CBR's Top Fifty Avengers (2011) -- Revealed!

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Voting has ended.

Remember, each voter picked their ten favorite Avengers and ranked them from 1-10 (1 being most favorite, 10 being least favorite). For first place the character was given 10 points; for second 9 points; for third 8 points; and so on. All points were then added up, and ranked in order of points received. The results will be staggered over the next several days. Next to each ranking will be the total points and the number of first place votes, if any, the character received.

Feel free to discuss CBR's Top Fifty Avengers (2011) here.

Characters receiving votes but not making the top fifty will revealed throughout:

#95-103 (tie). Charlie-27, Major Victory, Martinex, Masque, Moira Brandon, Nikki, Starhawk, Whizzer, Yondu - 0 points each
#93-94 (tie). Bullseye (as Hawkeye), Venom (as Spider-Man) - 1 point each
#92. Marrina - 2 points
#91. Echo - 3 points
#88-90 (tie). 3-D Man, Doctor Druid, Jessica Jones - 5 points each
#86-87 (tie). Rage, Silverclaw - 6 points each
#84-85 (tie). Sandman, Swordsman (Javert) - 7 points each
#80-83 (tie). Jarvis, Swordsman (Duquesne), Two-Gun Kid, Veranke - 8 points each
#78-79 (tie). Aleta (1 first place vote), Human Torch (Hammond) - 10 points each
#77. Magdalene - 11 points
#75-76 (tie). Machine Man, Mister Fantastic - 12 points each
#72-74 (tie). Starfox, Ant-Man (O'Grady), Rick Jones - 13 points each
#70-71 (tie). Maria Hill, Thunderstrike - 14 points
#69. Gilgamesh - 15 points
#68. Yellowjacket - 16 points
#66-67 (tie). Deathcry, Invisible Woman - 18 points
#65. Living Lightning - 19 points
#62-64 (tie). Lionheart, Stature, Stingray (1 first place vote) - 20 points
#61. Victoria Hand - 22 points
#60. Firebird - 25 points
#59. Darkhawk (2 first place votes) - 30 points
#58. Hellcat - 31 points
#56-57 (tie). Demolition Man (2 first place votes), Mantis - 32 points
#54-55 (tie). Moon Knight, Protector - 34 points
#51-53 (tie). Ant-Man, Jocasta, War Machine (1 first place vote) - 39 points

Now, here are your Top Fifty Avengers!

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Daken filled the role of Wolverine on Norman Osborn's team of Avengers after Osborn was given responsibility by the U.S. government for redeveloping the team after the Skrull's invasion of earth.

During his time as an Avenger, Daken recovered a piece of teh Muramasa Blade from the X-Men, took part in the team's battle against Morgan le Fay, battled Spider-Man, Venom and the Hulk, and did what nobody had ever been able to do before...killed the Punisher. He also served on Osborn's short-lived X-Men team. In the end, Daken turned on Osborn's Avengers and was soundly defeated when he attempted to battle Thor during the Siege of Asgard. However, he was the only of Osborn's Avengers to escape arrest after the disaster.

Here's why jddoyle voted for Daken as one of his favorite Avengers:

He kicked ass. He did not get manipulated easily. He did what he wanted to, even though it might not have been ethical. He was a way better wolverine. He seemed to be Osbourn's right hand man. He was able to become a "hero", is pretty impressive.

And here's why Kieran_Frost likes the character so much:

He’s Wolverine… except bisexual, sadistically murderous and manipulative as hell. Similar to Dr. Karla Sofen (in more ways than one), Daken “took over” his father’s title series Wolverine; and it was here his main adventures as a Dark Avenger were explored. Whether it was manipulating Ares to brawl with the Fantastic Four, pushing Bullseye over the edge with constant sexual flirtations (another thing he shares with Dr. Sofen), or merely telling Osborn where he can shove it, Daken quickly became a hero to those who love seeing the bad guys twist the knife into those more villainous than him. Daken outflanking the queen of manipulation in “A Cautionary Tale” was a joy, as was his twisted kiss with Bullseye in “Godlike” (during the Siege of Asgard); along with blind-siding the Fantastic Four (and flirting shamelessly with the Thing and Johnny Storm in the process), Daken joined the ranks of the Dark X-men (lead by his future love interest, the equally double-crossing Mystique). Daken proved so popular he was the only Dark Avenger who both lived AND ESCAPED after the fall of Osborn’s reign; keeping his usurped title Dark Wolverine. As Marvel’s only current LGBT solo comic character, it’s great to see Daken coming up to 40+ issues (counting his time in Dark Wolverine and Daken: Dark Wolverine); a trend we hope to see continue.

Finest Hour: succeeding where every other person had failed: killing Frank Castle.

