Thor

In 965 A.D., Odin (Anthony Hopkins), king of Asgard, wages war against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim and their leader Laufey (Colm Feore), to prevent them from conquering the Nine Realms, starting with Earth. The Asgardian warriors defeat the Frost Giants and seize the source of their power, the Casket of Ancient Winters.

In the present, Odin's son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) prepares to ascend to the throne of Asgard, but is interrupted when Frost Giants attempt to retrieve the Casket. Against Odin's order, Thor travels to Jotunheim to confront Laufey, accompanied by his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), childhood friend Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and the Warriors Three; Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano). A battle ensues until Odin intervenes to save the Asgardians, destroying the fragile truce between the two races. For Thor's arrogance, Odin strips his son of his godly power and exiles him to Earth as a mortal, accompanied by his hammer Mjolnir — the source of his power, now protected by an enchantment to allow only the worthy to wield it.

Thor lands in New Mexico, where astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), find him. The local populace finds Mjolnir, which S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) soon commandeers before forcibly acquiring Jane's data about the wormhole that delivered Thor to Earth. Thor, having discovered Mjolnir's nearby location, seeks to retrieve it from the facility that S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly constructed but he finds himself unable to lift it, and is captured. With Selvig's help, he is freed and resigns himself to exile on Earth as he develops a romance with Jane.

Loki discovers he is Laufey's son, adopted by Odin after the war ended. When Odin, overcome with stress, falls into the deep "Odinsleep" that allows him to recuperate, Loki becomes king and offers Laufey the chance to kill Odin and retrieve the Casket. Sif and the Warriors Three, unhappy with Loki's rule, attempt to return Thor from exile, convincing Heimdall (Idris Elba), gatekeeper of the Bifröst - the means of traveling between worlds - to allow them passage to Earth. Aware of their plan, Loki sends the Destroyer, a seemingly indestructible automaton, to pursue them and kill Thor. The warriors find Thor, but the Destroyer attacks and defeats them, prompting Thor to offer himself instead. Struck by the Destroyer and near death, Thor's sacrifice proves him worthy to wield Mjolnir. The hammer returns to him, restoring his powers and enabling him to defeat the Destroyer. Kissing Jane goodbye and vowing to return, he and his fellow Asgardians return to confront Loki.

In Asgard, Loki betrays and kills Laufey, revealing his true plan to use Laufey's attempt on Odin's life as an excuse to destroy Jotunheim with the Bifröst Bridge, and thus prove himself worthy to Odin. Thor arrives and fights Loki before destroying the Bifröst Bridge to stop Loki's plan, stranding himself in Asgard. Odin awakens and prevents the brothers from falling into the abyss created in the wake of the bridge's destruction, but Loki allows himself to fall. Thor makes amends with Odin, admitting he is not ready to be king, while on Earth, Jane and her team search for a way to open a portal to Asgard.

In a post-credits scene, Selvig has been taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) asks him to study a glowing cube-shaped device, which Fury says may hold untold power. Loki, invisible, whispers to Selvig to agree, which he does.

Captain America

Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by Joe Johnston, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, and Stanley Tucci. The film tells the story of Steve Rogers, a sickly man from Brooklyn who is transformed into super soldier Captain America to help the war effort. Captain America must also stop Red Skull, Adolf Hitler's ruthless head of weaponry and leader of a terrorist organization, who intends to use a mysterious tesseract energy-source for world domination.

In the present day, scientists in the Arctic uncover a circular object with a red, white and blue motif. In March 1942, Nazi officer Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) and his men invade Tønsberg, Norway, to steal a mysterious tesseract possessing untold powers. In New York City, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is rejected for World War II military duty due to various health and physical issues. While attending an exhibition of future technologies with his friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Rogers again attempts to enlist. Having overheard Rogers' conversation with Barnes about wanting to help in the war, Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) allows Rogers to enlist. Rogers is recruited as part of a "super-soldier" experiment under Erskine, Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). Phillips is unconvinced of Erskine's claims that Rogers is the right person for the procedure but relents after seeing Rogers commit an act of self-sacrificing bravery. The night before the treatment, Erskine reveals to Rogers that Schmidt underwent an imperfect version of the treatment, and suffered side-effects.

In Europe, Schmidt and Dr. Arnim Zola (Toby Jones) successfully harness the energies of the tesseract, intending to use the power to fuel Zola's inventions. Schmidt, having discovered Erskine's location, dispatches an assassin to kill him. In America, Erskine subjects Rogers to the super-soldier treatment, injecting him with a special serum and dosing him with "vita-rays". After Rogers emerges from the experiment taller and muscular, one of the attendees kills Erskine, revealing himself as Schmidt's assassin Heinz Kruger (Richard Armitage). Rogers pursues and captures Kruger but the assassin commits suicide via cyanide capsule before he can be interrogated.

With Erskine's death the super-soldier formula is lost. U.S. Senator Brandt (Michael Brandon) has Rogers tour the nation in a colorful costume as "Captain America" to promote war bonds rather than be confined to a lab while scientists attempt to rediscover Erskine's formula. In Italy 1943, while touring to active servicemen, Rogers learns that Barnes' unit was lost in battle against Schmidt's forces. Refusing to believe Barnes is dead, Rogers mounts a solo rescue attempt with Carter and Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) flying him behind enemy lines. Rogers infiltrates the fortress belonging to Schmidt's HYDRA organization, freeing Barnes and the other captured soldiers. Rogers confronts Schmidt who reveals his face to be a mask, removing it to display the red-colored, skull-like face that earned him the sobriquet the Red Skull. Schmidt escapes and Rogers returns to base with the freed soldiers.

Rogers recruits Barnes, Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough), Gabe Jones (Derek Luke), Jim Morita (Kenneth Choi), James Montgomery Falsworth (J. J. Feild), and Jacques Dernier (Bruno Ricci) to attack the other known bases belonging to Hydra. Stark provides Rogers with a new outfit and a new, circular shield made of vibranium, which negates large amounts of damage by absorbing vibrations. Rogers and his team attack and destroy all of the known bases. The team later attacks a train carrying Zola. During the assault Zola is captured but Barnes falls from the train and is lost. Using information gathered from Zola, Rogers leads an attack on Schmidt's final base to stop him from using WMDs against American cities. Rogers clambers aboard Schmidt's jet before it takes off, and during the fight with Schmidt, Rogers damages the tesseract's container. Schmidt physically handles the tesseract, causing him to dissolve in a bright light. The tesseract falls to the floor of the plane, melting through the surface and falling to Earth.

