Avengers: Disassembled through Dark Reign, the Brian Michael Bendis Era Reading Order (2004-2010)

The 2000s were a game-changer period for the Avengers, and for all of Marvel. The Avengers disassembled and then re-assembled under the pen of Brian Michael Bendis. Then, they would be dragged through half-a-decade of massive crossover events that shook up the status quo of the Marvel Universe, from House of M to Civil War to Secret Invasion to Dark Reign to Siege. The Avengers line would expand to several series that explored every aspect of these changes from the eyes of the Avengers, and the nature of these line-wide crossovers would shape the history of Marvel with ramifications that are still felt to this day. Whether you love this era or hate it, it is undeniably an incredibly important one in Marvel history, and the Avengers are at the forefront.

This reading order covers Thor (1998) #80-85, Avengers (1963) #500-503, 2004's Avengers Finale, 2004's Secret War, 2004's New Avengers, 2005's Young Avengers, Young Avengers Special, 2005's House of M, 2006's New Avengers Annual, 2006's New Avengers Illuminati one-shot and series, 2007's Civil War, Civil War: Front Line, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways, Captain America (2004) #22-25, Civil War: The Confession, Civil War: The Initiative, Thunderbolts (2006) #110-143, the four 2007-2008 Thunderbolts one-shots, 2007's Mighty Avengers, Avengers: The Initiative, World War Hulk, Avengers: The Initiative Annual, Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America, Young Avengers Presents, Thor (2007) #1-3, 2008's Secret Invasion, Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers, Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust, Secret Invasion: Requiem, Secret Invasion: Reign, the two 2009 Avengers: The Initiative one-shots, 2009's Dark Avengers, Dark Reign: New Nation, New Avengers: The Reunion, Deadpool (2008) #8-9, Dark Reign: Young Avengers, the two Dark Reign/Uncanny X-Men one-shots, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #513-514, Dark Reign - The List: Avengers, Captain America: Reborn, 2009's Dark Avengers Annual, Siege: The Cabal, 2010's Siege, Siege: Embedded, Siege: Young Avengers, Siege: Loki, Siege: Secret Warriors, and New Avengers Finale. Prior pop culture knowledge of the Avengers will help you understand this era, although it is less important as things go on.

Quality:★★★★☆ Cohesion:★★★☆☆ Accessiblity:★★★☆☆

New Avengers Sub-Era (2004-2005)

This era sees the dissolution of the old Avengers and the formation of two new teams, the New Avengers and the Young Avengers. Both teams are forced to navigate a world that needs them but doesn't want them, before the New Avengers have to deal with the thing that broke the original Avengers. New Avengers and House of M are written by Brian Michael Bendis while Young Avengers is written by Allan Heinberg.

1. Thor (1998) #80-85
• This Thor story, by Michael Avon Oeming, acts as a kind of prologue to the rest of the era. It sees the death of Thor and the Asgardians, and their absense and eventual rebirth will be very important all the way through. It also raises the concept of cycles, an idea that is never spoken about but permeates the background of every story.
2. Avengers (1963) #500-503
3. Avengers Finale (2004) #1
• The catastrophic dissolution of the original Avengers team in Avengers Disassembled, written by Brian Michael Bendis. It is unfortunately a poor introduction to the Avengers as heroes, but the Thor story helps alleviate that a little bit.
4. Secret War (2004) #1-5
• Bendis breaks SHIELD, the world-peacekeeping organization, in this series about the line between war and superheroing, further leaving Earth defenseless. It also raises concepts that will be revisited with Civil War and establishes the character of Nick Fury.
5. Young Avengers (2005) #1-6
• After the dissolution of the Avengers, a group of teens with connection to the Avengers form together to take their place and uphold their legacy. Unfortunately for them, the remaining Avengers aren't too happy about this.
6. New Avengers (2004) #1-10
• The New Avengers form in response to a massive prison break, led by old Avengers Captain America and Iron Man and starring newcomers Spider-Man, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, and Luke Cage.
7. Young Avengers (2005) #7-8
8. Young Avengers Special (2005) #1
9. Young Avengers (2005) #9-12
• The Young Avengers continue to establish themselves as they face their pasts, literally and figuratively.
10. House of M (2005) #1-8
• The threat that broke the Avengers needs to be dealt with once and for all, but things take a turn for the worse when everyone is transported into an alternate dream world where only Wolverine remembers the past. This series wraps up the threads started in Disassembled.

Civil War Sub-Era (2005-2007)

Civil War is written by Mark Millar and sees the government try to instate a law that all superhumans must register with the government or be arrested. Iron Man supports this and Captain America opposes this, and the Avengers rally around these two as they go to war over the future of superhuman rights. New Avengers is written by Bendis and Civil War: Front Line is written by Paul Jenkins.

