The Avengers have had literally dozens of official members over its nearly 60-year history. Some are iconic, like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. Others are decidedly less so, like Doctor Druid, Triathlon, and an honest-to-goodness Doombot. However, one of the weirdest (and shortest-lived) iterations of the mighty ones only lasted a few issues before disbanding again.
The Avengers’ original “weird” members were those who belonged to “Cap’s Kooky Quartet,” a trio of unlikely anti-heroes who had only appeared a handful of times total gathered together under Captain America’s command. Assembled in Avengers #16, this group was composed of: Hawkeye, a reluctant villain under the tutelage of the Swordsman; and the villain Magneto’s children, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. This quartet would comprise the core of the Avengers for years after. Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch became so synonymous with The Avengers that the Scarlet Witch joined the cinematic version of Hawkeye the Avengers movies (as well as Quicksilver for one movie) in the 2010s, and Quicksilver went on to appear in three X-Men movies.
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But the weirdest group of Avengers to ever assemble came together in Avengers #299-300. The story starts with Captain America battling a bunch of demons invading New York City. After getting an assist from the classic New Mutants, he heads to Connecticut, where Reed and Sue Richards have retired from adventuring with the Fantastic Four to focus on their son, Franklin. Franklin is captured in his sleep by “Orphan-Maker” “Nanny,” a woman in an egg-costume (Yes, really). The Eternal, Gilgamesh, is called away from his servitude on the moon to slay the demons on Earth. Just as he arrives in Central Park, the Richardses discover that Franklin is in a second robot body that is attacking them. Just as they fight off Nanny and Orphan-Maker, Franklin is stolen again by the demons, who sense the internal power Franklin has. The (semi-fantastic) four, along with Thor, they’re able to rescue Franklin and turn back the demon hordes. And the Avengers are reborn.
Whew! Did everybody get all that?
The lineup wasn’t stable and didn’t last for long. Technically, you could say that it didn’t even last a single month, as Avengers #200 would be the last time we saw Steve Rogers as the Captain. By Avengers #301 he had reclaimed the mantle of Captain America. Thor rejoins the Avengers in #302. Avengers #304 was a team-up adventure with just Captain America and Thor. By the time that Avengers #305 rolls around, that lineup of the team has disbanded, and Captain America calls all Avengers together to form a new lineup.
It’s really no surprise to find out that this era of The Avengers has never been completely collected. It is not Walter Simonson’s best work. Or Ralph Macchio’s. Or Danny Fingeroth’s. Or John Byrne’s. All contributed to this short run. It all feels like a series of fill-in issues, really. The team that comes out of Avengers #305 includes Captain America, Thor, She-Hulk, Black Panther, and Quasar. Unfortunately, the roster remains fluid for several months during John Byrne’s run on the title, with Captain America and Thor being the only members who stay for any length of time. But it was a wild and woolly ride while it lasted.
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