Once upon a time, the Avengers in its varying incarnations
were the backbone of Marvel’s larger story, the skeleton upon which the rest of
the universe built from. The length that stretch actually was likely depends on
a) how long you believe writer Brian Michael Bendis’ run fulfilled that
argument 16 and b) whether
you consider Jonathan Hickman’s run on the twin books of Avengers and New
Avengers as the core of the broader Marvel universe during his time there, 17 but the point is this: for a decent chunk of this century,
the Avengers were the heart of the Marvel universe both in film and in
comic form.

Undeniably, though, the peak of that was that first five
year stretch from Bendis, when New Avengers was the fulcrum from which a new
era of Marvel events pivoted, including House of M, Civil War, Secret Invasion
and Siege. It did what Xavier Files’ Zach Jenkins recently
said on Twitter: it “set the direction for the Marvel Universe.” That’s a
potent presence, and something that just makes sense. After all, what are the
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes if not the flagship of the Marvel line?

That’s a question worth asking today, because in the current
state of Avengers – the primary title featuring these characters from writer
Jason Aaron and artists like Ed McGuinness and Javier Garron – it’s anything
but the flagship, typically operating in its own world altogether, for all intents
and purposes, whether that means its lack of connection with larger events 18 or within its own
narrative thread. Story beats rise, fall and disappear altogether at times,
with little in-title explanation as to what happened there, and its link to
surrounding titles often is tenuous at best and absent at worst. It feels like
it’s its own island, which is a strange place for it to be.

That’s not to say Avengers is without merit, of course,
especially considering I for one abhor continuity. Jason Aaron and friends
getting weird with Blade, vampires, Omega level Moon Knight, and all kinds of
other nonsense is sort of my thing. If its biggest crime is doing its own thing
and wilding out in the process, then feel free to lock me up alongside it,
because that’s my kind of superhero comic.

But I’m not everyone, and The Avengers isn’t a small title
on the periphery. It’s the center of the Marvel line, and the star around which
everything else orbits. If it’s wayward, what happens to everything else? And
if it loses that identity, what kind of Avengers title does that make it, even?

An uneven one, to be succinct.

To be far less so, Jason Aaron and friends have made an
Avengers title that in many ways fit the eras before Bendis, when just because
you’re the major league team doesn’t mean you can’t operate within your own
sandbox and get a little weird while you’re at it. We’ll get to the downside of
that here in a bit, but plenty of upside comes along with as well.

This series has been a rollercoaster ride, with it largely
being a blockbuster read that should come with a coupon for a free bag of
popcorn upon purchase since its eternal, somnambulant initial seven issue arc
concluded. 19 Once it set the table, it became a heck of a
lot of fun, touring the totality of the Marvel universe from deep space to the
deepest seas, making anyone from vampires to Phil Coulson antagonists for the
squad. Even better, it expanded the bench of the Avengers, keeping a core team
of your A-listers but integrating forgotten faves like Blade into the active roster
and using Black Panther’s Agents of Wakanda to work in grade A oddballs like Doctor
Nemesis and Broo.