Avengers: Infinity War is coming! Avengers: Infinity War is coming! Avengers: Infinity War is coming! Are you as excited as I am? Do you want to bombard your cortex with as much Avengers related information as humanly possible before Avengers 3 hits theatres in a few short weeks? I’ve got the list for you…

Truth be told, I’m exhausted and I’m not sure I have an ounce of witty (see: annoying and unnecessary) banter in me at the moment, so let’s just jump right the f in…

Top 10 Avengers Storylines

Despite being one of the most powerful foes, the megalomaniacal villain known as Michael Korvac isn’t exactly a household name. He’s not even a name you hear very often from the mouths of Marvel purists and elitists, yet a memorable year long arc is based around the character, and his almost successful plan to destroy the Universe. Why does this god-like persona want to destroy the universe, exactly? Well, to save it…obviously. Funny how these bad guys can justify anything. What took place between the pages during this span is nothing short of a battle for the ages, spanning worlds and including the Guardians of the Galaxy (led by original torchbearer Starhawk) along with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. We see a fractured team going up against the pseudo-deity, with Iron Man and Cap butting heads on the best course of action (something we witness frequently in these Avengers storylines), and a s— ton of carnage and bloodshed, especially for a story that was written in the late 70’s. I doubt any comic book reader is going to have this arc in their “top 5,” but it’s darkly

entertaining and deadly, and a top notch pick for anything Avengers enthusiast.

Ultron is often looked at as one of the Avengers greatest villains, and there’s no greater indication of this than Ultron Unlimited, which portrays the ruthless AI at his most evil, and at his most human. Many of the cues taken for the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron come straight from these pages, including (but not limited to), Ultron’s robot army and his decimation of an entire Eastern European country (believe it or not, he was “nicer” to the country of Sokovia in the film). The story also takes an interesting and engaging look at the relationship between the rogue robot and his original creator, Hank Pym. While Pym has had his fair share of negative storylines over his long history in and out of the Avengers, this might be his most interesting hour (coming from a guy whose dislike for the Hank Pym character in the comics burns with the intensity of 1,000 Johnny Storms.)

Note: If this short story arc (4 issues) makes you happy all over, ALSO check out the The Ultron Initiative plot, that leads directly into my favorite Avengers runs of all time (see: …like, 4 spaces down. Are you in that much a hurry, though?)

An Avengers team, post-Secret Invasion (gah! I told you, it’s coming!), lead by one of Marvel’s most notorious villains, Norman Osborn. Oh, and he combines the personas of both Iron Man and Captain America to create a patriotic wolf in sheep’s clothing that shares little resemblance to the Rhodey “Iron Patriot” of Iron Man 3, instead manifesting as a character that would look much more at home in the some despotic government. OH, and he’s leading an Avengers team filled with antagonists taking on the roles of our favorite heroes, such as Venom as Spider-Man, Moonstone as Ms. Marvel and Daken standing in for his father, Wolverine. It is a Marvel protagonists worst nightmare, all of which taking place as Osborn’s mental health deteriorates into psychotic mush, and the heroes we’ve always known as Avengers are the ones standing outside of the law. An Avengers squad like no one had (or has) seen before, this run entitled Dark Reign is everything that is fun and entertaining about comic books.

Many are banking on the fact that the MCU’s upcoming Captain Marvel movie starring Brie Larson will be based around this sensational story about rival alien races battling for centuries with the home planet of the Avengers (I could’ve just said Earth…but I didn’t) firmly caught in the crosshairs. There’s no greater story in establishing the lore and legend of the original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell, as well as setting the stage for Carol Danvers as Ms. Marvel just 5 short years later. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has the chance to kill 2 birds with one boulder by combining the the Kree/Skrull War, as well as the origin of Carol Danvers’ transformation into Captain Marvel (me thinks they’ll skip over the Ms. Marvel stuff, if at the very least to avoid one of the more…ummm…unnecessary costumes in Marvel’s long history). If we, as the viewing public, get to witness even a sliver of this story on the big screen, we’re in for a mother f—ing treat.

Sorry, that was inappropriate. But I stand by it.

Okay, first thing you need to know about this arc is that it was written by DC’s illustrious poster boy (and now head of the DC Extended Universe on the film side), Geoff Johns. Before signing an exclusive contract with the “enemy,” Johns penned this story that’s a cross between your standard Avengers storyline and the movie Outbreak, while the infected look like extras out of the Walking Dead. The mysterious plague strikes the U.S. and is quickly spreading, and the Avengers are tasked with figuring out how to stop the deadly “illness,” and find out where it all started. Part comic book and part thriller, Johns does a great job of intricately weaving this story, with incredible moments created for characters such as Black Panther, Iron Man & Captain America, and their relationships with each other. Johns creates a story that focuses on the heroes using their brains more than fancy suits and indestructible shields, and it’s a nice change of pace.

