Avengers Disassembled
Encyclopedia
"Avengers Disassembled", referred to in some participating series as "Disassembled", is a crossover
event between several Marvel Comics
series. The general idea is that the major heroes (the Avengers
, Spider-Man
, and the Fantastic Four
) are assaulted, not just physically, but emotionally. Author Brian Michael Bendis
said in an article in Newsarama
that the one thing that separates this crossover from others is that "not everyone is coming back from this one." The "Disassembled" tag is a reference to the Avengers' rallying cry, "Avengers Assemble!".
The series centers on the Avengers, and this stems into the individual crises affecting Thor
, Captain America
, and Iron Man
. The "Disassembled" stories of Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four do not tie in and are stand-alone storylines that only share the "Disassembled" title. The "Disassembled" trade paperbacks
display the Avengers "A" symbol on the spines, completed when all of the "Avengers Disassembled" books are displayed in order: Avengers, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man.
The active members of the Avengers team during the events of "Chaos" (the Avengers portion of "Avengers Disassembled") were Ant-Man, Captain America
, Captain Britain (Kelsey Leigh)
, Falcon
, Hawkeye
, Iron Man
, Scarlet Witch
, She-Hulk
, Vision
, Wasp
, and Yellowjacket
.
sensors warn the residing Avengers of an intruder, quickly identified as Jack of Hearts
, who appears to be a zombie because he had died saving the life of Ant-Man's daughter Cassie Lang
. Jack apologises, then inexplicably detonates, killing Ant-Man (Scott Lang), who had gone to greet him, in a blast that destroys half of the mansion. The Vision
crashes a Quinjet onto the site, only to attack the survivors of the explosion, releasing capsules that become a small army of Ultron
robots which attack the survivors. During this attack, She-Hulk
goes into a frenzy, resulting in her tearing Vision apart. In the aftermath of this first wave of attacks, most of the previous Avengers (even reserve members) and other heroes such as Daredevil
arrive at the mansion. An enormous battlefleet of alien warships appear in the skies and begin wreaking havoc. Finally, a wounded Hawkeye
sacrifices his life to save his friends by destroying an invading Kree
warship. Meanwhile Tony Stark starts acting drunk, and threatens to kill the Latvertian ambassador
, even though he cannot remember having anything to drink.
In the end, it is revealed by Doctor Strange
that the Scarlet Witch was behind these seemingly random attacks. (Although how Jack of Hearts
was resurrected by Scarlet Witch
is still a mystery.) She had been driven insane by the loss of her children years earlier; the children who actually had been magical constructs the Witch had subconsciously created from the essence of the demon Mephisto
, and two soul fragments from Master Pandomonium, which had been reabsorbed by him. Due to the use of her powers causing subtle 'reality warps' whenever she uses them to any great extent, continued use of her powers has driven her increasingly closer to insanity, until, finally, she has gone insane, believing that the Avengers 'took' her children away from her, and seek to do so again. Captain America
meets her and tries to explain what has happened. In a final confrontation, the Avengers - aided by Doctor Strange - manage to stop Wanda, and she is placed in a trance by the Eye of Agamotto
. She is subsequently taken away by her father Magneto
, who acknowledges the mistakes he made in raising her.
Assembling at the remains of the mansion a month later, the Avengers learn from Tony that his drunken triade and the subsequent disaster at Avengers Mansion have done so much damage to his financial standing that he simply lacks the money to sustain both the Avengers and his company, and so has been forced to withdraw his financial support for the Avengers, leaving the team with no choice but to disband after the last few members exchange stories about their favourite moments on the team.
and artist David Finch. The other title, premiering February 2005, was Young Avengers
, which featured teenage heroes, each of whom (excepting Hawkeye
) related in some way to the legacy of the Avengers. This series was written by Allan Heinberg
, a writer for The OC, with art by Jim Cheung
. The group was revived by its creators in July 2010 with the bimonthly series Avengers: The Children's Crusade which is a follow-up to Disassembled and House of M
.
