After HEROES REBORN failed to positively refresh the Avengers and Fantastic Four, Marvel Comics brought the classic heroes back to their classic roots! Despite everyone believing the heroes had sacrificed themselves to defeat Onslaught (during ONSLAUGHT), Franklin Richards had created Counter-Earth to give them new lives. But now they're back, with veteran artist George Perez and old-school-influenced Kurt Busiek to make Earth's Mightiest Heroes popular again with a more familiar feel.
Things have changed in the Avengers' absence with more super-teams rising to fill the role they left, including the Thunderbolts who are actually the Masters of Evil in disguise. A war is brewing between Kang an Immortus. Morgana le Fey plans on warping reality to suit her own desires. And the Kree have secretly been plotting to transform the Earth to suit their empirical needs. The Avengers take on all of these threats, gain new allies, lose old friends and prepare for even more terrifying perils on the horizon.
MCG Notes:
- Issue listings in blue & black: The must-read Avengers stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
- Issue listings in grey: Part of the Avengers' chronology, cameo appearances or stories of note that are non-essential or no longer considered 'required reading'.
- Chronology: Every appearance of the Avengers from this period is included in chronological order, mapping out their timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
- Spoilers: The issue/story overviews may include spoilers, so be warned!
- JUST WANT TO KEEP IT SIMPLE? Scroll down to THE CORE LIST to see a version of this reading order without story descriptions, page-by-page breakdowns or less important appearances - just a list of the essentials.
Having returned from Franklin Richards' Counter-Earth, Captain America learns the world thought he was dead; stranded in Japan, Cap battles Lady Deathstrike and the terrorist group Strikeforce Ukiyoe during HEROES REBORN.
Marvel Team-Up #6 (1998)
Namor the Sub-Mariner returns to New York, though his time on Counter-Earth seems to have messed with his memory; Namor and Spider-Man join forces against the Wrecking Crew.
Thunderbolts #10 (1998)
the Thunderbolts evacuate Four Freedoms Plaza when the Fantastic Four and Avengers are revealed to be alive; Hawkeye is among the heroes who try to bring them in during HEROES RETURN.
Incredible Hulk #462 (1998)
Tony Stark cameo; Bruce Banner turns to Stark for help in finding a way to help the paralysed Rick Jones walk again.
Spider-Man/Kingpin: To The Death (1997)
Captain America cameo; Cap is among the heroes trying to apprehend Spider-Man when he's framed by the Kingpin.
Iron Man #1-3 (1998)
Tony Stark cameo; Bruce Banner turns to Stark for help in finding a way to help the paralysed Rick Jones walk again.
Spider-Man/Kingpin: To The Death (1997)
Captain America cameo; Cap is among the heroes trying to apprehend Spider-Man when he's framed by the Kingpin.
Iron Man #1-3 (1998)
First appearance of Iron Man Armour Model 16/Renaissance Armor and Stark Solutions; Tony Stark puts out a story that he was recently escaped after he was kidnapped by terrorists; discovering Stark Enterprises has been folded into Stark-Fujikawa, Tony Stark starts up Stark Solutions; the Death-Squad and Dreadnaughts are sent to kill Tony Stark but are defeated by Iron Man in his new armour during HEROES RETURN.
Avengers #1-3 (1998)
Avengers past and present come under attack from magical creatures; Thor returns, reveals that Asgard is in ruins and warns that every Avenger must assemble; Morgan le Fay warps reality to suit her whims, with the Avengers transformed into her elite guard, the Queen's Vengeance; the Avengers break free of her control and the Scarlet Witch summons the deceased Wonder Man to bring about le Fay's defeat.
Thunderbolts #11-12 (1998)
The return of the heroes forces Baron Zemo to move his plan for global control forward; the Thunderbolts turn against Zemo to help the Avengers and Fantastic Four defeat him, but are forced to go on the run during HEROES RETURN.
Silver Surfer & Thor Annual (1998)
Silver Surfer & Thor Annual (1998)
Avengers cameo; the Silver Surfer and Thor are brought to the dimension where Odin imprisoned Millennius centuries earlier and have to fight him to escape.
