The MCU would have audiences believe thatThe Avengersare Marvel’s greatest team, hands down. And while the comics may agree thatthe Avengers are among the best teams, easily standing toe-to-toe with the X-Men and Fantastic Four in terms of power, there’s one dark secret even fans hate to admit.
They may be famous, but the truth isThe Avengers are also Marvel’s most overhyped strike team., and also top contenders for the most boring super-team that Marvel has to offer. Even beyond the in-universe problems The Avengers cause with their fellow heroes, the quality of their comic stories often pale in comparison to other super-teams in the Marvel Universe.
The Avengers Are Mighty, But That Doesn’t Mean Exciting
Are the Avengers Overrated After So Many Decades of Adventures?
Marvel Comics had every reason to present its readers with a highly-hyped, ‘event’ team-up like The Avengers when they first made their debut. At the time, seeing Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man, and The Wasp felt was essentially the comic equivalent of watching Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and Steph Curry unite on the same team. The team’s adventures didn’t disappoint, but that was 62 years ago at this point.
In 2025, it’s hard to ignore thatthe excitement surrounding The Avengers is starting to dwindle for readers. Without blockbuster MCU films offering incentives to send new or existing readers into their local comic shops,Marvel comic sales are struggling to keep up with DC, and that’s a problem felt with the publisher’sAvengerstitles as much as any other. The team’s high profile might suggest they would be one of Marvel’s hottest properties, but they are no more successful in connecting with consumers than their individual members.
If The Strength of The Avengers is Their ‘Team’ Identity, Marvel Has A Problem
Few Superhero Teams Have Ever Found It Harder To Co-Exist Than The Avengers
One major reasonwhy it’s hard for either readers or in-universe characters to take The Avengers seriously is that they always seem at odds with each other. Heroes fighting heroes may be a common trope in comic book culture, and with the Avengers being Marvel’s flagship team in the modern age, it makes sense as to why they would be deployed for such controversial in-fighting so often. The problem is that, in-universe, a hero team this dysfunctional… isn’t a good look from a citizen’s perspective.
With a consistent tendency to end up in the news because they can’t agree, can’t come to an agreement, or co-exist long enough to fight street-level crime anymore, one must assume Marvel citzens question if The Avengers are truly the mightiest set of soldiers the world has to offer. Or, more importantly, if the average person is in safe hands with them overseeing their security.
Sure, seeing heroes come to blows can be exciting. But at this point, there have been so manyCivil Warevents pitting Marvel’s heroes against each other, and so many card-carrying Avengers involved, even that has become old news. Bad enough for the people they protect, but also a problem for readership optics. It may not necessarily be thatThe Avengers are boring characters as much as their storylines are, namely those centered around the team’s in-fighting.
Considering that the idea arguably peaked with the firstCivil War, Marvel editorial has found some contrived means of bringing The Avengers into conflict with one another.Most superhero conflicts can be resolved with simple conversations, requiring heroes to make out-of-character decisions and constantly crash out at each other for no reason. Thenegatively receivedCivil War IIis a prime example, and fans have voiced their thoughts.
The Storylines For The Team Are The Problem, Not The Avengers Themselves
The Avengers have had a rather eventful few years since Captain Marvel became the team’s leader. They gained a new headquarters pulling double duty as agod-tier Avengers member, Impossible City; Storm joined their ranks as another member, and a betrayal from a demonically-possessed Blade kicked off 2024’s summer eventBlood Hunt. The problem is that outside of the niche audience of comic readers,no meaningful changes have occurred within, or impacted the core team ofAvengers.
Storm joining The Avengersmay make headlines, butBlood Huntwas another means of forcing superhero conflict (this time by way of a vampire invasion). There was a time when a major comic event, or even a shocking comic moment was signifcant enough to cause shockwaves in the mainstream. The death of Captain America, for example, madeCivil Wara commonplace story completely outside comic readers. People who hadn’t picked up a comic book in years, or ever, cared about the story being told.
Marvel Needs To Make The Avengers The Flagship Team They Should Be
With A Lack of Promotion, Why Wouldn’t Fans Think The Avengers Are Boring
One could say that The Avengers stories falling short of being ‘exciting enough’ compared to other comics on the shelves is the true problem. That said, things might be set to change. Thenewest creative teams for Marvel’sAvengersbooksare immensely talented.Avengers Inc.was a must-read comic… until it was unceremoniously canceled by Marvel due to early comic sales. The book marked the return of Hank Pym from the dead, and even a new version of Ultron. But lack of fanfare remained the problem.
The abrupt and sudden cancellation ofAvengers Inc.exposed the problems with Marvel’s business model, andperhaps that same business model is why The Avengers don’t feel as exciting as they used to be. Yes, there are issues internally with the storylines, and recurring tropes that don’t serve The Avengers any longer. But even when the books nail it out of the park, Marvel has failed to make them a priority and generate the buzz they deserve.
The bottom line is that while they may deserve the title of Marvel’s top team,The Avengersare no longer earning the title. But it’s Marvel to blame, not the heroes who actually have earned the title of ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ on the comic page and films.
