16 Most Powerful Avengers No-One Ever Remembers
The Avengers have been Marvel’s premier superhero team for 60 years. Several heroes, such as Captain America, Thor and Iron Man, have been part of the team throughout its long history. Other characters, such as Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Scarlet Witch, have come and gone over the years, but still linger in fans’ minds when they think of “Avengers.” However, given the team’s long history, there were also some members who participated, but were completely ignored by the fans.
Some of these heroes have fallen into complete darkness, while others are outstanding figures who have yet to be recognized for risking their lives alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Here are the 16 strongest Avengers that no one remembers.
Deathcry
Deathcry, aka Sharra Neramani, was an Avenger for a very brief period, joining in Bob Harras and Steve Epting’s Avengers 363. Deathcry was a ’90s hero, and her name and appearance are very much of that era. Deathcry, a former member of the alien Shi’ar Empire (who usually appear in X-Men stories), possessed super strength and stamina, along with expert warrior training, enhanced senses and lethal claws. This character, considered by fans to be an “radical” figure from the 90s who displayed the worst traits of the era, was not a popular member and was eventually killed. Hardly anyone remembers Deathcry today, let alone the fact that she was once an Avenger.
Silverclaw
Joining the team during Kurt Busiek and George Perez’s seminal Avengers run, Silverclaw has the power to mimic the abilities of animals native to South America. Silverclaw grew up in South America, and, starting as a child, regularly corresponded with Jarvis, the team’s butler. When Silverclaw became old enough to attend college, she came to America and sought out Jarvis, who was stunned to learn she had superpowers. Silverclaw was put on reserve status but left the team to focus on her studies, and has not been seen in many years.
Gilgamesh/The Forgotten One
Gilgamesh, a member of the Eternals, joined the Avengers in the late 1980s. Recruited by Captain America, Gilgamesh, like his fellow Eternals, is the model for the mythical character of the same name. Despite his divine power and immortality, Gilgamesh remains a forgotten, albeit very powerful, Avenger. Gilgamesh has made it his mission to kill any Eternal that targets humans, in hopes of protecting mortals from unjust harm. Tragically, in Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribić’s 2021 The Eternals, he discovers that every time an Eternal dies and is reborn, a human life is taken to complete the process, meaning the ruthless quest of he just does more harm.
Firestar
Another addition from Busiek and Perez, who joined Vance Astro’s Justice, Firestar brought a mutant perspective to the team; she was also a seasoned team player at this point, having been a member of the original New Warriors. Despite this, and her amazing power over microwave energy, Firestar did not last, and fans today may be surprised she was once a member . She and Justice essentially acted as reader proxies, suddenly elevated to the big leagues and meeting their heroes, and so didn’t truly feel like Avengers until right around when they moved on. Firestar is currently the breakout character in Marvel’s ongoing X-Men title, showing the Avengers what they missed.
Nightmask
Superhero Nightmask was originally part of the New Marvel Universe reality, but is a new version – created just before the events of Secret Wars – who was briefly an Avenger. Possessing the power to teleport, control machines, and control dreams, Adam Blackveil is a biologically perfect human and joins the team alongside new Star Brand host Kevin Connor. The two heroes worked as a duo and even starred in the miniseries Starbrand & Nightmask by Greg Weisman, Dominike Stanton and Daniele Di Nicuolo, but failed to attract readers. Kevin Connor was unexpectedly killed shortly after (the Star franchise was transferred to a new host), but Adam survived as a forgotten hero.
Captain Britain/Lionheart
Several different people have held the mantle of Captain Britain since the character’s debut nearly 50 years ago – including Kelsey Leigh. Later known as Lionheart, this incarnation of Captain Britain joined the Avengers in the early 2000s after sacrificing herself to save Captain America’s life in Chuck Austen and Olivier Coipel’s ‘Lionheart of Avalon,’ beginning in Avengers 77. Sadly, she had little time to shine before the iconic Avengers Disassembled arc tore the team apart for several years. This was a shame, as Kelsey had a surprisingly dark status quo – if she ever revealed her secret identity to her children, they would die, forcing her to abandon her civilian identity and leaving her incredibly bitter at her fellow heroes. Eventually returning to Britain, she became a villain for a time, but ultimately died a hero alongside the mutant team Excalibur.
Sandman
Some Avengers start on the side of evil and then see the light… and some end up falling back into darkness. Never completely comfortable being a villain, Sandman eventually reformed, even being granted a full pardon by the president. His participation in Larry Hama and Paul Ryan’s Avengers #329 was controversial, and he left the team shortly after. Sandman is still generally a villain, but he maintains friendships with heroes, including The Thing, and is known for stopping other villains from taking their lives. Captain America likes to try to reform the bad guys by recruiting them, and while that doesn’t work out for Sandman, it does seem to show him that redemption is possible.