Sensational Spider-Man #28 (1998)
Sensational Spider-Man #28 (1998)
Captain America, Iron Man & Wasp cameo; the Avengers react to the emergence of new heroes like Hornet since a price was put on Spider-Man's head during IDENTITY CRISIS.
Captain America #2-3 (1998)
First appearance of the Supreme Hydra/Sensational Hydra/Sn'Tlo; Avengers cameo; Captain America loses his shield while battling Hydra agents on a submarine; Cap adopts a version of his original triangular shield during HEROES RETURN.
Avengers #4 (1998)
First appearance of Duane Freeman; first appearance of Binary/Ms Marvel/Carol Danvers as Warbird; the Avengers whittle their line-up down to Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Thor, Hawkeye, Vision & Warbird; Firestar/Angelica Jones and Justice/Vance Astrovik of the New Warriors are added as reservists during HEROES RETURN.
Quicksilver #4-6 (1998)
Quicksilver #4-6 (1998)
Scarlet Witch cameo; Quicksilver is reunited with the Scarlet Witch and Luna.
Marvel Team-Up #9-10 (1998)
Marvel Team-Up #9-10 (1998)
Captain America teams up with Namor the Sub-Mariner against Warlord Keerg, the ruler of New Atlantis.
X-Men #73 (1998)
Tony Stark cameo; Stark attends a Hellfire Club event.
Marvel Team-Up #11 (1998)
X-Men #73 (1998)
Tony Stark cameo; Stark attends a Hellfire Club event.
Marvel Team-Up #11 (1998)
Iron Man and Namor join forces against the Wrecking Crew.
Captain America #4 (1998)
Hawkeye assists Captain America against Batroc the Leaper and Hydra.
Fury/Agent 13 #1-2 (1998)
Fury/Agent 13 #1-2 (1998)
Tony Stark cameo; Stark helps Sharon Carter locate the missing Nick Fury.
Wolverine #124 (1998)
Wolverine #124 (1998)
Wolverine assists Captain America against a group intent on killing him.
Iron Man #4-5 (1998)
Iron Man #4-5 (1998)
First appearance of Firebrand/Richard L Dennison and Rumiko Fujikawa; Tony Stark meets Rumiko Fujikawa and saves Isla Suerte from Firebrand.
Captain America #5-7 (1998)
Thor, the Scarlet Witch and Iron Man fight alongside Captain America against Hydra; Captain America uncovers the truth about the Sensational Hydra.
Incredible Hulk #465 (1998)
Captain America #5-7 (1998)
Thor, the Scarlet Witch and Iron Man fight alongside Captain America against Hydra; Captain America uncovers the truth about the Sensational Hydra.
Incredible Hulk #465 (1998)
Tony Stark helps Mister Fantastic create a suit to help Rick Jones walk again.
Spider-Man: Made Men #1 (1998)
Captain America cameo; Cap fights alongside Daredevil and the Punisher against warring gangs.
Excalibur #125 (1998)
Spider-Man: Made Men #1 (1998)
Captain America cameo; Cap fights alongside Daredevil and the Punisher against warring gangs.
Excalibur #125 (1998)
Captain America cameo; Cap attends Captain Britain and Meggan's wedding.
Thor #1-2 (1998)
First appearance of Demitrius Collins, Colonel Preston Case, Hannah Fairmont, Mandy Fairmont, Marnot/Hescamar, Jake Olsen and Brady O'Neil; Perrikus is first 'heard'; the Avengers assist Thor when the Destroyer returns; Thor continues his search for the missing Asgardian Gods; Marnot merges Thor with Jake Olsen during HEROES RETURN.
Thor #3-4 (1998)
First full appearance of the Dark Gods (Perrikus, Adva and Majeston Zelia); Thor's search for the missing gods leads him into an unwinnable confrontation with the Inua sorceress Sedna until Namor the Sub-Mariner helps him turn the tide; Odin is revealed to be a prisoner of the Dark Gods.
