Avengers West Coast
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by
Roger Stern Roger Stern (born September 17, 1950) is an American comic book author and novelist. Biography Early career In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine ''CPL'' (''Contemporary Pictorial Literature''), one of the first platfo ...
and Bob Hall. It was the first spin-off publication for the Avengers. Following the 1984 limited series, the West Coast Avengers were the focus of an
ongoing series In comics, an ongoing series is a series that runs indefinitely. This is in contrast to limited series (a series intended to end after a certain number of issues thus limited), a one shot (a comic book which is not a part of an ongoing series), ...
published from October 1985 to January 1994. Volume 3 began publication in September 2018 as part of the Fresh Start relaunch but was cancelled after 10 issues. A fourth volume launched in November 2024.


Publication history

The West Coast Avengers first appeared in a four-issue limited series published from September to December 1984. The series was written by Roger Stern and drawn by Bob Hall and
Brett Breeding Brett Breeding (June 13, 1961) is an American comic book artist who was active in the industry in the 1980s and 1990s, primarily as an inker. He is most well known for his work on the DC Comics character Superman. A freelancer, Breeding worked f ...
. This was followed by a 102-issue series of the same name that ran from October 1985 to January 1994. The series was initially written by
Steve Englehart Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett. Early li ...
and drawn by
Al Milgrom Allen L. Milgrom (born March 6, 1950) is an American comic book artist (penciller and inker), writer, and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of '' Marvel Fanfare''; his long involvement as writer, penci ...
and Joe Sinnott. It was the first
spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
series for the Avengers. The series was renamed ''Avengers West Coast'' on the cover of issue #47 (Aug. 1989). In 2018, a new incarnation of the West Coast Avengers appeared in the " Fresh Start" that consists of Hawkeye, Kate Bishop,
Gwenpool Gwenpool (Gwendolyn "Gwen" Poole; colloquial: "GwenPool") is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A girl from the Reality, real world Isekai, transported to the Marvel Universe, Mar ...
,
America Chavez America Chavez is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Joe Casey and artist Nick Dragotta, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Vengeance'' #1 (September 2011). Chavez is a List ...
,
Quentin Quire Quintavius Quirinius "Quentin" Quire, also known as Kid Omega, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in those featuring the X-Men. Quire first appeared in '' New X-Men'' #134 (January 2003). ...
, and Kate's boyfriend Johnny Watts who takes the codename Fuse.
Jeff the Land Shark Jeff the Land Shark (also known as Jeffrey) is a fictional character who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Kelly Thompson and artist Daniele di Nicuolo, the character First appearance, first appeared in ...
had his
first appearance In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status. Reader interest in fir ...
in issue #7 (January 2019). The ongoing series was written by
Kelly Thompson Kelly Thompson is an American writer of novels and comic books. She is best known for the '' Jem and the Holograms'' comic with co-creator and artist Sophie Campbell, a modern re-imagining of the 1980s cartoon of the same name; the Eisner-nomin ...
and initially drawn by Stefano Caselli. It was cancelled as of issue #10
cover date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...
d June 2019. In November 2024, Volume 4 began publication with writer Gerry Duggan and artist Danny Kim. In this series,
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
and
War Machine War Machine (Col. James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie, John Byrne, and Bob Layton as a supporting character for Iron Man, he first appeared i ...
assemble a new West Coast Avengers roster which includes Spider-Woman, Firestar,
Ultron Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...
and Blue Bolt.


Fictional team biography


Original run (1984–1994)

