If not Cap, who would you choose to lead the Avengers?

[kal_el21]

I've thought about this before, so here's the premise: If Cap, for some reason or another, had to leave the Avengers who do you think he should leave the leadership duties to and why?

My answer would be Namor. He's run his own kingdom and I think he would be absolutely honored if he was asked by Cap himself. They respect each other so I don't think Namor would let it go to his head. He's also hard-@$$ed enough that those under him would fall into line fairly quick and respect his leadership.

[mattbib]

Wasp.

Jan's a proven leader who can persevere through even the most difficult situations. She's shown her stuff during the Avengers worst periods, including the Masters' siege and the Kang War, organizing her resources and addressing simultaneous threats. Jan's not afraid to make difficult decisions, nor is she afraid to defer to someone else's experience and judgment.

[The Shadow]

Wasp here as well.

Though I liked Black Widow too.

[hmnut73]

Everyone besides Cap is second best at best.

But I would say Black Widow, Ironman, Hawkeye, Black Panter, Justice or Firestar (but only because I am a HUGE New Warrior's fan)

[Den]

I never did like the Wasp much as a character, but there's no denying she's proved her worthiness to lead.

Monica Rambeau did a fine job for a short time, and could again.

I would love to see Justice get over the fanboyish attitude the Avengers create in him and truly step up. This could actually be a good storyline. At one time, Vance did seem to be the most likely heir to Cap's legacy.

Out of the "New Avengers" (Before they get disassembled) I'm really not certain who would fit best. Iron Man pretty much was leading actually rather than Cap imo.

Still, either Luke or Spider-Woman might have some potential. At this point, I trust Jessica more than Tony , but Jess would have to be sure she broke free for good, and need some more confidence than she's been displaying. Luke would be interesting because some of his ideas, like "hanging out" to deter crime were actually appealing to me.

And, yeah, Hawkeye would be cool too, assuming he's in any shape after being killed a few times.

[XPac]

I think Avengers history has pretty firmly established that next to Cap, Wasp is the best Avengers field leader. She's one of the FEW that will call the shots even when Cap is on the field.

That's why I'm a bit curious as to why she's not calling the shots in the scenes we've seen from Mighty Avengers. Nothing against Carol, but I would have put Wasp or Black Widow ahead of her.

[TheCrow13]

Pym needs his time to shine. Hed be great

[rZi]

Yeah wasp would be great...but cap always comes off as a true leader and would be hard to replace.

[Haunt]

Storm could do it, eventually. i'm hoping that Vance Astrovik grows to that point, some day. feel the same way about Cannonball but he seems to have backslid a bit.


Pym needs his time to shine. Hed be great

he can't handle it. doesn't make him less of a hero but pressure and Pym don't mix. he'd make a better co-leader than figurehead.

[Van Custo]

I'd say Thor cuz he's led armies, led all of Asgard as king, but that's probly not a good idea cuz he's off away doing his own thing so often.

Black Panther?

Hawkeye?


:p

[Omega Alpha]

Black Panther or Wasp are the best choices, IMO, if you're counting regular Avengers only.

[Bear]

No one is worthy, except Cap. But if I can choose him I'd have to say Banner-Hulk (not bitchy Grey Hulk, or Savage Hulk).

Ironman was shiney years ago--and that personification of the character was appropriate for role of team leader. But the present Ironman I can't tolerate.

Wasp was leader at one point or another.
Pym is an abusive jerk.

The female Captain Marvel I really liked back in the day, but I'm not sure whether she still has her powers or not.

Classic Nick Fury might have been cool--kind of reminded me of my grandfather.

[XPac]

Pym needs his time to shine. Hed be great

I think in general scientist types often make better SECOND in commands or Co-leaders.

People like Hank and Tony typically are better in the role of supporting characters. Which isn't to say they can't handle it... but a lot of times they seem to lack a certain humanizing element.

Batman is one of the greatest field leaders in comics, but even he needs a Superman there at times for morale.

[Wild Card13]

Hawkeye is a pretty good leader as far as they go. He's got charisma, he's got cunning, and he can certainly fight well enough. He was good enough for the West Coast Avengers, the Thunderbolts, and the Great Lakes Avengers (but then again, who isn't good enough for those guys?)

[Grimm]

I'd like to see how Ben Grimm would fare as an Avengers team leader.

Ben is a very well respected guy in the MU, and would benefit a lot from being out of Reed's shadow. He certainly has the experience and the leadership skills.

