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Avengers Who Should Not Be Counted as Avengers

"Once and Avenger, Always and Avenger". Trivia question: who first said that and when?

That sentiment is another one of the unwritten rules of the book. It probably dates right back to Avengers Annual #1, when for the first time ALL the Avengers (except the Hulk) banded together to take on a really huge threat (the Mandarin and his minions). When things get bad enough, anyone who has ever served with Earth's Mightiest Heroes comes running.

This makes a certain amount of dramatic sense. "Sorry, guys, I'm too busy establishing my hairdressing business to come and save the universe from Thanos," is an unlikely sentiment. Still, I have always been irritated by the Avengers who come running and are recognised as Avengers EVEN THOUGH THEY SHOULDN'T BE THERE.

This list includes:

Swordsman II, Magdalene, Deathcry, Masque, Marrina, D-Man - all of whom have never formally been voted in even, some of whom would not be formally voted in. I'm sorry, D-Man, you don't get to be an Avenger even if Captain America decides you are without going through the democratic procedures. Surely Cap would agree that?

The Thing - who was voted in but never formally accepted (I think, tell me if I'm wrong). He certainly never served with the West Coast Avengers thereafter.

Jocasta - I think she got a posthumous honorary membership according to some back up text feature in one of the annuals. The Michelnie (or was it Shooter?) Avengers were going to offer her some kind of membership but she walked before they could do so.

Hellcat - OK, I accept her now because she did eventually work with the Avengers, but she certainly slipped in through the back door. I think the first time the Avengers book used her as a member was during Byrne's Acts of Vengeance when she was an "on-call reserve", and the first time she was cited as an Avenger was on the two-page spread at the start of Byrne's first issue. Her previous claims come from her appearance in costume with the team during the ROXXON/Serpent Crown stuff and things she told the Defenders in their title.

Then there are those Avengers-in-Training who never completed their probationary period. This certainly includes Spider-Man, Rage, and Sandman, but assuming the same bye-laws applied to the West Coast team should also cover Darkhawk, Machine Man, and the original Human Torch. I'm not sure about the Sub-Mariner. It may also include Mr Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. Going way back to the very first probationary Avengers, the Beast and Moondragon, can anyone recall whether Moondragon ever actually graduated?

And while I accept he is, when exactly did Rick Jones become an Honorary Avenger?

Now the controversial stuff. Avengers West Coast became a sort of quiet way of slipping disgraced and barred Avengers back into the fold, despite all logic or previous continuity. Avengers who should never have been allowed to rejoin if we follow the dictates of logical narrative include:

Hank Pym: Mentally ill wifebeater, expelled for reckless endangerment of life and use of excessive force. Became the West Coast Avengers support staff and then just slipped back onto the team without any word of how this was done. Now he's even back with Jan as if the last fifteen years of continuity never happened.

The Vision: Resigned from the Avengers after attempting to take over the world! After a long debriefing by authorities that took this very seriously, he was let back onto the same team whose resources he had previously so dangerously abused. The world governments were so alarmed that they kidnapped and dissected him (with the help of Mockingbird, who effectively betrayed a fellow Avenger to their death with remarkably few consequences). But now he's the same old Vision he ever was, except that he's "improved" his capabilities by interfacing with the mansion. Isn't that how he conquered the world last time? Isn't anybody scared?

Quicksilver: Betrayed the Avengers into government hands using Freedom Force and the Zodiac in some sort of bizarre revenge scheme. Later involved in Eastern Bloc West Coast Avengers plot against the team. Then kissed and made up and everything was nice again. Didn't the US government want a word or two about his misleading them into going after the Avengers? Was he actually mind controlled by Maximus? Did anybody even bother to try and find out before reissuing his com-card?

Mockingbird: Apart from sending the Vision to his death by enabling Avengers compound security to be breached, she was also facing charges of murder or manslaughter of the second Phantom Rider which were never properly addressed and were forgotten after Byrne took over the series. She might well have pleaded mitigating circumstances and got off the charge. We'll never know.

Wonder Man: As this bulletin board has pointed out, he did kill at least one person that the Avengers know about. Hank got expelled for just injuring a retreating adversary. If there was some kind of hearing on Wonder Man's conduct, we never heard it.

Iron Man: Expelled during the Armour Wars for his attacks on the Vault, SHIELD, and Captain America, he crept back in pretending to be a new person inside the armour. All the experienced Avengers saw through this in about, oh, five panels, but nobody thought to say anything about it except with a nod and a wink and a knowing smile. Later, in the Crossing, he killed Marilla and that Force Works support person, crippled Jan, and maimed his younger self. Now he's back, he's a beloved trusted founder, and Kurt Busiek's got a lot of explaining to do.

All that said, I'm rather glad they're all back.

Finally, there is one honorary Avenger who has actually been forgotten in all the lists so far. That's the aged actress whose estate became the West Coast Avengers' compound. She was given posthumous honorary membership (á la Captain Marvel) in Avengers West Coast #100. Can anybody remember her name?