Seeing no way to safely land the plane without risking its weapons detonating, Rogers crashes it in the Arctic. Stark later recovers the tesseract from the floor of the ocean but the aircraft and Rogers remain undiscovered. Rogers awakens in a hospital room. Deducing that something is wrong, he flees outside into what is revealed to be present-day Times Square. There Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) informs him he has been "asleep" for nearly 70 years.

Songbird

Melissa Gold was a troubled runaway from an alcoholic father and incarcerated mother[citation needed]. In order to survive on the streets, Melissa developed a hard edge to her personality, referring to herself as "Mimi."[citation needed] She was eventually imprisoned, where she met Poundcakes, a female wrestler who invited her to join the Grapplers under the name Screaming Mimi, alongside Titania and Letha[citation needed]. The Grapplers became renowned for their colorful personalities and ringside antics, but the wrestling federation denied them the opportunity to make the amount of money their male counterparts made. Instead, the group agreed to earn supplementary income by performing a covert operation for the Roxxon Oil Company. The Grapplers were given special paraphernalia to assist them in their mission; Mimi received an apparatus that converted her voice to high-frequency sonics for various effects. The Grapplers tested these powers by fighting Thundra in a wrestling ring.[1] On their mission, Thundra led them into Project Pegasus to smuggle in the Nth Projector for Roxxon. The mission failed when they were defeated by the heroes Quasar and Giant-Man.[2] The Grapplers were tried and jailed for their misdeeds. Alongside the Grapplers, she victimized Dazzler while she was in Ryker's Island prison with them.[3] When the Grapplers were finally paroled, they discovered that the women's wrestling movement had lost its momentum without them, so they continued to perform crimes to support themselves and working as professional criminals. Alongside the Grapplers, Mimi attempted to attack the Thing while he was in the hospital, and battled Captain America.[4] Later, the Grapplers set their sights on a women's division of the superpowered Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation. Their manager, Auntie Freeze, arranged for the women to augment their natural abilities with artificial powers created by the agency Power Broker, Inc. While the other Grapplers received superhuman strength, Mimi instead had her vocal enhancements internalized as a throat implant; it was once believed that Mimi had also gained superhuman strength, but it was established after the fact in the Thunderbolts series (see below) that this was not the case.[volume & issue needed] The all-new Grapplers made a legitimate professional comeback that proved short-lived. When Titania was murdered by the vigilante Scourge, Mimi was among the female wrestlers of the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation who participated in a mass attack upon the Thing, blaming him for Titania's death.[5] After Letha was later also killed by Scourge,[6] the Grapplers broke

Black Widow

Born circa 1928, Natalia "Natasha" Romanova was apparently orphaned as a child when she was trapped in a burning building during an early attack on Stalingrad by enemy forces. Ivan Petrovitch Bezukhov, a Soviet soldier, found Natasha in the inferno and rescued her. Although Ivan kept a close eye on Natasha as she grew, by the late 1930s she had attracted the attention of Soviet intelligence, which began her training. In 1941, she was almost brainwashed into serving the ninja clan the Hand, but was saved by Ivan, Logan (James Howlett, later Wolverine) and Captain America. Following World War II, Natasha was recruited to become part of the Black Widow Program, a team of elite female

Real Name
Natalia "Natasha" Alianovna Romanova

Aliases
Natasha Romanoff, Nadine Roman, "Nat," Tsarina, Oktober, Laura Matthers, Nancy Rushman, Black Pearl, Natalia Shostakova, Natuska, Czarina, others; impersonated Yelena Belova

Identity
Publicly known

Citizenship
Former citizen of Russia/U.S.S.R., resident in United States of America under extended visa authorized by S.H.I.E.L.D.

Place of Birth
Stalingrad, former U.S.S.R

Superhero Squad

The most powerful object in the universe, the INFINITY SWORD, has been shattered (oops!) in a battle between IRON MAN and DR. DOOM. But Doom doesn’t give up easily; he’ll leave no stone unturned until he recovers every last shard. “Not so fast, Dr. Doofus!” Iron Man snags the best heroes around to beat Doom at his own game: WOLVERINE, HULK, THOR, the SILVER SURFER and a hotshot flyer named THE FALCON. The fact that these big guns are also loose cannons that may not play well together is not the sort of thing that occurs to a gearhead… er…a shellhead like Iron Man. Nor does he see any problem in cramming a grouchy loner, a gamma-green tantrum machine, a bombastic thunder god, a naïve alien and a prank-pulling speedster in their flying HELICARRIER headquarters. But with friends like CAPTAIN AMERICA and MS. MARVEL, and with tons of other heroes helping out, Iron Man can lead the Super Hero Squad to victory!

Psylocke

Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock was born and raised in England. Born in the small town of Maldon, Essex, Betsy and her brothers had a very privileged life. She is the twin sister of Brian Braddock, better known as the superhero Captain Britain and first appeared in his eponymous series.[18] After working as a commercial pilot for some time, she dyes her hair purple, joins the Psi-Division of S.T.R.I.K.E.[19] (the British equivalent of the U.S.-based espionage outfit S.H.I.E.L.D.), and goes undercover as a fashion model. One of her assignments was to infiltrate the Hellfire Club, but Tessa forces her to abandon the mission.[20] A British crime lord, Vixen, hires Slaymaster to destroy the psi-division and he manages to kill all but Betsy, her lover Tom Lennox, and their friend Alison Double. Captain Britain then defeats Slaymaster.[21]

When reality warped due to James Jaspers' powers, Tom sacrifices himself to give the Braddocks time to escape from a group of superhero hunters.[22] Following the repair of the reality warp, an evil version of Captain Britain from another universe named Kaptain Briton switches places with Brian. The double hands him over to the Technet (who were after the Kaptain) and tries to rape Betsy. In self-defense, she attacks him telepathically, killing him.[23]

A few days later, an old friend from her S.T.R.I.K.E. days informs her about a new intelligence agency called R.C.X. They wanted to deal with the Warpies, mutated children born all over Britain because of the reality warp, which led to an argument between Betsy and Brian.[24] While Brian was away adventuring around the world, Betsy assumes the late Kaptain Briton uniform and received training from Captain UK, another alternate Captain Britain, to become the new Captain. Vixen lures Betsy into a trap, where Slaymaster beats her almost to death, gouging out her eyes. Summoned by his sister's telepathic distress call, Captain Britain crushes Slaymaster's head under a rock.[25] Betsy recovered from her injuries, refusing an offer to have cybernetic implants that would partially restore her vision. She learns to use her growing telepathic abilities to compensate for her blindness. The ordeal with Vixen and Slaymaster leaves Betsy feeling distant from her home, and she leaves for holiday in Switzerland.

