The Fantastic Four arrived with a built-in storytelling restriction. There always had to be four of them, and almost always the same four.
The Avengers, created as a conceptual analog to DC’s Justice League of America, suffered from no such constraint. Members could come and go as the whims of Marvel readers dictated.
The Avengers began, like the JLA, as a team of heavy-hitter superheroes who’d already been established in their own features. The Hulk left to become an antagonist in just the second issue, and 1940s revival Captain America joined to take his place in the fourth issue.
By the 16th issue, all were gone but Cap, who was now the leader of a rag-tag team of sullen, lower-powered ex-criminals.
Each lineup had its own charms, and if a reader didn’t like the current one, he could count on another changing of the guard soon.
For example, the readers who had resented the departure of Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man and the Wasp in May 1965 soon saw their concerns addressed. In issue 26 (March 1966), the Wasp returned, followed by Giant-Man (now calling himself Goliath) in Avengers 28 (May 1966).
Then, in September 1967, fans got to see all the Avengers back in action in the first Avengers Annual.
After thwarting the world-threatening plans of the Mandarin and his five super villains, the team returned to New York for a celebration in honor of their victory, Avengers Day, in Avengers 45 (Oct. 1967).
There’s no rest for the virtuous, however, in this tale penned by Roy Thomas and drawn by Don Heck. This time, the threat came from the Super-Adaptoid, an android who could duplicate all the team’s powers. In other words, he was to the Avengers what Amazo was to the JLA.
The Super-Adaptoid had started as just a plain, garden-variety Adaptoid created by the evil scientists at AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) in Tales of Suspense 82 (Oct. 1966). Maybe the addition of the term “super” to his name was intended to boost the poor thing’s self-confidence. After all, despite his array of copied superpowers, he was never able to accomplish his single mission: Captain America’s assassination.
With the Avengers now having access to its entire membership roster, plus interesting recruits like Thor’s pal Hercules and Cap’s friend the Black Panther, an exciting new era was promised and delivered.
Meanwhile, the chameleon-like Super-Adaptoid continues to turn up where you least expect to find him — for example, in the conservative magazine National Review in February 2019. Senior political correspondent Jim Geraghty compared New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand to the Super-Adaptoid, adding that “…her foes would be foolish to underestimate her.”
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