10 Times When the Public Turned Against the Avengers

In the Marvel universe, there have been times when the Avengers were worshipped more than any celebrity or war hero. There’s even a yearly “Avengers Day” parade in the comics that takes place in Manhattan to celebrate Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Conversely, there have been occasions where the public outright loathed the team, ostracizing the once-celebrated costumed adventurers. The relationship between the Avengers and their fans is a tenuous one at best, one that each team member tackles differently. Whereas someone like Captain America doesn’t let it affect him and only worries about getting the job done, people like Iron Man or the Wasp realize that their jobs are much easier when the public is on their side. There have been more than a few occasions where the public — and in one instance, the military — turned on the Avengers.

The Avengers vs. the U.S. Army

The crime syndicate known as the Maggia was well known to the Avengers. What they didn’t know when they first encountered Count Nefaria was that he was one of the leaders of the Maggia. In The Avengers #13 (1964), Nefaria invited the team to be his personal guests at the opening of his castle, which was moved from Italy to New Jersey. While there, the Avengers were put into suspended animation, and holographic duplicates of them were created using advanced technology. These doppelgangers threatened to take control of the United States. Once the real Avengers came to their senses, they were confronted by the United States Army. After a brief skirmish, the team went into hiding until they came up with a plan to strike back at Nefaria and get a confession out of him. While Earth’s Mightiest have found themselves opposed to the government in the past, this was one of the precious few times that the team engaged in open combat with the military.

A Stormy Public Debut of Cap's Kooky Quartet

The Avengers #16 was a shock to the populace within the Marvel universe, as Iron Man, Giant-Man, the Wasp, and Thor all took a leave of absence. Their replacements, the former outlaw Hawkeye and reformed mutant terrorists Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, seemed to be mostly welcomed by the public. On the contrary, in the pages of Thunderbolts #9 (1997), readers get a flashback tale of what really happened after the newest Avengers debuted. First, they were lambasted because Hawkeye, whom the public perceived as a criminal, was brought onto the team. Things only escalated when Quicksilver tried to calm down a mob that threw rocks at Barton, only for a group of protestors to show up because of Pietro’s and Wana’s former allegiance to Magneto. The Avengers had to put an abrupt end to the press conference, and it was not the shining public debut that the new team had hoped for.

Alien Witch Hunt

Over the course of 1971’s Kree-Skrull War, the Avengers faced not only extra-terrestrial threats but also threats on the home front. The government’s Alien Activities Commission, spearheaded by H. Warren Craddock, proceeded to put the Avengers through the wringer due to the fact that they were harboring the Kree Captain Mar-Vell, a known alien. Craddock was replaced by a Skrull doppelganger, who used the political chaos to fan the flames of hate against the Avengers. He got the public whipped into such a xenophobic frenzy that protestors stormed and trashed Avengers Mansion. On the one hand, the truth about Craddock was revealed, and the public now saw how they were manipulated. On the other hand, the Avengers now knew how tenuous their relationship was with the people whom they were sworn to protect.

Black Panther Accused of Neglecting His Responsibilities

The Avengers #112 (1973) gives readers a scene showing that T’Challa, King of Wakanda, was not as universally adored as some might have believed. Avengers Mansion was surrounded by Black protestors proclaiming that King T’Challa was now complicit with the white establishment and was pressured into returning to Africa to handle his kingly duties in Wakanda. Hathor-Sekhmet, the Lion God, cooked up the entire fiasco to separate Black Panther from the Avengers and destroy all who worship the Panther God. This incident of protestors at Avengers Mansion wouldn’t be the last.

Namor Joins the Avengers

When the Sub-Mariner decided to join the Avengers in issue #270 (1986), the villainous Moonstone opted to take advantage of the situation. Similar to the Lion God in the previous section, Moonstone ignited protestors into a frenzy, which wasn’t difficult because of the public’s existing mistrust of Namor due to his numerous attacks on the surface world. To make matters worse, legal action was being brought against the King of Atlantis for damages linked to his prior attacks. Over time, acceptance by the other Avengers and by the public at large was gained. That is, until the next time the Sub-Mariner declared war against all surface dwellers.