Daken currently appears in Dark Wolverine.

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After Norman Osborn reorganized the Avengers after the Skrull invasion of Earth, the demonic elder god Cthon caused a series of catastrophic events around the world. In response Loki (disquised as the Scarlet Witch) and Hercules sought to recruit their own teams of Avengers, with both groups eventually meeting up and together saving the world.

Amadeus Cho was among those gathered by Hercules, and he remained on this Avengers team. Under the leadership of Hank Pym, now called the Wasp, this team received international recognition.

As an Avenger, Cho helped infiltrate the Baxter Building and participated in battles against Titan, the Unspoken, the Absorbing Man, Loki, and in defending Asgard.

Here's why HollowChatter picked Amadeus Cho as his #1:

Why is Amadeus Cho so fantastic? Well, he is often the smartest dude in the room, and he hasn't even entered post-adolescence. He is loyal to a fault, and his best friend is a God. He can outthink almost any enemy before they get a punch off. Also, his rivalry with Hank Pym over "Smartest Person Alive" rankings was pretty great.

While he served as one of Pym/Loki's Might Avengers, it's a pretty safe bet we'll be seeing Amadeus among the Greatest Heroes on Earth once again. Outside of the Avengers, Cho has fought Gods and monsters and come out on top. He is simply one of the best new characters in comicdom.

Amadeus Cho currently appears in Fear Itself: The Home Front.

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As a founder of the Fantastic Four Ben Grimm is one of Marvel's first modern superheroes. The Thing had been an ally to the Avengers for years. After spending some time on the Beyonder's Battleworld, Grimm had a personal dispute with and quit the Fantastic Four, relocating to the west coast. Grimm repeatedly declined invitations to join the West Coast Avengers, yet continued to participate in their adventures as an unofficial member. He finally accepted official membership but resigned almost immediately when he mutated into a new and more hideous form which prompted him to go into hiding. It was the Fantastic Four who eventually found him and reintroduced him to society, so he opted to rejoin them rather than return to the Avengers.

Following the Siege of Asgard, Luke Cage asked Ben to serve on his Avengers team. Although Ben stated that his loyalty would always be to the Fantastic Four, he accepted, splittin ghis time between teh two teams.

Here's why Ravin' Ray picked the Thing as one of his favorites:

While Ben only had unofficial membership in the West Coast Avengers, he did contribute to the clobbering on the team when it was need. In his stint current stint with Cage's Avengers, he's come out on his own as a hero outside of the Fantastic Four/Future Foundation. That he continues to be on the team despite enduring a terrible loss in the death of Johnny Storm, shows how he's willing to look beyond his own pain and help out others when needed. Being teammates with Wolverine also gave (and continues to give) him time to advance his sometimes rocky relationship with the Canuck and move past former bickerings and fights. (Getting his face slashed by Wolvie when Dr. Strange had the secret Defenders try to apprehend Johnny was one of the lowest points in their interaction.) Finally, having a stint as the Fantastic Four leader gives him the experience to possibly lead the Avengers should circumstances warrant it.

And here's why HollowChatter likes the Thing so much:

Why is The Thing so darn popular? Well, much like Peter Parker is the young, nerdy everyman, Ben Grimm is the working class, lovable everymook. He smokes cigars (well, not anymore), plays poker, drinks away his troubles, and pokes fun at everyone around him. He's like everybody's favorite uncle, but with a cripplingly unstable self-image.

As far as his tenure with the Avengers, he has remained mostly as a supporting figure, but that's not unusual for our favorite rocky mensch. He's on a team with some of his best friends in the world, and I suspect he is a uniting presence among the New Avengers squad.

The Thing currently appears in FF and New Avengers.

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Jack Hart's father was a human scientist, but his mother was an alien Contraxian! After being exposed to a vat of Zero Fluid, Jack mutated and gained the ability to project massive amounts of concussive energy from his body. Now with the power to do so, Jack sought vengeance against the Corporation that killed his father. This led to Jack fighting other superheroes such as the Sons of the Tiger and the Hulk. Eventually Jack got over it and became a true superhero and worked with other heroes, and was even mentored for a time by Iron Man.

Jack left Earth for space for an extended period of time, encountering other cosmic types like Quasar and the Silver Surfer. He eventually joined up with a group of Avengers and topped teh Infinites from displacing the Milky Way galaxy. With nothing better to do, Jack returned to earth with them and joined the Avengers.

Unfortunately he had to live in containment for 14 hours per day otherwise he'd blow up. This kind of bugged him. A lot. So, when a murderer abducted Cassie Lang, the daughter of Ant-Man, Jack caught him and flew into space and exploded, killing both of them. But wait! Jack was resurrected as a zombie by a crazy Scarlet Witch and she made him blow himself up, along with most of Avengers mansion and Scott Lang.

