Appearances
Featured Characters:
- Nick Fury (First appearance)
- Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) (First appearance; dies)
Supporting Characters:
- S.H.I.E.L.D. (First appearance)
- Hawkeye (Clint Barton) (First appearance; dies)
- Phil Coulson (First appearance)
- Betty Ross (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Yellowjacket (Hank Pym) (First appearance)
- Loki (First appearance) (Impersonates Nick Fury)
- Einherjar Guard (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- The Watcher (Uatu)
- Iron Man (Tony Stark) (First appearance; dies)
- Avengers (Only in recap)
- Captain America (Steve Rogers) (Only in recap)
- Iron Man (Tony Stark) (Only in recap)
- Thor (Only in recap)
- Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) (Only in recap)
- Hawkeye (Clint Barton) (Only in recap)
- Hulk (Bruce Banner) (Only in recap)
- Loki (Only in recap)
- Whiplash (Ivan Vanko) (Only in recap)
- Thor Odinson (First appearance; dies)
- Hulk (Bruce Banner) (First appearance; dies)
- United States Army (First appearance)
- General Ross (First appearance)
- Lady Sif (First appearance)
- Warriors Three (First appearance)
- S.T.R.I.K.E. (First appearance)
- Brock Rumlow (First appearance)
- Jack Rollins (First appearance)
- Heimdall (Behind the scenes)
- Janet Van Dyne (Only on screen as a static image or video record) (First appearance) (Deceased)
- Alexander Pierce (Only on screen as a static image or video record) (First appearance)
- Maria Hill (Only on screen as a static image or video record) (First appearance)
- Odin (Mentioned)
- Hope Van Dyne (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Captain America (Steve Rogers) (Behind the scenes) (First appearance)
- Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) (First appearance)
Races and Species:
- Watchers
- Humans
- Asgardians
- Frost Giants
- Chitauri (Only in recap)
Locations:
- Multiverse
- Earth-51825 (First appearance)
- United States of America (First appearance)
- California (First appearance)
- Inglewood (First appearance)
- Randy's Donuts (First appearance)
- Inglewood (First appearance)
- Virginia (First appearance)
- Willowdale (First appearance)
- Culver University (First appearance)
- Willowdale (First appearance)
- New Mexico (First appearance)
- Puente Antiguo (First appearance)
- Washington, D.C. (First appearance)
- White House (First appearance)
- New York (First appearance)
- New York City (First appearance)
- United Nations Headquarters (First appearance)
- Times Square (First appearance)
- New York City (First appearance)
- California (First appearance)
- Ukraine (Mentioned)
- Odessa (Mentioned)
- United States of America (First appearance)
- Earth-199999 (Only in recap)
- New York (Recap)
- New York City (Recap)
- New York (Recap)
- Earth-51825 (First appearance)
Items:
- Mjolnir (First appearance)
- Hawkeye's Bow and Trick Arrows (First appearance)
- Destroyer (First appearance)
- MK IV (First appearance)
- Arc Reactor (First appearance)
- Palladium (First appearance)
- Yellowjacket's Suit (First appearance)
- Captain America's Shield (First appearance)
- Captain Marvel's Suit (First appearance)
- Casket of Ancient Winters (First appearance)
- Whiplash Harness (First appearance)
- MK V (Only in recap)
Vehicles:
- Quinjet (First appearance)
Synopsis
Throughout a fateful week, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury undertakes the daunting task of assembling an elite team for the heralded Avengers Initiative. Yet, fate cruelly intervenes, shrouding each recruit's demise in a veil of enigmatic tragedy: Natasha Romanoff, in an unforeseen turn, delivers a lethal injection to Tony Stark; a mishap leads Clint Barton to inadvertently shoot Thor, meeting his own end in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody; Bruce Banner, transformed into the Hulk, meets a cataclysmic fate in a detonation; and Romanoff herself falls victim to a fatal assault while investigating these ominous deaths. In her dying breath, Romanoff cryptically alludes to a connection between the murders and the notion of "hope." The arrival of Asgardians, led by the cunning Loki, heralds a tumultuous turn as they descend upon Earth, seeking vengeance for Thor's untimely demise. However, Fury proposes a daring alliance to avenge Thor's death, proposing to the Asgardians to unite forces in pursuit of the elusive killer. Through shrewd deduction, Fury unravels the unsettling truth: Hank Pym, utilizing his revolutionary shrinking technology, orchestrated the heinous murders. Pym, fueled by a deep-seated vendetta stemming from the loss of his daughter Hope van Dyne—a valiant agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who met her end in the line of duty—unleashed a calculated spree of vengeance. In a gripping showdown, Fury and the formidable Loki join forces, confronting Pym and ultimately subduing him, leading to his capture by the Asgardians.
With the conflict resolved, Loki, drawn to the intrigue and potential of Earth, makes a consequential choice to remain, assuming the mantle of its ruler. Meanwhile, undeterred by adversity, Fury embarks on a renewed quest to assemble a force of heroes, discovering the long-lost Steve Rogers, frozen in ice, and summoning the formidable Carol Danvers to Earth, setting the stage for a new chapter in the saga of the Avengers.