The membership of the world’s mightiest heroes has been fluid over the years, once upon a time peaking around two dozen at once.
Eat your heart out, LSH!
Those heady years of challenging the roster of even the Legion of Super-Heroes has long gone however, in favour of smaller separate teams as the franchise reaches even greater heights.
Silverclaw
Keep it in the family!
When it comes to the Avengers, it’s a very small world. Who would have thought that Jarvis could have sponsored a child in another country and she turns out to be some form of super-powered individual.
Swordsman II & Magdelena
Hmm, maybe we haven't employed enough villains?
This pair never really got the exposure that they deserved. Arriving as alternate reality Avengers and survivors of Sersi’s madness in their own timelines, this couple had a superb dynamic, but were swept away in the chaos of the Onslaught Saga and Heroes Reborn.
Although the latter saga was undone within the year (fortunately), Swordsman and Magdelena were the victims. According to Wikipedia, they left to explore the multiverse and they have never been seen since.
Yellowjacket II
All set to become a member after assisting one of the East Coast teams, and achieving Honorary status after a brief career of crime, Rita DeMarrs ended up travelling to the future with the (sort-of) original Guardians of the Galaxy.
Triumphantly returning to the Twentieth Century, she was killed within minutes by a Tony Stark gone mad in the Crossing.
Lionheart Kelsey Shorr Leigh
Lionheart was a mother who sacrificed herself to protect her children and the Avengers, hiding behind Cap’s shield against the Wrecking Crew.
Here, have a job that will lead only to misery!
As you can imagine;, Wrecking Crew:1, Kelsey:0 She died in the ambulance, but this was during the time that Brian Braddock ruled Otherworld, and was looking for a replacement.
By The Power Of, oh, wait...
Thus Lionheart was born, as the latest replacement for Captain Britain, Champion of Avalon. She lasted about five minutes, turned evil and fought a later incarnation of the British mutant team, Excalibur.
Firebird
Divine Texas Fire! (Sort of!)
Firebird was never more than a part-time Avenger. Operating in Texas, she received her powers from the traditional alien meteor. Believing this to be a religious experience, she helped rescue the West Coast Avengers from being trapped in the past purely by using her family bible!
Demolition Man
Even in a mansion, one can fall on hard times.
Cursed to wear the original outfit of Wolverine, only with a big D on the front of it, Demolition Man Dennis Dunphy was an unlucky fellow. Suffering under the name of a movie, which only leads to identity issues for the reader, he had been tricked into gaining powers from the Power-Broker. These killed his athletic career, leading to him getting severely injured by Titania, lost his confidence, crashed a plane in the Artic circle and lost his voice and what little remained of his get up and go.
Although schizophrenia is not unknown in the Avengers, Dunphy became the poster boy for the darker side of the superhuman lifestyle.
Songbird
We are still waiting for Melissa Gold, formerly known as Screaming Mimi and founder of the Thunderbolts, to become a member. We all know it’s going to happen one day.
How?
Something to look forward to
In the series Avengers Forever, Melissa was transported from the future to work with other Avengers to save the timestream itself from Immortus and the Time Twisters. She was a good fit, and fandom awaits the arrival of this day with eagerness.