Most recently, however, Jack was brought back by to life by Project Pegasus using the same mysterious Z-Energy utilized to create a zombified Squadron Supreme, who he helped defeat. Only Jack knows what his next steps will be.

Here's why JadedDevil picked Jack of Hearts as one of his favorite Avengers:

I picked Jack of Hearts because, in my mind, he’s kind of the ultimate also-ran hero. If you look at his earlier appearances, you get the impression that he was being groomed to be a big character in the Marvel Universe, especially in the Iron Man books where he was an unofficial partner for a while. But then…nothing happened, and Jack was relegated to things like showing up in a group shot in Contest of Champions or being one of the “Defenders for a Day”. And even though he did get his own mini-series (which opened the door to him being a “cosmic hero” in books like Quasar and Silver Surfer), he never really moved beyond that “not-ready-for-primetime” status. And that attitude carried over to the character himself, giving him a chip on his shoulder so that, when he did join the Avengers, he was cast in the role made familiar by guys like Hawkeye or Quicksilver: temperamental, mercurial, kind of a jerk. And it worked for him, far more than him being a standard “go-to” hero ever did. I really disliked the way Geoff Johns ended Jack’s run (and I won’t even talk about the Bendis salt-in-the-wound), but he’s back now and, while I doubt Bendis is clamoring to bring him back into the fold, I hope he does return to the Avengers line someday, complete with the attitude that finally made him stand out.

Jack of Hearts most recently appeared in Marvel Zombies Supreme.

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Greer Nelson's husband was a cop. Until he was killed in an off-duty shooting. Then Greer got a job with her old physics professor who experimented on her, giving her superhuman abilities. So she became a costumed adventurer called the Cat. Turns out her professor was really a Cat Person. But Greer was fatally injured defending him against HYDRA. So the Cat People saved her, transforming her into the were-cat, Tigra.

Her superhero career eventually led to her joining the Avengers, but she resigned soon thereafter due to her inexperience and self-doubt. But then she accepted a spot on Hawkeye's west coast team, where she eventually grew a tail. She left the team in protest at one point, but rejoined and downgraded to reserve status.

She eventually became a cop to investigate the true circumstances of her late husband's death.

More recently she served as an instructor at Camp Hammond, was beaten by the Hood, beat the Hood in return, led the Arkansas Initiative team "The Battalion", and worked with She-Hulk's "Lady Liberators". After Norman Osborn made the Hood the head of the Initiative, she went on the run and co-founded the unofficial "Avengers Resistance". And then *shocker* she gave birth to the Skrull Hank Pym's cat-person baby, who she named William (after her late husband).

After Osborn was taken down, she was appointed by Steve Rogers to serve on the faculty of the Avengers Academy. More recently she established several "Always An Avenger" centers to provide veterans, children, spouses, and any other trauma victims with needed counseling and resources. And she resumed her romantic relationship with the non-Skrull Hank Pym.

Here's why Tigra is one of yvahed's favorite Avengers:

I first started reading the Avengers when Tigra first joined. She was added as a wildcard element and over the years has been a character that has been played for laughs and exploited, but has also at times been full of pathos and the centre of many interesting storylines. Tigra is a character that is visually striking. She combines several archetypes – the sexy animal woman, the femme fatale detective, the scientist lab assistant, the mystical demi-goddess of the Cat People. While she has often doubted herself, she has proved herself reliable over the last 3 decades. Ultimately she embodies a complex series of characteristics that are too often ignored.

Tigra currently appears in Avengers Academy.

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Psst... Let me let you in on a secret. The Avengers do not like Moondragon. They think she's arrogant and are probably a little scared of her.

Let me tell you why she's that way.

Thanos blew up her parents' car when she was a little girl. With her and her parents in it. She was trained to be a hard-as-nails martial artist and psi by space monks. She's been under the unconscious influence of the Dragon of the Moon for much of her adult life. Her dad was resurrected and he betrayed her so she killed him. Mantis was picked over her for Celestial Madonna. She tried mentally enslaving a planet to force them to live in peace, but was betrayed by her dad and teammates. She could never quite kill Thanos. Odin punished her. The Defenders killed her (albeit at the cost of several of their lives). After returning in a cloned body, Quasar rebuffed her advances. Adam Warlock gave her the Mind Gem but wouldn't let her fully use it (and then it was stolen by Rune!). Marlo Chandler ended their affair when she returned to her husband.

But in the end Moondragon has proven herself one of the universe's staunchest defenders. She's opposed Thanos countless times. She's been a mentor to other heroes such as Hellcat and Captain Marvel. She was instrumental in stopping Annihilus' plan to destroy all life in the universe. Despite being transformed into a dragon, she helped organize forces against Ultron's Phalanx invasion...at the cost of her own life. Returning again, she joined the Guardians of the Galaxy and was an asset in their ongoing battles with the Church of Universal Truth until the team disbanded after Star-Lord's death.

