The oddest Avengers ever

Ex Nihilo, Deadpool, and Jack of Hearts
(Image credit: George Marston / Marvel Comics)

She-Hulk episode 2 puts Jennifer Walters in her new job as an attorney specializing in superhuman cases - and it sets up the arrival of the host of "eccentric superhumans" (to quote She-Hulk's new boss Mr. Holloway), over the series' nine-episode run.

And the Avengers were name-checked in the same episode 2, but not only did Jennifer discount the possibility of her serving on the superhero team, she also expressed that she currently has no desire to do so. We'll see what Marvel Studios has planned for her long-term, however. It's hard to imagine Avengers: Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars without her.

While Shulkie has been a comic book Avenger in good standing for decades now, the confluence of the Avengers and "eccentric" superhumans put us in mind of the off-beat and unexpected superheroes and even some ex-supervillains of the Marvel Universe who have joined the Earth's Mightiest Heroes over the years.

So without further ado, here are our picks for the oddest Avengers ever!

Deadpool

Deadpool

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

In his solo movies, Deadpool may be all about joining the X-Men, but in comics, he's actually got a history as one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes - officially welcomed by Captain America and everything.

In the aftermath of 2012's Avengers Vs. X-Men, the two teams come together to build cooperation among those who fought in the conflict, forming the 'Avengers Unity Squad' in the title Uncanny Avengers. In Uncanny Avengers Vol. 2, Deadpool finds himself on the Unity Squad alongside other Avengers, mutants, and even Inhumans.

Doombot

Doombot

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Doctor Doom has an army of robotic doppelgangers who are meant to act as his bodyguards and elite soldiers - though over the years, some of them have gained minds of their own, and even impersonated Doom without him knowing.

But in the 2013 title Avengers AI, a Doombot is reprogrammed by none other than Hank Pym to become a (somewhat reluctant) member of the android and cyborg based Avengers team.

Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Gilgamesh of the Eternals joined the Avengers in one of their weirdest line-ups ever, alongside several members of the Fantastic Four, as a kind of substitute for the mythical power of a hero like Thor or Hercules (though Thor was … also still on the team).

Unfortunately, even in a line-up of odd ducks, Gilgamesh stuck out like a sore thumb in a bull-shaped helmet, leading to a particularly short-lived stint on the team - leading ol' Gil to go back to living up to his nickname as the 'Forgotten One.'

Teen Tony Stark

Teen Tony Stark

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Explaining exactly how the adult Tony Stark was replaced by his teen doppelganger from an alt-timeline in the early '90s is a bit of a headache - it involves the Avengers' arch enemy Kang subverting the adult Tony to evil, and the Avengers traveling in time to replace him with his younger, uncorrupted self.

Teen Tony didn't last long in the Marvel Universe, and adult Tony was quickly brought back. But weirdly enough, years later, a younger version of Kang himself became an armored hero as Iron Lad of the Young Avengers, putting an odd mirror to the Teen Tony saga.

Ex Nihilo & Abyss

Ex Nihilo and Abyss

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

The bizarre, alien siblings known as Ex Nihilo and Abyss started out as enemies of the Avengers, sent by their cosmic masters to kickstart and supercharge the evolution of humanity on Earth. Interestingly enough, the pair joined the Avengers in Jonathan Hickman's 2012-2015 run on the title, actually terraformed Mars years before the X-Men did it to create Planet Arakko in 2021. 

Ex Nihilo and Abyss's Avengers membership began during the lead-up to 2015's Secret Wars, though they were killed off in the events of 'Time Runs Out', the story which led into the Multiversal Secret Wars crossover, and haven't returned.

D-Man

D-Man

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

D-Man (or as he's sometimes called, Demolition Man) started out as a super-strong wrestler in the fabled Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, which is exactly what it sounds like - a place where superheroes enter the squared circle. 

Having gotten his abilities from the Power Broker, D-Man became an ally of Captain America and even, briefly, an Avenger, to help take on the villain, before retiring to a place called Zero Town to become the protector of its impoverished inhabitants.

Starfox

Starfox

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Though he's one of Marvel's more obscure Avengers, the Eternal Eros, known as Starfox to the Avengers, has recently started to gain more notoriety thanks to an MCU appearance played by none other than Harry Styles and a comic book return in AXE: Judgment Day #3.

