Happy Avengers Day!!!

The countdown to the Avengers movie is OVER!!!! GO SEE IT NOW!!!! GO!!!!

Avengers Countdown: Black Widow

The countdown is almost over ladies and gentlemen and we finish it off with the movie version of the teams only female member, the Black Widow. Created by Stan Lee, Don Rico and Don Heck, she first appeared as a recurring, non-costumed, Soviet-spy in Tales of Suspense No. 52 (April 1964) taking on Iron Man. Five issues later, she recruited then villain Hawkeye to her cause. The Soviets would later supply her with her first costume and high-tech weaponry, but she eventually defected to the United States after appearing, temporarily brainwashed in The Avengers No. 29 (July 1966). She would later become a recurring ally of the team before officially becoming its sixteenth member. She has no powers but is an expert martial artist, ballerina, marksmen, and weapons specialist as well as having extensive espionage training. She has also been implanted with nanites that make her body resistant to aging and disease and can heal at an above human rate

Avengers Countdown: Hawkeye

The countdown rages on with Clint Barton, otherwise known as Hawkeye. For those that aren't familiar with the Avengers comic books, Hawkeye may be a new character to you but he actually made his first appearance way back in Tales of Suspense #57 (Sept. 1964) and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck. He officially joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 (May. 1965) and has been a prominent member of the team ever since. Hawkeye has no superhuman powers but makes up for it as an exceptional fencer, acrobat and a grandmaster marksman particularly proficient with the bow and arrow. He was trained from childhood in the circus and by the criminals Trick Shot and Swordsman. He has also spent time under the guise of the heroes Goliath and Ronin.

Avengers Countdown: The Incredible Hulk

Today we countdown with the behemoth known as the Incredible Hulk! First appearing in The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962), the character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. After being bombarded with gamma rays, Dr. Bruce Banner found himself turning into a rage filled green goliath whenever he got angry. Although usually a loner, the Hulk helped form both the Avengers and the Defenders.

Avengers Countown: Thor

The countown gets struck by lighting today with the god of thunder, the Mighty Thor. The Marvel version of the character first showed up in Journey into Mystery #83 (Aug. 1962) and was created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby. Thor is the hot headed and strong willed son of Odin. For a time Thor spent time in the body of Donald Blake a partially disabled human who, when he struck his walking stick would transform into the thunder god. This was all punishment from Odin in hopes of showing his son humility. Falling in love with his colleague Jane Foster, he disobeyed his father and refused to return to Asgard.  Thor initially regarded himself as a "superhero" like his teammates in the Avengers, but       Loki's evil deeds would routinely draw Thor into increasingly epic adventures that would require extended leaves of absence from the Avengers. He would go on to gain his independence from Donald Blake and rule over Asgard after Odin's death.

Avengers Countown: Iron Man

The countdown rolls on with the armored Avenger, Iron Man!  First appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963) and created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, billionaire playboy Tony Stark suffered a severe heart injury and created a suit of armor with the power to keep him alive. He later began using the armor to help people and became the hero Iron Man!

Avengers Countdown: Captain America

The countdown to the movie of the century, the Avengers, continues with perhaps the greatest of them all Captain America. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941), from Marvel Comics' predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.The story is a familiar one, Steve Rogers was injected with the super soldier serum during World War II and became Americas number one butt kicker. He was accidentally frozen and woke up in modern times ready to fight once again as the leader of the Avengers.

Avengers Countdown!!!

The biggest movie of the year...the decade...possibly ever is officially on its way in just a few days. That's right, the Avengers is finally here. If you haven't heard, you probably aren't from this planet.  This is perhaps the most ambitious superhero film ever undertaken. It all began with Iron Man in 2008 and ran through the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America and now it all culminates with the superhero team-up film The Avengers. So for the next week we countdown to the biggest movie of all time with a little background on the films heroes.

 Today, we start with the films villain, the trickster god of lies and mischief and brother of Thor, Loki.  He first appeared in Venus #6 (1949) and was created by Stan Lee,  Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby. Loki was a child of the Frost Giants taken by Odin after slaying his father and raised as his own. He grew up resentful of how Thor was treated better by the citizens of Asgard. As he grew older he honed his skills as a great sorcerer and as his power grew so did his lust for power. His penitence for mischief soon turned to evil and he began seeking vengeance on Thor for his greater favor. Loki would later cause the final conflict known as Ragnarök, sometimes referred to as "The Twilight of the Gods".  All the gods were destroyed and later resurrected...Loki in the form of a woman. Loki retained his male form after Ragnarok but hid himself inside the female body of Thor's reborn lover Sif in order to sell to Thor the idea that he wished to change. Combining his magic with Hela, Loki traveled to the past and set into motion events that led to his younger self being adopted by Odin. There's alot more of course but that should be enough to get you started..now keep checking back every day to learn more about the characters from the film.