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Post by Shiryu on Sept 2, 2010 10:21:25 GMT -5
A bit of a trip down the memory lane.
If you had to pick one special, iconic or historic moment/action from each Avenger, one that you see as their finest hour or defining moment, considering only the Avengers title and not their solo books, which would it be?
For example, starting with the main five, for me it would be
Captain America: when he refuses to give up to Zemo in the Mansion Siege storyline.
Thor: when he goes berserk to avenge Cap's apparent death against the Presence in Busiek's run.
Iron Man: perhaps when he organizes the first Avengers meeting, as seen in Jarvis' flashback as he recovers from the injuries suffered against Mr. Hyde.
Wasp: when she defeats the Absorbing Man and Titania, again during the Under Siege storyline.
Hank Pym: when he single-handedly defeats Egghead's Masters of Evil as Hank Pym rather than as any of his costumed identities.
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Post by humanbelly on Sept 2, 2010 15:16:56 GMT -5
Ohhhh man, Shiryu-- you posed a great question, and then snagged a bunch of the best ones for yourself right at the starting line-- (you greedy devil!).
Still, let's see:
The Vision: He has many iconic moments-- but the one that literally took my breath away was during the Kree/Skrull war, when this "passionless" synthezoid proceeded to beat the holy bejeebers out of a recalcitrant Skrull officer during the team's search for a captured Wanda. A great, great early indication of the depths of his undeclared infatuation.
Hawkeye: Man, he has a MILLION, doesn't he? He's sort of an icon-machine. . . I'm inclined to go w/ the Kree/Skrull war again, though, when (no one remembers this) he SAVED THE ENTIRE PLANET (after losing his growth powers) by fashioning a bow & arrow while under fire out of his belt, some cable, and a broken pipe--- and ultimately blew up the Skrull war cruiser that was on its way in to destroy the world--- and managed to escape in the nick of time. OR perhaps it was the hopelessly inappropriate kiss he smacked on Lady Deathstryke (or was it Deathbird?) after defeating her one-on-one? OR leading the team to defeat Kang (or was it Immortus?) sometime around issue #142, in the old west-- and we see the almost absurd sense of comfort he has around Thor (of all people). OR both times that he saved the swordsman w/ a well-placed arrow (circa #19 & #65, maybe?), proving that the pupil had surpassed the master. OR etc, etc, etc. . .
Quicksilver: Man, how about that mad dash up and/or down Wundagore mountain? Again, can't recall the issue number-- but during Byrne's run on the book.
Wanda: Ooh, tough one. REALLY liked when she pulled a meteor out of the sky, though, to clobber a robot that was being powered by an entrapped Thor. And nearly flattened Mantis. A terrific early indicator of "Whoa-- and she's considered a weaker member??". To me, that moment was the precursor of everything that befell her in the following decades, 'cause we no longer knew what her limits were, or if she even had any.
HB
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Post by Shiryu on Sept 2, 2010 17:00:02 GMT -5
Ohhhh man, Shiryu-- you posed a great question, and then snagged a bunch of the best ones for yourself right at the starting line-- (you greedy devil!). Always ;D But I didn't mean to secure the top 5, we can all say what's our own preference for each character, so feel free to add something for Cap, Thor etc too  Vision: He does have so many... perhaps when he goes berserk against the Silver Surfer after seeing Wanda hurt. Hawkeye: When he cheats the Grandmaster in that annual. Quicksilver: When he runs into a wall to destroy the Sentinel that was tagging him, around #107, just before marrying Crystal. Wanda: When she almost takes Ultron down on her own (and Ultron keeps screaming "impossible!"). Great art by George Perez too! |
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kidcage
Reservist Avenger
Posts: 167
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Post by kidcage on Sept 2, 2010 19:56:23 GMT -5
Alright, here we go:
Thor: In Volume three, I belive the In-Betweener's gone nuts and several places in the world are being telaported away, and as Chaos (I believe) is commenting, you see a Word bubble say something of the effect "Methinks you protest too much" and Thor's standing there. Uh yeah... that's definitely a YES moment.
Captain America: His showdown with Zemo in the Mansion Siege is probably what sticks out to me the most as well, but moreso because of his reaction after everything was done. It's a mix of victory and defeat that really come through.
Wasp: When she and Lang battle Absorbing Man and Titania in the hospital to protect Herc, after Hercules had been so tough on her.