The Scarlet Witch's storyline continued in the pages of Excalibur
, where Magneto and Professor X
tried helping her, to no avail. This in turn led into the House of M
mini-series and crossover, also written by Bendis.
The event is now considered by Marvel editors as the first part of a long series of events, which includes House of M
, Decimation
, Civil War
, World War Hulk
, Messiah Complex
, Secret Invasion
, Dark Reign
, and Utopia
. All these grim events lead up to Siege
written by Brian Michael Bendis in 2010, which ushers in a new Heroic Age
for Marvel, and X-Men: Second Coming
by Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle, which sees the slow rebirth of Earth's Mutant
population.
Although not bannered as a part of the crossover, the events of Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill
are a direct sequel to the story in Thor.
(in which superheroes were forced to register with the government or be arrested) on the Avengers, and how the team's varying opinions have caused them to break apart. The first three issues featured Captain America's, Jessica Drew's and Luke Cage's opinions on the matter, all who have heavily weighed against the registration. The next two featured the Sentry and Iron Man, both of whom were for registration.
also references Avengers: Disassembled, complete with a banner reminiscent of the original. Beginning in issue #21 the story, the first in the Dark Reign
event, centers on the aftermath of the Skrulls' failed Secret Invasion
and the revelation that both the 50 State Initiative and Camp Hammond, where the registered heroes were trained were part of the Skrull plot. Given that Hank Pym was one of the heroes replaced by a Skrull impostor, and that it was his idea to create the Initiative
makes it a priority of Norman Osborne now under the auspices of H.A.M.M.E.R.
(formerly S.H.I.E.L.D.
) to radically redefine how the Initiative will fit into the new order. The first issue shows the return of Ragnorok, the cloned Thor
from the Civil War
series who killed Bill Foster
, who reawakens to begin destroying Camp Hammond before being confronted by what seems to be the real Asgardian hero.
. In the end, Wanda and Cap allow themselves to be taken to oblivion to stop any more harm being done. Only Rogue, Ms. Marvel
, Beast
, Falcon
, Cyclops
, Iron Man
and Doctor Strange are left - they were the ones who were directly confronting Cap and Wanda - and a guilt-ridden Beast, learning from Uatu that Cap would have recovered from his illness and abandoned his manipulative relationship with the Witch as he became leader of a new team of Avengers if Beast had done nothing, realizes that he should have left everything alone.
, a brainwashed Skrull
super-soldier, accompanying him on a mission to rescue his dying lover only to learn that he had been brainwashed with a fake story to lure the Avengers into a trap. The Wasp was quickly killed, Hank Pym- apparently another Hulk
in this reality- was announced missing in action, and Captain America was executed to break their spirit, the reserve Avengers taking five years to rescue them and another five to beat back the Trellions sufficiently to stop them trying to re-conquer Earth. At some point, Reed Richards apparently attempted to conquer the world, Iron Man taking on a Doctor-Doom-like apparel to oppose him, killing the Human Torch before Richards sent him to Earth-616 prior to Titannus's arrival on that Earth. This Iron Man has since become the villain Iron Maniac, being kept in stasis in a Helicarrier, while Titannus was defeated by a team assembled by Doctor Strange when he detected Titannus's arrival only after Titannus had destroyed most of Tokyo in a rampage, his violent approach leaving the heroes less inclined to trust him than they had been in this world.
and pencilled by Paul Pelletier
, provided a tongue-in-cheek
reference to Avengers Disassembled. In a move which satirized the comic book death
s in that book, it was announced that a character would die in each GLA issue. Surely enough, Dinah Soar
, the newcomer Grasshopper
, the squirrel Monkey Joe
, and Doorman
are all killed, and Mr. Immortal
commits suicide
. However, Doorman was resurrected almost immediately acquiring the powers of Deathurge
, Monkey Joe was replaced with an identical squirrel called Tippy Toe and Mr. Immortal stayed dead for only a few seconds. Three other Grasshoppers appeared in later issues of GLA, and were all killed in the space of few pages, continuing the parody.
