A 1996 poll of Marvel Comics readers' favorite Avengers would definitely confuse some fans who are more familiar with Earth's Mightiest Heroes from their on-screen adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Team stalwarts like Captain America and Thor have become household names after the massive success of Marvel Studios' films. But in the nearly 50 years since the Avengers made their debut in the pages of Marvel Comics, there have been more than 100 members of the team, including several popular characters who have yet to make the leap to live action and have fallen into obscurity.
The original lineup from The Avengers #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby consisted of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp. All of these heroes have become prominent heroes in the MCU, though there has been a shuffling around of team rosters. The MCU's original Avengers team includes Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye, all of whom did not join the comics team until later. Additionally, Ant-Man and the Wasp did not debut on-screen until after the Avengers had already assembled, and the versions of these characters who see the most action in the films are Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne. In the comics, the Ant-Man and Wasp who helped form the Avengers were Henry Pym and Janet van Dyne.
Marvel conducted a poll in 1996 to determine the most popular Avengers among fans, and the Top 20 results recently resurfaced on Reddit thanks to a post from user mike_incognito44. It's not a surprise to see Captain America come in first on the list, but there are some definite head-scratchers among the results. Doctor Henry Pym comes in second in his various guises as Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Yellowjacket and Goliath. While Michael Douglas' portrayal of Pym in the Ant-Man films has certainly been well-received, many MCU fans would probably not immediately name him among their favorites. This speaks to how such a significant character from the comics universe has seen his role reduced in the movies. Additionally, the married couple of Quicksilver and Crystal are also among the Top 10 most favorite Avengers. At the time, these two were active members of the Avengers and had been prominent in the comics for more than 30 years. Their roles have been drastically reduced in recent years, with Crystal and her fellow Inhumans practically disappearing from the comics, and Quicksilver only recently appearing following the brief death of his sister Scarlet Witch.
Though they might not be the most popular characters these days, heroes like Hank Pym, Quicksilver and Crystal at least have some name recognition. Other names on the list would have even the most hard-core comics fans checking Google to refresh their memories. Deathcry, who ranks number 17, was a member of the alien race the Shi'ar who briefly joined the team at the request of her aunt, the Shi'ar Empress Lilandra. Deathcry died during the 2008 event Annihilation: Conquest. She was revived during the 2011 event Chaos War, when she took on the name Lifecry before quickly dying again. Thor's 1990s alter ego Thunderstrike, who ranks at number 19 in the poll (ahead of Scarlet Witch), is the alias of Eric Masterson, an architect who merged with the God of Thunder for a brief time. They were eventually separated and Masterson adopted the name Thunderstike. Essentially a Thor copycat with a mace instead of a hammer, Thunderstrike had a very '90s look that included a ponytail and leather jacket with the sleeves ripped off. He was killed off a year before the poll was conducted.
The reader poll is a fascinating look into how dramatically the Avengers roster has developed over the years and how much the MCU has changed the comics. Black Panther, Iron Man and Hulk do not even crack the Top 10. Today Marvel is going to make sure that any Avengers team has familiar faces from the movies on it, and it's difficult to imagine one without the Big Three of Captain America, Thor and Iron Man on the roster, with some form of the Hulk thrown in for good measure. While some fans might hope for a new Marvel Comics series featuring an Avengers team led by Deathcry and Thunderstrike, unless they happen to feature prominently in the next phase of the MCU, the chances of that are slim.
Source: mike_incognito44 via Reddit
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/rlhgxRm