X-Men

She is later kidnapped by the other-dimensional television producer Mojo and his henchwoman, the six-armed, cyborg sorceress Spiral, and implanted with bionic eyes. Giving her the name "Psylocke", Mojo made her the star of the Wildways TV program. The New Mutants, the teenage sister team of the X-Men, get involved with rescuing Psylocke from Mojo. Most of the team are entranced by Mojo's other soldiers. Douglas Ramsey and Warlock, two of the New Mutants, escape. In an attempt to stop Mojo, the two mutants end up venturing into Betsy's mind. They risk their lives to save Psylocke's mind from Spiral's attack. This causes a deep friendship between the two and awkward feelings on Doug's part. Safe and sound, the New Mutants and Betsy head back to the X-Men mansion in Westchester County, New York. She decides to stay with the X-Men and learn how to better control her powers.[27]

Psylocke assists the X-Men in another battle with Mojo when much of the team is turned into children and mind-controlled into battling the New Mutants. The X-Men were reluctant to let Psylocke join them officially as her capacity as a teammate was unknown.[28] However, she has a chance to prove herself after the event known as the Mutant Massacre. Sabretooth, a member of the Marauders, invades the mansion while the X-Men and New Mutants are away. Psylocke holds her own against the deadly Sabretooth, keeping one step ahead of him until Storm and Wolverine arrived. Psylocke takes advantage of Sabretooth's distraction to read his mind and learn about the Marauders and their mysterious leader, Mister Sinister. The X-Men are impressed by Psylocke and invite her to join the X-Men.[29]

She is among the X-Men who fought the Adversary in Dallas in the event known as The Fall of the Mutants,. Along with the other X-Men present, she is killed, resurrected, and subsequently transported to the Australian Outback by Roma.[30] After a fight with the Reavers, Psylocke dons body armor to protect herself in physical confrontations and the X-Men establish a base in the Outback.When Storm is thought killed in a fight with the entity called Nanny, Psylocke briefly takes over as the leader of the few X-Men still remaining in Australia.

While in the Savage Land, Psylocke experiences a precognitive vision that warned her of the potential fate of the four remaining X-Men (herself, Havok, Dazzler, and Colossus); should they return to their base in the Australian Outback, the Reavers would kill them, and attempt unsuccessfully to transform Psylocke into a cyborg. However, shortly thereafter, the four heroes are teleported back to Australia by Gateway. The light from his portal alerted the Reavers to their return. As the Reavers closed in, Psylocke activated the Siege Perilous portal, given to the X-Men by Roma as a last resort. Beings who entered the portal were cosmically judged and reborn into another life, given a "clean slate". Psylocke saw it as the only way to save her teammates lives and her own. Dazzler and Colossus entered willingly, but Havok hesitated, feeling as though he was abandoning his responsibilities. Psylocke, left with no alternative, telepathically "convinced" him that his actions were justified. Psylocke entered the portal at the last moment, as the Reavers arrived to kill her and her teammates

S.H.I.E.L.D

S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division) is an extra-government intelligence and security organization dedicated to protecting the nations and peoples of Earth from all threats, terrestrial or extraterrestrial. S.H.I.E.L.D. was organized in the early 1960s to meet the threat of the highly technological subversive organization called Hydra. The identities of the organization’s founders, its Executive Board, have never been revealed. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s first known Executive Director was Colonel Nicholas Fury, an ex-World War II commando and C.I.A. operative. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Supreme Headquarters is the huge mobile Helicarrier, but there are also regional offices in all the major cities of the free world and several secret bases in Communist countries. Although most of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s operations are covert, the organization’s existence is known to general public. S.H.I.E.L.D. even maintains public offices in several cities.

Only a few of the several thousand S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives active throughout the world are known.

In the wake of Colonel Nicholas Fury's "Secret War" the position of director was passed to Maria Hill.
Recently she has passed the role to Tony Stark (Iron Man) after the "Civil War".

Universe
Marvel Universe

Base of Operations
The Helicarrier; S.H.I.E.L.D. Central, New York

Current Members:
Anthony Stark (Iron Man, Director) Maria Hill (Executive Director), George Washington Bridge, Sharon Carter, Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman), Contessa Valentina Allegra di Fontaine, Thaddeus "Dum-Dum" Dugan, Kenneth Hale (Gorilla Man), Daisy Johnson, Gabriel "Gabe" Jones, Ali Morales, Clay Quartermain, Natasha Romanova (Black Widow), Gail Runciter, Jasper Sitwell, the Suit, Alexei Vashin, Jimmy Woo, Howling Commandos

Former Members:
Val Adair, Agent L, Agent M, Agent 9, Agent 60, Agent 74, John Allen, Paul Allen, Dexter Bancroft, Clint Barton (Hawkeye), Blue Streak, Boothroyd, John Bronson, Laura Brown, Barth Bukowski, Stanley Carter (Sin-Eater), Jeff Cochren, Constrictor, Alec Dalton, Dean Haddad, Carl Delanden, Alex DePaul, Dimensional Man, Dragoom, Marvin Flumm (Mentallo), Nick Fury, John Garrett, Paul Garwood, Glob, Golem, Goom, Grogg, Groot, Jonathan Hart (Jack of Hearts), Joseph Hauser, Hellstorm, Jordan Holiday, James Howlett (Wolverine), Jerry Hunt, Roger Juniper, The Kid, Kraa, Lilith, Daughter Of Dracula, Living Mummy, M-80, Dr. Myron MacLain, Adam Manna, Manphibian, Rick Mason (the Agent), Chastity McBryde, Monster Ape, Danielle Moonstar, Barbara Morse-Barton (Mockingbird), Nails, Overrider, Arthur Perry, Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat), David Purcell, Radek, Cliff Randall, Steve Rogers (Captain America), Jack Rollins, Chcuk Rose, Satana, Frank Schlicting (Constrictor), Silicon, Skul, Suicide Squadron, Texas Twister, Marvel Man, Rabble Rouser, Red, Scorpio, Kenjiro Tanaka, Kimberly Taylor, Nate Thurman, Jack Truman, Vamp (Animus/Vamp), Wendell Vaughn (Quasar), Vries, Kali, Kate Waynesboro, Warwolf, Wesley Williams, Sam Wilson (Falcon), Wolfen, Agent Castigan, Agent Goldman, Agent Kyle, Agent Kragg, Agent M, Agent Ratchvek, Agent Simon, Agent Taki,

Other Members (Honorary, Reserve, etc.):
A.U.T.O.F.A.C., Android X-4, Boothroyd, Chuck, Impact 739, Wild Bill

First Appearance
Strange Tales #135 (1965)

Cyclops

Iceman

Colossus

Wolverine

Born the second son of wealthy landowners John and Elizabeth Howlett in Alberta, Canada during the late 19th Century, James Howlett was a frail boy of poor health. James was largely neglected by his mother, who was institutionalized for a time following the death of her first son, John Jr., in 1897. He spent most of his early years on the estate grounds and had two playmates that lived on the Howlett estate with him: Rose, a red-headed girl who was brought in from town to be a companion to young James, and a boy nicknamed "Dog" who was the son of the groundskeeper, Thomas Logan. Thomas Logan was an alcoholic and was extremely abusive to his son. The children were close friends but as they reached young adulthood, the abuse inflicted upon Dog warped his mind. His actions would lead to a tragic chain of events. that started as the three neared their adolescent years when Dog made unwanted advances toward Rose and James reported it to his father. In retaliation Dog killed James's pet dog. This in turn resulted in the expulsion of Thomas Logan and Dog Logan from the estate.