Free-For-All (Free Comic Book Day
Special) has Comic Book Guy
reading, Archie Disassembled. The following quotes:
:
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
event between several Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
series. The general idea is that the major heroes (the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
, Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, and the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
) are assaulted, not just physically, but emotionally. Author Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
said in an article in Newsarama
Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
that the one thing that separates this crossover from others is that "not everyone is coming back from this one." The "Disassembled" tag is a reference to the Avengers' rallying cry, "Avengers Assemble!".
The series centers on the Avengers, and this stems into the individual crises affecting Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
, Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, and Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
. The "Disassembled" stories of Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four do not tie in and are stand-alone storylines that only share the "Disassembled" title. The "Disassembled" trade paperbacks
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
display the Avengers "A" symbol on the spines, completed when all of the "Avengers Disassembled" books are displayed in order: Avengers, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man.
The active members of the Avengers team during the events of "Chaos" (the Avengers portion of "Avengers Disassembled") were Ant-Man, Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, Captain Britain (Kelsey Leigh)
Lionheart (comics)
Lionheart , formerly called Captain Britain, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero. She first appeared in The Avengers vol.3, #77 .-Fictional character biography:...
, Falcon
Falcon (comics)
The Falcon is a fictional comic book superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics.Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, and introduced in Captain America #117 , the character is mainstream comics' first African-American superhero...
, Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
, Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
, She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....
, Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
, Wasp
Wasp (comics)
The Wasp is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe and founding member of The Avengers. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 ....
, and Yellowjacket
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
.
Plot summary
The story begins when the Avengers MansionAvengers Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, Avengers Mansion has traditionally been the base of the Avengers. The enormous, city block-sized building is located at 890 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City.-Creative origin:...
sensors warn the residing Avengers of an intruder, quickly identified as Jack of Hearts
Jack of Hearts
Jack of Hearts is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jack of Hearts first appeared in the black & white magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22 , and was created by writer Bill Mantlo and illustrator Keith Giffen...
, who appears to be a zombie because he had died saving the life of Ant-Man's daughter Cassie Lang
Cassandra Lang
Stature is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the daughter of the late Scott Lang . Cassie Lang is a member of the Young Avengers and The Initiative...
. Jack apologises, then inexplicably detonates, killing Ant-Man (Scott Lang), who had gone to greet him, in a blast that destroys half of the mansion. The Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
crashes a Quinjet onto the site, only to attack the survivors of the explosion, releasing capsules that become a small army of Ultron
Ultron
Ultron is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers #54 , and was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema...
robots which attack the survivors. During this attack, She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....
goes into a frenzy, resulting in her tearing Vision apart. In the aftermath of this first wave of attacks, most of the previous Avengers (even reserve members) and other heroes such as Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
arrive at the mansion. An enormous battlefleet of alien warships appear in the skies and begin wreaking havoc. Finally, a wounded Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
sacrifices his life to save his friends by destroying an invading Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
warship. Meanwhile Tony Stark starts acting drunk, and threatens to kill the Latvertian ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
, even though he cannot remember having anything to drink.
In the end, it is revealed by Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
that the Scarlet Witch was behind these seemingly random attacks. (Although how Jack of Hearts
Jack of Hearts
Jack of Hearts is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jack of Hearts first appeared in the black & white magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22 , and was created by writer Bill Mantlo and illustrator Keith Giffen...
was resurrected by Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
is still a mystery.) She had been driven insane by the loss of her children years earlier; the children who actually had been magical constructs the Witch had subconsciously created from the essence of the demon Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
, and two soul fragments from Master Pandomonium, which had been reabsorbed by him. Due to the use of her powers causing subtle 'reality warps' whenever she uses them to any great extent, continued use of her powers has driven her increasingly closer to insanity, until, finally, she has gone insane, believing that the Avengers 'took' her children away from her, and seek to do so again. Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
meets her and tries to explain what has happened. In a final confrontation, the Avengers - aided by Doctor Strange - manage to stop Wanda, and she is placed in a trance by the Eye of Agamotto
Eye of Agamotto
The Eye of Agamotto is a fictional mystical item in the Marvel Comics universe. The artist Steve Ditko, drew inspiration from the real world charm called 'The All Seeing Eye of the Buddha', known among Buddhists as "The Amulet of Snail Martyrs", a Nepali symbol meant to protect its wearer against...