Moondragon
Introduced as the villainous Madame MacEvil, Moondragon joined the Avengers in the early 1970s. The daughter of Drax the Destroyer, Moondragon acquired her amazing mental powers through sheer discipline. Moondragon served the team for many years, but today works largely with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Moondragon was initially an arrogant hero, but found her place out in the wider cosmos as one of Marvel’s most powerful and well-respected queer superheroes.
Sunfire
Originally a member of the X-Men, Sunfire joined the Avengers Unity Squad in Rick Remender and John Cassaday’s Uncanny Avengers. Sunfire has the mutant ability to control heat and fire, which he put to good use during his time with the Avengers, saving the universe from Kang the Conqueror. Sunfire is often portrayed as arrogant and rude, but has cleaned up his actions as a member of the Uncanny Avengers. While Sunfire’s time on the team was short, it gave him a fresh start, and can be seen as a precursor to him being elected to the main X-Men team in 2021 – a huge honor.
Mantis
Mantis didn’t just join the Avengers – she was introduced by the franchise in Steve Englehart and Don Heck’s Avengers 112. Joining during the 1970s, Mantis left the team shortly after giving birth, although her child is still considered the first ‘Avengers baby’ born to a team member. The mantis is connected to the universe itself and can control plants, summon fire, see the future, and use a variety of mental powers. her service and the fact that she later joined the West Coast Avengers, Mantis’ profile has grown a hundredfold thanks to her MCU portrayal by Pom Klementieff, and most fans now consider her to be the Guardian of the galaxy.
Thunderstrike
Thunderstrike was very popular in the 1990s, which led to the Avengers. Initially replacing Thor – and using Odinson’s name and powers – Thunderstrike eventually became his own hero. Even so, he was never able to shake Thor’s comparisons or his anachronistic style, and was killed a few years later. Despite having the powers of a god, Thunderstrike is constantly downplayed, and essentially became a funny relic of the past. His most recent appearance was as a zombie hero in Jed MacKay and Marcelo Ferreira’s Strange, trading on the shock value of such a little-known hero returning as a threat.
The Invisible Woman
Fans may be shocked to learn that the Fantastic Four’s Invisible Woman was once an Avenger. Joining the team alongside her husband Reed Richards in Walter Simonson and John Buscema’s Avengers #300, The Invisible Woman was only part of a handful of issues, before she and her husband returned to the Fantastic Four. It could be argued that bringing her in was for the shock, but her immense strength could be a huge asset to the team, as she has the ability to single-handedly injure a Celestial. Often billed as Marvel’s most underrated power, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes were foolish enough to let Susan Storm go.
The Protector
Also known as Marvel Boy, the Guardian (Noh-Varr) joined the Avengers in the early 2010s. First introduced as an anti-human terrorist in The Amazing Marvel Boy by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones, the Guardian is one of the most powerful members the team has ever seen, with a seemingly limitless set of advanced powers and gadgets. Noh-Varr has enhanced physiology, nanobot healing, hallucinogenic spitting, and explosive nails. Meanwhile, he carries explosives and advanced weaponry strong enough to beat Thor, as well as a Pocket Battlefield which rewrites physics to his preference within a set radius. All of this was before he was upgraded to the Protector with his own set of Nega-Bands.
Doctor Strange
While Doctor Strange aided the Avengers for many years, he refused membership on the team. However, shortly after the events of Civil War, Doctor Strange finally allied himself with Luke Cage’s New Avengers team, who were protesting the Superhuman Registration Act. Doctor Strange was going through a hard time when he allowed the Avengers to use his Sanctum Sanctorum as their base, and ultimately abandoned the title of Sorcerer Supreme, feeling he was no longer worthy. Strange’s magic was crucial in saving the lives of several team members over volume 1 and 2 of the title (from Brian Michael Bendis, Billy Tan, Stuart Immonen, and many others), and yet he’s constantly forgotten as a teammate.
Sersi
Sersi, a member of the Eternals, is one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe, capable of transforming matter into almost any form. Joining the team in the early 1990s, Sersi was a mainstay of the Avengers throughout that decade and a true hero. However, Avengers’ 90s stories aren’t typically remembered fondly, meaning that Sersi doesn’t benefit from the usual cycle of new stories connecting back to old narratives to keep them relevant. Most recently, Sersi was killed in Kieron Gillen, Valerio Schiti, and Ivan Fiorelli’s A.X.E. : Judgment Day 6, sacrificing herself in a symbolic atonement for the Eternals’ resurrection powers, which had been inadvertently killing humans for millennia.
Ares
The Greek God of War, Ares had long been a powerful villain, but he actually joined the team in the 2000s, shortly after the events of Civil War. Tony Stark recruited him as a replacement for Thor and Wolverine in Brian Michael Bendis and Frank Cho’s Might Avengers 1, while his son Phobos was secretly trained for Nick Fury’s Secret Warriors team. Caring little for human morality, he was a member of both the regular Avengers team and then Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers. Fans tend to forget that despite siding with Osborn, he was originally a true-blue Avenger – this isn’t helped by the fact that he’s returned to villainy in the years since, most recently tangling with the Punisher.