Marvel's Avengers is still a little over half a year away, but gamers are already incredibly hyped for the upcoming AAA action game starring Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Additional details about the title are slowly being revealed with tweets about additional costume variations and the recent New York Comic-Con announcement of Ms. Marvel as a playable character. Players who have already devoured every interview, gameplay demo, and tweet may be looking for some more Avengers homework to keep themselves busy over the long winter. Not to worry, there are some comics that can help with that.

Although the story in Marvel's Avengers is brand new, there are definitely some aspects of it that are drawing inspiration from existing Marvel source material. Gamers who want to learn more about Marvel and the world of the Avengers can start out by reading this handful of comics to get up to speed and ready for the game when it arrives in May 2020.

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All of these recommendations are collected in trade paperback or hardcover format (excluding the official prequel comics), so interested parties do not need to try and hunt down single issues. Just head to your local comic book store and tell them the name of the story arc and they should be able to help locate any of these popular story lines from Marvel's long history.

Avengers Disassembled

Avengers Disassembled

One thing we know for sure about Marvel's Avengers is that it starts out with the team falling apart. Although this has happened a few times in the proper 616 Marvel Comics Universe, one of the most famous storylines about this topic was the 2004 Avengers Disassembled event. The book focuses on some key members leaving the team and going into exile and how the world deals with that sort of shift. The story arc also acts as the start of the Brian Michael Bendis era of Avengers, which is well worth reading, as well if this first taste gets you hooked.

The Death of Captain America

Along with the Avengers falling apart during the Marvel's Avengers prologue, there is also the apparent death of longtime team leader Captain America. Although it seems like this death isn't going to stick, it seems to still be a central point to the game's plot. With that in mind, Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting's Death of Captain America run is a fantastic look at a world without Steve Rogers. The title is definitely more focused on Steve's close circle of friends (Bucky, Sharon, and Sam), but still seems like a great choice to see how things change when Steve's moral compass isn't around to lead the other heroes into battle.

Ms. Marvel: No Normal

marvel's avengers leak

With the reveal of some awesome Ms. Marvel gameplay footage, it has been confirmed that Kamala is going to be the sixth playable character in the upcoming game. Although she is incredibly popular in the world of comics, the young hero may need a bit of introduction for players who don't read Marvel comics. Check out this volume of her ongoing series to get learn more about her powers and her big heart (and her favorite hero, Captain Marvel).

Demon In A Bottle

Although we haven't seen any cinematic footage yet that suggests Tony has become a dangerous alcoholic, it definitely seems like he's become isolated and unstable after the events of A-Day. Demon in a Bottle is classic story arc that deals with Tony's struggles and is a fascinating look at how the iconic character holds up under enormous stress.

Inhumanity

Although Black Bolt and Medusa haven't shown up in any Marvel's Avengers promo trailers yet, the appearance of Kamala Khan suggests that Inhumans are going to be a part of the story. The Inhumanity storyline explains how the Terrigen Mist is used to trigger powers in people who have Inhuman potential and its possible that Marvel's Avengers is going to use the A-Day explosion as a similar plot mechanic to the Terrigen Clouds.

Marvels

Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross is a 1994 series that has some timeless art. It's one of the two comic storylines that the game's creative director and writer Shaun Escayg has name dropped as inspiration, so it seems worth revisiting. Interestingly, Marvels sort of takes place through the eyes of someone who isn't a hero. The book follows major Marvel events over the years through the eyes of a photojournalist. It will be very interesting to see how this sort of story acts as an influence in the Avengers focused game. The game's narrative is likely going to try to focus on the connections between the Avengers and the people down on the group who they are trying to protect. It seems like at least the early portion of the game will deal a lot with the core team struggling about failing to protect those around them.

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West Coast Avengers

The second story that Escayg has mentioned as an inspiration seems a lot more obvious: West Coast Avengers. The West Coast Avengers roster doesn't usually contain the core Avengers like this game does, so perhaps this is a hint that as additional characters are revealed, more teams will spin up throughout the country or the world. The idea of West Coast Avengers was that the team realized there are more dangers in the worlds outside of just New York. For the purpose of scene changes and some additional settings options, it would make sense to also have the video game's group of remaining Avengers take this approach and branch outside of New York for additional Adventures.

Marvel's Avengers Prequel Comics

Iron Man comics

This upcoming series of one-shots seems like they will offer some information about each character before the A-Day events. Here is the pitch for the first installment...

Avengers Assemble! The road to Marvel’s Avengers begins here, with an all-new story leading directly into the events of the highly anticipated video game! IRON MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, BLACK WIDOW, THOR, and HULK are the mighty Avengers, but as the LETHAL LEGION strikes, it’s going to take more than their usual teamwork to save the day! When TONY STARK discovers his enemies have co-opted Stark technology for nefarious purposes, it’s up to him to stop the leak. But can his teammates be trusted, or is something more sinister at play? Featuring the debut of the game’s AVENGERS, as well as never before seen takes on some classic villains, you won’t want to miss this landmark moment in comics history!

Be sure to check back in the coming months for more news and updates as we learn additional details about Marvel's Avengers. And don't forget to sign up for the Avengers beta!

Marvel's Avengers releases May 15, 2020 on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.

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