. She is subsequently taken away by her father Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
, who acknowledges the mistakes he made in raising her.
Assembling at the remains of the mansion a month later, the Avengers learn from Tony that his drunken triade and the subsequent disaster at Avengers Mansion have done so much damage to his financial standing that he simply lacks the money to sustain both the Avengers and his company, and so has been forced to withdraw his financial support for the Avengers, leaving the team with no choice but to disband after the last few members exchange stories about their favourite moments on the team.
Aftermath
In the wake of "Avengers Disassembled", two new Avengers series were created. The New Avengers title replaced the Avengers title (with a new #1 in December 2004) which ended with issue #503 and Avengers Finale (November 2004). This new title continued with the creative team of writer Brian Michael BendisBrian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
and artist David Finch. The other title, premiering February 2005, was Young Avengers
Young Avengers
Young Avengers is an American comic book series written by Allan Heinberg and published by Marvel Comics. It follows a group of young superheroes, each of whom patterns themselves after a member of the long-established Marvel superhero team the Avengers....
, which featured teenage heroes, each of whom (excepting Hawkeye
Hawkeye (Kate Bishop)
Hawkeye is a fictional character. She is a member of the Young Avengers, a team of superheroes in the Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe...
) related in some way to the legacy of the Avengers. This series was written by Allan Heinberg
Allan Heinberg
Allan Heinberg is an American film screenwriter, who wrote Young Avengers for Marvel Comics, and has been a writer and producer on The Naked Truth, Party of Five, Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls, The O.C., and Grey's Anatomy.Heinberg's Young Avengers was a sales success for Marvel, though faced...
, a writer for The OC, with art by Jim Cheung
Jim Cheung
Jim Cheung is a British comic book artist, known for his work on the series such as Scion, New Avengers: Illuminati, Young Avengers and Avengers: The Children's Crusade.-Career:...
. The group was revived by its creators in July 2010 with the bimonthly series Avengers: The Children's Crusade which is a follow-up to Disassembled and House of M
House of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
.
The Scarlet Witch's storyline continued in the pages of Excalibur
Excalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
, where Magneto and Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
tried helping her, to no avail. This in turn led into the House of M
House of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
mini-series and crossover, also written by Bendis.
The event is now considered by Marvel editors as the first part of a long series of events, which includes House of M
House of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
, Decimation
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
, Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
, World War Hulk
World War Hulk
"World War Hulk" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self titled limited series and various other titles published by Marvel Comics in 2007, featuring the Hulk....
, Messiah Complex
X-Men: Messiah Complex
"Messiah Complex" is a comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics from October 2007 to January 2008, which ran through the various X-Men books....
, Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
, Dark Reign
Dark Reign (comics)
"Dark Reign" is a 2008–2009 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. It deals with the aftermath of the "Secret Invasion" storyline, which led to a shift of power in the Marvel Universe toward Norman Osborn. The title "Dark Reign" refers to Osborn's rise to national power and the...
, and Utopia
Utopia (comics)
"Utopia" is a 2009 comic book crossover story arc written by Matt Fraction and published by Marvel Comics, starring the X-Men and the Dark Avengers...
. All these grim events lead up to Siege
Siege (comics)
Siege is a fictional character, owned by Marvel Comics, who exists in the Marvel Universe.-Creative origins:John Kelly was initially created by Dwayne McDuffie and Gregory Wright as a pseudo-preview of their then-upcoming relaunch of Deathlok as well as to provide existing in-continuity backstory...
written by Brian Michael Bendis in 2010, which ushers in a new Heroic Age
Heroic Age (comics)
"The Heroic Age" is a 2010 comic book branding that ran through a number of books published by Marvel Comics. It began in May 2010, marking a major change in the status quo of the Marvel Universe after the events of the "Siege" crossover event, much as "The Initiative" and "Dark Reign" dealt with...
for Marvel, and X-Men: Second Coming
X-Men: Second Coming
"Second Coming" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics that ran through the most of the X-Men comic books from March to July 2010.-Publication history:...
by Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle, which sees the slow rebirth of Earth's Mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
population.
