One of the most appealing aspects of superhero team comics is the conflict between members, and Marvel Comics is famous for its particularly troubled teams. Marvel actually built its success on team-based stories, starting with the *Fantastic Four*, its first superhero series. Soon after, they created the Avengers, bringing together their most powerful heroes. From early struggles with the Hulk to ongoing disagreements in later stories, Marvel consistently made team relationships complex and dramatic.
Whether it’s groups that constantly clash or those that appear united but fall apart due to a lack of trust, here’s a look at Marvel teams that struggle to work together.
7) West Coast Avengers
From the start, the West Coast Avengers faced an uphill battle, and many predicted they wouldn’t succeed, especially with Hawkeye as leader. Ironically, that’s a big reason why the series is still considered a classic Avengers title. Hawkeye’s rebellious nature made him an unconventional choice for leadership, and considering all the challenges the team faced, it’s remarkable they managed to stay together for as long as they did.
The team had a lot of internal issues. Vision, Wonder Man, and Scarlet Witch constantly clashed, and the arrival of White Vision only worsened the already complicated relationship between Vision and Wanda. Hawkeye and Mockingbird’s marriage created further tension. James Rhodes was acting as Iron Man but kept his identity secret from the others. Things really fell apart when the government appointed U.S. Agent as the new leader, ruining the team’s dynamic. Eventually, the Avengers ordered them to disband, leading several members to leave and form a new group called Force Works.
6) Midnight Sons
The Midnight Sons were never meant to be a long-term team. Composed of monster hunters from Marvel Comics, they didn’t trust each other and only teamed up when absolutely necessary. Doctor Strange brought them together to fight Lilith, but he knew their personalities clashed, so he disbanded the group once the threat was over.
The team came together and fell apart repeatedly, featuring a rotating cast of characters like Blade, Morbius, Elsa Bloodstone, Daimon Hellstorm, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, and various Ghost Riders. These monstrous heroes frequently struggled with their instincts, which often created as many difficulties as they resolved. But that unpredictability was also a big part of what made the comics so enjoyable.
5) Dark Avengers
The Dark Avengers were always a mismatched group. Norman Osborn brought together a team of villains to pretend to be the real Avengers – for example, Bullseye took the place of Hawkeye, Scorpion pretended to be Venom, and Daken acted like Wolverine. While powerful members like Sentry and Ares were on the team, the villains constantly clashed and only remained united because Osborn intimidated them.
The team fell apart due to a lack of trust amongst its members. It was revealed that Ares had been secretly working against them all along, and this came to light when Osborn discovered the truth and had Sentry kill him. The final blow came when Loki betrayed the group, effectively ending the Dark Avengers.
4) The Illuminati
Originally formed to secretly safeguard the Earth, the Illuminati ultimately did more harm than good. The group was comprised of some of the world’s most powerful heroes, including Professor X from the X-Men, Black Bolt of the Inhumans, Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, Namor representing the underwater realm, Doctor Strange representing the mystical arts, and Iron Man, representing the Avengers.
I always admired these heroes, but looking back, it’s heartbreaking to see the mistakes they made. They didn’t *mean* to start events like Secret Invasion and World War Hulk, but they did. And the choices they made… destroying an entire Earth to prevent a collision, then turning on Captain America and erasing his memories… it was all so tragic. When the world was literally falling apart during those final incursions, they were fighting amongst themselves instead of working together. It’s just… devastating to think about.
3) Strange Academy
Strange Academy was set up to fail. Doctor Strange brought together children with magical abilities, offering them both education and training to control their powers, taught by expert mystics. But despite the teachers’ good intentions, they weren’t telling the students the whole truth. Strange actually wanted to suppress the children’s powers and keep them from reaching their full potential. When the most powerful student discovered this deception, she reacted with anger.
Emily Bright nearly caused the Earth’s destruction by making a dangerous deal with Dormammu, potentially giving him control of our world. Surprisingly, the person who cared for Emily the most, Doyle Doemammum, was the one who ultimately saved it. The incident transformed Strange Academy into Doom Academy, and the resulting betrayal shattered everyone’s trust.
2) The Ultimates
The Ultimates were Marvel’s version of the Avengers, but set in a more down-to-earth and gritty universe. This meant the heroes were deeply flawed and struggled to trust one another. Captain America came across as outdated and often showed disrespect, particularly towards women like Wanda Maximoff. Thor’s claim of being a god wasn’t taken seriously, creating further tension. The situation was made even worse when Black Widow turned into a double agent and tragically killed Hawkeye’s family.
This conflict culminated in a massive showdown between the Ultimates and a new Avengers team, tragically leading to the death of that universe’s Spider-Man. The Ultimates were constantly plagued by internal distrust, preventing them from working well together except during major crises.
1) X-Men
The X-Men have consistently faced prejudice and hostility simply for being born different. Humans feared mutants because of their powers, forcing these heroes to constantly defend a world that distrusted them. This struggle was often complicated by internal conflicts, particularly between Cyclops, who believed strongly in his own methods, and Wolverine, who frequently disagreed.
One of the biggest examples of this internal conflict was the ‘Schism’ event, where Wolverine and Cyclops clashed due to disagreements about the future of the X-Men. There were also instances of heroes like Beast becoming villains and turning against their teammates. This was especially true during large-scale X-Men storylines, where mutants often fought amongst themselves as much as they did to protect the world.
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2025-10-09 18:22