The Avengers are a fictional team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 (cover-dated Sept. 1963), created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby . Labeled "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", the Avengers originally consisted of Iron Man , the Wasp , the Hulk , Thor , and Ant-Man . The original Captain America was discovered trapped in ice in issue #4, and joined the group after they revived him. The Avengers could be considered as a Lee and Kirby's renovation of a previous superhero team, All-Winners Squad , who appeared in comic books series published by Marvel Comics' predecessor Timely Comics . A rotating roster became a hallmark of the series, although one theme remained consistent: the Avengers fight "the foes no single superhero can withs...