The West Coast Avengers were created as an expansion of the main Avengers team, when The Vision appointed Hawkeye as the West Coast chair in Avengers vol. 1 #243. The team first appeared in the 1984 limited series West Coast Avengers (vol 1.)[1][2] and returned in the ongoing series West Coast Avengers (vol 2.) published from 1985 to 1994.[2][3]
The West Coast Avengers (vol. 3) series was relaunched in 2018 as part of Fresh Start publishing initiative with a new roster.[4][5][3] A fourth volume began publication in November 2024 with a new West Coast Avengers roster.[6][7]
Volumes 1 and 2 (1984–1994)
Founders
| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkeye a.k.a. Goliath, Ronin |
Clinton Francis Barton | West Coast Avengers #1 (September 1984) |
Originally joined in Avengers #16 (May 1965). Current member of the main Avengers team,[8] and the Secret Avengers. |
| Mockingbird | Barbara "Bobbi" Barton (née Morse) |
Former member of the New Avengers and the Secret Avengers. | |
| War Machine a.k.a. Iron Man 2.0, Iron Patriot |
James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes | Rejoined as War Machine in Avengers West Coast #94 (May 1993).[9] Former member of the Secret Avengers. | |
| Wonder Man |
Simon Williams | Originally joined in Avengers #182 (April 1979).[9] Former member of the Avengers Unity Squad. | |
| Tigra a.k.a. The Cat |
Greer Grant Nelson | Originally joined in Avengers #211 (September 1981).[9] |
Recruits
Avengers members recruited by Hawkeye as the West Coast Avengers chair.
| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Man | Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark | West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #1 (October 1985) |
Originally joined in Avengers #1 (September 1963). Expelled for Armor War.[10][11] |
| The Thing | Benjamin Jacob Grimm | West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #9 (June 1986) |
Accepted membership after assisting West Coast team, but left before official vote was taken.[9][12][13][14][15][16] Former member of the New Avengers. |
| Hank Pym a.k.a. Ant Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket |
Dr. Henry "Hank" Jonathan Pym | West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #21 (June 1987) |
Originally joined in Avengers #1 (September 1963). One of only two members, the other being Kelsey Leigh (Captain Britain), who have Avengers status in both their civilian and superhero guises. |
| Moon Knight | Marc Spector, Steven Grant and Jake Lockley | Gained full membership in West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #33.[9][12][17] Former member of the Secret Avengers. | |
| Firebird a.k.a. Espirita |
Bonita Juárez | West Coast Avengers Annual #2 (1987) |
Given reserve status after assisting West Coast team.[9][12][13][14] |
| The Wasp | Janet van Dyne (a.k.a. Janet Pym) |
West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #32 (May 1988) |
Originally joined in Avengers #1 (September 1963). Current member of the Avengers Unity Squad. |
| Scarlet Witch | Wanda Maximoff (a.k.a. Wanda Frank) |
West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #37 (October 1988) |
Originally joined in Avengers #16 (May 1965). Current member of the Avengers. |
| Vision | Victor Shade (alias) | Originally joined in Avengers #58 (November 1968). Current member of the Avengers. |
Other recruits
| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Agent a.k.a. Super-Patriot, Captain America |
John Frank Walker, Jack Daniels (alias) |
West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #44 (May 1989) |
Appointed to West Coast team by government. Left during UN Charter,[18] and later gained official membership.[19] |
| Human Torch | Jim Hammond (alias) | Avengers West Coast #50 (November 1989) |
|
| Quicksilver | Pietro Django Maximoff (a.k.a. Pietro Frank) |
Avengers West Coast #56 (March 1990) |
Originally joined in Avengers #16 (May 1965). |
| Machine Man a.k.a. X-51 |
Aaron Stack (alias) | Avengers West Coast #69 (April 1991) | Given reserve status after assisting West Coast team.[20] Active in Avengers West Coast #83 (June 1992). Removed from roster in X-51 #4 (1999).[9][12] |
| Living Lightning | Miguel Santos | Avengers West Coast #74 (September 1991) |
|
| Spider-Woman a.k.a. Arachne |
Julia Carpenter | ||
| Darkhawk | Christopher Powell | Avengers West Coast #94 (May 1993) | Joined as a reserve member.[9][12] |
Honorary
Heroes that have been granted honorary status during their lifetime or posthumously for acts of great courage or sacrifice.
| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moira Brandon | Avengers West Coast vol. 2 #100 (November 1993) |
Honorary founding member of the West Coast Team. Status given in flashback taking place before West Coast Avengers vol. 1. | |
Volume 3 roster (2018 series)
| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkeye | Kate Bishop | West Coast Avengers Vol. 3 #1 (October 2018)[5] | Team leader; former member of the Young Avengers |
| Hawkeye | Clinton Barton | ||
| Fuse | Johnny Watts | ||
| Miss America | America Chavez | Former member of the Ultimates and Young Avengers | |
| Gwenpool | Gwen Poole | ||
| Kid Omega | Quentin Quire | Former member of the Xavier Institute | |
| Jeff the Land Shark | Jeff | West Coast Avengers Vol. 3 #8 (January 2019) | First appeared in West Coast Avengers Vol. 3 #7, and was added to the team in West Coast Avengers #8 |
| Alloy | Ramone Watts | West Coast Avengers Vol. 3 #10 (June 2019) | [3] |
Volume 4 roster (2024 series)
| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Man | Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark | West Coast Avengers Vol. 4 #1 (November 2024)[6][21] | Team leader[21] |
| War Machine | James "Rhodey" Rhodes | ||
| Spider-Woman | Jessica Drew | ||
| Firestar | Angelica "Angel" Jones | Leaves the team in issue #5 | |
| Ultron | |||
| Blue Bolt | Chad Braxton | On loan via a prison release program[21] |
See also
References
- Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 219. ISBN 978-1465455505.
- Arrant, Chris (August 5, 2021). "West Coast Avengers: Looking back at the melodramatic Avengers spin-off that focused on "damaged" heroes". GamesRadar+. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- Allan, Scoot (2024-08-26). "Every West Coast Avengers Roster, Explained". CBR. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
- Kelly Thompson (w), Daniele Di Nicuolo (p). West Coast Avengers, vol. 3, no. 6 (December 2018). Marvel Comics.
- Gilyadov, Alex (May 17, 2018). "West Coast Avengers Returns with Double the Hawkeye". IGN. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - Bonomolo, Cameron (2024-11-25). "Marvel's New Avengers Team Assembles With a Major Villain in Their Ranks". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
- Brooke, David (2024-11-27). "West Coast Avengers #1 review". AIPT. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
- "Hawkeye Rejoins The Avengers". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
- Marc Steven Sumerak (w), Eric Eng Wong (p), John G. Roshell (i). "An A-Z Compedium of Earth's Mighiest Heroes" Avengers Casebook 1999, vol. 1, no. 1 (February 2000). Marvel Comics.
- West Coast Avengers #31 (March 1987)
- "Iron Man: An Avenger Once Again". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on February 5, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
- The Avengers Log vol. 1 #1 (February 1994). Published by Marvel Comics.
- Avengers vol. 1 #305 (July 1989). Published by Marvel Comics.
- All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z, Vol. 1. Published by Marvel Comics. ISBN 978-0-7851-3028-4
- Avengers vol. 3 #1 After being called to a meeting, Reed Richards comments "I know all three of us have served as Avengers..." in reference to himself, the Invisible Woman, and The Thing.
- Tom DeFalco: "Avengers West Coast". Marvel Comics Encyclopedia: The Complete Guide to the Characters of the Marvel Universe (2008), page #24. Published by DK Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7566-2358-6
- Mark Gruenwald (ed). "Avengers Membership" The Avengers, no. 300, p. 47–49 (February 1989). New York, NY: Marvel Comics.
- Avengers West Coast vol. 2 #69 (April 1991). Published by Marvel Comics.
- Avengers West Coast vol. 2 #74 (September 1991). Published by Marvel Comics.
- Avengers West Coast Annual #5 (1990). Published by Marvel Comics.
- "West Coast Avengers Introduces Earth's Unlikeliest Hero: Blue Bolt". Marvel. September 26, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.