The team is founded by the Avenger Hawkeye in response to a suggestion by fellow Avenger, the
Vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...
, who at the time (as team chairman) wished to expand the Avengers' influence. Hawkeye recruits
Mockingbird Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family (biology), family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species Mimicry, mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly ...
,
Wonder Man Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The character, wh ...
,
Tigra Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Roy Thomas and artist Wally Wood (Marie Severin was then brought in to help layout the art), with her early adventur ...
, and
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
, with the last actually being Jim Rhodes as opposed to Tony Stark, a fact initially unknown to the team. Together, the team defeat a petty criminal called the Blank and later the Avengers foe
Graviton In theories of quantum gravity, the graviton is the hypothetical elementary particle that mediates the force of gravitational interaction. There is no complete quantum field theory of gravitons due to an outstanding mathematical problem with re ...
. The team would later take on
Hank Pym Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, Pym debuted in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (Ja ...
as a scientific advisor and compound manager and battle a range of both old foes – including the Grim Reaper,
Ultron Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...
, Graviton, and
Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...
– and new opponents such as Master Pandemonium. Former
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
member Thing and the heroine
Firebird Firebird and fire bird may refer to: Mythical birds * Phoenix (mythology), sacred firebird found in the mythologies of many cultures ** Fenghuang, sometimes called Chinese phoenix * Vermilion bird, one of the four symbols of the Chinese constella ...
briefly allied themselves with the team. Henry Pym, who is saved by Firebird from a suicide attempt, and the adventurer
Moon Knight Moon Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975). The son of a rabbi, Marc S ...
formally join, while Iron Man is expelled for his actions during the
Armor Wars "Armor Wars" is a seven-issue Iron Man story arc written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton with art by Mark D. Bright, Barry Windsor-Smith, and Layton, and published by Marvel Comics. The arc first appeared in ''Iron Man'' #225–232. Public ...
. The "Lost in Space-Time" storyline began in issue #17 (February 1987) when Dominus sent the team back in time. The marriage of Hawkeye and Mockingbird is placed in jeopardy when, during this arc, she allows the
Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...
hero the
Phantom Rider Phantom Rider is the name of several Old West heroic gunfighter characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was originally called Ghost Rider, and was renamed following the introduction of Marvel's mot ...
to die in a fall for deceiving and raping her. After a trip to
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
to investigate a report on Pym's second wife, the
Wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...
, the
Scarlet Witch The Scarlet Witch is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #4 in March 1964, in the Silver Age of Comic Boo ...
, and the
Vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...
assist the team. Mockingbird, Tigra and Moon Knight leave the team together as a new short lived team called the Ex-WACOs over the Avengers rule of not killing in regards to Mockingbird's encounter with Phantom Rider. The Vision and the Scarlet Witch join the team as to not leave it short handed. Former Avenger ally
Mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate a ...
makes a brief appearance. Agents from multiple governments then abduct the Vision and dismantle him due to his return to the team. The Avengers recover the parts and Dr. Pym rebuilds the Vision but with a chalk-white complexion. Wonder Man, however, does not allow his brain patterns to be used again to provide a matrix for the Vision's emotions, explaining that the original process, done without his consent, had "ripped out his soul". Although Wonder Man's own love for the Scarlet Witch leads him to feel guilt, he justifies his actions by claiming the Vision was never anything but a copy of him, a claim that a number of other Avengers, including the Wasp, accept. This, along with damage to the Vision's synthetic skin when he was dismantled, results in the synthezoid's resurrection as a colorless and emotionless artificial human. The unstable U.S. Agent is assigned to the team as a watchdog by the US government to monitor the team's activities. A group of odd super-humans decide to mimic the Avengers and become the
Great Lakes Avengers The Great Lakes Avengers (also known as The Lightning Rods, The Great Lakes X-Men, The Great Lakes Champions, and The Great Lakes Initiative) are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The charac ...
, while the original Human Torch returns from his own apparent demise. This casts doubt on the Vision's identity, who was previously believed to have been created from the Torch's body. The Vision and the Scarlet Witch's children conceived via the Scarlet Witch's hex powers are then revealed to be fragments of the soul of the
demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...
Mephisto, who had been broken apart by Franklin Richards shortly before the birth of the twins. The twins were absorbed back into Mephisto, which temporarily drives the Scarlet Witch insane. Although she eventually recovers, the Scarlet Witch and the Vision separate, each operating on a different Avengers team. Iron Man rejoins, and the mutant Quicksilver assists the team when the Scarlet Witch aligns herself with their father
Magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
during a period in which she suffers from a mental breakdown. Immortus is finally confronted and revealed to be the cause of much of the team's misfortune, and is finally defeated. Hank Pym, the Wasp and Quicksilver then leave the team, with
Machine Man Machine Man (also known as Aaron Stack, Mister Machine and serial number Z2P45-9-X-51 or X-51 for short) is an android superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Jack Kirby for '' 2001: A ...
becoming reservists and Spider-Woman and the Living Lightning joining as full-time members.
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
guest-stars in issues #84–86. The team battle Ultron and his new creation Alkhema several times, and Hawkeye assumes his old identity of
Goliath Goliath ( ) was a Philistines, Philistine giant in the Book of Samuel. Descriptions of Goliath's giant, immense stature vary among biblical sources, with texts describing him as either or tall. According to the text, Goliath issued a challen ...
, during the Avengers crossover Operation: Galactic Storm, and reconciles with Mockingbird. Iron Man and Wonder Man leave the team, and are replaced by
War Machine War Machine (Col. James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie, John Byrne, and Bob Layton as a supporting character for Iron Man, he first appeared i ...
(Jim Rhodes, one of the founding West Coast Avengers) and
Darkhawk Darkhawk (Christopher Powell) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Darkhawk'' #1 (March 1991), and was created by writer Tom DeFalco and artist Mike Manley. The character a ...
, with the latter acting as a reservist. During a battle with the demons Mephisto and
Satannish Satannish is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history Satannish first appeared in ''Doctor Strange'' #174 and was created by writer Roy Thomas artist and Gene Colan. Fictional char ...
, Mockingbird is killed. Due to constant in-fighting and a general lack of organization,
Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
intervenes and disbands the team. Several members of the West Coast team—including a returned Iron Man—are unhappy about the decision and leave to form another team, called Force Works. This team, however, has several setbacks and quickly disbands, with the members returning to the main Avengers team. Years later, the West Coast Avengers compound would be reopened as the new campus for the
Avengers Academy ''Avengers Academy'' is a Marvel Comics comic book ongoing series, series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the "Heroic Age (comics), Heroic Age", and concluded after thirty-nine issues in November 2012. The series was written by Christos Gag ...
following the destruction of the Infinite Avengers Mansion as seen in the '' Fear Itself'' storyline.