Thomas Logan, is a drunken stupor, invaded the Howlett estate with his son and attempted to take Elizabeth Howlett (implied to be his former lover) with him. John attempted to stop him and Thomas Logan shot him down in cold blood. James Howlett had just entered the room when this occurred and for the first time his mutation manifested; his claws extended from the backs of his hands and he attacked the intruders with uncharacteristic ferocity, killing Thomas Logan, and scarring Dog's face with three claw marks. Elizabeth Howlett, who was already an emotionally disturbed woman, took her life immediately afterward with a blast from Thomas's gun. Fearing for their safety, Rose fled the estate with James, who appeared to have been deeply traumatized and had somehow repressed or forgotten most of the memories of life back at the estate. Dog falsely reported to the police and James's grandfather that Rose had murdered John Howlett II and Thomas Logan. The eldest Howlett, shunned James and with no family left, took Dog in as his ward. However, Dog was already a burgeoning psychopath and it was too late for his character to evolve down any other path.

In the years that followed, James and Rose took refuge in a British Colombia mining colony under the guise of being cousins. James also assumed the name of "Logan" in order to hide his identity. As the hard work of mining toughened his body, and his mutant powers developed, he grew to be unusually strong and ferocious. He was immune to the elements and even ran with the wolves in the forest, learning to hunt as an animal hunts. "Logan" became a valuable and admirable figure amongst the small community of miners due to his hard work and strong ethics, earning him the respect of his peers, including the foreman Smitty, who became a surrogate father figure to James. During this period, James developed strong feelings for Rose, but could not act on them for the sake of their guise as cousins. Smitty, who had been mentoring James all these years, had also grown close to Rose, and the two eventually fell in love and became engaged, much to the scorn and surprise of James, who later accepted the situation for the sake of Rose's happiness. Meanwhile, the elder John Howlett was in failing health and asked Dog to find Rose and his grandson so he could make peace with them before he died. Dog agreed. However, Dog (who has become a physically formidable man himself) decides to track them down so he can kill James.

Dog hunted James and Rose down so easily that it seemed he had a preternatural skill for tracking. On then night that Smitty was due to leave the mining town with Rose, Dog (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Logan's future nemesis, Sabretooth) finally found and confronted James. Dog reminded James of his past, and that faithful night back on the estate that had changed all their lives so. The two fiercely fought in the middle of the street and despite being the physically stronger of the two Dog was eventually overpowered by the enraged James. As Dog laid unconscious, James unsheathed his claws for the first time in public, to the shock of everyone watching, and was about to deal the deathblow until Rose leapt in to stop him but was accidentally was impaled by his claws. Horrified, "Logan" held her in his arms as she died. He then fled into the woods where he lived in self-imposed exile with a pack of wolves, presumably for many years.

Logan possesses memories of being a Samurai in Japan, a mercenary operative for the Central Intelligence Agency, and a "wild man" in the Canadian wilderness. Due to extensive memory implants given to Logan through the Weapon X program, any or all of these memories are suspect. Logan has at least one memory of meeting Captain America (Steve Rogers) in World War II while he was in the Canadian Army which has been verified as true. Sometime after World War II, Logan was taken by a group of scientists led by Dr. Cornelius as part of the Weapon X program. Cornelius was hired to perfect and use a technique that would bond the indestructible element adamantium to human bone cells. Logan's skeleton was bonded to the adamantium, and he was indoctrinated into the Weapon X assassin program.

Wolverine was conscripted by Department H, and for his first mission was sent against the incredible Hulk. Wolverine was subsequently approached by Professor Charles Xavier, who was looking for mutants to help his students, the X-Men, escape from the island-being known as Krakoa, which had captured them. Wolverine left Alpha Flight to accompany Xavier and rescue the captured X-Men. After Krakoa was defeated, Wolverine decided to stay with the X-Men, for reasons which included that he had fallen for Marvel Girl (Jean Grey). Logan remained with the X-Men for quite some time, at one time being their field commander, and encountered adversaries such as Proteus (Kevin MacTaggart), Magneto (Magnus), the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the Brood, the Reavers, demons from the dimension of Limbo, the Marauders, the Morlocks, and even Dracula on one occasion.

After his encounter with the mutant assassin Omega Red, Logan began to question the memories he possessed, but his searches to find his true identity and memories proved fruitless. During an encounter with the mutant Magneto on his space station called Avalon, Wolverine slashed Magneto with his claws. Magneto retaliated, using his powers of the magnetic field to tear the adamantium out of Wolverine's skeleton, causing extensive injuries. These injuries shorted out Wolverine's healing factor for a time, and Logan also discovered that the claws that he believed a result of the Weapon X project were in fact part of his actual bone structure due to his mutation. These bone claws became Wolverine's main weapons until his skeleton later became grafted to adamantium again.

As a result of his injuries, Logan left the X-Men for a time. He visited Muir Island at the request of Kitty Pryde, and was also attacked by Cyber. During the Phalanx invasion, Logan and Cable were asked by Charles Xavier to find and rescue the captured X-Men. They joined with Cyclops (Scott Summers) and Jean Grey returning from their honeymoon (and secretly the future) and freed their teammates in Tibet. Later, Logan was kidnapped by Tyler Dayspring, calling himself Genesis, who wanted to make Wolverine one of his new Horsemen. Genesis had acquired adamantium by destroying the body of the mercenary known as Cyber, and had planned to recreate the bonding process used on Logan years ago. This time, however, Logan's body rejected the adamantium, and he regressed for a time to a feral-like state.

