10 Underrated Marvel Teams That Every Avengers Fan Needs to Know About

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While the Avengers may be the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, they aren’t the only band of superheroes that have risen to protect Earth and beyond from the onslaught of calamities that often face the Marvel universe. These other teams have each saved the world from disaster, yet they don’t get the same recognition as Marvel’s most iconic team does. Ultimately, these superheroic teams each deserve another chance to prove their worth.

The Avengers may stand as Marvel’s quintessential team of world-saving icons, but these ten teams reveal how much richer and stranger the Marvel universe becomes beyond its primary heroes. Each of these unconventional, superheroic teams tackles threats that the Avengers can’t always take on. Whether it be rebelling against tyrannical alien governments, confronting the hordes of Hell, or navigating political power struggles, these ten superhero teams face just as dangerous threats and live to tell the tale. While these teams may be underrated, they’re just as cool as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

10

Alpha Flight

Debuted In: X-Men #120 (1979) by Chris Claremont and John Byrne

Often nicknamed “Canada’s Avengers,” Alpha Flight was formed by Canada’s Department H after the country passed the Super-Powers Registration Act. Together, Alpha Flight nearly exclusively takes on threats to Canada, although many of the team’s members have gone on to serve more globally oriented organizations. Founded by the hero known as the Guardian, the team has since expanded its numbers considerably, although the team has been especially hoping to recruit Wolverine for some time.

While the team has faced many powerful adversaries over the years, Alpha Flight’s greatest enemies have been the mystical monsters called “The Great Beasts.” These monstrous creatures have spent centuries trapped in an otherworldly dimension by the gods of northern Canada, but have managed to seize avatars to influence the outside world. In addition to their own enemies, Alpha Flight, and its sister organizations, have aided the Avengers during crises like the Kang Dynasty arc. Now, Alpha Flight inhabits a space station where they monitor not just Canada, but the surrounding cosmos too.

9

The Midnight Sons

Debuted In: Ghost Rider #31 (1992) by Howard Mackie and Andy Kubert

Drawn together to stave off a demonic invasion at the hands of Lilith, the Mother of Demons, Doctor Strange gathered a group of nine mystical heroes and anti-heroes tied to the occult to send the adversary back to Hell for good. Based on an ancient order of the same name, the Nine battle Lilith and her demons on numerous occasions, until the demoness partnered with the Ghost Rider’s Spirit of Vengeance, Zarathos.

Since defeating Lilith, variations of the Midnight Sons have returned to fend off other paranormal threats, such as during the Blood Hunt event. Rest assured, any time the powers of the Darkhold rear their demonic energy on Earth, the Midnight Sons will be there to drive the otherworldly forces back to the dark dimensions they hail from. When teams like the Avengers struggle to face Earth-616’s mystical threats, this team of occultist heroes serves as Marvel’s go-to defenders against the eldritch and demonic.

8

Strikeforce

Debuted In: Strikeforce #5 (2020) by Tini Howard and Jacopo Camagni

After a group of otherworldly people known as the Vridai lost their homes following the War of the Realms event, they released a slew of deadly viruses and brought the team that would be known as Strikeforce to blame instead. Realizing that the group of eclectic heroes had been framed, Blade joined the team as the newly dubbed Strikeforce took to investigating the Vridai’s conspiracy. This confusing team of mystical threats, cosmic powerhouses, and decades-old assassins was an absolute collection of rough-edged brute force and magical aptitude.

While the team only lasted a single mission before officially disbanding and letting the Avengers take over, Strikeforce is a powerful blend of magic and tactical prowess, positioning themselves as Marvel’s paranormal black ops team compared to the fantastical nature of teams like the Midnight Sons. When resolving otherworldly crises becomes too dark for the Avengers, Strikeforce would be valuable assets to keep in contact. Though short-lived, their precision and discretion expertly showcase the team’s ability to harness their godly powers in a way that is tempered by the confines of the mission.

7

Force Works

Debuted In: Force Works #1 (1994) by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, & Tom Tenney

After the West Coast Avengers were deemed a failure and were set to rejoin the East Coast branch, Iron Man officially disbanded the team. However, many of the former West Coast Avengers refused to stop their work and, alongside Iron Man, formed an independent team from the Avengers brand called “Force Works.” Originally led by the Scarlet Witch, Force Works used Wanda’s powers to proactively determine where threats would appear next, before the threat could occur.

One of their earliest victories was against a Kree splinter cell. However, their distinct separation from the Avengers would eventually throw the two heroic teams against each other when settling future Kree conflicts on Earth. Years later, the team reformed under the guidance of Maria Hill to defeat MODOK and his army of Deathloks. While Force Works, like many of the teams on this list, disbanded, their proactive model of crime fighting would eventually be seen in future groups like the Mighty Avengers.

6

Tiger Division

Debuted In: Taskmaster #3 (2021) by Jed MacKay, Alessandro Vitti, & Joey Vasquez

Tiger Division is a government-sponsored superhero team based in South Korea which comprises a healthy blend of Korean mythology, K-pop starlets, and modern superheroic esthetics. While Tiger Division may be based in South Korea, they more actively serve as Asia’s version of the Avengers, establishing themselves as a global presence rather than a national team. Led by the South Korean heroes White Fox and Taegukgi, Tiger Division is still a notably patriotic team.

