7 Worst Avengers Rosters, Ranked

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The Avengers are well-known as the top team in the Marvel Universe – every hero aspires to join their ranks. Being invited to join is a sign of true achievement. As Avengers, heroes get to collaborate with the most powerful individuals and face incredibly dangerous villains that would overwhelm most teams. Over time, the Avengers have assembled some truly remarkable groups, combining the planet’s strongest and most skilled superheroes. Many of these rosters are considered among the greatest hero teams ever, having saved the world and the universe countless times. However, the composition of these teams has varied over the years.

The Avengers have seen some questionable team lineups over the years. While there are many reasons why certain rosters failed, a major one is surprisingly simple: popularity with readers. A successful Avengers team continues to be published and remembered, while a great team that doesn’t sell well tends to be forgotten. Here are seven of the worst Avengers teams – the ones most fans would prefer to forget.

7) Post-Civil War Mighty Avengers

While Marvel had a lot of success in the 2000s, not every comic was a hit, and Mighty Avengers is a good example of one that didn’t quite work. The series focused on a new Avengers team – Iron Man, Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel, the Wasp, Wonder Man, Ares, Black Widow, and the Sentry. On paper, it looked like a strong lineup, with established heroes, powerful characters, and the backing of SHIELD. But the team never really clicked. It felt like a backup squad, and few people remember any of their adventures, largely because they didn’t accomplish anything particularly memorable. They simply existed without making a significant impact.

6) The Avengers (Vol. 9) Team

Let’s face it: the current Avengers series (volume 9) isn’t doing well with fans, which is surprising. The team includes popular and powerful heroes like Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Captain America (Sam Wilson), Black Panther, Storm, Vision, and Scarlet Witch. Despite having a strong and well-rounded lineup, readers just aren’t engaging with the stories or the team itself. It’s puzzling why this iteration of the Avengers is struggling, but the low sales numbers speak for themselves.

5) Avengers AI

While many Avengers teams are well-known, some have faded into obscurity. The Avengers AI Squad is one such team. Created by Hank Pym, it featured tech and AI-based heroes like Vision, the Protector, Victor LaMancha, and Doombot. Despite being a potentially powerful group, the team never gained a large following. The comic book simply didn’t attract enough readers to stay in print, and as a result, it’s largely been forgotten by most Avengers fans.

4) Avengers #300

Steve Rogers is known as a fantastic leader for the Avengers, and his teams are often considered the strongest versions of the group. However, not all of his lineups have been successful, and the team introduced in Avengers #300 is a prime example. At the time, Rogers had lost trust in the US government and assembled a new group including Thor, Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, and the Eternal Gilgamesh. The unusual combination of heroes didn’t resonate with readers. This team is mostly remembered as a failure, despite being capable of defeating powerful enemies – it just wasn’t a team people enjoyed reading about.

3) The Second Avengers Unity Squad

The Avengers Unity Squad was formed after the Avengers vs. X-Men event, bringing together members of both teams to improve relations between mutants and humans. The original lineup was impressive, featuring popular heroes like Captain America, Thor, Wolverine, Rogue, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Wasp, Havok, and Sunfire – a good balance of well-known and lesser-known characters with interesting backstories. Following the AXIS storyline, a new Unity Squad was assembled, led by Rogue and Scarlet Witch, and included Quicksilver, a reformed Sabretooth (due to a change in his morality), Sam Wilson as Captain America, and Brother Voodoo. Despite having potential, this team didn’t resonate with readers. While the Secret Wars event contributed to its short run – the Uncanny Avengers (Vol. 2) series only lasted five issues before the reboot – stronger sales likely would have kept it going.

2) All-New, All-Different Avengers

The “All-New, All-Different Marvel” initiative wasn’t successful. While Marvel replaced some of its classic heroes with new characters taking on familiar roles, it didn’t resonate with readers. The flagship team, All-New, All-Different Avengers – featuring Iron Man, Vision, Jane Foster as Thor, Sam Wilson as Captain America, Miles Morales as Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, and Nova – seemed promising on paper. However, it’s hard to point to a single truly memorable storyline. This version of the Avengers quickly lost readers and ultimately disappeared, becoming a symbol of a largely unsuccessful period for Marvel.

1) The Leather Jacket Team

The 1990s were a difficult time for the Avengers. Most of the team’s popular members left, and Marvel tried a new approach, inspired by the success DC Comics had with a less-known version of their Justice League. They assembled a team of heroes who weren’t as well-known, resulting in what fans now call the ‘leather jacket’ Avengers. This lineup included Black Knight, Sersi, Hercules, Black Widow, Crystal, and the Vision. While the team had potential, it lacked major stars – Black Widow hadn’t yet become the popular figure she is today – and ultimately didn’t quite work out.

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2025-11-10 21:11