So who is, has been, can be, or will be a member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?

Most writers agree that The Avengers is the “Dream Team” of Marvel’s groups. Membership is special, something to be earned and respected. This is reflected in the pomp and ceremony of many membership announcements or invitations made throughout the series. In the early days these were often associated with public announcements, press conferences, and acceptance speeches.

However at times, members do seem to have been admitted “at the drop of a hat” and this has to some extent lessened the honor and status of Avengers membership. With well over 50 members including constituents of the Fantastic Four, the Inhumans, the Eternals, the Defenders, the X-Men, the Thunderbolts, and the Champions it may seem to casual readers that all the characters in the marvel universe belong to the Avengers. 

The Avengers operate a formal and structured membership process. Within days of deciding to form a team, the group had developed a written charter and a set of by-laws. Section two of the by-laws deals with membership in detail. It was many years before readers actually saw the contents of these by-laws and we should expect that this version is significantly amended from the original drawn up after Issue #1. We can assume however that the original set still contained many basic democratic and human rights provisions. It is also some time since readers last saw a working version of the by-laws and events both on-panel and behind the scenes present clear evidence that changes to the charter must have continued to take place over time.

The development of structure and formal protocols is clearly the result of Tony Stark’s involvement. Initially the team was unaware that Iron Man was also Tony Stark. A successful and experienced corporate businessman, Stark would be the driver behind the team’s need for rules and direction. While Captain America is often regarded as the heart and moral compass of the Avengers it is Iron Man that provided the structure necessary for the Avengers to survive and expand. This view is central to the Joe Casey limited series The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as Stark is repeatedly shown negotiating security protocols with the government.

As time proceeds, the Avengers membership changes with their charter even stating: “membership of the Avengers may be subject to, and, indeed might profit from change”. Accordingly they develop clear rules and procedures to govern Avengers membership and admission.    

Kallusians

KALLUSIANS [Alien race the KALLU]

First Appearance: Avengers V1 #14 (Mar 1965)

First Avengers Appearance: Avengers V1 #14 (Mar 1965)

The Kallusians are a humanoid race from the planet Kallu in the Kallu-Kan star system of the Andromeda galaxy. A group of Kallusians sought refuge from a Badoon-like warring race of aliens by hiding In Earth’s Arctic. The Avengers discovered the refugees and drove them back into space.

Count Nefaria

COUNT NEFARIA [Count Luchino Nefaria]

First Appearance: Avengers V1 #13 (Feb 1965)

First Avengers Appearance: Avengers V1 #13 (Feb 1965)

Other Appearances of note: Avengers V1 #164-166, (1977), 

Avengers V3 #32-34 (2000) /Thunderbolts V1 #43-44 (2000)

Count Luchino Nefaria is a descendant of a noble Italian family and inherited great wealth and power. His lust for riches led him to become a powerful figure in the international crime syndicate known as the Maggia. Frustrated by The Avengers’ interventions into the family business, Nefaria launched a plan to trap and destroy the Avengers.

Nefaria, became a frequent enemy of the Avengers and also fought both Iron Man and the X-Men on a number of occasions. Nefaria recruited Professor Sturdy, a former associate of Baron Hienrich Zemo, to assist him in using the technology that Zemo, and later the Enchantress, used to create Wonderman and Powerman respectively.

Nefaria gained impressive superhuman powers based on the Living Lazer, Powerman I, and Whirlwind. These eventually mutated Nefaria into a being of Ionic energy capable of holding his own against the combined might of The Avengers, The Thunderbolts, and his daughter Madame Masque.

Mole Man

MOLE MAN [Harvey Rupert Elder]

First Appearance: Fantastic Four V1 #1 (Nov1961)

First Avengers Appearance: Avengers V1 #12 (Jan 1965)

As an American scientist and explorer, Rupert Elder was shunned and ridiculed for his appearance, personality and eccentric theories regarding a hollow Earth. While trying to escape society, Elder discovered his subterranean world and when he also discovered a race of intelligent but mute and obedient inhabitants he crowned himself king of the underworld taking on the name Mole Man. Primarily a recurring opponent of the Fantastic Four, Mole Man has crossed paths with anyone who trespasses, invades or threatens his world. In addition to his Moloid servants Mole Man can control a variety of subterranean creatures often huge in size and referred to as monsters by the surface world. Over time Mole Man has found himself in battle with The Avengers, the Avengers West Coast, and The Mighty Avengers. He also provided his Monster Isle as a home base for Adam Warlock and his Infinity Watch team. 

Immortus

IMMORTUS [Nathaniel Richards]

a.k.a Pharaoh Rama-Tut, Kang, Scarlet Centurion, Iron Lad

First Appearance: Avengers V1 #10 (Nov 1964)

First Avengers Appearance: Avengers V1 #10 (Nov 1964)

Other Appearances of note: Avengers V1 #131, 132, 141-143; Giant-Sized Avengers #3, 4;  Avengers West Coast V2 #48, 53, 55, 59, 61-62; Avengers Forever limited series.