Thor #3-4 (1998)
First full appearance of the Dark Gods (Perrikus, Adva and Majeston Zelia); Thor's search for the missing gods leads him into an unwinnable confrontation with the Inua sorceress Sedna until Namor the Sub-Mariner helps him turn the tide; Odin is revealed to be a prisoner of the Dark Gods.
Iron Man #6 (1998)
Iron Man assists the Black Widow on her assignment to locate the Arms Merchant.
Avengers #5-6 (1998)
Hawkeye: Earth's Mightiest Marksman #1 (1998)
Hawkeye takes Firestar and Justice under his wing as they take on the Taskmaster.
Iron Man #7 (1998)
Iron Man #7 (1998)
Captain America #8 (1998)
Quicksilver #10 (1998)
Avengers #7 (1998)
The Captain America and Warbird discover a concentration camp run by the alien Kree as they experiment on human guinea pigs as part of a plan to mutate humanity into Kree; the Avengers battle the Lunatic Legion; Warbird quits the Avengers during LIVE KREE OR DIE!
Captain America #9-12 (1998)
Avengers & Squadron Supreme Annual (1998)
The Squadron Supreme team up with the Avengers to save 20 cities held hostage by Imus Champion; the Avengers help the Squadron Supreme return to their own universe, Earth-712, during NEW WORLD ORDER.First appearance of Javier Ramirez and Luis Ramirez; Captain America adopts an energy shield after his triangular shield is destroyed; Captain America goes up against the Rhino and a possessed USAgent; Sharon Carter has to free the possessed Captain America from Nightmare's control.
Fantastic Four #9 (1998)
Captain America cameo; Cap appears on TV.
First appearance of Silverclaw/Maria de Guadalupe Santiago, Triathlon/Delroy Garrett and the Triune Understanding; two new heroes assist the Avengers against the terrorist Moses Magnum; Hawkeye leaves the Avengers.
Iron Man #8-10 (1998)
The Black Widow comes to Tony Stark's aid when the Executive Elite and Whiplash are hired to kill him; the Black Widow summons the Avengers to rescue Iron Man and help stop the Mandarin from using the Dragon of Heaven to take over Russia.
X-Men #46 (1998)
Avengers cameo; Nick Fury orders the Avengers not to get involved in Stryfe's plans for Latveria during BLOOD BROTHERS.
Thor #5 (1998)
First 'appearance' of Enrakt; Thor begins to have issues with Mjolnir and is (sort of) reunited with Jane Foster.
Incredible Hulk #470 (1998)
Avengers cameo; the Avengers take a very sick Rick Jones back to Avengers Mansion.
Avengers Forever #1(pp.1-13) (1998)
First appearance of Earth-9812 and Earth-9930; the Avengers turn to the Supreme Intelligence to help save Rick Jones.
Silver Surfer #146 (1998)
Captain America & Thor cameo; the Avengers prepare to face Firelord but ultimately aren't needed.
Avengers #10-11 (1998)
The Grim Reaper pits a number of deceased Avengers against their still-living teammates; the iconic Wonder Man stands among the Legion of the Unliving until the Scarlet Witch frees them from the Reaper's control; Wonder Man is restored to life.
Daredevil #8 (1999)
Captain America cameo; Cap attends Karen Page's funeral.
Avengers Forever #1(pp.14-23)-12 (1998-2000)
First appearance of Avengers of Earth-9930, Captain Marvel/Genis-Vell of Earth-98120, Songbird/Melissa Gold of Earth-98210, the Forever Crystal/Heart of Forever and Earth-98210; first mention of the Infinites; Giant-Man and the Wasp are pulled into the very recent past (just before the battle with the Grim Reaper) to fight alongside Kang against Immortus in the 'Destiny War'; the fate of Rick Jones hangs in the balance and the destinies of Kang and Immortus diverge as Avengers from multiple timelines fight for to save humanity and prevent a horrifying future.
Iron Man & Captain America Annual (1998)
Iron Man takes advantage of a confrontation with Mentallo and AIM to erase the Tony Stark's secret identity from the world's population, putting him at odds with Captain America; despite this, a further confrontation with MODOK helps Cap understand why Stark sometimes makes such questionable decisions.