After Civil War finishes I would be very surprised if he isn't given a squad in the 50 state initiative. Unless he likes hanging out with the Parisian gargoyles too much :)

[Magneto_X]

Black Panther (male) or Black Widow (female).

BW hasn't been used well as leader in the past, from what I gathered in the Busiek post-Onslaught Annual, but she should be one of the best considering how skilled at strategy she is (re: Black Widow: Homecoming, DD: The Widow etc).

I'd like Hawkeye to get a chance when he comes back. He was awesome while leading the Thunderbolts.

[FightingSpirit]

Hawkeye's time to shine has finally come. Hawkeye or thor should lead the New avenger team. Dont know how Cap could possibly lead the avengers seeing how the civil war is playing out. Also this whole civil war seem's to be a big mistake.

[Omega Alpha]

I think in general scientist types often make better SECOND in commands or Co-leaders.

People like Hank and Tony typically are better in the role of supporting characters. Which isn't to say they can't handle it... but a lot of times they seem to lack a certain humanizing element.


Yep. Beast plays that role in the X-men often, supporting Cyke and the team, but unless it's strictly necessary, never leading. Reed is the only exception, but his working with his family, it's not the same thing.

Among the traditional Avengers, i think that Hawkeye too could be leader too, i can't believe i forgot to mention him before. If you're talking about new people, then Cyclops or Storm are certainly experienced enough to do a great job.

[Will.S]

Hawkeye is a pretty good leader as far as they go. He's got charisma, he's got cunning, and he can certainly fight well enough. He was good enough for the West Coast Avengers, the Thunderbolts, and the Great Lakes Avengers (but then again, who isn't good enough for those guys?)
I agree.

As much as I go against the grain of Wasp (and she is a really good leader after Cap), Hawkeye has had enough leadership under his wing to be able to lead the Avengers and I'm sure alot of Cap's leadership has rubbed off on him already at this point. Of course, flailing around like an idiot during Dissassembled is NOT the way to do it when you've got a chaotic situation like that but I think the HoM Pulse Hawkeye issue explained that a bit better.

[rwsmith]

Wolverine. Just to watch fandom go ape$#!t.

[Babylon23]

Pre Disassembled, I'd have said hte Scarlet Witch, especially as she was already co-leader during the Busiek years.

Black Panther would be an excellent choice. I think Ms. Marvel could work as well, especially as a field leader.

Wasp has proven that she's a great leader. As has Hawkeye.

Iron Man would have been a great leader before he turned into a supervillain.

[Captain WOW]

Falcon only because no one else has nominated him yet and it'd be cool to see him rise up from behind Cap's shadow.

[rwsmith]

Luke Cage. I'd like to see him actually take up the mantle of Captain America and lead the New Avengers. Just because I've always thought the concept of a black Captain America was cool ever since they introduced it in "The Truth" mini series awhile back.

Plus, how cool would it be to see a Captain America who was bullet-proof and strong as hell!

If not Cage, then the Winter Soldier would be a cool replacement for Cap. I'm picturing Captain America with a cybernetic arm and conventional weaponry (guns, knives, etc.). A real soldier instead of some goober who runs around with a shield.

[darkwolf]

Black Knight. But he must have a team choosed by him. Remember that Proctor story ? He was a pretty good leader ( Black widow was his co leader )

[rogerio]

Black Widow..!!!!

[scottv]

I think that Storm would be a really good leader. I think that she shoudl get her own X-Book. Maybe that's just me...

[Shellhead]

Black Panther and Namor are both strong leaders, but they are needed in their respective homelands. Besides, Namor invaded New York at least a couple of times, so making him leader of the Avengers might send the wrong message.

Assuming that this Civil War stuff eventually blows over and we get back to the status quo, Iron Man has been an effective leader in the past. Wasp, Captain Monica (or whatever name she uses these days), Hawkeye and Black Widow would all be decent choices. Black Knight is a little too much of a loose cannon to lead the Avengers again.

[Mister Mets]

Iron Man. Tony Stark.

He's a genius, runs a company with thousands successfully, has over a decade of experience as a superhero, and plans things in the long term.

[brundlefly]

Another vote for Hawkeye. He's led the West Coasters and the TBolts in the past, so he's got the experience to do the job. I like the aforementioned Widow, Monica, and Tony as leadership candidates, as well.