Volume 3 (2018 series)

During the Fresh Start relaunch, both Hawkeyes – team founder Clint Barton and his successor Kate Bishop – decided to revive the West Coast Avengers following an attack by land sharks in
Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
. Clint and Kate recruited America Chavez and Kate's boyfriend Johnny "Fuse" Watts, who helped in the mission, and were eventually joined by
Gwenpool Gwenpool (Gwendolyn "Gwen" Poole; colloquial: "GwenPool") is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A girl from the Reality, real world Isekai, transported to the Marvel Universe, Mar ...
and
Quentin Quire Quintavius Quirinius "Quentin" Quire, also known as Kid Omega, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in those featuring the X-Men. Quire first appeared in '' New X-Men'' #134 (January 2003). ...
. Given their lack of funds, the newly formed team tried to get financiers by starring in a
reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
following their exploits. The West Coast Avengers later went up against Madame Masque and her West Coast incarnation of the
Masters of Evil The Masters of Evil is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in '' The Avengers'' #6 (July 1964), with the lineup continually changing over the years. Publication ...
which consists of Eel, Graviton, Lady Bullseye, MODOK Superior, Satana, and Kate's parents Derek Bishop and Eleanor Bishop. Gwen adopts a baby land shark which she names
Jeff Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes ...
– Barton allowing Jeff to stay as long as he does not bite anyone besides supervillains. During "
The War of the Realms "The War of the Realms" is a 2019 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Russell Dauterman. The storyline has been met with positive reviews, with critics praising the storyline and the art. Premise ...
" storyline, the West Coast Avengers worked with Superior Spider-Man ( Doctor Octopus' mind in a Proto-Clone body) and the
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
against the Frost Giants.


Volume 4 (2024 series)

Iron Man and War Machine later reform the West Coast Avengers as part of a plot to rehabilitate some supervillains. With Spider-Woman and ex-criminal Blue Bolt joining the group, they start with Ultron. Firestar later joined the West Coast Avengers when it comes to fighting the Sovereign Sons. The West Coast Avengers go up against the Gospel of Ultrons that is led by an Ultron called The One as they are the results of Ultron continuing to split himself after separating from Hank Pym.


Other versions

In the
Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...
reality, a secret team of
Ultimates The Ultimates is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, which first started publication from ''The Ultimates (comic book), The Ultimates'' ...
was formed in the '' Ultimate Comics: Ultimates''. The team members include Quake as the leader,
Wonder Man Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The character, wh ...
, the
Vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...
, the
Black Knight The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with ...
, and
Tigra Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Roy Thomas and artist Wally Wood (Marie Severin was then brought in to help layout the art), with her early adventur ...
. The team was assigned to kill a wanted terrorist until Wonder Man went unstable. This forced the abandonment of the mission and
Nick Fury Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...
put the team into stasis until needed. Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. had planned to use them against the villainous Reed Richards and his Children of Tomorrow. Thanks to the civil war, California Governor Ford discovered the newly christened West Coast Ultimates and set them against the Ultimates.


List of creators


Collected editions


Epic Collections


In other media

* The West Coast Avengers appear in Hawkeye's ending in '' Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', consisting of himself,
Mockingbird Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family (biology), family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species Mimicry, mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly ...
,
War Machine War Machine (Col. James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie, John Byrne, and Bob Layton as a supporting character for Iron Man, he first appeared i ...
,
Tigra Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Roy Thomas and artist Wally Wood (Marie Severin was then brought in to help layout the art), with her early adventur ...
,
Wonder Man Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The character, wh ...
, and
Moon Knight Moon Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975). The son of a rabbi, Marc S ...
, as well as
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
characters Jin Saotome, June Lin Milliam, Rikuo, Leo and
Rei Recreational Equipment, Inc., doing business as REI, is an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation. It was formerly governed, and continues to brand itself, as a consumers' co-operative. REI sells camping gear, hiking, clim ...
. * Rapper
Del the Funky Homosapien Teren Delvon Jones (born August 12, 1972), better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien (sometimes stylized as Del tha Funkee Homosapien) or Sir DZL, is an American rapper. Music career 1988–1997: Early life and beginnings Born in O ...
released a trilogy of mixtapes called ''West Coast Avengers'', though the track listings are unrelated to the comics' group.


References


External links

* * *
''West Coast Avengers'' limited series
an

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{Moon Knight 1984 comics debuts 1984 comics endings 1985 comics debuts 1994 comics endings 2018 comics debuts 2019 comics endings Avengers (comics) Avengers (comics) titles Comics by Andy Lanning Comics by Dan Abnett Comics by John Byrne (comics) Comics by Kelly Thompson Comics by Roger Stern Comics by Roy Thomas Comics by Steve Englehart Marvel Comics titles Marvel Comics superhero teams