If Loki is the prince of lies, Immortus must be first in line for the throne. Having wearied of a life of conflict and conquest, Kang accepted the invitation of the Time Keepers to become their guardian of the time stream. In the same way that Richards had become first Rama-Tut, the Scarlet Centurion and later Kang, it is believed that in at least one reality he once again reinvented himself as Immortus, ruler of Limbo.

Where Kang attempted to defeat The Avengers through battle and force, Immortus used cunning, guile, duplicity and deceit combining these traits with the technology to manipulate and travel through time.

In his first encounter with the Avengers as Immortus, he allies himself with Zemo, the Executioner and the Enchantress and attempted the destruction of the Avengers through the use of beings posing as mythological figures.

Immortus is also partially responsible for the creation of the Vision by creating a temporal copy of the original Human Torch that the android Ultron used to create the Vision.

While Immortus appeared benevolent in officiating at the wedding of the Vision to the Scarlet Witch, and Mantis to the Cotati his darker plans have involved using the Scarlet Witch to become the absolute master of time, deleting various alternate time-line universes, and driving Iron Man insane so that he turned on The Avengers murdering a number of Avengers before his own death.

Immortus conflict with his younger self was also the basis for the "Destiny War" detailed in the Avengers Forever limited series.

Wonder Man

WONDER MAN [Simon Williams]

First Appearance: Avengers V1 #9 (Oct 1964)

First Avengers Appearance: Avengers V1 #9 (Oct 1964)

Williams Innovations, owned by Simon Williams had fallen on hard times. Williams blamed rival industrialist Tony Stark and egged on by his brother Eric, Simon embezzled from the company. Down and out he accepted a proposition from  Baron Zemo, to infiltrate and destroy the Avengers. Zemo uses his technology to transform Williams into an ion-powered super-man. Dubbed Wonder Man he is sent to join the Avengers. Zemo ensures Williams obedience with the threat of needing ongoing treatment to retain his powers and his life.

Williams cannot go through with the plan and Wonder Man saves the Avengers, apparently at the cost of his own life. Iron Man makes a recording of Wonder man’s brain patterns. However Wonder Man's body has simply entered a catatonic state as it adjusts to the effects of the ion treatment. Simon’s brother Eric, vows revenge on the Avengers who he believes is responsible for his brother’s death. Eric becomes the Grim Reaper and battles The Avengers a number of times before he learns firstly that Simon’s brain patterns had been used in the creation of the Vision and later that Simon is still alive.

Wonder Man remains in his inert state for years, and it is during this time that the artificial intelligence known as Ultron, steals the brain patterns recorded by Iron Man for use as a template for his synthezoid creation later called The Vision. When Wonder Man is eventually revived he remains with The Avengers and is finally inducted as a member. 

Refer also to the entry Avengers: Wonder Man

Kang The Conqueror

KANG THE CONQUEROR [Nathaniel Richards]

a.k.a Pharaoh Rama-Tut, Immortus, Scarlet Centurion, Iron Lad

First Appearance: 

(As Rama-Tut) Fantastic Four V1 #19 (1963); 

(as Kang) Avengers V1 #8 (Sep 1964)

First Avengers Appearance: Avengers V1 #8 (Sep 1964)

Nathaniel Richards was born in the year 3000 of Earth-6311. He discovered his ancestor's time travel technology and travelled to Egypt circa 2950 BC where he became Pharaoh Rama-Tut, and ruled the natives. During this time he encountered the Fantastic Four, Dr. Strange and the Avengers all on their own respective time travel adventures.

Forced to flee that time period Rama-tut passes through a time storm leading to a meeting with Dr. Doom. Inspired by Doom’s armour and weaponry Richards adopts the armored identity of the Scarlet Centurion. He travels to Earth-689 and fools the Avengers of that reality into apprehending all other contemporary heroes of that world. The Centurion’s scheme to then use the Earth 616 Avengers to neutralize the Avengers of his adopted reality fails and Richards is escapes into the time-stream

Attempting to return to his native time and reality Richards overshoots and is hurled into the 40th century of Earth 6311. Refining his armour and weaponry Richards becomes Kang and conquers the entire world. Bored, Kang seeks to challenge himself by conquering the more demanding 20th century world of his ancestor and this brings him into regular conflict with The Avengers.

When Kang attempts to kidnap the Celestial Madonna he is thwarted by The Avengers and yet another future version of himself as Rama-tut. As the pair battled they were drawn to Limbo by Immortus who was later revealed as another potential version of Richards / Kang / Rama-Tut.

Kang has repeatedly attempted to engineer an heir worthy of replacing him. Each christened Marcus, at least one of these individuals has also adopted the Scarlet Centurion identity.

Kang also once visited his younger teenage pre-Kang self. Repulsed at the idea of becoming a tyrant this young Richards travelled to the past and invoked an Avengers failsafe program leading to him becoming Iron Lad and the formation of a group that the press and the world called the Young Avengers.

Kang is proficient in armed and unarmed combat, is a master strategist, highly capable with technology and has access to time travel technology, weapons from any age, including humanoid constructs known as stimuloids or Growing Men. He employs an offensively and defensively well equipped suit of armour and is often supported by armies of soldiers or a band of warriors from various times known as the Anachronauts.