List of crossover issues
- Avengers #500-503 (main story)
- Avengers Finale (epilogue)
- Captain America #29-32 (aftermath)
- Captain America and the FalconCaptain America and the FalconCaptain America and the Falcon was a comic book series published for fifteen issues in 2004 and 2005 by Marvel Comics. The series' title is a reuse of the cover title of Captain America's solo series during a period in which the Falcon was given second billing on the front cover...
#5-7 (prologue) - Fantastic Four #517-519 (aftermath)
- Iron Man #84-85 (prologue) and #86-89 (aftermath)
- Spectacular Spider-Man #15-20 (prologue)
- Excalibur #8 (parallel story)
- Thor #80-81 (prologue) and #82-85 (parallel story)
- She-Hulk #11 (aftermath)
Although not bannered as a part of the crossover, the events of Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Thor #337 and was created by writer-artist Walt Simonson....
are a direct sequel to the story in Thor.
New Avengers Disassembled
Although not directly connected with the previous storyline, Bendis's 5th arc on New Avengers is titled "New Avengers: Disassembled", a reference to "Avengers: Disassembled". It deals with the events of the Civil WarCivil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
(in which superheroes were forced to register with the government or be arrested) on the Avengers, and how the team's varying opinions have caused them to break apart. The first three issues featured Captain America's, Jessica Drew's and Luke Cage's opinions on the matter, all who have heavily weighed against the registration. The next two featured the Sentry and Iron Man, both of whom were for registration.
Avengers: The Initiative Disassembled
Much like the 5th arc of Bendis's New Avengers the storyline of Avengers: The InitiativeAvengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
also references Avengers: Disassembled, complete with a banner reminiscent of the original. Beginning in issue #21 the story, the first in the Dark Reign
Dark Reign (comics)
"Dark Reign" is a 2008–2009 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. It deals with the aftermath of the "Secret Invasion" storyline, which led to a shift of power in the Marvel Universe toward Norman Osborn. The title "Dark Reign" refers to Osborn's rise to national power and the...
event, centers on the aftermath of the Skrulls' failed Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
and the revelation that both the 50 State Initiative and Camp Hammond, where the registered heroes were trained were part of the Skrull plot. Given that Hank Pym was one of the heroes replaced by a Skrull impostor, and that it was his idea to create the Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
makes it a priority of Norman Osborne now under the auspices of H.A.M.M.E.R.
H.A.M.M.E.R.
H.A.M.M.E.R. is a fictional espionage and law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe led by Norman Osborn. The organization is formed in Secret Invasion #8 to replace S.H.I.E.L.D.. The organization plays a large part in Marvel's "Dark Reign" and Siege events.What H.A.M.M.E.R. stands for,...
(formerly S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
) to radically redefine how the Initiative will fit into the new order. The first issue shows the return of Ragnorok, the cloned Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
from the Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
series who killed Bill Foster
Bill Foster (comics)
Dr. Bill Foster, also known as Black Goliath, the second Giant-Man, and the fourth Goliath, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:...
, who reawakens to begin destroying Camp Hammond before being confronted by what seems to be the real Asgardian hero.
What If??