Iron Man #11-13 (1998-1999)
First appearance of War Machine/Parnell Jacobs, War Machine Armour Model 2 and the Smart House; Tony Stark continues to recover from his recent injuries; Warbird confronts Stark about being kicked out of the Avengers; Iron Man and Warbird intercept a new War Machine who's working for Baintronics; Stark learns his Renaissance Armour is killing him and checks into a clinic to recover, unaware it's secretly run by the Controller; Stark covercomes the Controller's efforts to manipulate him, but his relationship with Rumiko Fujikawa is on the rocks.
Amazing Spider-Man #1[1/2] (1999)
First appearance of the Tri-Corp Research Foundation (Terry Kwan & Ted Twaki); first appearance of Mattie Franklin as Spider-Man; the Avengers question the apparent disappearance of Spider-Man, unaware that Peter Parker has retired, during THE LEGEND REBORN.
Thor #6 (1998)
Hercules clashes with Thor to prove his superiority; Thor and Hercules head to Olympus to discover it in a similar state to Asgard.
Captain America & Citizen V Annual (1998)
The Olympian gods attack Thor believing Asgard responsible for the destruction of Olympus; Hercules learns the Thunderbolts were secretly the Masters of Evil and seeks revenge; Captain America teams up with the new Citizen V against Baron Zemo; during DECISIONS. Thor reveals to the Fantastic Four how he survived his clash with Doctor Doom on their way back from Counter-Earth.
Thor: Godstorm #2[2/2]-3 (2001-2002)
The Godstorm who faced Thor years earlier rises again as Loki takes advantage of its return.
Thunderbolts #0 (1999)
Avengers #12 (1999)
the Avengers believe Hawkeye is being held against his will the Thunderbolts; the Avengers' attempt to rescue Hawkeye from the Thunderbolts, but learn he's voluntarily chosen to lead them; the Avengers and Thunderbolts join forces against the colossal robot Dominex; Hawkeye cuts all ties to the Avengers during DECISIONS.
Wolverine #134 (1999)
Possessed by an alien being, Wolverine battles a number of superhumans in New York, including the Vision, Firestar & Justice.
Avengers '99 Annual (1999)
The Avengers learn the fate of Fabian Stankowicz and face his avenging creations, the Sentinel-powered Protectorate.
Captain America #13 (1999)
James Rhodes locates Captain America's missing shield, only for it to shatter; Cap learns of an AIM conspiracy within the US Senate.
Deadpool #23 (1998)
Captain America cameo; Overboss Dixon of Landau, Luckman & Lake turns to Captain America to usher in the arrival of S'met'kth.
Avengers #13 (1999)
First appearance of Lord Templar; first shadowed appearance of Pagan & Jonathan Tremont; the Triune begin to focus their attention on the Avengers; Justice and Firestar are forced to choose between their loyalty to the Avengers and the New Warriors; Iron Man officially hands the role of deputy team leader over to the Scarlet Witch while he takes a leave of absence to focus on his recovery; the Avengers and New Warriors battle Lord Templar.
Deadpool #24-25 (1999)
Deadpool and Captain America fight it out over S'met'kth's true intentions with the sanity of all of humanity at stake.
Thor #8 (1999)
Peter Parker: Spider-Man #2 (1999)
First appearance of Tokkots; Thor and Spider-Man team up against the deranged Dark God Tokkots during MENACE FROM THE WORLD BEYOND!
Thor #9-13 (1999)
Thor learns the origin of the Dark Gods; Thor takes on the Dark Gods to save the denizens of Asgard, facing them in the ultimate form of the Union; Asgard is restored; Marnot's true identity is revealed; evidence of Jake Olsen's dubious past begin to emerge.
Wolverine '99 Annual[2/2] (1999)
Captain America cameo; Cap's poker game with Wolverine is interrupted.
