Though the team may be an iconic part of the franchise, there are many harsh realities about being one of The Avengers in the MCU. Since the very beginning of the MCU’s movie timeline, the superhero team known as the Avengers has been at the very heart of the franchise. The team comprises many of the best and brightest heroes as yet introduced in the MCU, and has fought off many potential world-ending threats.

For all their heroics, the Avengers aren’t perfect, however. Across the movies of the MCU, the Avengers have established a pattern of operation that is actually less-than-ideal, and it might make new heroes think twice before joining the team. There are many aspects of joining the Avengers that actually make it seem like a relatively bad decision, especially when taking their past exploits into consideration. With that in mind, here are 10 harsh realities no one admits about being an Avenger in the MCU.

10

Being An Avenger Became A Political Statement

The Sokovia Accords Changed What It Meant To Be An Avenger

Captain America: Civil War changed the face of the MCU, seeing the franchise’s original Avengers disband. The Sokovia Accords were the main precipitating factor in the divide, as some heroes supported the idea of government oversight while others considered it needless bureaucracy. Regardless of these differences of opinions, the Accords were brought into law, making it illegal for superheroes to operate without the permission of the UN.

What this means is that, for a time, it wasn’t enough to simply be a hero, because becoming an Avenger in the MCU became a political statement. Joining the Avengers in line with the Accords meant agreeing to government oversight, effectively making it a form of enlistment. This added a polarizing subtext to the team for a great deal of time, but the Accords have since been repealed, leaving potential future recruitment less fraught.

9

Breaking Into The Avengers’ Inner Circle Isn’t Easy

New Members Struggle To Break Into The Core Group

One especially harsh reality of the Avengers is that new members are rarely assigned any level of significance compared to the original team. The six heroes who made up the MCU’s original Avengers are treated with a level of reverence, and formed a close-knit group over their tenure in the franchise. Even with new heroes joining on a regular basis, this group remained largely unchanged.

New heroes joining the Avengers are likely to find this incredibly alienating. There being a specific hierarchy within the team is something that is almost certain to cause tension, as newer heroes are often treated with much less respect. Becoming an Avenger in the MCU means being aware of the apparent levels within the Avengers, and the fact that new heroes are not treated with the same level as reverence by their teammates.

8

Your Incredible Talents Will Be Overlooked

Some Of The Most Powerful Avengers Are Routinely Ignored

Throughout the movies and TV shows of the MCU, an unpleasant reality of the Avengers has become increasingly clear. Despite the fact that many members of the team are incredibly powerful, even in comparison to their fellow Avengers, they are regularly overlooked by the team as a whole. For example, Wanda Maximoff’s power is shown to be greater than almost anyone else in the MCU, but she was never the Avengers’ go-to hero for major problems.

The likes of Wanda, Vision, and even Ant-Man have all had their powers played down by their fellow Avengers. Though it’s clear that no hero deserves a pedestal, there’s still an impracticality to overlooking the powerful nature of certain heroes, as their gifts could be employed to easily overcome many obstacles. Joining the MCU’s Avengers means preparing to have even the most powerful abilities overlooked or ignored.

7

Being An Avenger Is A Cosmic-Level Job Now

It’s No Longer An Earth-Based Task

When the Avengers were first formed in the MCU, it was to assume the role of Earth’s mightiest heroes. However, the escalating stakes within the franchise have transformed the job of the Avengers from that of Earth’s protectors, making it a far bigger task. As the heroes of the MCU have continued to explore the far reaches of space, becoming an Avenger now means taking on a potentially cosmic-level job.

Avengers: Infinity War saw even street-level heroes take to space to fight Thanos, and the ending of Eternals saw the celestial Arishem the Judge appear and threaten Earth’s continued existence. The Fantastic Four is also set to introduce Galactus, adding to the number of cosmic-level threats existing in the MCU. It’s no longer possible to join the Avengers simply as an Earth-based hero, as the job now includes so many cosmic figures.

6

There Is No More Anonymity

Being An Avenger Grants Instant Celebrity Status

One of the oldest tropes in the history of the superhero genre is the secret identity. For as long as superheroes have existed it has been common for heroes to enjoy a private life separate from their heroics, but the lines have grown increasingly blurred since the advent of the MCU. The franchise’s heroes rarely have secret identities, and those who join the Avengers are given so much exposure that it’s all but impossible to retain any sort of anonymity.

Becoming an MCU Avenger essentially means giving up any sort of normal life. Maintaining a private existence is seemingly all but impossible for most Avengers, as their heroics make them Earth’s mightiest celebrities. The public interest in superheroes means that becoming an Avenger also means becoming a public figure, which has often been proved to be more of a curse than a blessing for MCU heroes.