On November 1, 2006, Marvel released a "What If?" special showing a different outcome to the storyline. In this alternate reality, the Beast, sensing something wrong, investigates afterward. He and Warbird go to see Dr. Strange who claims to have no knowledge of what occurred. Strange uses his abilities to see the event, claiming that is not really him ("Of course there's chaos magic...I would never use the Eye that way."). They deduce that Wanda used her magics to make everyone believe Strange had defeated her and Magneto then took her away. The Beast eventually figures out that Captain America, his mind suffering long-term damage from his years in ice, had pushed Wanda to do this, using the deaths to power her. They remake Genosha into a mutant paradise and Magneto fights to defend his daughter from the Avengers and the X-Men, who all end up dead as the Scarlet Witch's spell is interrupted by RogueRogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
. In the end, Wanda and Cap allow themselves to be taken to oblivion to stop any more harm being done. Only Rogue, Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel is the name of a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gene Colan, the non-powered Carol Danvers debuted as a member of the United States Air Force in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 and as Ms. Marvel—a...
, Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
, Falcon
Falcon (comics)
The Falcon is a fictional comic book superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics.Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, and introduced in Captain America #117 , the character is mainstream comics' first African-American superhero...
, Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
, Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
and Doctor Strange are left - they were the ones who were directly confronting Cap and Wanda - and a guilt-ridden Beast, learning from Uatu that Cap would have recovered from his illness and abandoned his manipulative relationship with the Witch as he became leader of a new team of Avengers if Beast had done nothing, realizes that he should have left everything alone.
Earth-5012
In an alternate world, the Avengers were never disassembled, but were subsequently captured by an alien race called the Trellions when the Vision detected the arrival of their agent TitannusTitannus
Titannus is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Marvel Team-Up #2, and was created by Robert Kirkman and Scott Kolins.-Fictional character biography:...
, a brainwashed Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
super-soldier, accompanying him on a mission to rescue his dying lover only to learn that he had been brainwashed with a fake story to lure the Avengers into a trap. The Wasp was quickly killed, Hank Pym- apparently another Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
in this reality- was announced missing in action, and Captain America was executed to break their spirit, the reserve Avengers taking five years to rescue them and another five to beat back the Trellions sufficiently to stop them trying to re-conquer Earth. At some point, Reed Richards apparently attempted to conquer the world, Iron Man taking on a Doctor-Doom-like apparel to oppose him, killing the Human Torch before Richards sent him to Earth-616 prior to Titannus's arrival on that Earth. This Iron Man has since become the villain Iron Maniac, being kept in stasis in a Helicarrier, while Titannus was defeated by a team assembled by Doctor Strange when he detected Titannus's arrival only after Titannus had destroyed most of Tokyo in a rampage, his violent approach leaving the heroes less inclined to trust him than they had been in this world.
Great Lakes Avengers: Misassembled
The GLA miniseries, GLA: Misassembled (2005), written by Dan SlottDan Slott
Dan Slott is an American comic book writer best known for The Amazing Spider-Man, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and She-Hulk. He is the current writer of the twice monthly The Amazing Spider-Man.-Early writing:...
and pencilled by Paul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier is an American comic book penciller.-Career:Pelletier began working as a professional comic artist in the late 1980s. His first work appeared in Zen: Intergalactic Ninja. He has worked for renowned comics publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics as well as for the now out of business...
, provided a tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
reference to Avengers Disassembled. In a move which satirized the comic book death
Comic book death
In the comic book fan community, the apparent death and subsequent return of a long-running character is often called a comic book death. While death is a serious subject, a comic book death is generally not taken seriously and is rarely permanent or meaningful...
s in that book, it was announced that a character would die in each GLA issue. Surely enough, Dinah Soar
Dinah Soar
Dinah Soar is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Dinah Soar was born in the Savage Land. Her lineage is never revealed; we don't know if she was a mutant or of alien descent....
, the newcomer Grasshopper
Grasshopper (comics)
The Grasshopper is the name of multiple humorous Marvel Comics superheroes, all created by Dan Slott. No Grasshopper to date has survived past the issue they first appeared in. The Grasshoppers are a simultaneous homage to and satire of stereotypical superheroes and Marvel's tendency towards...
, the squirrel Monkey Joe
Monkey Joe
Jesse "Monkey Joe" Coleman was an American country blues pianist and singer, who recorded sporadically from the 1930s into the 1970s.Jesse Coleman was most likely born in Mississippi, and though the year of birth is not known, he was probably born around 1906...
