Summary
- The Avengers have evolved over the years, expanding their roster and taking on larger threats to the Marvel Universe.
- Luke Cage and Janet Van Dyne believe that the Avengers have lost sight of their original mission to fight for those who can't fight for themselves.
- Luke Cage and Wasp's new team, Avengers Inc., brings the Avenegrs back to its core purpose of seeking justice and avenging those who never stood a chance.
The following contains major spoilers for Avengers Inc. #1, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
As Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers have taken on many costumed supervillains and alien threats over the years. All the same, the dynamics of the team have shifted significantly during that time, as has what the Avengers mean to the world. Surprisingly, this grand scope is exactly the problem as far as Luke Cage and Janet Van Dyne see it. Together, they're about to bring the Avengers back down to Earth and return to the original mission.
After a series of brutal, seemingly impossible murders are carried out within the superhuman prison known as The Raft, Janet Van Dyne is called in to take the lead in the ensuing investigation. There are plenty of people who question whether the deceased warrant any such examination considering their supervillain careers. However, Janet isn't one to leave such crimes unattended to, even if she needs some reminders herself. As seen in the pages of Avengers Inc. #1 (by Al Ewing, Leonard Kirk, Alex Sinclair, and VC's Cory Petit), it is Luke Cage, former Hero for Hire and current mayor of New York City, who not only asks Janet to take over the case, but asks her to think about whether the reason she named the team "the Avengers" still means anything.
Why Janet Van Dyne Gave the Avengers Their Name
Although Janet Van Dyne has been as much of a superhero as any of her contemporaries from her Marvel Comics debut in 1963's "The Creature from Kosmos!" (by Stan Lee, H.E. Huntley, and Jack Kirby, from the pages of Tales to Astonish #44), she has also largely existed on the outskirts of the world they inhabit. If it weren't for her father's untimely demise, Janet would have never embarked on a career as a hero. Once she did, there was no question as to what the future held for her. Yet, despite the adventures that ensued, the Wasp remained relatively grounded compared to the likes of the God of Thunder or even Iron Man.
This made Janet Van Dyne a greater asset than her ingenuity or battlefield prowess provided on their own. When Earth's Mightiest Heroes first assembled, it was Janet who named them the Avengers. She had coined the name as a testament to their mission to fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves. Though they faced off against no shortage of superpowered and fantastical foes, the Avengers were just as quick to go to war with more human threats such as the Maggia crime syndicate. Unsurprisingly, similar street level threats have mostly fallen outside the scope of what the Avengers deal with today, and that isn't necessarily something for them to take pride in.
How the Avengers Have Evolved Over the Years
This isn't to say the Avengers don't do important work or have a proper place in the world. However, in taking on bigger and graver problems over the years, the team doesn't really do all that much avenging anymore. At least, that is the case for the primary Avengers, who have mostly become a force exclusively designed to deal with the grandest threats the Marvel Universe throws at them. Apart from them, there are a myriad of Avengers lineups, each of which has found their own corner of the world to operate within. Yet, even the vast majority of those ancillary teams have drifted from avenging anyone in particular, often playing the role of generic superheroes instead.
That being said, there is absolutely unquestionable merit to what the mainline Avengers do, especially when they have world or even universe ending threats to contend with on such a frequent basis. In fact, how the team has evolved proves just how important they truly are. At the same time, that doesn't leave much room for the Avengers to step in where others are genuinely incapable of doing so. Captain America's current team of Uncanny Avengers, or the new Unity Division, is certainly putting vengeance at the top of their list. On the other hand, they're a rarity in terms of the wider tapestry of Avengers teams. This is just as true if not more so of Janet and Luke's new Avengers Inc., which is precisely why the world needs them more than ever.
How Avengers Inc. Brings Earth's Mightiest Heroes Back to Their Roots
By getting back to the heart of what the Avengers were supposed to stand for, Janet Van Dyne and Luke Cage haven't just established another branch of the team, they have offered the world a potent reminder of who they are. The Avengers aren't merely costumed crime-fighters or high-flying superheroes; they are unrelenting purveyors of justice. As Janet's inner monologue says, she will make any problem one of her own if it means avenging someone who had the chance to fight for themselves stolen away from them. That is, and has always been, the core of the Avengers mission. Avengers Inc. has become a much needed distillation of it.
Though it is hard to imagine Avengers Inc. ever stepping into a grander stage than the one they are currently fighting in, that would be for the best as far as the team's longevity is concerned. Like the Mighty Avengers Luke previously led, escalating conflicts and branching plots are most often what cause an Avengers lineup to fall apart or disband. Rather than being torn apart by any nefarious forces, most Avengers simply move on to the next battlefield and leave the mantle of Earth's Mightiest Heroes for another team of heroes to pick up. While that works for those with other worlds or dimensions to defend, Janet's new team is far more concerned with what is happening on the ground at home, and that's exactly what the Marvel Universe needs.