5

Being An Avenger Comes With A High Chance Of Disaster

Most Avengers Have Lost A Loved One Or Their Life

Being a superhero is undoubtedly a dangerous profession, but becoming an Avenger appears to add another facet to the risk involved. Across the history of the MCU, the heroes of the Avengers have each seemingly faced a disproportionate amount of grief and loss, with many experiencing the death of a loved one or dying themselves. This makes it seem as though becoming an Avenger comes with an increased risk of tragedy.

Two of the original Avengers, Iron Man and Black Widow, sacrificed their lives to stop Thanos. Steve Rogers gave up his 1940s existence to be a hero, and then later gave up the new life he’d built to go back. Thor has lost practically everyone dear to him as well as his home. Though not every loss can be directly attributed to being an Avenger, the increased risk involved seems to lead to more frequent tragedy.

4

Your Teammates Will Not Have Your Back

The Avengers Do Not Look Out For One Another

If there is one irrefutable truth about the MCU’s Avengers, it’s that they are incredibly dysfunctional. Since before the team was even formally assembled, the Avengers have been prone to in-fighting and bickering, and have always had a hard time getting along. This has led to major conflict within the team on several occasions, and that’s certainly not a particularly good example to set for potential new recruits.

Becoming an Avenger means being aware that your teammates will likely not support you as much as expected. For example, when Wanda Maximoff accidentally destroyed part of an office building in Lagos, the other Avengers imprisoned her within the compound. When Vision died, the Avengers did nothing to support Wanda in her grief, leading to her eventual villain turn. In many cases, the Avengers simply don’t have each other’s backs in any real way.

3

It Doesn’t Mean What It Used To

The Avengers Have Become Far Less Beloved Than They Used To Be

Another unfortunate truth about being an Avenger in the MCU is that the team is no longer as beloved as it once was. When the Avengers first formed in the franchise, the public seemed to love them, celebrating their success as Earth’s own. However, over time, this gradually changed as perceptions shifted, leading to the consensus that the Avengers are a liability more than an asset.

Joining the Avengers requires an awareness that the public no longer appreciates heroes in the same way. Though some treat them as celebrities, others do not trust the Avengers or superheroes in general, making them divisive figures at best. Considering the Avengers’ past in the MCU and their history of heroics, one might expect a little more love from the public, but being a part of the team just no longer means what it used to.

2

There Is No Winning

Every Mistake Is Disproportionately Punished

In addition to the public being increasingly hostile to heroes, there’s another element to being an Avenger that proves a particularly harsh reality. Over the team’s MCU history, they have enjoyed many resounding victories, saving the world on many occasions from certain destruction, total devastation, or indentured servitude. Even so, being an Avenger means that winning is essentially impossible.

Even when the Avengers save the world, they’re heavily criticized. For example, the Battle of New York saw a considerable amount of collateral damage, and the Avengers faced backlash from the public. The Battle of Sokovia saw the Avengers make an incredibly tough decision to save as many lives as possible, leading to the Sokovia Accords. Likewise, the incident in Lagos in Civil War led to further public outrage. Simply put, being an Avenger means living the truth that no good deed goes unpunished.

1

Becoming An Avenger Has Very Few Upsides

There Are More Negatives Than Positives To Being An Avenger

There are clearly many less than ideal elements to becoming an Avenger in the MCU, but the worst of them all is that there are very few redeeming factors. Though being a part of the team once afforded a hero a certain status, it no longer means what it used to. It once saw heroes taken under the wing of tech genius and billionaire Tony Stark, who gifted many teammates high-tech armor or weapons, but Stark is no longer around to do so.

Being an Avenger in the MCU has become the ultimate thankless task. Most of humanity has grown ungrateful or skeptical toward the Avengers, and this makes joining the team seem all the more selfless. Even so, new heroes looking to be admired by the public or to belong to a supportive team would likely do better to look elsewhere rather than join The Avengers.

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  The Avengers

  PG-13

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  Director

  Joss Whedon

  Release Date

  
  May 4, 2012
  

  Runtime

  2h 23m

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  Avengers: Age of Ultron

  PG-13

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  Director

  Joss Whedon

  Release Date

  
  May 1, 2015
  

  Runtime

  141 minutes

• 

  Avengers: Infinity War

  PG-13

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  Director

  Joe Russo
  , Anthony Russo

  Release Date

  
  April 27, 2018
  

  Runtime

  149 minutes

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  Avengers: Endgame

  PG-13

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  Director

  Joe Russo
  , Anthony Russo

  Release Date

  
  April 26, 2019
  

  Runtime

  3 hours, 2 minutes