Logan regained his lucidity and rejoined the X-Men. Logan was subsequently kidnapped by the would-be conqueror Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur) and forced to fight the savage assassin Sabretooth for the mantle of the Horseman Death. Knowing that he might be able to resist Apocalypse's programming and that Sabretooth would be a very dangerous villain with the support of Apocalypse, Logan fought and defeated his nemesis. As a result, his skeleton again was laced with Adamantium. Under the control of Apocalypse, Wolverine fought the X-Men ferociously in his Death persona. But with the help of his teammates, he eventually broke free from Apocalypse's control.

While on the Weapon Plus satellite, Logan was able to access detailed files on his past. However, it was a trap, and only Jean's manifestation of the Phoenix was able to save them. Wolverine greatly mourns Jean's loss, was not pleased with Cyclops and Emma Frost's relationship, but has remained a valued member of the X-Men, serving on as many missions as he can while also doing solo operations.

Wolverine was ambushed by the Hand and Hydra. Transformed into a killing machine and outfitted with several devices, he battled various other heroes and killed both Hornet and Northstar. S.H.I.E.L.D. was eventually able to deprogram Logan, and he was sent to oppose Northstar, who also had been resurrected by Hydra. While on a mission in the Savage Land, he met the recently reformed Avengers and eventually accepted membership. Recently, Wolverine unnerved many high level officials, including those of S.H.I.E.L.D., by his sporadic movements in and out of the grid, with the tensions mounting in what seemed to be Wolverine's attempted assassination of the prime minister of Japan. Eventually it was revealed that Wolverine's true target was not the prime minister, but his bodyguard, the Silver Samurai. During an interrogation that began during their battle, and ended shortly after Logan severed the samurai's arm, Wolverine received some more information that led him back to Department H. Despite what he had originally thought, it was not the carelessness of his captors that allowed him to escape; rather, the Winter Soldier seemingly interfered with the operation in such a way that allowed Logan's escape. Wolverine tracked down the Winter Soldier in Serbia for information, but was rendered unconscious after a struggle after which the Winter Soldier revealed that he had earlier murdered Logan's pregnant wife.

Black Cat

Name: Felicia Hardy

ID: Known

Relatives: Walter (Father - Deceased), Lydia (Mother - Deceased).

Affiliates: Spider-Man.

Major Enemies: Kingpin, Doctor Octopus, Sabretooth, Cardiac, Faze, First Strikers, Scar, Hydro-Man.

Powers: The Black Cat is in peak condition for a woman her age in many ways: strength, endurance & agility...She also has a great understanding of the martial arts & uses them well...She became an excellent burglar having great criminal skills. She "Rigged" her own "Bad Luck" atmosphere onto others she came across by a number of ways...She also carries a cable with her she uses to swing or walk on as a tightrope.

Origin: Felicia Hardy was a former Cat Burglar...Her Father was a very well known Cat Burglar...She later learned that all along, the "bad Luck" factor was in her genes to begin with.

Fictional character biography

The Black Cat's first appearance, on Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 #194. Cover art by Keith Pollard.

Felicia Hardy was born in Queens, New York. Her father Walter was a world-renowned cat burglar who, before his arrest, encouraged her to never settle for second best. If she loved basketball, she should work to become a basketball player and not just a cheerleader.

During her freshman year in college, Felicia was date raped by her boyfriend Ryan. Hating the idea of being a victim, she decided that despite the consequences she would murder her rapist. She put aside her studies and began training in various fighting styles and acrobatics. Finally, after months of preparing, she set out for revenge, but before she could find him, Ryan was killed in a drunk-driving accident.

Furious that she was denied the chance to steal the life of the man who had stolen hers, and feeling reckless, Hardy decided to utilize her new skills to follow in the footsteps of her father. After amassing a fortune in stolen items, Felicia adopted her costumed identity.

She first donned the Black Cat costume in order to break her father out of prison. On the same night, she met Spider-Man. Unfortunately for Felicia, her father died, and she then faked her own death.^[3] Despite her antipathy towards men, Felicia

felt a kinship with this lone hero; Spider-Man was the first man she felt she could trust and she grew to believe herself in love with him.^[4] Felicia looked for a way to earn his trust and continued with the Black Cat persona as a misguided attempt to attract his affection. Seeing the good in Felicia, Spider-Man made every attempt to have her criminal record expunged.

Felicia had been placed in a mental institution, but escaped. She joined forces with Spider-Man against the Maggia. She was granted conditional amnesty, and again convinced Spider-Man that she had died.^[5]

The Black Cat finally found the opportunity to prove herself after learning the Kingpin controlled an incredibly powerful detonator. The Owl planned to use the weapon to hold New York City hostage. Meanwhile, Doctor Octopus planned to use the weapon to destroy the city altogether. However, the Black Cat was able to use her abilities to steal the item first and protect it from all parties. She gave the detonator to Spider-Man and became the target of Doctor Octopus's revenge. Although Spider-Man was able to tear off his mechanical appendages, Octopus was still able to mentally control them and hold the Black Cat still while his men opened fire. Spider-Man barely got her to the hospital in time and as they operated on the dozens of bullet and knife wounds, Peter realized just how much he cared for Felicia.^[6]

After she recovered, they began a relationship and soon Peter revealed his identity to her. Felicia had great difficulty accepting the fact that Peter was just a man beneath the mask and couldn't understand his need for a civilian life. Peter was hurt, but continued the relationship since it was the first time he didn't need to hide his life as Spider-Man from someone.

Initially, the "accidents" which seemed to

befall those who crossed the Black Cat's path were merely well-planned stunts and traps. After her near-death experience^[7], Felicia feared her lack of superpowers made her a liability to Spider-Man. She was terrified that his overwhelming need to protect her would eventually get him killed. So, Felicia sought a way to make herself Spider-Man's equal. After learning Tony Stark was missing, Henry Pym wouldn't return her calls, and being rejected by the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, Felicia was offered an opportunity to undergo the same process that was used to create the Scorpion and the Fly.^[8] The Kingpin chose to use it on the Black Cat as payback for a theft she committed. Scared and ashamed of being empowered by the Kingpin of crime, she decided to keep her new abilities a secret from Peter. While Spider-Man was gone during the "Secret Wars", Felicia searched for him at Avengers Mansion; Vision offered her the chance to join the Avengers, which she declined, being interested solely in Spider-Man. Upon his return, her 'bad luck' power turned out to be infectious, and began to jinx Spider-Man, which was exactly the Kingpin's intent. Feeling a wall of secrets growing between them, Spider-Man broke up with Felicia.^[9] Felicia then began a "Robin Hood crusade," stealing from the rich to give to the poor.^[10]

Peter soon realized something was amiss with his own luck and enlisted the aid of Doctor Strange to remove the "hex" on him. By doing so, he altered the hex's source and changed the Black Cat's powers in the process. She soon found she had heightened strength, agility, balance, vision, and retractable claws. While burglarizing the mercenary known as the Foreigner, Black Cat was attacked by Sabretooth, the Foreigner's hit man; Spider-Man saved her life.

