The following contains major spoilers for Avengers #1, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
With the threat of Mephisto’s multiversal plot finally thwarted, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have taken the opportunity to step away from the battlefield for the first in a very long time. Of course, the world is still in need of its foremost team of heroes, something which none other than Carol Danvers has been put in charge of.
Luckily, Carol knows exactly who to call on to fill out this new roster. As seen in Avengers #1 (by Jed MacKay, C.F. Villa, Federico Blee, and VC’s Cory Petit), each one of them has a specific reason for being on the team beyond their impossible abilities. As a matter of fact, it is everything they have to offer on a more human level that makes them so invaluable, both as heroes and as the people Carol wants to surround herself with.
Captain Marvel Needs Iron Man to Help Her Lead the Avengers
For as long as she has been a part of the Marvel Universe, Carol Danvers has proven herself to be one of the most resilient figures to ever inhabit it. Captain Marvel’s decades-long career has seen her take to the skies and beyond under a variety of names. This is also what makes her such an adept leader, though not so much as the sheer depth of Carol’s humanity. The amount of care and consideration Carol puts into all her actions is greater than any of her fellow Avengers. That has never been more evident than in the way she chose the rest of the team, especially Tony Stark.
Carol might be the right person to lead the Avengers into the future, but Tony Stark is absolutely the right person to help ease her into doing just that. On top of having one of the longest careers as an Avenger, Tony is the one person that she trusts more than any other. Tony isn’t just another teammate, he is her sponsor, and as such she knows that any advice he gives her is only ever going to be in her best interest. And, as someone who knows as well as she does that the Avengers have to stop acting like the world’s police force, any action he takes will also be in the best interest of the people he is ultimately serving
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Thor and Black Panther are the Unflinching Powerhouses of the Avengers
While Carol knows she needs Thor on the team due to his sheer power, the God of Thunder feels that as yet another of the original Avengers he has a duty to be there for the team. Taking action as one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes also just so happens to give Thor something to focus on besides all the trials and tribulations he has faced in the wake of Odin’s untimely demise. If nothing else, Thor knows how horribly awry things can get when an All-Father stops paying attention to the world just beneath his gaze.
Much like Thor, T’Challa has been through more than most in recent years. In fact, T’Challa being offered a place on the team at all is something of a shock, as he has only recently been ousted from both the Avengers and his throne as king of Wakanda. None of this has stopped the Black Panther from being what Carol openly describes as “the most dangerous man on the planet”. Luckily for him, Carol is able to look past his struggles, and her word is all he needs to rejoin the team.
Captain America and Vision Have the Heart Carol’s Avengers Need
Where the Avengers have stood as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Captain America has stood as a singular bastion of truth and liberty. While Steve Rogers set the standard, plenty of others have put their own mark on his old moniker. Chief among them is the former Falcon, Sam Wilson, who is everything Captain Marvel sees her Avengers lacking – human. Apart from his superhuman ability to communicate with birds through a psychic connection, Sam is the only one who has no overt powers of his own. Of course, Tony’s power comes from his suits, yet the fact that Iron Man has tasted literal godhood does skew his perspective slightly. As such, Sam really is the one Avenger who can keep the entire team grounded.
This is especially prescient when it comes to the least human member of the Avengers – The Vision. As he is undoubtedly one of the most complicated figures in the entire Marvel Universe despite being entirely synthetic. Then again, that has gone a long way toward making Vision’s life and outlook on it so profoundly complex, as his own humanity or lack thereof has always been the source of an unconquerable inner struggle. Yet in the face of that, Carol has watched him emerge from the worst the universe could possibly offer all the better for it. Even where the Vision has faltered, he has never truly fallen, and as far as Captain Marvel is concerned that is proof positive that he simply doesn’t have to prove himself anymore to her or anyone else.
Scarlet Witch Will Always Be An Avenger
The final member of the current Avengers lineup, Scarlet Witch, turns out to be the least surprised of anyone when Carol comes to ask for her help. Though she could have easily read Carol’s mind, Wanda instead simply knows her friends and allies well enough that there is no need for them to ask. Through failed marriages, false childbirths, and reality-warping moments of desperation, the Avengers have been the one constant in Wanda’s life.
On the surface, that might sound ominous, but in truth, it is because the Avengers have always been Wanda’s home no matter the circumstances. In turn, she will always be there when they need her, especially when it is one of her best friends doing the calling. As the final piece of the team, she caps off an all-star team of Avengers.