The MCU’s introduction of the Avengers remains an iconic cinematic moment, but there were some issues with the original iteration of the team.

Iconic though they may have become, there are a handful of harsh realities about the original MCU team of Avengers which are often overlooked. Ever since the beginning of the Avengers timeline in the MCU, the team has been the backbone of the entire franchise. Marvel Studios’ early success relied heavily upon the box office draw of the franchise’s united heroes, bringing together several high-profile comic book characters in a single continuity to bring the pages of Marvel Comics to life.

As the franchise has continued to grow, the movies of the MCU have revealed a few less-than-ideal truths about the original team of Avengers. With the franchise’s story growing around The Avengers’ team of six heroes, the characters in question have shaped the fabric of the cinematic continuity, although on reflection, this changes their story somewhat. Looking back on the original roster of founding Avengers in the MCU timeline highlights some harsh realities about the heroes, their place in the team, and their overall MCU roles.

10. The MCU’s Original Avengers Rewrote A Key Hero’s Comics Story

Hank Pym’s Avengers Role Shouldn’t Have Been Overlooked

Since the very beginning of the MCU’s movie timeline, Iron Man was set up as the franchise’s most important hero. In doing so, the MCU made him a key member of the Avengers, and his scientific brilliance and staggering wealth made him the logical benefactor for the franchise’s Avengers. However, Stark’s role as a prominent founding and influential Avenger usurped another key Marvel hero. Stark being the Avengers’ primary inventor and the inadvertent creator of the villain Ultron actually took the place traditionally occupied by Hank Pym.

In the comics, Pym is a founding Avenger and a highly important figure within the team. However, despite the fact that the MCU later confirmed Pym to exist within its continuity at the time the team was founded, he was left out of the original Avengers line-up. As such, Tony Stark was able to take his place, making Hank Pym seem far less important in the MCU than he is in the comics.

9. The MCU’s Original Team Was Imbalanced In Many Ways

The Avengers Have Been A Lopsided Team From The Start

The MCU first introduced the Avengers at the end of Phase 1, following a slate of solo movies intended to introduce the team of heroes. The heroes that made up the MCU’s original Avengers varied hugely in nature, origin, and general power levels, but each was written to be able to bring something to the team. However, there were also other ways that the team was imbalanced, and it’s all too obvious upon re-examining their first joint venture.

One of the biggest imbalances is the attention the MCU had paid to its original members of the Avengers. For example, Iron Man had been given two solo movies, and Hulk, Thor, and Captain America had all appeared in one movie each. However, Black Widow had only been introduced in a supporting role in Iron Man 2, and Hawkeye was only featured in a very brief cameo in Thor. In fact, the different levels of attention given to each hero’s pre-­Avengers introduction is every bit as imbalanced as their drastically varied power levels.

8. The Original Avengers Had No Worthy Leader

None Of The Original Avengers Were Truly Fit To Lead The Team

There are many things that no MCU fan admits about Iron Man, and one of those is that he simply wasn’t a good fit to lead the Avengers for much of his tenure, particularly not in Phase 1. Stark’s arrogance and destructive behaviors made him far too reckless to be a fitting leader, even though he ended up assuming the role anyway. However, even though there were five other members of the MCU’s original Avengers, none of them were actually worthy of leading the team at the time.

Bruce Banner’s dual identity made him particularly dangerous, and once in his Hulk persona he would be unable to effectively lead. Thor’s Asgardian background made him a newcomer in the ways of Earth, much as Captain America being fresh from the past meant he was still learning a lot about modern values and technology. Black Widow and Hawkeye’s own lack of significant powers made them appear lesser heroes, and unlikely to lead higher-profile figures into battle. As such, it becomes painfully apparent that the original Avengers had no genuinely plausible leader.

7. The Other Avengers Never Should Have Accepted Hawkeye

Hawkeye Did Nothing To Earn The Trust Of His Teammates

Prior to the events of The Avengers, the only member of the team who actually knows Hawkeye is Black Widow. The pair having worked for some time alongside one another as SHIELD operatives gave them a solid bond, which is addressed throughout their respective MCU stories. Interestingly, none of the other original Avengers had any previous dealings with Hawkeye, and the first time they meet him he has been mind-controlled by Loki and is actively working against them.

As such, it makes very little sense that the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, or Hulk would willingly accept him onto the team. Even after he insists on being free from Loki’s control, and even with Natasha’s backing, there was no building of trust between the heroes. The MCU’s most prominent Avengers simply welcome Hawkeye into the fold and rely on him to have their backs in battle, which seems incredibly reckless from a neutral perspective.

6. Teaming Up To Fight Loki Didn’t Make Much Sense

Loki’s Use As The Primary Antagonist Seemed A Conceptual Flaw

As the Avengers’ formation was such a key moment for the MCU, it was crucial for the franchise to get the team’s origins just right. Though The Avengers does a stellar job of establishing a team, there is actually one glaring flaw in their general motivation for forming. On a conceptual level, the reason behind the assembly of the Avengers simply doesn’t quite make sense with Loki at its heart, as at the time of The Avengers’ release, Loki had featured just one year before as the main antagonist of Thor.