Hawkeye: So many from him because he's my favorite character. His cheating the Gamemaster and his actions during Kree/Skrull stick out because they are times when he comes through to save EVERYONE, but then also his killing of Egghead to save Pym and his remorse over it, even going through for requesting to be brought in front of an Avengers panel. He has moments of just true heroism that show through. One thing that I do always remember, and even though it's from Bendis, is when he dies during DisAssembled. He comes out and starts taking Kree soldiers down, and when he knows he's in trouble, he does the one thing he always thinks of... taking out the biggest threat to everyone else. It also ties into a favorite moment of mine for the team/allies when they all charge into battle and The Thing needs to be physically restrained from trying to pull his body from the wreckage.
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Post by humanbelly on Sept 3, 2010 9:52:32 GMT -5
I think. . . I think Cap (well, Steve) may have just had an iconic showing just now in Avengers Prime, actually. I know I gushed about it in another thread, but he has now taken on a roomful of Asgardian creatures (presumably all far more "super" than he is) on two different occassions, and prevailed convincingly. While maintaining his classic calm, focused, respectful demeanor. And all with the goal of finding his teammates. It's Cap at his warrior best.
HB
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Post by Shiryu on Sept 13, 2010 16:32:23 GMT -5
I add a few more
- Hercules: when he admits to Zeus it was his fault that the Masters of Evil clobbered him.
- Beast: when he tells Gyrich to go and save the city himself. Amazing ^^
- Wonder Man: when he comes to terms with his fear of dying.
- Black Widow: when she quits ;D Uhm, maybe during the Alpha Flight crossover in the nineties.
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Post by humanbelly on Jul 26, 2011 20:34:19 GMT -5
It's been so quiet 'round here of late that I've been browsing through old threads. I'm kinda surprised that only Shiryu, kidcage & I chimed in on this one! It's really a great ice-breaker for old & new alike. . .
Some continuing thoughts:
1) Does Iron Man have an iconic Avengers moment? Oddly enough, one doesn't come immediately to mind. . .
2) Hank Pym: Sadly, it's while he's being mind-controlled during the Bride of Ultron story-- he pretty much takes on the entire rest of the team. Resourceful, focused, determined-- living up to his true potential as a superhero. . . albeit wildly misguided at the time.
3) Clint's first outing as Goliath in Avengers 63 (against a HUGE android monster) has always stuck with me. Doing everything he can to save ol' Natasha yet again (and to no romantic avail, one might add).
4) Swordsman taking a bullet for Mantis as a final act of selfless heroism (in GS Avengers #4, was it?). Rejected, demeaned & humiliated by Mantis-- suffering a long-unhealed and infected wound (during the Avengers/Defenders war, wasn't it??)-- effectively delusional in his desperate need to redeem himself and prove himself worthy of being an Avenger-- there has rarely been a character so hopelessly set on a course for destruction. But it also provided an unusual level of humanity that we could relate to. This was as flawed and beaten a man as any of us have ever been-- far moreso, in fact-- and yet he had the strength in a moment of extremis to instinctively do the right thing. I found this to be more personally inspiring than the taken-for-granted heroics we see from Thor, Cap, and the rest of the upper-tiers.
Come on, come on, y'all--! I still see ya's out there lurking now & again! Sure, yer all senior to ol' HB, but he's got the tenacity-thing down COLD! (I mean, hey, I just called Starfoxxx out on an 18 month old post---) ;D
HB
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Post by freedomfighter on Jul 27, 2011 15:25:18 GMT -5
I do think Iron Man has a couple of iconic moments. Oddly my favorites are all in a What If story or fighting other Avengers. First I love the What If where he has to equip the other Avengers in armor. grantbridgestreet.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-if-avengers-had-never-been-by-jim.htmlAt one point, IM is taking on both Subby and Hulk by himself and giving a good showing with a mix of daring and cunning; it's a great sequence that shows how resourceful Tony is. He then sacrifices himself to save an armored Hank Pym after a savage beating. However, it isn't canon seeing as how it's an alternate universe, so it's not a true Avengers moment, but still... Iconic moments that do stick and pass the test are when IM takes on a mind controlled Thor on two separate occasions. One is when Moondragon is controlling Thor around Avengers 220 and IM just unloads a tin can of whoop ass on the Asgardian. (it's nice to see him unleashed and hopefully the two pages are seen here...)   The other one is when Thor is controlled by Doc Spectrum's prism in Avengers Annual 8  Everyone else is wiped out and only Iron Man is left to take out Thor corrupted by the power prism. I believe one of our longtime posters here did a lovely summation of this issue so let's refer people to the Bronze Age babies blog for some images and recap... bronzeagebabies.blogspot.com/2010/07/george-perez-july-avengers-annual-8.htmlBut actually a quiet moment when IM is the last of the original Avengers walking alone in Avengers # 16 vol. 1 is the most heartwarming. You truly see how much being an Avenger means to him...  |