[Deus ex Chris]

Ms. Marvel, definitely. She has experience with military command, and she's a seasoned super-hero. She knows her stuff, and she's overcome more than her share of obstacles. I love that she seems to be giving orders in the Mighty Avengers preview. I hope it means what it seems to mean. I'd hate to see the flighty socialite giving orders again. ;)

If we're talking new blood, then I'll say Storm. She's a natural leader, who adapts very quickly and has done just that from the moment she was orphaned. Hell, she lead the X-Men without powers at a time when Cyclops and Xavier had both walked away from the X-Men and Magneto was left in charge of the school. I think she can handle this bunch.

[Mikl C]

Wasp is second only to Cap. In some respects I think she's better. And I like her as leader because she's actually useful in that capacity.
I love Jan!
Ms Marvel would be good, but a bit too RAH! Kickass.

[Calybos]

I say Dr. Druid. Because it would be awesome to see someone even worse than Moondragon bossing her around.

[Deus ex Chris]

Ms Marvel would be good, but a bit too RAH! Kickass.
Which is much more responsible than "OMG! We can save the world after I design my new outfit."

[Superboy Prime]

Given the circumstances as they are, I would be up for Thor returning (for real this time) and taking the reigns as leader of the Avengers if Cap had to take a leave of absence.

[sonofagun]

If we're talking Avengers that have already led the team then I'm going with Wasp, and I actually enjoy her as leader more than Cap, the stories that had her leading the team just seem a little... meatier, obviously she's an accomplished leader, but she had to deal with more characters ie: Namor and Herculese, that tried to pull off chauvinistic attitudes towards her, and she still managed to pull the team through.
Avengers that haven't taken over leadership yet, that gets interesting.
James Rhodes (War Machine, substitute Iron Man, Leader of ONE) would be a different, but I think extremely interesting and capable team leader. Rhodey isn't a novice to the "Hero" gig, his time as head of Stark (while Tony was frozen and believed dead) and his leadership of O.N.E. shows that he knows how to make the hard choices, all the while taking into consideration the concerns of his teammates/employees.
A third catagory might be a character that has never been an Avenger, but would be an ideal choice for leader of a "New" New Avengers Team. Assumeing she isn't dead, Heather Hudson of Alpha Flight. Great leader, heart of the team that she's already led, she as well has had to make the hard choices. Great international reputation, and my personal favourite reason... it'd keep her away from her ever-ressurected husband.

[Mikl C]

Which is much more responsible than "OMG! We can save the world after I design my new outfit."


... you call yourself gay?! Feh!

[Cayman]

If we're talking new blood, then I'll say Storm. She's a natural leader, who adapts very quickly and has done just that from the moment she was orphaned. Hell, she lead the X-Men without powers at a time when Cyclops and Xavier had both walked away from the X-Men and Magneto was left in charge of the school. I think she can handle this bunch.

Storm would be really cool.

[Kirk G]

Pym needs his time to shine. Hed be great
Try reading the new "Earth's Mightest Heroes" VOL. 2 SERIES....:rolleyes:

[the_big_billbowski]

Ms. Marvel, definitely. She has experience with military command, and she's a seasoned super-hero. She knows her stuff, and she's overcome more than her share of obstacles. I love that she seems to be giving orders in the Mighty Avengers preview. I hope it means what it seems to mean. I'd hate to see the flighty socialite giving orders again. ;)

I agree. Ms. Marvel would be perfect. Besides all the reasons you've listed, it would put her in a spot to be THE break out female character for Marvel. She goes by thier name and she'd be the leader of their #1 team. Perfect match i say. And she's a good character.

[StoneGold]

Here's the thing, are you talking about chairperson, or field leader? Because even when Cap isn't technically the leader, if he's in the general vicinity, he's usually calling the shots when the action starts.

[Post-It]

Id say Ms. Marvel in her current confident state. She has experience and training in both military tactics and espionage.

[XPac]

Here's the thing, are you talking about chairperson, or field leader? Because even when Cap isn't technically the leader, if he's in the general vicinity, he's usually calling the shots when the action starts.

That's usually the case, because regardless of who is chairperson Cap is the best field leader in comics. Or at least he used to be.

But Black Widow and Wasp have both called the shots on the field while they were chairpersons even when Cap was around. You KNOW you're dam good when you can get Captain America to go by your playbook.

That's why Wasp I believe has unofficiall taken the number 2 spot on the Avengers right under Cap in leadership.

[Beacon]

Hawkeye, Black Panther, or Thor.

I’ve always considered Clint the third best leader in the MU (after Cap and Cyc), BP is a born leader, and Thor has centuries of leadership experience.

Iron Man could have done it too but no one is going to trust him for a long time after CW.