Avengers assemble! But which, under the new Marvel Comics reboot...?

After the current Siege Storyline, Marvel comics have announced plans to end their current four Avengers comics and start from scratch focusing on the reuniting of the big three, Thor, Captain America and Iron Man. With the arrival of the new titles imminent, here is a list of some of the forgotten members of the Avengers alumni who should make the grade for one of the new teams.

1: Ant-Man (Hank Pym)

Hank Pym has had many identities over the years including Yellow Jacket, Giant man and his current and possibly most horrible, Wasp alias. However, none of these have come close to the greatness of his time as Ant-man. Seeing him bring down the most menacing villain with just the aid of a small army of ants was always a sight to be seen. Pym may be a wife beater and inventor of Marvels deadliest robot, Ultron, but since his return from Skrull captivity, Pym has shown why he is an important member of the Avengers roster. Successfully leading the odd mix of heroes calling themselves the Mighty Avengers, Hank has shown that he can give orders as well as follow them and has been named the Scientist Supreme.

2: Beast (Henry McCoy)

A somewhat underrated founding member of the X-men, Beast is an ideal team member. Not only does he have the brute strength but he also has a massive IQ and a cheery attitude. Having had a hard time with the X-men as of late, unsuccessfully trying to find a cure for the de-powering effects of M-day and witnessing many of his team members die, the Avengers could prove to be just the break McCoy needs. With leader of the X-men Cyclops often compromising Beats ethics during Secret Invasion and by allowing archenemy Magneto on the team, it would be refreshing to serve in a more equal team environment. Granted, we’d want it to be the 90’s version, before his secondary mutation into a big cat, when he was all pointy and ran around in his underwear.

3: Sandman (William Baker)

Although only a probationary member, Baker, also know as Flint Marko, would be an incredibly valuable member. Not only can he twist and morph his sand-based body to various shapes and sizes, he has also recently shown the ability to produce multiple copies of himself. These copies, however, each have their own personas and are, at times, mentally unstable. However, with a bit of training, Marko could learn to control this. An obvious weakness to water would prove to be a downfall, however his apparent inability to die would make up for this.

With a background of teaming with Spider-man and the Thing, an Avengers membership may just turn Flint to the side of good permanently.

Plus, it’s always good for media to have a reformed criminal on the team and has worked wonders for the Thunderbolts.

4: She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters)

Like the Hulk, only hotter, She-Hulk also combines strength with intelligence but is also a bit easier on the eye then the blue-furred doctor McCoy. With her own series being cancelled, Walters certainly has a lot of time on her hands. As well as being a bounty hunter and lawyer, Walters is also an expert at the team thing, having been a member of the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and the Lady Liberators.

Having entered into relationships with Starfox, the Man-wolf, Tony Stark and Hercules, Jens flirtatious nature could be both a help and a hindrance but having proved herself during the Secret Invasion by remaining loyal to her Skrull friend Jazinda, She-Hulk is everything you could want in a team mate, although If she ever transforms back into her Savage She-Hulk persona there could be trouble!

5. Spider-man (Peter Parker)

Whilst it could be argued that Spider-man is already a tad overexposed in the Marvel universe, it can’t be denied that his witty one liners make many a comic more entertaining. The teaming of Parker with the notorious member of his rogues' gallery, Sandman, could create some friction but also some hilarious dialogue. Having been a long-standing Avenger and having numerous team-ups with the likes of Deadpool, the Fantastic Four and the X-men, Spider-man has stepped away from the lone vigilante tag that once was attached to him. This hasn’t stopped his personal life getting messy with Parker making deals with Mephisto to forget he was ever married in order to save his dying Aunt, facing past villains such as Mysterio and Rhino in the gauntlet and also becoming unemployed! Still, he’s one person you want around if ever faced with animal-themed bad guys or clones.

6: The Thing (Benjamin Grimm)

With Mr. Fantastic's lack of personality and the Human Torch's constant arrogance, it was always Grimm who made a Fantastic Four comic enjoyable. A perfect mix of humour, strength and loyalty, the ever lovin’ blue eyed Thing would be a perfect addition to any team. Having fought against opponents such as the Hulk (on a number of occasions), a zombiefied Giant Man and even Galactus, the Thing certainly doesn’t let size stand in the way of a good ruckus.

7: Dr. Strange (Stephen Strange)

He may have ties to the official title to Brother Voodoo after going a bit sinister during World War Hulk, but Dr. Strange will always be the true Sorcerer Supreme. Strange may have made the odd bad decision, such as when he and fellow Illuminati members decided to launch Hulk into space, resulting in an angry Hulk rampaging against Earths heroes. Trying to solve this by using dark magic resulted in the Doctor's hands being re-broken. However, he has since made up for this by sheltering the New Avengers in his mansion and using magic to make it look abandoned, often fooling enemies such as the Hood and his criminal gang. Whilst the future seems unclear for the one-time master of the mystic arts, he could certainly do a lot worse than rejoining the Avengers.

8: The Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff)

Scarlet Witch could be regarded as one of the greatest female Avengers of all time. Along with her brother, Quicksilver, Magneto’s daughter became a loyal Avenger, despite her criminal past with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. During her run with the Avengers, she attracted the attention of both Hawkeye and Wonder Man but, in a bizarre move, rebuffed them both and ended up marrying the android Vision. Wanda’s reality-altering and hex based magic may be a powerful addition to any team, however it has also proved to be catastrophic. After suffering a mental breakdown, Wanda kills team mates Vision, Ant-man and Hawkeye and then de-powers all mutants after the events of M-Day. Currently M.I.A, if once found, her powers could be controlled, Scarlet Witch is too strong to pass up for any of the Avengers teams.

9: Thor

The only member of the big three to feature on this list. The reason for this being that Thor is badass and what team wouldn’t want a thunder god in their ranks? Thor has always been an interesting character, taking on the secret identity of a partially crippled doctor and wielding a magic hammer, but it’s the events after his return from the void of non-existence that really make him an asset. Leading the Asgardians to build a new city on Earth, Thor has clashed with the likes of Victor Von Doom, Tony Stark and the Red Hulk and bested them all. Whilst Captain America or Iron Man may seem like more obvious choices to lead a new team of Avengers, Thor has managed to avoid the impact of the Civil War and remains an influential and trustworthy figure to many of the Marvel Universe.

10: Tigra (Greer Nelson)

Originally starting out as a generically costumed super heroine called The Cat, a lifesaving transformation by the Cat People caused Greer Nelson to not only transform into a cat/human hybrid but also to elevate into the top ranks of the Avengers. Serving with the West Coast Avengers, Tigra single-handedly stopped the Molecule Man from destroying Earth, showing that she has what it takes when going up against some of the more powerful enemies in the Avengers back catalogue. Greer also played a big part in the Civil War, acting as a mole for Iron Man to gain information about Captain America. Showing a willingness to do whatever is necessary for her side is a great quality.

More recently, Tigra has become a trainer for the Avengers Initiative, using her knowledge to train a new generation of registered hero, as well as waging a personal vendetta against the Hood, giving several of his henchmen brutal beatings. One downside to including her in an Avengers team is the time off she’ll need once she gives birth to the skrull Hank Pym’s baby!

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