What if all these heroes you’d been rooting for, for years weren’t who you thought they were? Written by the remarkable Brian Michael Bendis, the plot looks like this: The shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls have been infiltrating all ranks of the superhero community for years, imitating a who’s who of heroes, from Hank Pym to Spider-Woman, preparing patiently for the chance to strike. With the tagline “Who Do You Trust?,” this 9 month narrative flipped the entire Marvel Universe on its head, proving that even after 60+ years of crossover events, it is still possible to shock comic book readers. Some within the fandom have been hoping for a Secret Invasion film coming off of the events in Avengers 4, and while this might seem to be a long shot, I was also the a–hole that said the X-Men would never have a chance at being in the MCU, so…never say never.

Aside from boasting one of the coolest trade paperback covers I’ve ever seen, this story line reads like Marvel’s counterpoint to the Arkham Asylum video game. Featuring what might just be my favorite Avengers lineup of all time (Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Daredevil (sort of), Wolverine, & Spider-Woman (…again, sort of), this team is tasked with breaking into Rykers Island prison to prevent a supervillain prison break of epic proportions. Despite stellar reviews, this book is not universally adored by fans, yet I can see nothing wrong with putting the best of the best in an isolated location and letting them just duke it out.

The idea to most fans of the Avengers fracturing apart and dissolving into chaos seems nearly novel at this point, since we are post Civil War I & II in the comics, and have had…uhhh…some…of the events of Civil War created into a Captain America movie. But when Brian Michael Bendis completely destroyed the Avengers in this 2004 mini series in only 4 issues, shock and awe hit readers hard. Attacked on all sides by Doctor Doom, Ultron bots and a brain-washed (and hella powerful) Scarlet Witch, death and destruction befall Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The team is removed from good standing in the eyes of the public, as well as ceases to exist in its most recognizable form by the end of the arc. From a pure entertainment standpoint, this story is a must read, but the events that took place over a few short issues elicited ramifications throughout the Marvel Universe for years to come.

I’m pretty sure I don’t have to write much about this title…or why it’s considered essential reading for lovers of all things Avengers. Take, arguably, the 2 greatest heroes in the Marvel Universe, have them disagree wholeheartedly with each other on a matter that neither is really wrong on, and have the rest of the Marvel Universe split down the middle and choose sides. There’s been a 2nd Civil War saga, as well as a movie that…well, at the very least was CALLED Civil War and had Iron Man vs. Captain America…but the impact this arc had when originally launched can NOT be overstated. Disagreements happened all the time between the heroes of the Marvel Universe, and Cap and Stark were no strangers to butting heads over morality and ideology, yet never before had these 2 actually warred against each other in this way. The public wanted superheroes to be registered with the government after a catastrophic and tragic event caused by some moronic mutants, and while Stark eventually “saw that light” with this line of thinking, Cap had seen too much (and been through too much) to ever trust the United States government with that type of power. What ensues is super-powered poetry, a Shakespearean drama with Vibranium shields and armored suits. Read it, like, yesterday.

If you want to read the biggest influence on the creation of this juggernaut we know as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, look no further than The Ultimates, the Avengers team set within the Ultimate Universe of the 2000’s. The Ultimate Universe was launched as a more realistic, gritty, political world for our favorite heroes to exist in. Starting off with favorites of the time such as the X-Men and Fantastic Four, Marvel tasked the legendary Mark Millar to re-imagine Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in this new world. What Millar and illustrator Bryan Hitch was a team of more realistic (see: flawed) characters. Tony Stark, a philandering alcoholic. Steve Rogers, a legendary soldier, but a grade-A a–hole and borderline (i.e. not at all borderline) bully. Thor, a God…to himself, but to everyone else he’s a nutjob. An insecure genius in Bruce Banner, whose rage monster alterego f—ing EATS his enemies. You get the gist. While characterization has changed a bit within the MCU (we’ve talked before about how Marvel Studios combines multiples comic book takes for their big screen counterparts), much of the building blocks for the Marvel Cinematic Universe came from this iteration, including, but not limited to, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury & a smaller, more concise version of the team. While the story eventually goes off the rails a bit thanks largely in part to Hank Pym, his fits of spousal abuse, and his Ultron army that leaks a Tony Stark/Black Widow sex tape (…..I’m serious), the original 13 issue run of Ultimates (and most of its follow up) is incredible storytelling accentuated with eye popping visuals. Do yourself a favor and cop this run, and then never look at these characters the same way again.

There you have it. Hit me up with your thoughts, opinions, hate mail and overall consensus of this list! What did I miss?

Lou Mattiuzzo is a full time teacher, full time husband, full time father & full time superhero enthusiast. If you care about any of the mindless s— he writes, please give him a follow on Twitter

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