It's easy to see why the Avengers are called Earth's Mightiest Heroes when looking at their rosters. The team has always brought together Marvel's greatest heroes, but some teams are definitely more powerful than others. The Avengers have grown and changed quite a bit over the years.
Avengers mainstays have been joined by powerful new members who each bring something great to the team. The strongest Avengers rosters are some of the most powerful comic teams of all time. The best of them are perfect balances of power and skill, creating teams that truly live up to their moniker as Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Updated on October 16, 2022 by Scoot Allan: The upcoming Avengers Assemble event will bring an end to Jason Aaron's hard-hitting run with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. He assembled one of the most powerful rosters of the team that has faced Dark Celestials and hellish demons while exploring the history of the Marvel universe. The team featured some of Marvel's strongest heroes, though there are quite a few other rosters over the years who have proved their strength in other ways as well.
13 The Original Roster Of The Avengers Is Still One Of The Best
Many teams don't have the best founding roster, but the Avengers have always been top-notch. The first Avengers roster featured powerhouses and geniuses that made for a quite well-rounded team. There are plenty of modern superteams that would still get embarrassed by the original Avengers roster.
Notable Members
- Iron Man
- Thor
- Hulk
- Ant-Man
- The Wasp
- Captain America
Hulk and Thor were the most powerful Marvel heroes of their time, and those original versions are still pretty potent. The team's other three members were still very formidable, making this team one of the best. The iconic future leader Captain America joined the roster only a few issues after the Avengers' debut.
12 The Early '90s Roster Was Powerful But Underrated
The early '90s weren't necessarily considered the best era for the Avengers. The team was falling from grace, and eventually, Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man would all leave the roster. This would leave Black Widow in command of a unique assemblage of heroes. The group wasn't big, but it could still do a lot of damage.
Notable Members:
- Black Widow
- Black Knight
- Sersi
- Hercules
- Crystal
- Vision
Black Widow was one of the Avengers' greatest and most experienced leaders. Crystal and Sersi brought a lot of power to the team as the most powerful of the Inhumans and Eternals, respectively. Hercules and Vision added experience and muscle, and Black Knight was a melee expert, creating a balanced and powerful group.
11 Roy Thomas Brought Together One Of The Most Iconic Avengers Rosters
Roy Thomas was Stan Lee's protégé and his Avengers run, with artists like Neal Adams and John Buscema, made the Avengers even greater than before. The team was all killer, no filler, and would form the core for future Avengers rosters even after Thomas and company left.
Notable Members:
- Captain America
- Iron Man
- Thor
- Hawkeye
- Hank Pym (in multiple costumed identities)
- The Wasp
- The Vision
- Wonder Man
- Scarlet Witch
- Quicksilver.
This Avengers roster had it all, although many of the members weren't the powerhouses they'd eventually become. It's one of the group's most iconic rosters, with the best Avengers of all time onboard for some of the team's biggest adventures that would continue to affect later rosters.
10 The Dark Avengers Boasted The Sentry At His Most Powerful
Norman Osborn took over the Avengers and created a new team of villains posing as heroes alongside anti-heroes like Ares, the Sentry, and Noh-Varr. He redesigned stolen Iron Man armor to become the Iron Patriot so he could lead his powerful Dark Avengers.
Notable Members:
- Norman Osborn/Iron Patriot
- Moonstone/Ms. Marvel
- Daken/Wolverine
- Venom/Spider-Man
- Bullseye/Hawkeye
- Ares
- Sentry
Ares and the Sentry were the most powerful members of the team, though Osborn's manipulation of The Sentry unlocked his upper limits as the villainous Void. He was the team's ace in the hole who became Osborn's attack dog, and he could handle just about any threat. The Dark Avengers fell apart during Osborn's Siege on Asgard, though they still proved their power during that time.
9 Luke Cage Gathered A Powerful Team Of New Avengers In The Heroic Age
Luke Cage first joined the New Avengers prior to the superhuman Civil War, though he became a leader of the team after they went underground to avoid the Superhuman Registration Act. His service to the team earned him his own faction of New Avengers during The Heroic Age.
Notable Members:
- Luke Cage
- Jessica Jones
- Spider-Man
- Wolverine
- Iron Fist
- Ms. Marvel
- The Thing
- Mockingbird
- Doctor Strange
Steve Rogers put Cage in charge of his own team which operated out of Avengers Mansion. Former members of the New Avengers joined him alongside some of the closest allies from his time as a solo hero for hire. While Cage was one of the strongest members, his team was further bolstered by the Fantastic Four's Thing and the mystical power of Doctor Strange.
8 The All-New, All-Different Avengers United Classic Members With New Heroes
A new team of "all-new, all-different" Avengers formed after the Secret Wars event. Veteran Avengers like Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Vision helped form a new team alongside legacy heroes, some of whom were inexperienced due to their youth or short-time operating as heroes.
Notable Members:
- Iron Man
- Captain America (Sam Wilson)
- Thor (Jane Foster)
- Vision
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
- Spider-Man (Miles Morales)
- Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan)
- Nova (Sam Alexander)
While the team featured heavy hitters, some of the more youthful members were inexperienced despite their passion for heroism. The All-New, All-Different Avengers could have been one of the most powerful rosters. However, the team fell apart when the young heroes quit and formed the Champions after growing disillusioned with the Avengers.
7 The Post-Civil War Mighty Avengers Lived Up To Their Name
After Civil War, Iron Man built a new team of registered Avengers, bringing together an extremely formidable team. Carol Danvers as Ms. Marvel became the field leader of an experienced and powerful team that boasted some of the strongest Avengers ever.