Here's why Moondragon is one of jstar!!'s favorite Avengers:

Moondragon is epic and some awareness needs to be brought to her badassery. Not only is she a ferocious, ball-busting martial artist, she's also a literal genius, one of the most powerful telepaths in the Marvel universe (she mind-controlled every mind on a planet once to stop a war, Xavier) and one of the few openly bisexual characters in comics. Her superiority complex/attitude problems made her a fun and unpredictable addition to the team.

Master of Sound is a fan too:

She reflects to me what a strong female stands for. She has had a rough, hard life, even for a Marvel character. But she managed to save herself from drowning in misery. She seems coldhearted, but has a big heart for those few who were allowed to enter. Also: To me the first bi-sexual character of Marvel. Let's give applause for that.

And here's what Beamish had to say:

Moondragon is a bitch. She knows it, other heroes know it - we all know it. However, it's her bitchness and superior attitude that make her a lot of fun. Groups need characters like her to add that "hero you love to hate" bad taste in your mouth. She is unsufferable, but you still love her for it. Although her tenures with the Avengers are always too short, they are certainly memorable. Barking orders at Iron Man, "cleansing" Quicksilver's mind, questioning Tigra's morals and D-Man's presense, bedding Thor - and that's just her interactions to the good guys! She is and always will be one of my favorite Avengers because she adds a missing element, a unique and very distinct personality, besides her cool character design and power set. If she's in an issue or story arc, you know it's gonna be good.

Moondragon most recently appeared in Thanos Imperative.

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Oh, Norman, how high a Spider-Man villain can climb.

After all the grief he'd given the Wall-Crawler over the years, and finally being taken down by Luke Cage and going to prison, Norman Osborn was nonetheless given some meds and declared competent enough to run the Thunderbolts. Then the Skrulls invaded and Osborn was lucky enough to be caught taking out the Skrull queen on camera.

His grasp on sanity already slipping, Osborn pushed for control of SHIELD, which he transformed into HAMMER, and was given control of the Avengers, which he led as the Iron Patriot and filled the ranks with villains and duped heroes.

After exerting his authority over the world for months, Osborn used the U-Foes to make it appear that Volstagg caused the destruction of Soldier Field, and the deaths of thousands. Osborn used this tragedy as the basis of his invasion of Asgard. Osborn had the Sentry destroy the home of the gods, but the seige was ultimately stopped, with Osborn captured by Volstagg and incarcerated in the Raft.

But Osborn's machinations run deep and, despite the best efforts of the Avengers, he was able to arrange his escape. Now he stands on the precipice of greatness once again,

Here's why ironbyte voted for Iron Patriot as one of his favorite Avengers:

iron patriot is one of my favourite avengers for many reason:

1) because he's like an evil tony stark, or what stark will be without the great goodness in his hearth and soul...

2) because i like the would be word conqueror characters (and i like good plans for world conquer and see it fails for some undercalculated details)

3) because i like comic book character linked to tecnology (like iron man, ghost,fixer,ecc)

And here's what Kieran_Forst had to say:

The greatest villains are the ones, deep down, we root for to win. And that was Osborn! Despite his Cabal turning against him, despite his Avengers conspiring to bring his downfall, despite all the heroes rallying against him; he still managed to unite the supervillain community (and some heroes) in a way no other person has ever managed. The tragedy of Osborn isn’t that he gave into his baser demons… it’s the fact, if only given a chance; he could have achieved something truly brilliant.

Finest Hour: becoming the “top cop” of America; achieving a success and status no-other villain can ever claim (nor will probably ever claim, either)

Norman Osborn currently appears in New Avengers.

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"Miss Angelica Jinx."

Maybe Bonnie had it right, because so much has gone wrong in Firestar's life. A mutant. Manipulated by Emma Frost. The death of Butter Rum. The threat of infertility. Her boyfriend in jail.

But then she almost accidentally became an Avenger. She never really had any desire to join the team, but she excelled at it, going undercover with the Triune Understanding, facing a horde of Ultrons, and participating in the Avengers defense of the world against Kang.

But she eventually left the team with Justice in order to start college and enjoy a normal life and breaking off her engagement. She was left unaffected by the Scarlet Witch's decimation of the mutant race and she retired from superheroing instead of registering under the SHRA or taking part in the superhero Civil War. And at some point she became good friends with Black Cat, Hellcat and Monica Rambeau.

Then she was diagnosed with cancer. But with the support of her friends she survived and returned to superheroing part-time, frequently partnering with Gravity.