The Black Cat updated her look and her attitude and rekindled her relationship with Spider-Man. She made peace with his need for a normal life as Peter Parker and stood by him while he was being accused of murder as Spider-Man. Together, they tracked down the source of the elaborate scheme to frame him and fought the Foreigner. Eventually, just as his life seemed to be falling apart, Spider-Man came home to discover Black Cat discussing her plans to ruin his life. He followed her to find she had never forgiven him for breaking up with her and in revenge became the Foreigner's lover.^[11] She then battled and defeated Sabretooth.^[12] Her apartment was fire-bombed by the Foreigner's hit man Blaze, and she began living with Peter Parker.^[13] During her ruse against Peter and despite her anger, Felicia began to fall back onto her desire to love him. She soon donned another new costume. Spider-Man then discovered her association with the Foreigner. She cleared Spider-Man of a murder charge. In the end, the Black Cat double crossed the Foreigner and left for Paris to find a new life,^[14] which unexpectedly pushed Peter to find support and a new relationship with Mary Jane Watson.

Years later, the Black Cat returned to America, and went "shopping" with Dagger.^[15] She returned to her original costume, went to seek out Peter Parker, and fought Venom who smashed her face against a wall. Adding insult to injury, Venom informed her that Peter had married Mary Jane Watson.^[16] Angry and jealous, Felicia began harassing the couple, taunting Peter as she dated his friend Flash Thompson.^[17] She began physically threatening Mary Jane, confronting her and swearing to ruin their marriage.^[18] She saved a powerless Spider-Man from the Scorpion, but then all her powers were rendered inert by one of the Chameleon's devices. She began to believe that she sincerely cared for Thompson,^[19] but he broke up with her when he found out her secret. The Black Cat eventually moved past her feelings of anger and jealousy, and became friends with both Spider-Man and Mary Jane. She was one of the few to stand with Spider-Man and Venom against Carnage and his "brood" in the Maximum Carnage arc. Originally she sided with Venom's belief that the only way to defeat Carnage was to kill him, but at the end, she fought alongside Spider-Man in his effort to battle the chaos with compassion. After Spider-Man used a device to remove his superhuman abilities, the Black Cat aided him in finding the device again in order to restore them. In the process, the Black Cat's cat-like abilities were completely erased. She subsequently purchased equipment from the Tinkerer to incorporate into her costume in order to compensate for her lost abilities, and occasionally teamed up with Spider-Man.

After Spider-Man unmasked himself, the Black Cat was disappointed, because she had felt that they shared a bond over knowing his identity, which she described as "sexy". Though she is currently dating Thomas Fireheart (a.k.a. Puma), her new sexual interest notes that Felicia may still have some romantic inclinations toward Peter. After the events of One More Day in the Spider-Man comic books, she (as with the rest of the Marvel Universe) is no longer aware of Spider-Man's secret identity.

Rogue

Real name: Unrevealed
Other aliases: (current) None, (former) Dr. Kellogg; (when her "Danvers" personality was dominant) Carol Danvers, Ace
Identity: Secret
Occupation: (current) Adventurer, (former) Terrorist
Legal status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record
Place of birth: Caldecott County, Mississippi
Marital status: Single
Known relatives: Mystique (unofficial foster mother), Nightcrawler (foster mother's son)
Base of operations: (current) Xavier Institute, Salem Center, Westchester County, New York State, (former) X-Men headquarters, Australian outback; the Savage Land
Group affiliation: (current) X-Men, (former) Brotherhood of Evil Mutants III
First appearance: AVENGERS ANNUAL #10

History: Rogue's real name and the identities of her parents still remain unknown. She grew up in Caldecott County, Mississippi near the banks of the Mississippi River. Early in her teens Rogue discovered her mutant powers when she kissed a boy named Cody Robbins. He fell unconscious and her mind was suddenly filled with his memories. She soon learned that she had the power to absorb the memories and abilities of other people by touching them, but she could not control this power.

The distraught Rogue found refuge with the mutant Mystique, who was like a second mother to her. When Rogue grew older she joined Mystique's terrorist organization, the third Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. In battle with Carol Danvers, the original Ms. Marvel, Rogue absorbed her memories and superhuman powers. But, for unknown reasons, Rogue unintentionally absorbed them permanently rather than, as usual, temporarily. Thus Rogue gained Ms. Marvel's superhuman strength and ability to fly. She also now possessed a buried alternate personality that duplicated Danvers and that, in future years, would sometimes supplant her own.

As a member of Mystique's Brotherhood, Rogue battled the X-Men, the Avengers, the original Spider-Woman, the Dazzler, and Rom. But Rogue grew increasingly upset over her inability to control her absorption power and her fears that Danvers' psyche would overwhelm her own. Unable to find help from the Brotherhood, Rogue turned to her enemies, the X-Men, instead. Convinced of her sincerity, Professor Xavier admitted her to the team, and she quickly proved herself a loyal member.

Except for some temporary absences, Rogue has remained a member of the X-Men ever since. She has never gained conscious control of her absorption power, but her passage through the mystic "Siege Perilous" rid her of Danvers' personality.

During a period she spent in the prehistoric Savage Land while the X-Men were temporarily disbanded, Rogue grew close to the X-Men's then reformed foe Magneto. They broke up when Magneto returned to his life of terrorism. After returning to the X-Men Rogue fell in love with their new member, Gambit. Recently, however, they have grown apart, and it remains to be seen if they will renew their relationship.

Height: 5 ft. 8 in.
Weight: 120 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown with white streak
Strength level: Superhuman Class 50
Flight speed: Subsonic

Known superhuman powers: Rogue possesses the superhuman ability to absorb the memories, knowledge, talents, personality, and physical abilities (whether superhuman or not) of another human being (or members of some sentient alien races) through physical contact of her skin with the skin of the other person. (Sometimes she also duplicates in herself outward physical characteristics of her victim.) The victim's abilities and memories are absorbed for a time sixty times longer than the amount of time Rogue was in physical contact with that person. The victim loses his or her abilities and memories for exactly the length of time that Rogue possesses them. Due to unknown factors Rogue has permanently absorbed certain superhuman powers from Ms. Marvel I.

When Rogue possessed a duplicate of Carol Danvers' psyche, her "double" consciousness gave her high resistance to telepathic probes; it is not known if she still possesses this resistance.

Special limitations: Rogue cannot touch another human being without temporarily absorbing that person's memories, abilities, and superhuman powers (if any) and rendering him or her unconscious. Remnants of the personalities of victims whose memories she has absorbed remain buried in her subconscious indefinitely. Certain powerful beings have proven resistant to Rogue's power.

