THE AVENGERS - THE AVENGERS

The comic
Original title: Avengers Characters: Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Hornet, Wasp, Hulk, Captain America, Goliath, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Hercules, Black Panther, Vision, Black Knight V, Black Widow, Swordsman, Mantis, Beast, Moondragon, Hellcatz Texts: Stan Lee	Drawings: Jack Kirby Publishers: Marvel Comics, Corno Editorial Country: USA Year: 1963 Gender: Cartoon action / superheroes Recommended age: Children from 6 to 12 years old

The Avengers group of superheroes (Avengers in the American original) was created in 1963 by the usual Marvel Comics marvel duo, such as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Several superheroes took turns within the group, but the starting group was composed of: Thor, Giant-man (or Ant-man - Hornet), Wasp e Iron Man, to which he added, after a few numbers also Captain America . The group also included the mutants Quicksilver and Scarlet (see x-men), Hawkeye, the archer who, thanks to the molecular control serum of Henry Pitt (Giant-man), later transformed into the giant Goliath, the mysterious and enigmatic android Vision, The Black Knight, first enemy later ally , T'Challa the Black Panther, the king of Wakanda, the demigod Erbrcole, La Mantis, the praying mantis, Eros, Sersi the eternal mistress of molecules and many others. However, an agreement has been stipulated within the group, whereby the group must not exceed the maximum unit of six members.

In addition to the aforementioned Stan Lee and Jack Kirby we remember the fantastic stories written by Roy Thomas and the fabulous drawings of the legendary John Buscema, who characterized Marvel superheroes very well in the 70s. These superheroes come together to fight supervillains and beings from space and time, so powerful that if they faced them individually they would not be able to get the better, like Nebula, Galactus, the Enchantress and the Executioner, Loki, Kang the conqueror, Arkon, Immortus and many others. The first union of the Avengers (Avengers) happened when Thor's half-brother, Loki the evil lord of Asgard takes over the mind of the incredible Hulk , in order to harm the earth and human beings. To stop the very strong green-skinned giant, several superheroes intervene simultaneously: Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man and Wasp to which the boy Ricky Jones is added with his Youth Brigade, but Thor senses that behind these misdeeds lies the hand of Loki, therefore he goes to Asgard and defeats the evil Lord of evil. After this adventure the superheroes decide that the earth must be protected from superthreats, therefore they form the group of the Avengers (Avengers), based in New York. In addition to the Incredible Hulk, the Avengers in the first adventures have to face characters like Namor, the Sub-Mariner prince of Atlantis (later allies) and it is thanks to his anger that they will later meet with Captain America. In fact, after the burning defeat by the Avengers, Prince Namor reached the North Pole, finds a tribe of Eskimesi who worshiped an ice statute, inside which was the hibernating body of Captain America (dating back to the period of World War II). Namor angry with the human race and for that idolatry, breaks the slab and throws it into the sea many miles to the south, which will cause the ice sheet to melt due to the warmer sea. The hibernating man was found by the Avengers, patrolling their submarine. From the man's clothes appeared the costume of the legendary Captain America, the hero of World War II. After a shock awakening, he will join the Avengers and Iron Man aka Anthony Stark will build him a sophisticated system to make the shield go back once it is thrown. But Captain America will also attract several enemies dating back to the period of the world war, such as the evil Baron Zemo, who swears revenge against the superhero as because of him he finds his face glued to a mask, due to the powerful X adhesive of his own invention. He also feels in the young Ricky Jones the affection that bound him to the late friend of numerous battles Bucky Barnes, therefore he becomes very protective of him, ending up limiting the latter in his aspirations to be a superhero (Ricky Jones will later become a "almost superhero" with Captain Marvel) and then enter the Avengers.

The adventures of the Avengers will often cross paths with those of other superheroes from the Marvel universe, such as'Spider-Man (Spiderman) or as i Fantastic Four and X-Men, with whom they will have both heated battles and excellent collaborations. Collaborations, very often, will take place to face common enemies, such as the Mole Man, the enemy of the Fantastic Four who has an army hidden underground and who hatches vengeance against humans, or as the Dr. Destiny one of the most beautiful negative characters in the Marvel universe or Magneto. Another respectable enemy of the Avengers is Count Luchino Nefaria, a very rich European count, head of the powerful criminal organization called Maggia, who moved to America with his castle and who will create many problems for the Avengers, to remember a beautiful story signed by John Byrne, where Count Nefaria becomes a very powerful supervillain. Another organization that will support the Avengers is that of SHIELD, headed by Captain America's friend Nick Fury, formed by secret agents and dedicated to counter-espionage.

Following a period of crisis of the group, Giant-Man, Wasp and Iron Man for a certain period were replaced by Hawkeye (born Clint Burton), a skilled archer, former companion of the superheroine Black Widow and the two former mutants -followers of Magneto (see X-men): the very fast mutant Quicksilver and the sorceress Scarlet (born brothers Pietro and Wanda Maximoff). These characters, with a not so crystal clear past, will create rivalries and misunderstandings within the group both towards veterans such as Captain America and between themselves (see the contrasts between the impetuous Quicksilver and Hawkeye).

But perhaps the number one enemy of the Avengers could be considered the terrible Ultron (in the various versions starting from Ultron-1 and reaching Ultron-14), a robot created by the scientist Henry Pitt (Giant-man or Ant-Man) with an intelligence such as to assume a conscience of its own and rebel against its builder. Ultron who has hypnotic powers and superhuman intelligence on his side, becomes a supervillain and thanks to some enemies of the Avengers, first of all the sinister reaper, forms the legion of the Lords of Evil. Ultron will progress over the course of the adventures, from the primeval Ultron-1 to Ultron-5 which in turn built another android based on the prototypes of the Human Torch (cyborg version of World War II) and Wonder-Man: the Vision, an android in able to become impalpable and pass through walls and objects, or to be harder than diamond. First Enemy Vision will rebel against Ultron and become one of the most loyal members of the Avengers. His greatest inner conflict will be that of feeling like a man, but not being one, which will lead him to continuous identity crises especially when Wanda Scarlet falls in love with him.

ULTIMATE AVENGERS THE FILM
Ultimate Avengers by Curt Geda, Steven E. Gordon and Bob Richardson, USA 2006, 72 '
Alone they are superheroes, united they form the Ultimate Avengers team. And they are responsible for the fate of the planet. In 1945 Hitler and his Nazi army rock the world and the Nazis have designed their ultimate allied weapon with an otherworldly force: aliens. The Allies manage to neutralize them thanks to their secret weapon: Captain America, a super soldier with the brawn, the brains and the courage to put an end to the enemy threat. Sixty years later a new alien peril threatens humanity. Captain America returns from the past but this time he is not alone: ​​with him Nick Fury, commander of SHIELD, has brought together the most powerful super-humans on earth: Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp, Black Widow and Hulk who together form … the Ultimate Avengers!

ULTIMATE AVENGERS 2
Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther by Will Meugniot and Richard Sebast, USA 2006, 74 '
Wakanda is a small and semi-unknown state in the heart of Africa that thrives thanks to the isolation and closure of its borders. But now a danger from outer space threatens the nation. Her young king, T'Challa, also known as the Black Panther, is forced to break the tradition of his country and ask for help from the most powerful heroes on Earth: the Ultimate Avengers.

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