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Post by badgermaniac on Jul 31, 2011 1:46:20 GMT -5
Thor: When Count Nefaria has kicked everyone's ***** and Thor shows up right at the end of the issue.  And to whomever asked above, Hawkeye took out Deathbird before kissing her. I believe it was #180 (but that is from memory). |
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Post by sharkar on Aug 11, 2011 17:36:06 GMT -5
3) Clint's first outing as Goliath in Avengers 63 (against a HUGE android monster) has always stuck with me. Doing everything he can to save ol' Natasha yet again (and to no romantic avail, one might add).Y'know, they seemed pretty cozy to me in these issues (images from #63 and #64--Colan natch! ;D).   Unfortunately after #64 Natasha didn't appear in the Avengers comic until a year later (I'm referring to real time not Marvel time--I remember being pretty PO'd about her absence, since she was a favorite character of mine), when she popped up in #76, the issue in which she broke up with Clint. |
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Post by humanbelly on Aug 11, 2011 19:56:56 GMT -5
3) Clint's first outing as Goliath in Avengers 63 (against a HUGE android monster) has always stuck with me. Doing everything he can to save ol' Natasha yet again (and to no romantic avail, one might add).Y'know, they seemed pretty cozy to me in these issues (images from #63 and #64--Colan natch! ;D). Unfortunately after #64 Natasha didn't appear in the Avengers comic until a year later (I'm referring to real time not Marvel time--I remember being pretty PO'd about her absence, since she was a favorite character of mine), when she popped up in #76, the issue in which she broke up with Clint. Oho, my friend-- but as you point out: the long-term romance wasn't served at all, eh? "My Love" this, and "Impetuous Darling" that (GREAT phrase, BTW--!)--- sure. But aren't we indeed given to understand that this is the last contact they have until the big official break-up? Ohhh, it's hardly even a milkbone for our poor, distressed, givin'-it-his-all-for-her archer/giant, y'know? Ohh, these fickle super-spies. This was one of my favorite looks for Natasha, though. I really liked the long "mod" hairstyle with her outfit. Boy, and it really is unfortunate that Gene C wasn't on this book longer or more often. Something about his pencils really captured Goliath's "giant-ness". Those fists look just as huge and heavy as he describes them. Ahh, how nice to hear you chime in, Shar ol' pal! You upgrade our median comics savy-ness by a solid margin! HB |
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comaboy
Great Lakes Avenger
Posts: 34 
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Post by comaboy on Sept 28, 2011 8:54:18 GMT -5
Thor: "Ultron. We would have words with thee".
Vision: Taking out three of the Squadron Supreme in #147. Flattening Count Nefaria like a meteor.
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Post by humanbelly on Sept 29, 2011 17:19:49 GMT -5
Thanks for activating this thread again, comaboy-- it's one of my favorites, but I'm far too heavy-handed with it. Very much a guilty pleasure!
Can I add a couple for the Beast? Even though I don't have issue #'s for verification?
#1- Battling some incarnation of the Masters of Evil or Barons of Badness or something (maybe around #145?), Fuzzy Hank hops onto Whirlwind's back, and Whirlwind (Arthur, isn't it?) immediately tries to spin him to death. Buuuuuut when he stops, he's dismayed to find Beast still hugging him tight, asking to go 'round again, as it were. My pal & I laughed ourselves silly over that one.
#2- I've mentioned this somewhere else. . . but the team's doing a stake-out by the TaskMaster's mansion, I think, and Hank's cheerfully bringing a thermos of hot coffee around to everyone. It's especially nice 'cause Iron Man's talking about really liking this particular team's chemistry.
I might also note that many of us (myself included) often list Hank as one of our favorite Avengers-- but when you go back and read all of the issues he appeared in, he had a DEVIL of a time being an effective member in battle! He was forever the guy getting thrown 5 miles away, or knocked out by gas, or late to the fight, or sidelined or whatever. I was completely surprised by that during my read-through a few years ago. But there's no doubt whatsoever that his delightful nature and irreverance under pressure were a tremendous asset to the team at that time.
HB
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