In the 2011 movie, Thor was able to defeat Loki with relative ease, and so having him announced as the Avengers-level threat that prompted the formation of the team simply didn’t quite ring true. In fact, it wasn’t until the MCU’s post-credits scene at the end of The Avengers that it finally made sense: Loki was simply acting as a puppet of Thanos. Up until then, it appeared that the MCU had brought the Avengers together for a villain that one hero previously defeated alone.

5. Coulson’s Death Really Shouldn’t Have Had Such A Huge Impact

Most Of The Team Barely Knew Coulson

Though Loki brings the Avengers together, he’s not the true catalyst behind the team’s formation. In fact, it’s actually Agent Coulson who is responsible for the Avengers, as it’s his death that galvanizes them against Loki. Without the emotional impact of Coulson’s death at the hands of Loki, the team would likely have fallen to infighting before it ever truly formed.

In more realistic terms, Coulson’s death shouldn’t have impacted the heroes so deeply, though. Tony Stark and Thor barely knew him, and Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner had only recently met him. Though he was an affable ally, there’s really no reason for the strength of the Avengers’ reaction to his death, especially considering the number of people around them who had already died previously: most had lost best friends, family, and other loved ones and faced that grief with far more stoicism.

4. Hulk’s Role In The Original Avengers Team Was Dumb

Bringing In Banner To Support The Avengers Didn’t Make Any Sense

In The Avengers, it’s established early on that SHIELD wants Bruce Banner to support the Avengers Initiative, not the Hulk. He’s brought on board for his scientific capabilities and knowledge of gamma radiation, rather than for the rage-fuelled green behemoth lurking inside of him. The movie is very clear on that point, even though it actually makes very little sense in more logical terms considering Banner’s condition.

Banner himself acknowledges this, pointing out the stressful situation SHIELD has put him in. Knowing how volatile Banner could be, it seems he’s far more of a liability than he is an asset to SHIELD, and it makes very little sense that they’d want him, expertise or not. SHIELD had also funneled a great deal of time and effort into preventing or containing Hulk, confirming that they never intended to unleash the true power of the strongest Avenger.

3. The Avengers Saved The Earth, But Not New York

New York Was Still Practically Destroyed By Loki & The Chitauri

The Avengers were formed with a single task: to save the Earth from Loki’s plan to enslave humanity. Considering the God of Mischief took possession of the Tesseract and multiple high-profile SHIELD personnel, the heroes were faced with a mammoth task, especially once Loki summoned the Chitauri army from the far reaches of space. Thankfully, the Avengers were able to band together and stop Loki’s plan, saving the people of Earth from a lifetime of subjugation.

On the other hand, Loki and the Chitauri still all but destroyed much of downtown New York. The alien forces leveled buildings, crushed vehicles, and killed countless civilians. The aftermath of the Battle of New York has since been touched upon many times in the MCU, but the franchise has made it clear that the Avengers’ first outing simply wasn’t the resounding success the film presents it to be.

2. Hawkeye And Black Widow Were Only There To Protect SHIELD Interests

Two Members Of The Team Served No Purpose Other Than To Tie The Avengers To SHIELD

When it comes to the original members of the Avengers, the core four heroes all previously appeared in their own solo movies. The team also boasted two less powerful heroes in Hawkeye and Black Widow, who lacked in raw power but made up for it in experience. The seasoned SHIELD agents were presented as valuable members of the team, despite the fact that they relied entirely upon the support and assistance of their more powerful teammates.

In reality, it’s clear that both Hawkeye and Black Widow were included to keep the team aligned with SHIELD. By installing two decorated SHIELD agents as founding Avengers, the organization cemented its connection to the heroes, and ensured the team would help protect SHIELD interests. At the very least, Hawkeye and Black Widow could act as Fury’s eyes within the Avengers’ inner circle, which is actually a far more reasonable assessment for their inclusion in the team.

1. The Avengers Were Only Ever A Last Resort

The Powers That Be Didn’t Really Want The Avengers

Throughout Phase 1 of the MCU, the formation of the Avengers was seeded through Easter eggs and post-credits scenes. Despite Nick Fury and Tony Stark’s prompting about the Avengers Initiative, the 2012 movie actually shows that the team was far from SHIELD’s optimal choice. In fact, the Avengers were only brought in by Nick Fury when all other protocols failed, with the heroes acting as Earth’s last line of defense.

As the World Security Council are shown dismissing Nick Fury and voicing their opposition to the Avengers, it’s clear that the SHIELD director acted alone in assembling the team. As such, it becomes all too apparent that Earth’s most powerful people didn’t actually want the team at all, subtly repainting the Avengers in a much harsher light. For all their efforts, it’s clear that the original team of Avengers were never really wanted within the MCU.