For those who don't know, I've always loved the character...

Personally, Firestar has always been one of my favorite characters, ever since I was a kid watching Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. I was kind of shocked to learn that she didn't exist in the comics before then but was thrilled when she soon appeared in the X-Men and then her own classic limited series. She's among the few characters I've actually seen grow in the comics in a way that seems real. She really is a classic every-woman character in the same vein as Spider-Man. Her short tenure with the Avengers, during one of the titles greatest creative periods, is a highlight.

And here's why RLAAMJR. picked Firestar as one of his favorite Avengers:

I like Firestar because she's a powerful mutant who can generate and manipulate microwave energy. And like Storm of the X-Men , she is more powerful in space. She has a fiery attitude that makes her more interesting especially when in battle. She is the most popular New Warriors member and I like her team-up with Spider-Man and Iceman in a cartoon series.

Firestar currently appears in Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt.

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Crystalia Amaquelin is a member of the Royal Family of the Inhumans, the younger sister to Queen Medusa.

She's kind of gotten around. No, I'm not referring to her many relationships with the Human Torch, Sentry, Quicksilver, the Black Knight and Ronan. I'm talking about her affiliations! She's lived with the Inhumans in Attilan (in its many locations), of course, and then she served on the Fantastic Four for a time. But her value rose when she joined the Avengers after their battle with the Brethren. The Avengers faced some of its greatest challenges during this period. But then Onslaught happened and that was pretty much the end of her time with the team.

Since then she's traveled the galaxy with the Inhumans and, her marriage to Quicksilver annulled, became Ronan's bride, becoming the Kree's "People Princess".

Here's why Mitteloss picked Crystal as a favorite:

Crystal is a favourite of mine because she comes across as the most humane, compassionate and moral of the Inhumans. Her insecurities and shortcomings are always overcome by a genuinely warm heart, and she, like her sister, brings a touch of authentic elegance and majesty to Marvel's heroes, but unlike her sister, very much because of her good personality. War of Kings showed she has the potential to be a 'People's Princess'.

And here's what Steven F. has to say:

My first introduction to Crystal was during her Avengers stint. She was a unique character to me, since I was new to comics and here was this Inhuman woman (also a single mom like Julia Carpenter, now that I think about it) with all the powers of the Planeteers put together! Even with her power though, she was also flawed. She was a hero, but she was obviously trying to be a better person than how she had been in the past (which some would say was kind of a slut). Her stories were great. Was she going to get back with Quicksilver? Would Black Knight ultimately win her over? I always thought she was a the heart (like Ma-Ti) of that team of Avengers, and she had a great friendship with the Vision, which was nice.

Crystal most recently appeared in FF.

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Everyone loves Sam Wilson.

While he may have started as a pawn of the Red Skull, the Falcon was inspired by Captain America to become a hero, and eventually his partner, an agent of SHIELD, and an Avenger. And though Cap may have served as inspiration for Falcon, throughout the years it's often been the Falcon who's inspired Cap.

From David Brothers' A Marvel Black History Lesson Pt. 1[/URL]:
“The Falcon was the very first African-America super hero, as opposed to The Black Panther, who preceded him, but wasn't American,” notes Marvel Senior Vice President of Publishing Tom Brevoort. “In a time when the struggle for civil rights was very much at the forefront of the American dialogue, The Falcon brought some of those issues concerning the black experience onto the comic book page for the very first time. He was so popular that he rapidly became a co-headliner on the series. Not just a reflection of Cap, The Falcon was his own man, and steadily expanded on and improved his arsenal of weaponry and powers, aided by characters such as The Black Panther, who developed the Falcon's wings.

Master of Sound had this to say:

He's a hero for a long time but to me he and his little birdy should get a better spotlight. He deserves to be a prime Avenger for years, but always plays Mr. Cameo.

He is one of the few everybody can trust, he's loyal and hey, he got a pet bird as loyal as himself.

And here's why ironbyte picked the Falcon as one of his favorite Avengers:

i like falcon for one only reason, one only story that put sam into my favourite avengers...

Avengers vol. 3 issue 64 titled sight unseen written by my Johns... great skills, great tactician, great character

a great character with great detective skill , with the right writer a great ongoing series

Falcon most recently appeared in Heroes for Hire.

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Mar-Vell started out as a spy but he grew fond of humanity and was actually found guilty of treason by his Kree Empire and sentenced to death! He escaped, of course, and was eventually trapped in the Negative Zone. From there, the Supreme Intelligence granted Mar-Vell the ability to telepathically contact and exchange places with Rick Jones, using a pair of "nega-bands". Mar-Vell thus became a popular superhero. Temporarily freed from the Negative Zone, Mar-Vell became embroiled in the Kree-Skrull War, alongside the Avengers. Mar-Vell also aided the Avengers against such threats as the Grim Reaper, the Space Phantom, the Super-Adaptoid and Thanos. The abstract Eon even appointed Mar-Vell as the Protector of the Universe, granting him new abilities such as cosmic awareness.