And with his return comes new scrutiny around Starfox's powers of emotional manipulation and the way he's used those abilities - which have often made him quite the creep, by human standards.

Sandman

Sandman

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

That's right - Flint Marko, Spider-Man's enemy the Sandman, may have cut his super-team teeth as a founding member of the villainous Sinister Six, but in the early '90s he had a very brief tenure as a full-fledged Avenger.

Sadly, Sandman went back to villainy - though he actually did once rejoin the Avengers for a couple of issues in the 'Heroes Return' era of the late '90s. His time as an Avenger hasn't been forgotten though, as it's still occasionally referenced in the Marvel Universe.

Jack of Hearts

Jack of Hearts

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Empowered by a mysterious substance known as 'Zero Fluid,' Jack Hart gained the uncontrollable ability to channel a special kind of cosmic energy, which he used to become the walking, talking playing card known as Jack of Hearts.

After joining the Avengers in the late '90s, the garishly clad Jack of Hearts sadly perished during the story Avengers: Disassembled, only recently returning to life in the current ongoing She-Hulk title.

Two-Gun Kid

Two-Gun Kid

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

If you think it's weird that Hawkeye, a regular guy with just a bow-and-arrow, has a place among the mighty Avengers, wait till you hear about Two-Gun Kid - a time-traveling cowboy whose superpower is that he can shoot you with a gun.

Two-Gun Kid was a vigilante hero in the old west, who hooked up with the Avengers on a time-traveling mission, going on to join up with the team in the present day for a short time.

George Marston

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

Read more
Robert Downey Jr announces his Doctor Doom casting at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
Chris Evans returning for Avengers: Doomsday has me convinced they should recast all the OG Avengers as villains
Marvel Rivals characters with a background of Marvel Comics covers
Marvel Rivals: 10 comics that are perfect for fans of the smash hit hero shooter
cover of Captain America #300
10 Best Captain America villains of all time
Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom
Avengers: Doomsday concept art reportedly "leaks" to reveal major returning MCU characters
Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Robert Downey Jr. during the Doctor Doom announcement at Marvel's SDCC panel
Marvel fans are sharing their dream Avengers team-ups, including one that would be "the biggest payoff" in the MCU so far
Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World's surprise cameo is fan service done right – and it should shape the next two Avengers movies
Latest in Comics
King Kong wrestling a giant squid monster
The Monsterverse expands with Return to Skull Island, a comic tying into Netflix's King Kong-centric animated series
Close up on Emma Frost's face as she sits on a throne on the cover of Emma Frost: White Queen #1
"Bow down to the White Queen" as Emma Frost gets her own X-Men solo comic that flashes back to her time as a villain
The Biker Mice From Mars.
Oni Press's new Biker Mice From Mars comic will take a "hard-hitting approach to the stories" and "definitely won't pull any punches"
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #12
Gwen Stacy and Loki team-up for a cosmic adventure in Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider #12
An alien attacks.
Xenomorphs have taken the island as Alien: Paradiso nears its endgame
Cover art from Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #1.
13 years after his New 52 series ended, cult DC hero Resurrection Man is back in Quantum Karma
Latest in Features
Monster Hunter Wilds characters share a meal
Oh no, Monster Hunter Wilds is so good that I'm already counting the days until its inevitable Master Rank expansion
Kai and Giatta battle Xaurip in Avowed
I get why Obsidian doesn't like The Elder Scrolls comparisons, but Avowed is the first RPG to have its hooks in me this deep since Skyrim took over my life 14 years ago
Photo taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe of the Tears of the Kingdom OLED Nintendo Switch handheld, with the Super Mario Nendoroid figure standing in front of it.
My PC is screaming for an update, but the Switch 2 will be taking all my money this year
GoDice in their RPG case beside Pixels dice
I put two electronic d20s head-to-head and the bad news for your wallet is the discount D&D dice failed its saving throw
Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread in play
This board game TRPG hybrid delivers something D&D hasn't quite managed to capture for me
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again killing off a fan-favorite character is controversial, but it might prove to be the right choice for the new Marvel show