Fantastic Four #13, 15 (1999)
Iron Man #14 (1999)
First appearance of Valeria von Doom of Earth-99315 and Iron Man Armour Model 17/Experimental Safe Armor; Firestar & Vision cameo; the Avengers are under instruction to share files with the Fantastic Four under instruction by the United Nations; SHIELD task the recovering Iron Man with defending the Moon from the seemingly traitorous Fantastic Four during UNNATURAL SELECTION.
Avengers #14-15 (1999)
First full appearance of Pagan; Wonder Man's night out with his old friend Beast is interrupted by the rampaging Pagan; Lord Templar defeats Pagan, showing up the Avengers.
Iron Man #15 (1999)
First appearance of the Safe Armor; Iron Man tests his new armour in battle with Nitro, unaware that Fin Fang Foom is plotting his return.
Cable #66-68 (1999)
The Avengers assist Cable against the Harbinger of Apocalypse when he threatens to destroy all of New York City on behalf of his master.
Magneto Rex #1, 3 (1999)
Avengers cameo; first appearance of the Genoshan Cabinet; the Avengers comment on Magneto being given control of Genosha during MAGNETO REX.
Captain America #14-19 (1999)
First appearance of Connie Ferrari; 'Kang the Conqueror' unleashes the reborn Red Skull on the world with the power of a Cosmic Cube; the Skull causes carnage as he attacks New York and the Avengers rise up to protect his victims; 'Kang' uses the Red Skull as a pawn to steal power from Galactus, revealing his true identity as Korvac and taking the power for himself; Korvac's plan is ultimately undone by the Red Skull, leaving up to Captain America to cross the line to defeat his nemesis.
Nova #2 (1999)
Captain America and Nova team up against Diamondhead.
Iron Man #16-18(pp1-5) (1999)
Fin Fang Foom returns by possessing shoplifter Billy Yuan and altering his form; Iron Man battles Fin Fang Foom while Yuan gives the Avenger the edge he needs for victory at a terrible price.
Thunderbolts #25 (1999)
Avengers cameo; the Avengers struggle to stop the Masters of Evil from controlling the weather, while the Thunderbolts attack the Masters directly.Contest of Champions II #1-5 (1999)
The Avengers are among the many heroes manipulated by the Brood Queen into battling each other in a bid to siphon the abilities of the eight most powerful combatants.
Black Panther #7 (1999)
Avengers cameo; the Black Panther is confronted by the Avengers.
Black Panther #8-9 (1999)
First appearance of 'Danny Vincent'/Manuel Vicente; riots erupt on the streets of New York, stirred by Achebe; the Black Panther admits he originally accepted membership among the Avengers to spy on them; the Panther gives up his Avengers membership during ENEMY OF THE STATE.Avengers #16-18 (1999)
Iron Man officially returns to active duty when the Avengers face the threats of the Doomsday Man and the Wrecking Crew, as well as treachery on the planet Arkon; the Avengers are assisted by former members Black Knight and Photon.
- Avengers #1-3
- Thunderbolts #11-12
- Avengers #4-6
- Iron Man #7
- Captain America #8
- Quicksilver #10
- Avengers #7
- Avengers & Squadron Supreme Annual
- Avengers #8-11
- Avengers Forever #1-12
- Avengers #12
- Avengers '99 Annual
- Avengers #13-18
- 1999-2000: Living Legends
- 2000-2002: Conquered
- 2002-2004: Red Zone
- 2004-2006: New Avengers
- 2006-2007: Superhuman Civil War
- 2007-2008: Avengers vs Avengers
- 2008-2009: Invasion!
- 2009-2010: Dark Avengers
Notable collected editions featuring the Avengers stories from this time:
Avengers Assemble! vol.1-2
Avengers #0, 1-22
Avengers #1: Rough Cut
Avengers '99 Annual
Avengers & Squadron Supreme Annual
Captain America #8
Iron Man #7
Quicksilver #10
Avengers by Busiek & Perez Omnibus vol.1
Avengers #0, 1-23
Avengers #1: Rough Cut
Avengers '99 Annual
Avengers & Squadron Supreme Annual
Avengers Forever #1-12
Captain America #8
Iron Man #7
Quicksilver #10
Avengers Forever
Avengers Forever #1-12
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