Tiger Division’s founding mission was to intercept and defeat the sudden presence of a terrorist group in South Korea, led by the mercenary Taskmaster. However, more modernly, the team was conscripted and reformed by Doctor Doom’s global takeover, now labeling the group of heroes as the “Doom Division.” That said, Doom’s self-conceited arrogance has broken the team’s trust in the Emperor Supreme, leading Tiger Division to reform as an anti-Doom resistance group, sworn to protect South Korea from international threats.

5

The New Warriors

Fully Debuted In: New Warriors #1 (1990) by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley

The New Warriors are one of Marvel’s younger cast of heroes, specifically formed by a group of teen heroes to participate in the ever-lasting fight against supervillains. Founded by the Night Thrasher, the young crime fighter gathered a team of teens, each of whom had previously served on other teams, collecting a wealth of experience despite their young ages. In addition to their supervillain enemies, the New Warriors also took a notable stand against social injustices.

However, while the New Warriors have accrued some notable accolades, their history will forever be stained by the disastrous Stamford Incident. The team’s most notoriously famous member, Speedball, accidentally set off a reaction of events that led to the deaths of dozens of people and children, creating the catalyst that would spark the first Superhero Civil War. Despite this major branding setback, the New Warriors have returned on numerous occasions to keep up the good work of the original team.

4

Doctor Strange’s Defenders

Debuted In: Defenders #1 (2021) by Al Ewing, Javier Rodriguez, & Alvaro Lopez

While there have been numerous iterations of the Defenders, originally formed to defend Earth from extradimensional beings, this entry will specifically be talking about Doctor Strange’s modern Defenders team. Alongside the mysterious Masked Raider, Doctor Strange led an odd collective of cosmic heroes to hunt down the evil scientist Carlo Zota, who had fled capture by traveling to the past. Soon, the Defenders embarked on a multiversal-spanning, time-traveling adventure that drew them beyond the confines of the Seventh Cosmos back to previous iterations of the Multiverse.

Throughout their endeavors, the Defenders faced some of Marvel’s greatest gods, including the living embodiment of the Fourth Cosmos, Galactus’s mother, and the original archetypal hero and villain of Marvel’s omniverse. After defeating Zota, each member of the team was sent back to their respective times, but this eclectic group of cosmic heroes defy what most Marvel readers would conjure when thinking of other cosmic heroes. Comprised of equal parts magic, technological ingenuity, and cosmic empowerment, this superhero team deserves a second chance to band back together for at least one more mission.

3

The Squadron Supreme

Debuted In: Avengers #85 (1970) by Roy Thomas and John Buscema

The Squadron Supreme is a group of heroes from a parallel reality called Earth-S. Popularly described as Marvel’s answer to the Justice League, the Squadron Supreme consists of members that more closely resemble DC’s band of superheroes than it does the Avengers. Initially formed to combat an alien robot, the team slowly proved their might to Earth-S as Nighthawk was elected the President of the United States and Hyperion became their world’s ultimate protector.

However, Earth-S later fell after an alien takeover, leaving the alternate reality in an apocalyptic dystopia. To stop the extraterrestrial threat, the Squadron Supreme enacted the Utopia Program, which saw the team divert into authoritarianism after disarming world nations and mind-controlling criminals. Ultimately, the Squadron Supreme served as a look into the disastrous consequences of political upheaval and autocratic rulership without having to sully the name of the Avengers. That said, the Squadron Supreme was still valiant heroes in their own way.

2

The Starjammers

Fully Debuted In: X-Men #109 (1977) by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum

While the X-Men handle matters of mutant freedom on Earth, the Starjammers are a group of defiant, spacefaring, pirates who challenge the dominating imperial oppression that infects Marvel’s cosmic stories. The team was first rallied by Cyclops’s father Corsair, as the mutant rebel led a group of slaves to revolt against their Shi’ar captors. After the team escaped captivity, they stole a starship and vowed to destroy the imperial government that once tried to own them.

Rather than operating as formal soldiers or diplomats, such as the Guardians of the Galaxy often are, the Starjammers embraced their reputation as pirates and revolutionaries against the Shi’ar. Their accomplishments span numerous interventions of Shi’ar civil unrest, especially during the rule of D’ken the Mad, helping shift the balance of power to other alien governments. Their blend of personal vendettas, cosmic adventurism, and their intertwining exploits with the X-Men excitedly explore Marvel’s cosmic side in true outlaw fashion, while still grounding the team to their strong relationship with Earth.

1

Agents of Atlas

Debuted In: Agents of Atlas #1 (2006) by Jeff Parker and Leonard Kirk

While this team’s founding organization, the Atlas Foundation, has traditionally used its collective powers in the pursuit of world domination, the secret society’s self-perception as the heirs to the Mongol Empire has been tempered by a genuine desire to bring about humanity’s greater good. First emerging during the Cold War, the team was eventually transformed under FBI agent Jimmy Woo’s leadership to become a modern band of heroes serving Asia and the Pacific Rim. Emboldened by the Atlas Foundation’s political connections, the Agents of Atlas are equal parts a team of covert espionage, mythical powers, and international diplomacy.

Like the Tiger Division, the Agents of Atlas seek to establish a global power in the Eastern hemisphere just as the Avengers serve as the West’s primary team of heroes. However, during the onslaught of the Skrull invasion era, the Atlas Foundation proved to be a global force as it helped foil the Skrull’s activities on the US’s Western Coast. While the Agents of Atlas haven’t been very active in recent years, they were last seen banding together during the War of the Realms as a rapid-strike team to protect Asia during the dark elves’ invasion of Earth.

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