Mar-Vell continued to be a hero both on earth and in the cosmos, and eventually he and Rick were freed from their attachment to the Negative Zone.

But, of course, Mar-Vell learned that he had cancer, resulting from exposure to Compound 13 during an earlier battle with the villain Nitro. The nega-bands had actually kept the cancer at bay for a length, but also made it resistant to all known forms of treatment. He spent his final days on Titan, where many of his friends and allies came to pay their last respects, before he finally succumbed to join Thanos in death. He was posthumously made an honorary Avenger.

Mar-Vell's legacy lives on, of course. Not only did he inspire the Avengers Ms. Marvel, but Monica Rambeau unknowingly adopted his name. The Protector of the Universe role transferred to Quasar. And Mar-Vell's own genetic children, Genis-Vell and Phyla-Vell, both served as Captain Marvel for a time. Lastly, Mar-Vell's half-Skrull son Dorrek VIII, better known as Hulkling, serves with the Young Avengers.

Here's why Panic picked Captain Marvel as his favorite Avenger:

Mar-Vell was my favourite Marvel hero as a kid, probably because of his look - the red and blue uniform with the yellow starburst, plus the white hair (pre Starlin) - even today I still think it's my idea of what a super-hero costume should look like. Added to that, I thought his power set was just right - super-strong, but not invincibly so, resistant to injury, but not invulnerable, he could fly, and he could shoot energy blasts out of his hands, plus the cosmic awareness from Starlin's tenure, these things made him powerful but not too powerful. The early Gil Kane drawn issues of Mar-Vell's own title were very dynamic, and Starlin's run was superb, so that just cemented my love of the character. Seeing him appear in the pages of The Avengers (particularly the beautifully drawn Neal Adams Kree-Skrull War) alongside Marvel's greatest heroes was always a treat.

Here's why CaptainMarvell is so fond of the character:

I always viewed Mar-Vell as the cosmic version of Captain America. An honorable strong leader, that everyone else looked up to in a time of crisis. Except Mar-Vell's enemies threatened more than just the US or the world, he was the go to guy when it came to protecting the universe.

Icefalcon had this to say:

For me Captain Marvel is all about being the most exciting comic I read a as a kid. He was cool and had all the big space opera stuff mixed with stories on earth which made him pretty much the cover all bases hero. I also really liked the rapport with Rick Jones, which for me was also the best part of the Genis revival. The two both heroic characters yet very different sold me on this and Captain Marvel still holds a very dear place in my heart as my original favourite ever hero.

ImmortalIronFist is also a fan:

Even though Mar-Vell was only made an honorary Avenger after he died, he embodies everything the Avengers stand for. A noble, selfless warrior, he faced down everything from Kree Sentries to Thanos himself as a guardian of life.

Unfortunately, Mar-Vell is probably best known for how he died, rather than how he lived. Perhaps the most human of superhero deaths, he died of cancer surrounded by friends.

As is maraxus60:

Mar-vell truly embodied what it meant/means to be an Avenger. He was willing to sacrifice his all so that others would live. He betrayed his own people for nothing more than love of a new and wondrous culture that he felt held the potential to be greater than his own Kree Empire. When Mar-vell died, it wasn't only his allies and friends who came to give their respects, BUT his enemies mourned as well. Mar-vell was a hero like no other.

Captain Marvel most recently appeared in Chaos War: Dead Avengers.

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Poor Julia Carpenter. She's like the Valene Ewing of the Marvel Universe.

Convinced by her "friend" to participate in an "athletic study", Julia ended up with some powers similar to Spider-Man, plus the ability to psionically generate webs. So what does she do? Puts on a costume and starts prancing around as Spider-Woman. Jessica Drew was PISSED.

Anyway, she, along with most of Denver, Colorado, was transported to the Beyonder's Battle World where she joined up with Spider-Man and the Avengers and the other heroes. After the heroes won, she returned to Earth and joined Freedom Force, with whom she ended up battling the X-Men and the Avengers she had so recently worked with. She had a change of heart, though, and aided the Avengers and became a fugitive. She occasionally worked with Spider-Man and Iron Man, and Iron Man helped get her a pardon and she began working assignments for the US government.

One of these led her to California where she assisted the Avengers against the Pacific Overlords. She was offered membership on that team and with them battled such threats as Doctor Demonicus, Ultron, mephisto, and the Magus. While an Avenger she was also called on by Doctor Strange to be a founding member of the Secret Defenders. When the Avengers disbanded their West Coast franchise, Julia joined Force Works. Eventually Julia left superheroing to aiser her daughter, but that didn't stop yet another Spider-Woman from stealing her powers.

