles over the years that have become known for their viciousness and brutality.
Of course, it isn't always an incredibly powerful villain or deadly cosmic disaster that makes these battles so brutal. The epic showdowns between long-time teammates and vicious fights lead to traumatic losses that can shatter the Avengers' status quo and create unforgettable moments from the team's history.
10 The Masters Of Evil Attacked Avengers Mansion & Brutalized Hercules
One of the most memorable battles in the Avengers history happened during Roger Stern and John Buscema's "Under Siege" storyline, which saw Baron Helmut Zemo assemble his own powerful expanded roster of his father's Masters of Evil with the intention of attacking Avengers Mansion.
Their plan worked perfectly, and the Masters were able to take and hold Avengers Mansion while also brutally beating Avengers like Hercules, who they put into a coma. Zemo eventually lost control, and the Masters were finally taken down by an enraged team of Avengers.
9 The Avengers Were Killed & Recreated During The Fight With Michael Korvac
"The Korvac Saga" from Jim Shooter and George Pérez featured a crossover between the Avengers and the original Guardians of the Galaxy to stop the threat of Michael Korvac, an android from the future who had managed to steal the Power Cosmic with plans to rewrite the universe.
When the Avengers encountered him in the final battle, Korvac slaughtered the majority of the team which terrified his wife Carina. Her fear drove Korvac to take his own life, though in his final act, he used his powers to bring the Avengers back to life.
8 The Avengers & The Fantastic Four Sacrificed Themselves To Stop Onslaught
While the psionic being known as Onslaught began as a villain of the X-Men, his threat grew and brought in other teams like the Avengers and the Fantastic Four when Onslaught created his citadel in the center of Manhattan to launch his attack on the world.
The stakes were high and personal for many of the characters involved as they struggled to overcome Onslaught's defenses and reality-warping abilities. Both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four were then forced to sacrifice themselves in order to contain Onslaught's incredible psionic energy so that the X-Men could then destroy it.
7 The Avengers Were Brutally Attacked & Disassembled By Scarlet Witch
Brian Michael Bendis took over The Avengers and teamed with David Finch to promptly tear the team apart in one of their most brutal battles during the "Avengers Disassembled" storyline. Individual members were discredited and personally attacked by unknown means before an all-out war with the Kree erupted on their doorstep.
Ant-Man was killed after Jack of Hearts exploded, a maddened She-Hulk tore Vision apart, and Hawkeye sacrificed himself to take out a Kree warship. It was ultimately revealed that Scarlet Witch had lost control due to the trauma in her life, and she used her powers to turn the team against each other.
6 The Leaders Of The Avengers Fought Against Each Other In Two Civil Wars
The Avengers have found themselves torn apart morally a few times before, but the divide became violent during Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's Civil War. Captain America and Iron Man assembled their respective forces when the government called for superheroes to register, leading to the death of Bill Foster/Goliath in a battle with a deranged clone of Thor.
Iron Man and Captain Marvel experienced a similar battle in Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez' Civil War II over the ethics involved in using a new Inhuman's prophetic visions. The final battle of the event between the heroes exploded in mayhem and ended with the death of Iron Man at Captain Marvel's hands.
5 Hulk & His Warbound Fought The Avengers & Illuminati In World War Hulk
The leaders of the respective factions in the Marvel Universe united as the Illuminati and attempted to secretly steer events from behind the scenes, which included launching Hulk off the planet in an ill-fated attempt to save lives from his uncontrollable rage. Hulk created a new life in Planet Hulk that he ultimately lost, which he blamed on the Illuminati.
He returned to Earth with his powerful Warbound allies and launched World War Hulk from Grek Pak and John Romita Jr. against the Illuminati and their allies. This led to a severe beating for the Avengers due to Iron Man and Doctor Strange's involvement with the Illuminati. The most brutal battle occurred between Hulk and The Sentry which leveled most of Manhattan.
4 They Fought Against Incredibly Powerful Super Skrulls During Secret Invasion
The Illuminati's manipulations unintentionally led to the destruction of the Skrull homeworld, which kicked off the shape-shifting species plans to retaliate against Earth during the Secret Invasion storyline. The Avengers were forced to question their allies as Skrulls were revealed to have infiltrated the team as they continued to play mind-games.
The Avengers even had to fight classic versions of themselves in the Savage Land to further destabilize them. However, it was the final battle between the Avengers and armies of Super-Skrulls with combinations of Marvel heroes powers that proved to be the most brutal of the event.
3 The Avengers Reunited Against Norman Osborn & The Void During Siege
"Former" villain Norman Osborn/Green Goblin was able to seize control of S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Secret Invasion which he used to launch his Dark Reign of the Marvel Universe. However, he was ultimately manipulated by Loki into war against Asgard during the events of Siege, from Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel.
The New Avengers had operated in secret against Osborn's Dark Avengers which put them on the frontlines to prevent the fall of Asgard. The Sentry's psyche was pushed too far, and he became the Void when he ripped Ares in half and killed Loki in one of the Avengers' most gruesome battles that also demolished Asgard.
2 They Fought Against Friends & Corrupted Phoenix Hosts In Avengers Vs. X-Men
The Avengers and the X-Men didn't always see eye to eye over the years despite frequently working together in events. However, after a semblance of order was restored by the Avengers following Osborn's Dark Reign, the return of the Phoenix Force threatened the new Heroic Age and set up a confrontation between the two teams in the Avengers vs. X-Men event.
A number of brutal battles erupted between long-time allies after disagreements over how to deal with the Phoenix Force's planned possession of young Hope Summers. Eventually, they were reunited when the Phoenix Force corrupted five members of the X-Men, which turned into a vicious battle with Cyclops as he became the Dark Phoenix.
1 The Strongest Avengers Took On Thanos & The Black Order During Infinity
Jonathan Hickman teamed with artists like Jim Cheung, Jerome Opeña, and Dustin Weaver for 2013's Infinity event, which saw the Avengers head to space to lead the charge in the Builder's War. It featured a number of epic battles that helped make the team's name known across the galaxy.
However, during this time, Thanos was enacting his own plans on Earth, and it was the final battle between the returning Avengers' most powerful heroes and Thanos and his Black Order that proved to be one of the most brutal with the sheer power levels of everyone involved. The battle only ended because of Ebony Maw's betrayal which led to Thanos' imprisonment.