X-Force

X-Force was created by illustrator Rob Liefeld after he started penciling The New Mutants (vol. 1) comic book in 1989 with #86. The immense popularity of Liefeld’s art lead to him taking over the writing and drawing duties on the book, which allowed him to introduce Cable and several other new hard-edged characters in 1990 and 1991. With help from writer Fabian Nicieza, who provided the dialogue for Liefeld’s plots, Liefeld transformed the New Mutants into X-Force in The New Mutants (vol. 1) #100, the book's final issue. Liefeld and Nicieza launched X-Force (vol. 1) in August 1991. The book sold a record 5 million copies, and remains the second highest selling comic book of all time, surpassed only by Jim Lee's X-Men book that same summer with 8 million copies. The original line-up of the team included:

• Boom Boom, previous member of the New Mutants and a rebellious teenager who could produce “Time bombs”.
• Cable, originally a mysterious gun-toting anti-hero mutant, later revealed to possess telepathy and telekinesis, although he continued to rely on firearms.
• Cannonball, a Kentuckian and prior member of the New Mutants who flew at jet speeds and projected a force field around himself when flying. Cannonball was the team's second-in-command under Cable.
• Domino, a world-class mercenary who possessed “luck powers,” allowing probability to turn in her favor and who was Cable’s lover. Later, it turned out that this woman was in fact the shapeshifter Copycat who had taken the place of Domino. The real Domino was still just a friend of Cable and had been imprisoned by Copycat's employers. The real Domino joined X-Force some time after her impostor was exposed.
• Feral, a cat-like mutant with claws, fur, and enhanced senses.
• Shatterstar, a sword wielding warrior from Mojo World who possessed superb fighting skills and limited energy-projection abilities.
• Warpath, an Apache who, like his brother, the short-lived X-Man Thunderbird, possessed super strength and speed.

In issue #3, X-Force would be joined by:

• Siryn, the daughter of the Irish X-Man Banshee who inherited her father’s “sonic scream” and ability to fly.

Later, in issue #15, two former New Mutants who had left before the team's evolution into X-Force joined:

• Rictor, a Mexican who produced powerful shockwaves.
• Sunspot, former New Mutant and citizen of Brazil who absorbed and rechanneled solar energy.

Cover to X-Force (vol. 1) #1 (August 1991).

The main opponents of X-Force during its first year were the terrorist Mutant Liberation Front, led by Stryfe, a masked mutant with a mysterious link to Cable. Early issues also featured the wise-cracking mercenary Deadpool, the immortal Externals, and a new version of The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the X-Men’s oldest enemy group.

Propelled by Liefeld's art, X-Force became one of Marvel’s best-selling comic books immediately after its debut. The series rivaled The Amazing Spider-Man and Uncanny X-Men in popularity, particularly with the adolescent demographic.^{[citation needed]} Toy Biz responded to X-Force's popularity by introducing an X-Force action figure line alongside its X-Men action figure line.

Writer Mark Waid and painter Alex Ross parodied X-Force and other anti-hero groups from the early 1990s in the 1996 DC Comics miniseries Kingdom Come, which portrayed a future where a generation of violent anti-heroes had replaced the familiar DC characters. Their leader Magog bore an intentional resemblance to Shatterstar and Cable.^{[citation needed]}

Liefeld illustrated the series up to #9 and stopped plotting it after #12 as Liefeld had become increasingly frustrated that he did not own the characters he created and that his art was being used on a variety of merchandise while he received little royalties. Along with six other popular Marvel artists, Liefeld left Marvel Comics in 1992 to form Image Comics.

Mid-1990s: Nicieza and Loeb

X-Force continued with Nicieza writing and Greg Capullo illustrating. Nicieza, who also wrote X-Men (vol. 2), helped plot the X-Cutioner's Song storyline that overlapped into most X-Men related books in the fall of 1992. In that story, Stryfe frames Cable for an assassination attempt on the X-Men’s founder Professor X, leading to a clash between the X-Men and X-Force. The crossover boosted Cable's popularity, despite the character's apparent death in X-Force #18, leading to his own solo series being launched in 1993.

After X-Cutioner’s Song, X-Force continued under Nicieza and Capullo, and later pencilled Tony Daniel. Having temporarily lost their leader, X-Force attempted to develop an identity of their own. The team gradually developed into a dysfunctional family after Cable's return in #25, and the title regularly combined soap opera plot threads, such as romance and Siryn's alcoholism, with violent action. Nicieza fleshed out previously unknown elements of each character's history, including Siryn's family in Ireland ^[1], Rictor's in Mexico^[2], and Cannonball's in Kentucky^[3], as well as the mysterious origins of Shatterstar.^[4] This period also saw the reintroduction of characters from the group's New Mutants days, such as Rusty and Skids^[5], Danielle Moonstar^[6], and Cypher and Wolfsbane.^[7] A long-simmering sub-plot about Reignfire and the disappearance of Sunspot came to a climax just as the book went on hiatus for the Age of Apocalypse crossover event in 1995.

Cover to X-Force #46 by Adam Pollina, the title's longest-running artist. Depicted: Sunspot, Mimic, Caliban, Cable, and Warpath (partially visible).

Due to falling sales,^{[citation needed]} X-Force emerged from the Age of Apocalypse event with a new creative team of writer Jeph Loeb and illustrator Adam Pollina, who significantly revised the team with issue #43. Loeb introduced new team uniforms, had the team move in with the X-Men at the X-Mansion, and placed emphasis on character-driven stories with fewer fight scenes. Rictor quit the team and Cannonball joined the X-Men. Caliban, a super-strong albino mutant who possessed the mind of a child, joined the team. Loeb's stories included revelations about Shatterstar’s origin and the transformation of Boomer (formerly Boom Boom) into the more aggressive Meltdown. Fan response was generally positive.

Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel is a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gene Colan. Carol Danvers is the most well-known Ms. Marvel, although Sharon Ventura also used the code name Ms. Marvel. The super heroine (as Carol Danvers) first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 of March 1968.

In her reign of more than 30 years as a Marvel character, she also uses the codenames Binary and Warbird, and associates with the Avengers and X-Men, but a series of personal tragedies have complicated her career. Carol is a CIA agent and the love interest of the superhero Captain Marvel. She gained her superpowers after her exposure to technology from Marvel’s Kree home world.

In her reign of more than 30 years as a Marvel character, she also uses the codenames Binary and Warbird, and associates with the Avengers and X-Men, but a series of personal tragedies have complicated her career. Carol is a CIA agent and the love interest of the superhero Captain Marvel. She gained her superpowers after her exposure to technology from Marvel’s Kree home world.