Well, her power were restored but by that time Jessica Drew had returned as Spider-Woman. So Julia became Arachne, and registered in the SHRA to help train novice superheroes. And serve as a double agent to help people escape registration. And she started dating the Shroud. So Ms. Marvel attacked her in her home and her daughter was taken from her (reeeeal nice, Carol). Anyway, Carol helped Julia get her daughter back and then Julia was sent to join the new Canada-based Omega Flight (as a means to have the outstanding charges against her dropped). Well...that team didn't last long.

Soon after those crazy Kravens took a whole bunch of Spider-themed heroes prisoner as a means to get Spider-Man. They killed Madame Web, but she transferred her precognitive powers (and blindness!) to Julia, making her the new Madame Web. Yeah, that's a fair trade.

Here's why Steven F. picked Madame Web as his favorite Avenger:

What’s not to love about Julia Carpenter? She has connections to the Avengers, the X-Men, and Alpha Flight. Who she didn’t have a connection to, until recently, was Spider-Man, which was a fact I always liked. She’s got great spider-related powers, including unique psychic webs. She’s a single mom super-hero, which is awesome. Julia also has perhaps the best-looking costume of all time. Julia even starred on two seasons of Iron Man in the 90’s (and was the best or only, good thing about that series). After a while in limbo, Brian Reed brought her back to the MU in the pages of Ms. Marvel, which was the absolute best story to come out of Civil War. When Julia joined Omega Flight (a version of my favorite super-team, Alpha Flight) it pretty much sealed the deal that not only was Julia my favorite Avenger, but also one of my favorite characters in general. More recently she has been tied to Spider-Man and has become the new Madame Web. Only time will tell how this works out for Julia and her fans in the long run.

Here's why The Great Grape voted for Madame Web:

I first noticed Julia on the 90's Iron Man animated toon. I enjoyed her wit there enough to focus more on books she was involved in.

I've long felt she the more down to earth of the Spider-Women. Julia makes mistakes, has loves, and can wear emotions on her sleeve at times. In that way, she is pretty relatable.

She stood up for what her heart told her was right during Civil War by actively trying to help hunted heroes and super powered beings. As opposed to taking the path of less resistance and going with the flow. It almost cost Julia her daughter.

Her fight against Ms. Marvel, Wonder Man, and their support team was dramatic. Julia looked the part of the right despite the odds. It was touching seeing Julia and Rachel trying desperately not to be separated.

And here's what motteditor had to say:

I think Julia had a few things going for her that made her one of my favorite Avengers.

She of course had a great look. That black and white costume has been classic, to the point Marvel simply gave it to someone else once they decided there could only be one Spider-Woman style character and it had to be Bendis' favorite.

She had a unique (or at least rare) power set -- how many characters do we see who are just tough and strong. *yawn* Julia brought something different to the table.

She fit in well with the other characters, able to be a romantic figure for some, a friend for others. She was also a parent, and Rachel again gave her a rare position among the Avengers. (Scott Lang had a daughter, but he was rarely an active Avenger, especially during Julia's time. The FF did, but of course they're the FF and not really Avengers. Wanda's kids had been written out of continuity...)

I just thought she fit well. I think Spider-Woman I has the same type of Avengers feel (which Spider-Man himself completely lacks IMO), but Julia was there first, and will always be the Avengers' real Spider-Woman as far as I'm concerned.

Madame Web currently appears in Amazing Spider-Man.

[mattbib]

Brunnhilde of Asgard is the strongest of all Valkyrior, selected by Odin himself to lead the Choosers of the Slain. Like her fellow warrior, Thor, Brunnhilde has often been the pawn of the Enchantress, and often tied to a mortal counterpart. During this period, she joined the Defenders, who ultimately helped her heal the fracture.

For a time, Brunnhilde was charged with keeping watch over Moondragon, who also joined the Defenders. Though she reformed, Moondragon eventually was overcome by the Dragon of the Moon and attacked her teammates. Ultimately, Brunnhilde and some of her teammates sacrificed their lives to defeat Moondragon.

Brunnhilde and her teammates were later restored to new host bodies by Doctor Strange, so that they could again, as the Dragon Circle, battle the Dragon of the Moon. After the Dragon was defeated, Brunnhilde returned to Asgard where she was eventually killed in battle just before Loki’s destruction of Asgard.

With the return of the Asgardians to Earth, Brunnhilde was invited by Steve Rogers to be a part of secret Avengers team where she has helped in the ongoing battle against the Shadow Council.

