The Avengers are a team of superheroes and the protagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the eponymous team from Marvel Comics created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. Founded by S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury, the team is a United States–based organization composed primarily of superpowered and gifted individuals, described as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", who are committed to the world's protection from a variety of threats.
The Avengers are depicted as operating in the state of New York: originally from the Avengers Tower in Midtown Manhattan and subsequently in the Avengers Compound in Upstate New York. Arranged as an ensemble of core MCU characters originally consisting of Tony Stark / Iron Man, Steve Rogers / Captain America, Thor Odinson, Bruce Banner / Hulk, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, and Clint Barton / Hawkeye, it later expands to include 16 total members.
Regarded as an important part of the franchise, they are central to the MCU's first 23 films, collectively known as the Infinity Saga. Avengers teams from alternate universes were depicted in subsequent MCU properties across the Multiverse Saga, including appearances in the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2021–2024) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). A new incarnation of the Avengers is set to return in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Both films will be part of the MCU's Phase Six, concluding the Multiverse Saga.
Following the formation of Marvel Studios as an independent film studio by Avi Arad, the head of Marvel's film division, producer Kevin Feige envisioned creating a shared cinematic universe to introduce the Avengers, similar to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's comic books in the 1960s. Once Feige became studio chief in 2007 and formed his creative team, his strategy involved creating individual films for each major character in Phase One, beginning with Iron Man (2008) and concluding with The Avengers (2012). Casting for the original six members occurred from 2006 to 2010, beginning with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and concluding with Mark Ruffalo replacing Edward Norton as the Hulk by 2010. Successive MCU installments introduced new members, with actors from other MCU films reprising their roles. Following the financial and critical success of The Avengers, a sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), was subsequently developed, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen joining as Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, respectively. Captain America: Civil War (2016) was influenced by the "Civil War" comic storyline, depicting the breakup of the Avengers and introducing Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) concluded the Infinity Saga and depicted their disbandment. The film Captain America: Brave New World (2025) depicts the team restarting under the leadership of Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson / Captain America, while the film Thunderbolts* (2025) sees members of the Thunderbolts team form a separate faction dubbed the "New Avengers".
The four Avengers films are currently the third highest-grossing superhero franchise and the fifth highest-grossing film franchise of all time, grossing more than billion. The Avengers have received praise as a group from critics, particularly for their dynamic together, with Endgame receiving praise from critics as a conclusion for that iteration of the team. Due to their successful introduction, other film studios decided to create their own shared superhero universes, notably DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures, which announced plans to release a film for the Justice League. Avengers Campus, a series of attractions at various Disney Parks, opened in June 2021 at Disney California Adventure, while an immersive family dining experience called "Avengers: Quantum Encounter" debuted at the Worlds of Marvel restaurant in the Disney Wish cruise ship in July 2022.
Fictional team biography The Avengers' story in the MCU takes place in the Earth-616 universe. The fictional biography below includes events that happened to the team from more than one Earth-616 timeline, as well as events that occurred in alternate universes.
The Avengers Initiative In 1995, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury creates the Avengers Initiative, envisioning it as a group of heroes working to respond to planetary threats, following the appearance of Carol Danvers and naming it after her U.S. Air Force callsign, "Avenger". Years later, Fury assesses various individuals for it, including Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. Stark's membership is declined after a negative report by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff. The World Security Council wanted Emil Blonsky to join, but rejected it after Stark deters Thaddeus Ross from the idea, hiring Bruce Banner instead.
The first assembly
In 2012, the Asgardian Loki teleports to the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility on Earth, where he steals the Tesseract and brainwashes Clint Barton and Dr. Erik Selvig using his scepter. Subsequently, Fury recruits Stark and Banner to locate the Tesseract. Rogers, Romanoff, and Stark apprehend Loki, but are disrupted by Thor's arrival. This leads to confrontations between the group, exacerbated by the revelation that S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to create weapons of mass destruction. Barton attacks the Helicarrier, causing Banner to transform into the Hulk and cause damage. After Loki kills S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson, the team unites to avenge him, with Romanoff freeing Barton from the scepter's control. Rogers then recruits Barton to the team as a new member. The Avengers confront Loki, who opens a wormhole using the Tesseract and begins an invasion with his Chitauri army, starting a battle. Stark introduces the team to Loki by referring to them as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes". Eventually, the World Security Council launches a nuclear missile towards Manhattan, but Stark intercepts and flies it through the wormhole, destroying the Chitauri mother ship and stopping the invasion. Romanoff closes the portal with the scepter and the team apprehends Loki, who is taken back to Asgard.
Fighting Hydra and Ultron
Three years after the Battle of New York, Hydra uses Loki's scepter following their infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Avengers locate it in Sokovia, where they recover it and encounter twin superhuman Hydra test subjects, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Barton is wounded and Rogers captures Hydra leader Wolfgang von Strucker while Stark retrieves the scepter, despite being subjected to hallucinations by Wanda's telepathy. Stark and Banner unilaterally decide to use the scepter to create the Ultron Program, a sentient artificial intelligence (AI) peacekeeping force. However, Ultron resolves to eradicate humanity.
