Summary
The Avengers is a huge organization, sometimes even multiple different ones, in Marvel Comics. The huge volume of characters that have come and gone from the various Avengers teams is impossible to keep track of, even for the most comic-savvy of Marvel fans.
However, some moments involving team members leaving are more memorable than others. The Avengers have experienced many heartbreaking moments in their history, and most of these involve the sudden betrayal of members from within the team. Across the long history of Marvel Comics, some notable betrayals have made a real impact on the team in various ways, and some heroes that have betrayed what the team stood for didn’t even know they were in the wrong.
8The Skrulls
The Ultimate Shock Reveal
The Skrulls, as MCU fans will know by now, are an alien race capable of shape-shifting. This race, enraged against humanity, allowed for one of Marvel’s most significant and shocking stories and many different sudden betrayals all at once. The Skrulls, led by their queen in the guise of Spider-Woman, took sudden action after taking over the roles of many of Earth’s heroes, allowing for absolute chaos.
This story was in the fallout ofCivil War, allowing the Skrulls to take advantage of the divisions among heroes, and more heroes died as a result of this new war against the Skrulls. This story involved many heartbreaking reveals of heroes who were actually Skrulls, from Elektra to Hank Pym.ThoughSecret Invasiondidn’t play outto the same degree in the MCU, it was a climactic comic book event.
7The Sentry
The Hero Turned Dark Avenger
Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers team was a fascinating run in Marvel Comics. Mostly, Osborn had villains masquerading as heroes, but the Sentry was an actual Avenger who was confused by Osborn and ended up joining his team. This wasn’t the most major betrayal though, the worst came later during theSiegestoryline.
When the Dark Avengers clashed with Asgard, which had been transported to Earth, it led to a climactic confrontation. The Sentry became filled with rage, betraying his old and new teammates and becoming the Void, a supremely powerful being that ripped Ares in half without hesitation. Thor was forced to kill the Sentry to stop this rampage. Interestingly,Sentry may be appearing shortly in the MCU.
6Hank Pym
The Crazed Schizophrenic Scientist
Fans of the MCU will be surprised to learn that Hank Pym has had a lot of problems in the comics. AlthoughWhat Ifshowed an alternate reality where Michael Douglas’s version of the character turned evil after his daughter’s death, this is afar cry from the friendly scientist seenin the live-action Marvel movies.
However, in the comics, Pym inhaled some particles in a lab and was never the same,changing personalities multiple times, including the villainous Yellowjacket. He also turned into an abusive husband and later created Ultron, which almost destroyed everything. The comic book Hank Pym will likely never be well-regarded as a result, thus leading to Scott Lang being chosen as the main Ant-Man in the MCU.
5Wonder Man
The Creator Of The Revengers
Wonder Man, shortly to be introduced to the MCU, started life as an infiltrator in the Avengers team, sent by the Masters of Evil to betray the team, which he did, although he redeemed himself before his death. He later returned and became a frequent member of the team over the many years since.
However, after a series of mishaps, losses and deaths to various members and damage to the wider universe, Wonder Man stopped seeing the Avengers as a force of good. He betrayed the team, attacking them with a group of forgotten heroes formed into the Revengers, but after this team caused a great deal of collateral damage, he stopped seeing the point in them and turned back to the side of good.
4Scarlet Witch
The Supreme Being Pushed Over The Edge
Wanda Maximoff has one of the most turbulent histories of any character in Marvel Comics. Her villainous turn from the Avengers took the spotlight inDoctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, but it has played out in numerous comic book stories over the years as well. Wanda’s powers place her in a precarious position often, like when she betrayed the X-Men inHouse of M. However, her destruction of the Avengers was a far more shocking betrayal.
The Avengers were brought into complete disarray as attacks caused Tony Stark to embarrass them at the United Nations, a random bloody rage led She-Hulk to kill Vision, and both Scott Lang and Hawkeye were killed as well. Wanda’s actions were spurred by the reawakened memory of her children, and her subsequent blaming of the Avengers for their loss, driving her completely insane and leading to more stories involving her terrifyingly strong powers being unleashed.
3Tony Stark
Tony Stark is one of themost loyal and consistent members of the Avengers. He has held many major roles, including leading different Avengers teams, across his long history within Marvel Comics. He arguably betrayed the Avengers inCivil War, not when he signed the registration for superheroes, so much as when he secretly created a clone of Thor to try and win the war. Unleashing this led to the death of the superhero Goliath, a monstrous act.
However, Tony’s worst betrayal was far more long-reaching and occurred earlier, during theCrossingstoryline. This featured the Avengers facing off against Kang the Conqueror, and the revelation that Tony had been working with Kang for years. This stunning betrayal led to the Avengers bringing a younger version of Tony from the past to confront this traitorous version, and though Tony made the right decision eventually, this was damaging to his heroic legacy.
2The Hulk
The Terror Of World War Hulk
Although he was betrayed first, arguably, the Hulk did a great deal of damage in a particularly memorable storyline from the comics. The Illuminati group, including some Avengers, banished Hulk into space, tricking him and leading to the death of the Hulk’s pregnant wife, although this was later revealed not to be the fault of the Illuminati. Hulk then landed on the planet Sakaar andabsorbed radiation, making him more powerful than ever.
Hulk then led an army to Earth and took vengeance on each member of the Illuminati that voted for his banishment, being confronted by and defeating many other heroes and teams along the way, including multiple different Avengers teams. Though Hulk eventually calmed down, this war was hugely damaging, nearly destroying the Earth.
1Carol Danvers
The Kickstarter Of Civil War 2
Many MCU fans won’t be aware that there was actually a secondCivil Warevent in Marvel Comics. This wasn’t over superhuman registration, it instead focused on an ethical debate between Iron Man and Captain Marvel over whether it was right to arrest people for crimes that hadn’t happened yet but had been predicted by a new Inhuman with predictive abilities.
Captain Marvel’s belief that people shouldn’t be given free will was a betrayal of the Avengers' own morals. She ends this story by leading the superhero community as an ambassador of the President, but her attack on Captain America and attempted arrest of Miles Morales leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many fans.
