Avengers (1,000,000 BC) (Earth-616)

Origin[]

Over 1,000,000 years before the present, the early human mutant known as Firehair became the avatar of the Phoenix Force and nearly razed the planet due to its destructive impulses. Realizing the danger that beings like her posed to the Earth, she began assembling a team of supernatural and mystically-augmented individuals to protect the nascent humanity from both outside threats and itself, recruiting the Asgardian god Odin Borson.^[9] Together, Firehair and Odin recruited the demigod sorcerer Agamotto, the Black Panther of the Panther Tribe, the demonically-powered Ghost Rider, the Chi-fighter Iron Fist, and the planetary defense system Starbrand.^[10]

The Fallen and the First Celestial Host[]

When a Celestial called Zgreb the Aspirant came to Earth in search for the Progenitor, it was infected by the Horde and was driven mad.^[11] The Avengers were successfully able to subdue it thanks to its weakened state.^[8] While Odin wanted to nail the fallen Celestial to the Moon as warning to the others that would come, the team buried the cosmic giant under the plains of what would become the modern-day country of South Africa instead.^[6] Soon afterwards, the First Host arrived. The Avengers engaged them in combat but were defeated. Believing that these heroes would be useful against the Horde, the Celestials spared them and left.^[12]

Later, Arishem the Judge sent Ajak to make contact with the Avengers, who immediately attacked her as soon as she said the word "Celestials." Ajak was resurrected and told the other Eternals to stand down.^[13]

Temporal Incursions[]

Over the years, the Avengers also fought against numerous time travellers seeking to reshape history to their benefit, such as young Thanos, some Doctor Dooms, and Mephisto.^[14] Because of the constant attacks from the future, they were initially hostile towards a time-displaced Tony Stark.^[4] Later, they watched as Tony battled Mephisto and used the devil's Time Stone to go back to his own time.^[15]

Disbandment and the Birth of Thor[]

The Black Panther was killed during a battle against the children of Laufey of Jotunheim and Hyve of the Negative Zone. While Phoenix mourned for him, Odin reminded her that the others were just mortals and she should not get attached. He attempted to advance on her only to be rejected as Phoenix was in disbelief of his lack of respect. Phoenix went to the Panther Tribe to offer her condolences and was soon called to Asgard, as were the other members of the team. When they arrived, they saw that Odin had called them for an unannounced wedding between him and Phoenix, and that they were to be wed immediately. Disgusted, Phoenix left Asgard and Earth, intending never to return.

The botched wedding attempt fractured the team and they went their separate ways. Many years later, they gathered once more to witness the birth of Thor, the son of Odin and Gaea. Laufey, seeking revenge for his children's deaths, assassinated the newborn by turning him into ice. Phoenix, who had orchestrated Thor's birth alongside Gaea, came back and brought Thor back to life. Still resentful, Odin told her to leave. Phoenix considered staying to watch the boy grow up but the sound of storms and his cries were too much for her to bear and she once again left for the stars.^[16]

Avengers Assemble[]

The team was eventually reassembled by Agamotto. Although Phoenix remained missing and the Panther Tribe refused Agamotto's call, the team welcomed a newcomer: Moon Knight. The prehistoric Avengers teamed up with the modern Avengers to combat Mephisto's Council of Red and the Multiversal Masters of Evil.^[17][5]

The battle against the Masters of Evil lasted nine days. Doom Supreme managed to kill Starbrand and Ghost Rider, and took out Agamotto's eyes, but the Avengers defeated the other members while Doom Supreme abandoned them.^[5][18]

Doom Supreme went on to attack his true target, the God Quarry,^[19] and Avenger Prime summoned the Avengers to help.^[20][21] Firehair returned and defeated Dark Phoenix with Thor, but they also shattered the God Quarry, completing Mephisto's plan.^[22] The Avengers dealt with the remaining evil forces before turning their combined attention to the breach. Their attempts at sealing the hole failed because nothing on the Multiverse's side of the hole could seal it; Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes) went to the other side of the hole to seal it from the First Firmament. With the end of the Multiverse averted, Phoenix (Firehair) and Starbrand (Brandy) sacrificed themselves to return all the universes attacked by the Masters of Evil to normal. Returning to their normal time, Agamotto then created his three Eyes of Agamotto.^[23]

Legacy[]

Millennia later, Odin's son Thor would follow in his father's footsteps and become the leader of a new team of Avengers.^[24] Centuries after that, the fifth iteration of the Avengers was founded to save the world from Loki - the Asgardian god of mischief - and became one of the world's largest superhero teams.^[25]

Members[]

• Phoenix (Firehair): The founder of the team; an early human mutant who was the first known being on Earth to be possessed by the Phoenix Force.^[9]
• Odin Borson: The All-Father of Asgard and the Ten Realms.
• Agamotto: The first Sorcerer Supreme of Earth and one third of the Vishanti.
• Black Panther (Mosi): The first Black Panther of the Panther Tribe, hailing from prehistoric Wakanda.^[26]
• Iron Fist (Fan Fei): A banished warrior from the ancient city of K'un-Lun who became the first Iron Fist.^[27]
• Starbrand (Vnn): An early human who was the Earth's second being to wield the Starbrand after he inherited it from the corpse of the first.^[28]
• Ghost Rider (Ghost): The first Ghost Rider; a young early human possessed by a Spirit of Vengeance and riding atop a flaming Mammoth.^[29]
• Moon Knight: The first Moon Knight.^[5] He was originally an enemy of the team.^[30] He later became a member after the team disbanded and then was reassembled by Agamotto.^[17]

• When Ajak encountered the Avengers of 1,000,000 BC, she immediately classified Odin, Phoenix, and Starbrand as significant beings. Ajak initially dismissed the others, but she soon came to realize that Agamotto is also significant despite his relatively weak (at the time) humanoid body.^[13]

• Modern-looking humans did not exist 1 million years ago. To fix this, it is revealed in A.X.E.: Eternals #1 that a group of humans fell into a chronal rift.
• Mephisto was allegedly the Avengers' greatest enemy,^[3] and according to him, the team up until its initial disbandment defeated him 312 times.^[17] He was also secretly behind many of the Avengers' other foes.^[3]
• In addition to Mephisto and the Council of Red, the team has also battled the following:
  • Zgreb the Aspirant^[6] (Horde-infected)^[7]
  • First Celestial Host^[10][7]
    • The Avengers lost,^[7] but the Celestials spared them because they believed Earth's superhumans may be useful as a "cure" against the Horde.^[31]
  • Shuma-Gorath^[26]
  • Moon Knight and the Cult of Khonshu^[30]
  • Laufey of Jotunheim, Hyve of the Negative Zone, and their children^[16]
  • Many time-travellers from the future:^[14]
    • "Armored despots and futuristic conquerors"^[4]
    • Child Thanos, at least three times^[3][14][5]
    • Various iterations of Doctor Doom^[14]
    • The Multiversal Masters of Evil^[5]