When The Avengers came together in 1963 they already had a powerful lineup with Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk. When they added Captain America, their ranks were nearly unstoppable. Since then, more powerful heroes from here on Earth and across the universe have come and gone.
However, so have street-level fighters, which makes sense. Captain America is the most famous street-level fighter around. So, it's logical that others would want to imitate him. For an example of this, here are 10 street-level fighters you didn't know joined The Avengers.
10 Punisher
Frank Castle an Avenger? While it may seem squirrely, Punisher is an active member of the Savage Avengers. Since the team's base of operations is the Savage Land and one of their members is Conan the Barbarian, it makes sense for the Punisher to be included in the group.
This is not the first time Frank has been part of a team. Since he was introduced in 1970s, he's been a member of Code Red, the Thunderbolts, and Heroes for Hire. Sure, the goal of Code Red was to kill Domino, but that's simply semantics.
9 Moon Knight
Soon after this character's introduction in 1975, comic book readers directly compared Moon Knight to DC's Batman. Like the Caped Crusader, Marc Spector likes to work alone to protect the streets of whatever city he's in at the time. Nevertheless, he is willing to be part of a team if the circumstances merit it.
This is why he joined the original West Coast Avengers in the 1980s. Though he seemed to fit well into the team's mission, writer/artist John Byrne wrote him out of the team. In the 21st century, Moon Knight joined Steve Rogers, Beast, and Nova in the Secret Avengers. He was also part of the group during the Avengers vs. X-Men mini-series.
8 Echo
Echo has the distinction of being a street-level hero who has appeared in disguise in order to help the Avengers. After the "Disassembled" storyline, she was one of the members recruited into the new line-up. Not to tarnish the team's profile, she came in as the hero Ronin.
Eventually, her true self was revealed, and she continued with the team until she died in Moon Knight. Then, because she lives in the world of comic books, her life was restored. She still works with the Avengers as one of their top metahuman street-level fighters.
7 Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi is a true street-level fighter with the skills to boot. He's Marvel's master of all things martial arts. On top of that, he is able to control his chi to perform feats that normal humans cannot do.
While he worked alone for a long time -- he was introduced in 1975 -- he joined the Secret Avengers when Steve Rogers asked for help in defeating the Shadow Council. Later, he joined the main Avengers line-up after the events of AvX.
6 Sharon Carter
Yes, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was part of an Avengers line-up. If people like Black Widow can go from an agent to Avengers member, why can't the operative who was a direct liaison to Captain America?
Agent Carter was not a part of the main line-up. Instead, she was part of Steve Rogers' Secret Avengers. This is logical since Sharon is a top-level tactician and skilled in the user of many weapons. Plus, she's good at making undesirables "disappear."
5 Ronin
Ronin is not one single person. In the Marvel comics universe, it's the role other heroes take for one of two reasons. First, they need a break from being their current persona. Second, they don't want The Avengers to be humiliated due to their previous actions.
The first time Ronin was introduced was in the original New Avengers series. In that case, the person under the mask was Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo. The next one to don the costume was Clint Barton, known as Hawkeye. Two additional heroes have taken on the role, including Blade, and there may be more in the future. Heck, one of you may put on the costume someday.
4 White Tiger
The street-level fighter known as White Tiger has been around for nearly a decade. She started as a member of Avengers Academy in order to hone her skills. After graduating, she was asked to join the Mighty Avengers line-up along with Power Man and Star Brand. It was during this time she learned she and Power Man could combine their powers for some super kung-fu chi.
During another shakeup in the line-ups, White Tiger became a member of Sunspot's New Avengers team. During this time, the former X-Man and his team defeated the management of A.I.M. and took over the evil technology corporation. When Sunspot created the U.S.Avengers, White Tiger was not part of the team.
3 Daredevil
It was inevitable that Matt Murdock would join The Avengers at some point in time. He worked with them enough and saw how they meshed. Plus, he couldn't stand the constant berating by Spider-Man.
However, Matt's version of the hero didn't join at first. Instead, it was Danny Rand, a.k.a, Iron Fist, who joined The Avengers during the Heroic Age era. It wasn't until after Fear Itself did Matt decide it was time to be part of an Avengers line-up.
2 Gwenpool
In 2018, the two Hawkeyes -- Clint Barton and Kate Bishop -- decided to resurrect the West Coast Avengers. Among them were the former X-Man Quentin Quire, the Young Avengers Miss America ... and Gwenpool? No, not Spider-Gwen. This is a combination of Wade Wilson and Gwen Stacy from another universe.
Due to a mistake by her tailor, Gwen was given a costume that resembled Deadpool's, except more pink. She is a professional mercenary who can travel in time so she doesn't face dire consequences, like death. In the end, Gwenpool was a great replacement on the West Coast Avengers for the Merc with a Mouth.
1 Spider-Man
For a guy who never wanted to join the Avengers, Spider-Man sure has taken to them over the last several decades. It was to the point he and Mary Jane lived in Avengers Tower during the whole Civil War thing.
Actually, this street-level hero became a member way back in 1991. That's when The Avengers worked under the auspices of the United Nations like the Justice League of that time. Spidey was recruited but decided to go on reserve status. He became a full-time member after the events of "Avengers Disassembled." Since then, the Wall-Crawler has been part of the main team as well as the Unity Division. In addition, he was directly affected during the events of House of M.