Sersi: Wanted by the NYPD

During the Gatherer’s campaign against the Avengers, Proctor, who had a grudge against every version of Sersi in the Multiverse, had the main Marvel universe version of her framed for murder. In The Avengers #373 (1994), two detectives head to Avengers HQ to bring Sersi in. Seeing that she’s been in a volatile state (thanks to Proctor’s machinations), the Avengers plead with the cops to let them bring her in. In a fit of rage, Sersi nearly destroys the Avengers’ headquarters and flies off, leading to a manhunt for her. Black Knight confronts Sersi at the Brooklyn Bridge, pleading for her to stand down before the police shoot to kill. Having lost all control, Sersi obliterates the Brooklyn Bridge. Though these actions are reversed later on using vast otherworldly energies, and it is proven that Sersi was being manipulated, she still couldn’t bear to continue with the Avengers as though nothing happened, so she departed with the Black Knight accompanying her. It would be a while before the police trusted the Avengers again.

Allegations of Prejudice

Tensions ran high in The Avengers #24 (1999) when minor protests became more and more heated due to the Avengers’ lack of diversity. (The team at that time consisted of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Justice, and Firestar, with Black Panther only around temporarily in the aftermath of “Ultron Unlimited.”) Public outcry had escalated, and written correspondence increased so much that the Avengers’ butler, Edwin Jarvis, had to have mail delivered to the mansion four times a day. Iron Man and Black Panther were suspicious that the protests were being orchestrated by the religious group known as the Triune Understanding, whom the Avengers had confronted in the past. Those suspicions rubbed their government liaison, Duane Freeman, the wrong way because he was a member of the Triune.  

Eventually, the team brought on a few new members, with Silverclaw being a reserve member and Triathlon — whose powers were unlocked by the Triune Understanding — becoming a full-time member. Though the protests for diversity died down, other coinciding protests only seemed to get more intense.

A Bigoted Public Against Mutants on the Team

In the same issue discussed in the previous section, while the Avengers were coming under fire for their lack of Black and Brown heroes, bigots also targeted them for having too many mutants on the team (Scarlet Witch, Justice, and Firestar are all mutants). Having become sympathetic to the plight of mutants, Thor, in particular, grew irate at the prejudiced picketers and nearly tore into them while on camera. Captain America pulled him to the side to cool off and intimated that doing things like they did in the good old days might not be feasible going forward. Always trying to think five steps ahead, Iron Man also believed that the anti-mutant picketing might have been stoked by the Triune Understanding, leading to the Avengers investigating them.

The Super Hero Registration Act

People within the Marvel universe were justifiably concerned with the Stamford incident in Civil War #1 (2006). The outcry for the government to start cracking down on super heroes grew to fever pitch. Protests in Connecticut spread like wildfire, with the ones in Washington, D.C., and New York being especially intense and affecting more than just the Avengers. Outside a nightclub in Manhattan, the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four and his date were allowed to skip to the front of the line. Words were exchanged, then insults, and before he knew it, the Torch was blindsided by a bottle in the back of the head and beaten into a coma by multiple assailants. The SHRA was one of the most complex problems that the Avengers and the Marvel universe at large ever encountered.

Protesting the Avengers Just Because

Writer Brian Michael Bendis seemed to love playing with tropes during his Avengers run. One that came up in New Avengers #19 (2011) was that of the adoring public turning on the Avengers yet again. Daredevil arrives at Avengers Mansion, which is surrounded by different signs. Some state, “What have you done for me lately?” while other signs read, “Who elected you?” There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for this protest other than the public looking for a reason to lash out at the Avengers and taking this opportunity to do so. Even Daredevil had to ask himself, “Why would you protest the people actually trying to help?” This is an interesting observation from the Man Without Fear.