Notable Members:
- Iron Man
- Ms. Marvel
- The Wasp
- Black Widow
- Wonder Man
- Ares
- The Sentry
The Mighty Avengers were the biggest heroes in the Avengers Initiative, with a little bit of everything that makes a team a success. The sheer power of Ares, the Sentry, and Wonder Man combined with Black Widow's mix of spy-related skills, the Wasp's years of experience, Ms. Marvel's power and leadership, and Iron Man's balanced skills made for a formidable team.
6 Roger Stern's Years Writing The Team Yielded An Amazing Team
Roger Stern wrote the Avengers for a long time and was a big factor in popularizing some of the Avengers' biggest icons. His Avengers roster took mainstays from the Thomas years and added new heroes which led to exciting new stories. Stern's team was constantly in flux but always stocked with powerful members.
Notable Members:
- Iron Man
- Captain America
- Thor
- Hawkeye
- Black Widow
- Quicksilver
- Scarlet Witch
- Wonder Man
- Beast
- Black Panther
- Dr. Druid
- Hercules
- Monica Rambeau/Captain Marvel
Stern tested his roster like no one before him, especially in the "Under Siege" storyline, in which the Avengers were attacked by the greatest Masters of Evil roster ever. This Avengers roster was one of the greatest and it overshadowed the teams that came before.
5 The Original New Avengers Brought Together A Great Mix Of Heroes
Writer Brian Michael Bendis' time with the Avengers introduced one of the strongest Avengers rosters ever. Captain America and Iron Man assembled a new team after a breakout at the super-villain prison The Raft raised a new cause for alarm. The New Avengers made up for its lack of power with some of the most experienced heroes.
Notable Members:
- Captain America
- Iron Man
- Luke Cage
- Spider-Woman
- Wolverine
- Spider-Man
- The Sentry
- Echo/Ronin
Wolverine and Spider-Man added a lot to the roster, with the rest of the team running the gamut of skills and abilities. The Sentry was their ace in the hole, although he was a bit unreliable during this era of the team. Even without him, the group was incredibly powerful and each member had experience facing down the worst villains.
4 Busiek & Perez Brought Together A Powerful Team Of Avengers During Heroes Return
When writer Kurt Busiek and the late great artist George Pérez took over Avengers in 1998, they brought together a familiar but exciting roster of powerful members. Led by Captain America, the team featured classic heroes along with new members and characters. This roster of the team made fans fall in love with the Avengers again.
Notable Members:
- Captain America
- Iron Man
- Thor
- Wonder Man
- Vision
- Scarlet Witch
- Firestar
- Justice
This roster faced down some of the greatest Avengers villains ever, including Ultron in a story that still stands as one of the best Avengers tales. It's a best-of-all-time team from a best-of-all-time run and creative duo that still holds up today.
3 The Uncanny Avengers Brought Together Powerful X-Men With Classic Members
After the Avengers vs. X-Men event pitted Marvel's biggest teams against each other, it ultimately resulted in a new branch of Avengers known as the Unity Squad. Appearing in Uncanny Avengers, the Unity Squad featured a united roster of Avengers and mutants formed by Captain America in an effort to heal human/mutant relations.
Notable Members:
- Captain America
- Havok
- Thor
- Rogue
- Wolverine
- Scarlet Witch
- Sunfire
- Wonder Man
- Wasp
- Dr. Voodoo
- Psynapse
Havok was placed in charge of the Unity Squad, though Captain America occasionally took charge in the heat of battle. The team dealt with some tension between team members but featured some incredible power sets that made them an incredibly formidable team. The Unity Squad grew to include Inhuman members when Rogue officially took over as the leader of the team.
2 Jason Aaron's Roster Featured A Few Of Marvel's Most Powerful Heroes
2018's Avengers #1, by writer Jason Aaron and artist Ed McGuinness, redefined the modern Avengers. It brought together an MCU-inspired team that featured a few rookie Avengers. Powerful members like Dr. Strange, Ghost Rider, and She-Hulk were replaced by heroes like Blade and a Phoenix Force-powered Echo to keep the team's power level high.
Notable Members:
- Black Panther
- Captain America
- Iron Man
- Thor
- Doctor Strange
- Captain Marvel
- Ghost Rider
- She-Hulk
- Blade
- Echo/Phoenix
The severely overpowered roster of old and new members carried the team through quite a few epic battles. Few enemies had a chance against them, especially with the power of a Starbrand on the team. They're easily one of the strongest Avengers teams ever, which will be hard to follow after the Avengers Assemble event.
1 Hickman's Avengers Were The Largest And Most Powerful Line-Up Ever
Jonathan Hickman brought together an entirely new line-up in one of the best Avengers stories in the comics. Iron Man and Captain America worked together to form a bigger and better roster of the team using a strategic Avengers Machine. It would form new teams of heroes together to better suit the mission parameters.
Notable Members:
- Captain America
- Iron Man
- Thor
- Wolverine
- Spider-Man
- Captain Marvel
- Spider-Woman
- Cannonball
- Sunspot
- Smasher
- Captain Universe
- Hyperion
- Manifold
- Black Widow
- Hulk
- Starbrand
- Nightmask,
- Shang-Chi
The team was massive, with a number of powerful heroes making up its roster. Classic Avengers rejoined the team while younger heroes were promoted to the big leagues. No other Avengers roster was so large or powerful, which came in handy during a galactic war with the Builders during the Infinity event.