Affiliations

Over the years, Carol has found herself a member or ally of various teams and organizations below.

· The Avengers
· The Uncanny X-men
· The Starjammers
· U.S. Air Force

Superpowers and Abilities of Carol Danvers

Ms. Marvel possesses a wide array of superhuman powers. She is an exceptional pilot, and highly experienced in the fields of espionage, military operations and martial arts. She is a talented journalist.

· Ms Marvel had superhuman strength, endurance, invulnerability, the ability to fly and a seventh sense until her powers where stolen by the mutant Rogue

· Binary taps into the energy of a white hole and manipulates the cosmic energy released. This gives her incredible power, superhuman strength, durability, photogenic energy blasts, energy absorption; she can fly and travel at speed faster than light.

· Warbird possesses superhuman strength, a high degree of durability, the ability to emit concussive photon bursts and the power of flight. Also, she can absorb various forms of energy, thus augmenting her other abilities. Carol can also alter her normal clothes into her Warbird costume and vice-versa.

Thor

Thor's father Odin decides his son needs to be taught humility and consequently places Thor (without memories of godhood) into the body and memories of an existing, partially disabled human medical student, Donald Blake. After becoming a doctor and thoroughly believing himself to be the young surgeon Blake, he later discovers Thor's disguised hammer and learns to change back and forth into the Thunder God. The real Blake's persona remains elsewhere until many years later, after Odin becomes satisfied of Thor's humility and lifts the spell, thereby removing the need for a mortal alter ego. The mortal experience, however, shapes Thor into an honorable and courteous individual, who is loyal to all comrades.

Thor #126 (March 1966). Thor battles Hercules on the cover of the first self-titled issue after the retitling of Journey into Mystery. Cover art by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta.

Protector of Midgard

Being the son of the Elder Goddess Gaea, Thor has a natural affinity for Earth and feels obliged to protect the mortals that occupy it. Thor's time on Earth is marked by battles against supervillains, monsters, cosmic beings, and even other gods.

Thor's principal foe is his adopted brother Loki, who has hated Thor since childhood. Although a master of magic, Loki usually avoids direct confrontations for fear of angering Odin. He is discreetly responsible for the creation and awakening of three of Thor's principal foes: the Absorbing Man;^[7] the Wrecker,^[8] and the Destroyer.^[9] On one noteworthy occasion, Loki's tactics are accidentally beneficial - although successful in using the Hulk to draw Thor into battle, it results in the formation of the superhero team the Avengers, of which Thor is a founding and longstanding member.^[10]

Thor's mortal foes include the Radioactive Man;^[11] Grey Gargoyle;^[12] and Wrecking Crew.^[13] Thor's Asgardian foes include the Storm^[14] and Frost Giants;^[15] the Enchanters Three;^[16]Mangog;^[17] the Midgard Serpent,^[18] the Enchantress and Executioner^[19] and the fire-demon Surtur.^[20] Thor has also faced a number of mystical and cosmic foes, such as Mephisto,^[21] Thanos, ^[22] the God Eater,^[23] the Dark Gods,^[24] the Shi'ar Praetor Gladiator,^[25] and the god-slayer Desak.^[26] Thor also encountered the Fourth Celestial Host when it arrives to judge Earth. ^[27]

The Reigning

When Thor decides to intervene in the affairs of Earth, it has major repercussions. ^[28] After reluctantly assuming the throne of Asgard, Thor sees mortals at their worst and reshapes the world in his image. A nightmarish future follows as Thor and the Asgardians conquer Earth and slay or imprison those who oppose them, including a young religious mutant called Davis; Zarrko the Tomorrow Man; Perrikus of the Dark Gods; the U.S. Government, and even his fellow Avengers. He marries Amora (the Enchantress), and has a son, Magni. Wracked with guilt, Thor is eventually drawn into a final battle with Tarene and a Desak-occupied Destroyer in a time travel bid to undo what he has done.

When the timeline is reset, Loki revives Surtur, who forges new uru hammers for Loki's Storm Giant followers and begins Ragnarök, "the twilight of the gods". Thor learns that the Ragnarok cycle is the result of self-styled "gods to the gods" known as Those Who Sit Above in Shadow, who feed on the cycle. Thor confronts the Norns (Fates), breaking the Ragnarok cycle, and then enters a stasis, sleeping "the sleep of the gods." With his fate unknown to the Avengers, he is believed to be missing in action.^[29]

Thor's hammer Mjolnir is found on Earth and put under U.S. Army protection. Sometime later, the supervillain Doctor Doom is escaping from Hell as Mjolnir falls through that dimensional plane, and tries unsuccessfully to claim the hammer, which eventually comes into the possession of a man carrying a bag with the initials "D.B".^[30] During a battle in the superhero "Civil War" between pro- and anti-Superhuman Registration factions, Thor apparently appears and kills the superhero Goliath.^[31] This "Thor" is later revealed to be a fusion of cloning technology and cybernetics created by scientists Reed Richards and Henry Pym, and is destroyed by the anti-registration superhero Hercules.^[32]

Thor #55 (July 2000). Cover art by Tom Raney.

New beginning

Donald Blake, upon touching the hammer Mjolnir, is transported to the void of non-existence in which Thor now resides. Blake explains that when Odin originally removed the Blake persona from Thor,^[33] Blake was consigned to the void that Thor now inhabits. When Thor entered that void, Blake was suddenly restored to being, in New York City. Blake convinces Thor to wield Mjolnir once more, return to Earth, and renew the dual identity with Blake. Blake also reveals that Thor's fellow Asgardians are actually not dead but hidden on Earth.^[34]

Thor rebuilds Asgard in Oklahoma, paying for the land with Asgardian treasure.^[35] He then learns of the events of the superhero-registration "Civil War" and is angered that Tony Stark (Iron Man) and others used his DNA to create a Thor clone. Stark, in response, suggests Asgard may be considered a foreign embassy, with diplomatic immunity granted to its inhabitants. Thor then begins searching for his fellow Asgardians,^[36] and although successfully restoring them all (with the exception of Sif who is trapped in an old woman's body), does not attempt to find his father, Odin. He eventually finds his father in Valhalla, waging constant battle with the fire demon Surtur. There Odin advises his son that Thor must lead the Asgardians.^[37]

Thor later rescues and heals ally Beta Ray Bill, who after being given Mjolnir aids Thor in a battle against an invading force of alien Skrulls.^[38] Thor also participates in the final battle against the Skrull forces, and is forced to sacrifice Avenger ally the Wasp. ^[39]