In Africa, the Avengers fight Ultron, now allied with the Maximoffs. Wanda induces telekinetic hallucinations, triggering Banner's transformation into the Hulk before Barton stops her, while Stark stops Hulk's rampage with his Hulkbuster armor. After reconvening at Barton's farmhouse, Rogers, Barton, and Romanoff retrieve a new vibranium body created by Ultron. Stark and Banner use it to create Vision, a sentient and benevolent being powered from the Stark's J.A.R.V.I.S. program, Mjolnir, and the Mind Stone. Ultron tries to use Sokovia as a meteor to cause an extinction event. The Avengers, joined by James Rhodes and the Maximoffs, defeat Ultron's sentries and evacuate civilians. Pietro sacrifices himself to save Barton, while Stark and Thor destroy Sokovia, and Vision fully terminates Ultron to avert the event. In the aftermath, Stark and Barton retire, Banner disappears, and Thor decides to find the Infinity Stones, while Rhodes, Sam Wilson, Wanda, and the Vision join the team. The Avengers relocate their primary headquarters to the Avengers Compound in Upstate New York.
Civil War
Months after the Battle of Sokovia, the Avengers' new facility becomes targeted in a heist, with a skirmish between Wilson and Scott Lang. In 2016, Rogers, Romanoff, Maximoff, and Wilson defend a research lab in Lagos from Brock Rumlow. They successfully stop Rumlow and his crew of mercenaries, but Maximoff's usage of telekinesis to try to save civilians kills Wakandan diplomats. Thus, United States Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross presents the Sokovia Accords, United Nations (U.N.) legislation intended to regulate superhumans' activities. The Avengers are divided: Stark, Rhodes, Vision, and Romanoff support it, while Rogers and Wilson object due to fears of authoritarianism.
After Bucky Barnes is accused of killing Wakandan King T'Chaka, Rogers and Wilson protect him from an arrest warrant, causing them to clash with Stark, Rhodes, Romanoff, and T'Challa, son of T'Chaka who was killed in Lagos. After Barnes is detained, Helmut Zemo activates Barnes' Winter Soldier persona using the Winter Soldier Book, although Barnes later recovers and reveals Zemo's interest in the Winter Soldier Program. To aid them, Wilson and Rogers recruit Lang and Barton, then take Maximoff out of confinement at the Avengers Compound. The divided Avengers meet and fight at the Leipzig/Halle Airport; Rogers, Wilson, Barton, Maximoff, Barnes and Lang clash with Stark, Rhodes, Romanoff, Vision, T'Challa and new recruit Peter Parker.
Rogers and Barnes escape with Romanoff's help, traveling to the Hydra Siberian Facility to stop Zemo from reactivating the Winter Soldier Program. Their teammates are imprisoned in the Raft and Rhodes' legs are paralyzed after accidentally being struck by Vision's blast. Stark joins Rogers and Barnes after realizing Barnes' innocence, but fights them after Zemo reveals Barnes' assassination of Stark's parents. In the fight, Rogers disables Stark's armor and Barnes' cybernetic arm is destroyed. Rogers then abandons his shield. Meanwhile, T'Challa apprehends Zemo, realizing him to be T'Chaka's killer. Rogers later frees his teammates from the Raft, becoming fugitives. Barton and Lang agree to be under house arrest to be with their families. Although officially reduced to just Stark, Vision, and Rhodes, the Avengers continue operating. Stark offers to hire Parker after he defeats Adrian Toomes. However, Parker declines, choosing to remain as Spider-Man, but promises to assist the Avengers if needed. In 2018, Wade Wilson / Deadpool travels from his universe, Earth-10005, to Earth-616 / the "Sacred Timeline" hoping to join the Avengers and give his life added meaning. He is interviewed by Happy Hogan, who rejects him, and returns to his own universe.
The Blip
In 2018, the Avengers come into conflict with Thanos and his children, who seek the six Infinity Stones to erase half of the universe's life. Thanos hijacks a spaceship containing Asgardian refugees, killing Loki and subduing Thor. Thanos defeats Hulk, who is transported to Earth by Heimdall to inform Stephen Strange, the keeper of the Time Stone, of Thanos' arrival. Banner, Strange, and Wong, joined by Stark and Parker, confront two of his children in Greenwich Village. With Banner unable to transform to aid in the fight, Strange is captured and taken to their spaceship, while Banner warns Rogers of Thanos' intention to acquire Vision's Mind Stone. Stark and Parker pursue Strange and board the spaceship, where Stark officially anoints Parker as an Avenger. They go to Titan to confront Thanos, allying with the Guardians of the Galaxy along the way. The two teams temporarily restrain Thanos in an ensuing battle to take his Infinity Gauntlet off, now with four Stones. However, Peter Quill hits Thanos after learning he killed Gamora, freeing and allowing Thanos to incapacitate the group. With Thanos preparing to kill Stark, Strange surrenders the Time Stone to save his life.