The only question remaining, however is…. “Where in the world is Samantha Parrington?”

Here's why Vivica Kang gave Brunnhilde the her top spot:

Oh! I chose Valkyrie as number 1 because she seems like team member who fights for a purpose. She doesn't need her pride to be put on hold for a romantic fling, as she is a warrior who doesn't show her feelings on the battlefield. She was raised into fighting like the other Asgardian warriors and had to decide her new path. When Steve brought her into the ranks of the Avengers he knew the outlook of bringing in this ruthless warrior into his team. She is loyal, determined, devoted, dangerous, and most of all she's a team player. Here's to more exciting stories to a woman who was in limbo and suddenly started to a huge impact in the MU.

Here's why The Great Grape picked Valkyrie as his favorite Avenger:

Marvel's Valkyrie is one of my very favorites. Of course, she greatly cut her teeth in Defenders. Having more appearances in the classic run of that series than any other member.
Her centuries old rivalry with the Enchantress, relationship with Thor, changing history in regards to Odin, and leadership of both the Valkyrior and the Defenders have provided some nice (albeit often brief) glimpses into a strong willed combat fierce butt kicking lady. I also enjoyed seeing Val try to relate to modern man. Such as her attempts to work through the red tape of college admissions. Things like the Riot in Cell Block 12 storyline come to mind as unique and fun reading takes on a Godly type heroine.

She's not always been given as much page time as someone with her potential may deserve though. It was cool to see her be an initial Secret Avengers Member. A mystical and separate from everyday man character is a curious twist for a covert ops style unit. It opens up different segments of storyline potential for the whole team.

And here's why she's countryfan2004's #1 pick:

The guest lecture from Valkyrie at Avengers Academy should make everyone love her, save for misogynists...maybe. Her undeniable wit, bravery, and all-round badassery coupled with her misplacement in contemporary society should also qualify her for one of the best Avengers around.

Here's why Valkyrie is among coveredinbees' favorite Avengers:

I like that Valkyrie got the Defenders to become a proper team. They were just team ups before she came along. She hung around them after she was separated from Enchantress (she didn't know anyone else), and after she saved Namor's life and Hulk rejected her, he decided the Defenders should be a formal team with her on it. I also like her costume and harsh ways.

And here's why lilyinblue is a fan:

One of the things I find most intriguing about Valkyrie is that it is easy to see her as a warrior above all else - a rare quality in a female character. Her recent Fear Itself feature in Secret Avengers was a perfect example of this. Her no-nonsense, grave attitude in the face of battle and death made for a compelling character study and really served to elevate her a woman functioning on a higher level than mere mortals, in strength, in skill and in her perceptions of the world around her.

Also, she gets to have a horse. I do love ponies!

Valkyrie currently appears in Secret Avengers.

[mattbib]

Who remembers the Sentry? For quite some time, nobody.

That is until he was discovered to be in the Raft, voluntarily imprisoned for murdering his wife. Even though he didn’t’ murder his wife. He’s crazy, you see. Mastermind gave him a mental virus. Anyway, he was freed and joined the new Avengers. Emma Frost supposedly healed him, but he only got worse. He’s crazy, you see.

The Sentry sided with Iron Man during the superhero Civil War, but too late to effect any of the outcome. He joined Iron Man’s post-war Avengers team, partly due to him wanting help with his mental issues. He’s crazy, you see. Often bumbling and making mistakes, he was evenly matched against Ultron, but Ultron went and killed his wife. Even though she turned up alive back in his Watchtower. He’s crazy, you see. His wife knows this and asks Iron Man to find a way to depower or kill her husband.

He was instrumental in taking down Doctor Doom and the Hulk, but was useless against the Skrulls due to the Void returning. He joined Norman Osborn’s Avengers, again wanting help with his mental problems. He’s crazy, you see. During this time Osborne repeatedly used the Sentry’s deficiencies to his advantage, eventually letting the Void take control.

During the Siege of Asgard, the Sentry battled Thor but was temporarily repulsed. Sentry then killed Ares by tearing him in half, before bringing down Asgard himself and finally transforming into the Void. Loki, the mastermind behind the Siege, even then tried to aid the heroes to defeat the Void, but was ripped killed. Thor and Iron Man continued to battle the Void, who reverted to Bob Reynolds, who implored the heroes to kill him. Thor struck Reynolds with lightning, killing him, then flew his remains into the sun to be incinerated.

However, a piece of the Void remains locked away in the mind of the X-Man Cyclops.

Here's why RaidenMGS picked the Sentry as his number one Avenger:

Because he was the betrayed not the betrayer. Because he was the most powerful Avenger ever. And because of his sacrifice, he died a hero without recognition, twice.

The Sentry last appeared in currently appears in Sentry: Fallen Sun.