, and Doorman
Doorman (comics)
Doorman is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe that first appeared in the pages of the Avengers West Coast in 1989.-Fictional character biography:...
are all killed, and Mr. Immortal
Mr. Immortal
Mr. Immortal is a comic book character, a mutant superhero in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. He is the leader of the Great Lakes Avengers and first appeared in the pages of the Avengers West Coast in 1989.-Profile:Mr...
commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. However, Doorman was resurrected almost immediately acquiring the powers of Deathurge
Deathurge
Deathurge is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a wraith-like superhuman entity who served as the herald and agent of Oblivion. He first appeared in Marvel Two-In-One #71.-Fictional character biography:...
, Monkey Joe was replaced with an identical squirrel called Tippy Toe and Mr. Immortal stayed dead for only a few seconds. Three other Grasshoppers appeared in later issues of GLA, and were all killed in the space of few pages, continuing the parody.
Bongo Comics Free-For-All
A Bongo ComicsBongo Comics
Bongo Comics Group is a comic book publishing company founded in 1993 by Steve and Cindy Vance, Bill Morrison, and Simpsons and Futurama creator Matt Groening. It publishes comics related to the animated television series The Simpsons and Futurama, along with original material...
Free-For-All (Free Comic Book Day
Free Comic Book Day
Free Comic Book Day is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to help bring new readers into independent comic book stores. Retailer Joe Field of in Concord, CA brainstormed the event in his "Big Picture" column in the August 2001 issue of Comics & Games Retailer...
Special) has Comic Book Guy
Comic Book Guy
Comic Book Guy is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the second-season episode "Three Men and a Comic Book", which originally aired on May 9, 1991. He is the proprietor of a comic book store, The...
reading, Archie Disassembled. The following quotes:
- Big EthelBig Ethel"Big" Ethel is a fictional character by Archie Comics. She is a student of Riverdale High School, known to her schoolmates by the nickname Big Ethel, though this nickname has virtually fallen out of use since the 1990s...
kills MooseMoose MasonMoose Mason is a fictional character in the Archie Comics universe. He attends Riverdale High School where he is typically depicted as the best athlete but the poorest student. His difficulties with school were later attributed to dyslexia...
to get Jughead'sJughead JonesJughead Jones is a fictional character in Archie Comics who first appeared in the comic in December 1941. He is the son of Forsythe II; although in one of the early Archie newspaper comic strips, he himself is identified as Forsythe Van Jones II...
attention? Oh, Brian Michael BendisBrian Michael BendisBrian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
, you've done it again.
Cable & Deadpool #12
- DeadpoolDeadpool (comics)Deadpool is a fictional character, a mercenary and anti-hero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool first appeared in The New Mutants #98 Deadpool (Wade Winston Wilson) is a fictional character, a mercenary and...
(to Agent X): "Dude, anyone wearing a harness rig has a failsafe release to prevent it from catching on fire and forcing you to fly into KreeKreeThe Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
spaceships and blow up. I mean, duh, who doesn't know that?"
Collected editions
The stories have been collected into a number of volumesTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Avengers Disassembled (collects Avengers #500-503 and "Avengers Finale", 176 pages, hardcover, January 2007, ISBN 078512294X, softcover, February 2005, ISBN 0785114823)
- Avengers Disassembled: Iron Man, Thor & Captain America (collects Thor #80-85, Iron Man #84-89, Captain America & The Falcon #5-7, and Captain America #29-32, 448 pages, hardcover, April 2009, ISBN 0785138846) collected separately as softcovers:
- Avengers Disassembled: Iron Man (collects Iron Man #84-89, softcover 144 pages, Jan 2007, ISBN 0785116532)
- Avengers Disassembled: Captain America (collects Captain America #29-32 and Captain America And The Falcon #5-7, 168 pages, December 2004, ISBN 0785116486)
- The Mighty Thor Disassembled (collects Thor 80-85, 152 pages, December 2004, ISBN 0785115994)
External links
- Avengers Disassembled, at Marvel.com