Who is the strongest Avenger? Tackling this decades old fan debate.

Since its incarnation, Marvel's Avengers have been saving the day from supervillains and mayhem. The team of superheroes has changed its members throughout the years and also how we meet themcomics and movies.  

A question fans often debate is who the "strongest Avenger" . From the muscular, herculean Hulk to the telekinetic Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoffthere are many different contenders in the Avengers lineup who could take this title. 

So, we spoke with comic book experts to find out. Here's what they said.

Who are the Avengers? 

The Avengers were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The team of superheroes made their debut in September 1963 with the first installment of the self-titled comic strip, according to Marvel.  

Inspired by DC Comic's Justice League of America, Marvel wanted to unite the biggest names in its franchise. The Avenger's original lineup in the comic's first issue consisted of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp. Captain America was later introduced in issue four. 

Since then, the Avengers have added members, as well as many incarnations and adventures in the comic series and on the big screen. The first Avengers film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was released on May 4, 2012. The latest installment "Avengers: Endgame" was released on April 26, 2019. 

Here is the lineup of the Avengers in the MCU: 

• Iron Man
• Captain America 
• Hulk
• Thor 
• Black Widow 
• Hawkeye
• Pietro Maximoff
• Wanda Maximoff 
• Vision 
• War Machine 
• Falcon
• Spider-Man 
• Nebula 
• Rocket 
• Captain Marvel
• Ant-Man
• Wasp

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So, who is the strongest Avenger?

There really is no obvious answer It may vary depending on if you are looking at the comics or watching the movies, said Alex Fitch, lecturer at the University of Brighton and a comic book expert. 

"In the movies, it feels like the MCU hasn't even allowed some of the Avengers to be as strong as they are in the comics," he said. This includes the Hulk whose powers have not been shown to their full potential, Fitch believes. 

Additionally, other characters have had their powers expanded in the films in comparison to the comics. An example of this would be Captain Marvel. "In many ways, the films have presented her as being the strongest Avenger," said Fitch. 

In terms of other strengths, such as magic, Wanda Maximoff, also known as Scarlet Witch, can be seen as another strong Avenger. She has the ability to manipulate reality and has saved the day on many occasions in the MCU, including in the last two Avengers movies. 

"There's all sorts of contenders for the role (of strongest Avenger)," said Fitch. "It depends, in terms of the comic who's writing the comic, (and) in terms of the film who's writing and directing that particular iteration of the MCU." 

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