1. New Avengers (2004) #11-20
2. New Avengers Annual (2006) #1
• A long string of New Avengers issues focusing on the criminal underworld, the aftermath of House of M, and the buildup to Civil War.
3. New Avengers: Illuminati (2006 Vol 1) #1
• A one-shot revealing that a group of superheroes (Iron Man, Mr Fantastic, Dr Strange, Namor, Professor X, and Black Bolt) have been manipulating things behind the scenes for years. This issue is primarily foreshadowing and character work, which is why it fits here.
4. Civil War (2006) #1
• The opening of Civil War, featuring the Stamford Incident and the government passing the Superhero Registration Act.
5. New Avengers (2004) #21-22
6. Civil War: Front Line (2006) #1
• The immediate reactions to Civil War's inciting incident, with the New Avengers issues following Captain America and Luke Cage, respectively. Front Line shows the effects of the Superhero Registration Act, both from the perspective of heroes and civilians. It also gives us deeper insight into Captain America and Iron Man, as well as Speedball, the only surviving hero of the Stamford Incident. This series is a great expansion of Civil War and intertwines with it pretty nicely.
7. Civil War (2006) #2
8. Civil War: Front Line (2006) #2-5
9. New Avengers (2004) #23
10. Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways (2006) #1-4
11. Captain America (2004) #22-23
• Things heat up, but don't quite reach the first big battle yet. In general, the Civil War issues are the benchmarks, so any of the issues in-between them can be read in any order between the two Civil War issues. I have ordered them in the way I think is best, however. The Captain America issues are more behind the scenes, but build up to something big that requires the context from these issues.
12. Civil War (2006) #3-4
13. Civil War: Front Line (2006) #6
14. New Avengers (2004) #24
15. Captain America (2004) #24
16. Civil War: Front Line (2006) #7-8
• Civil War 3 and 4 are a massive battle that changes the course of the war, and the following issues are its aftermath. Front Line 6 takes place during the battle, while 7 and 8 take place later.
17. Civil War (2006) #5
18. New Avengers (2004) #25
19. Civil War: Front Line (2006) #9-10
• The aftermath of the big battle in Civil War 4.
20. Civil War (2006) #6-7
• The big finale of Civil War.
21. Civil War: Front Line (2006) #11
22. Captain America (2004) #25
23. Civil War: The Confession (2007) #1
• The aftermath and epilogue to Civil War. Captain America 25 pays off that Captain America storyline, and The Confession one-shot follows that to pay off Iron Man's story arc.

Secret Invasion Sub-Era (2007-2008)

Following Civil War, the world of Marvel is changed. This era details Iron Man's new regime, the Initiative, and the world of the Superhuman Registration Act. It also explores the impact of the death of Captain America as well as the unveiling of the Skrull Secret Invasion, their plot to inflitrate Earth's superheroes and take over the world. It's a surprisingly cohesive era in terms of themes of distrust and changing tides, but there are a lot of plots to balance. New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, and Secret Invasion are written by Bendis, Avengers: The Initiative is by Dan Slott, and Thunderbolts is by Warren Ellis.

1. Civil War: The Initiative (2007) #1
• This issue sets up the status quo of the Initiative and the world the New Avengers find themselves in.
2. Thunderbolts (2006) #110-121
3. Thunderbolts: Desperate Measures (2007) #1
4. Thunderbolts: Breaking Point (2007) #1
5. Thunderbolts: International Incident (2008) #1
6. Thunderbolts: Reason in Madness (2008) #1
• The Thunderbolts get reformed as a black-ops squad led by Norman Osborn designed to take out unregistered superhumans. This book has an excellent character dynamic and establishes just what a Superhuman Registration world looks like. The four one-shots are written by Paul Jenkins.
7. New Avengers (2004) #25-32
8. The Mighty Avengers (2007) #1-6
9. New Avengers (2004) #33-35
10. The Mighty Avengers (2007) #7-8
11. New Avengers (2004) #36-37
12. New Avengers Annual (2006) #2
13. The Mighty Avengers (2007) #9-11
14. New Avengers (2004) #38
• These two Avengers series intertwine pretty tightly, almost too tightly considering the timeline doesn't quite add up. They work best in sequence like this though, establishing the status quo for both Avengers teams and beginning the build-up to Secret Invasion.
15. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #1-3
• The Initiative follows a bunch of registered Superheroes-in-training at a state-sponsored camp. It also delves into how this camp and the Initiative in general functions.
16. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #4
17. World War Hulk (2007) #1-2
18. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #5
19. World War Hulk (2007) #3-5
• The World War Hulk storyline is written by Greg Pak and sees the Hulk return to Earth after being shot into space by the Illuminati. The main miniseries follows the Illuminati, while the Initiative issues detail their involvement.
20. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #6-7
21. Avengers: The Initiative Annual (2007) #1
22. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #8-13
• The remainder of The Initiative prior to Secret Invasion. The annual is placed per the Scarlet Spiders.
23. Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America (2007) #1-5
• A miniseries by Jeph Loeb about the Avengers reacting to the death of Captain America.
24. Young Avengers Presents (2008) #1-6
• An anthology series written by different authors about the Young Avengers.
25. Avengers/Invaders (2008) #1-12
• An incredible miniseries by Alex Ross about the death of Captain America and the Superhuman Registration Act, as seen through the lens of the 1940s Invaders.
26. Thor (2007) #1-3
• Thor returns from the dead, and Asgard with him. Written by JMS.
27. New Avengers: Illuminati (2006 Vol 2) #1-5
• A deeper look into the history of the Illuminati leading up to Secret Invasion.
28. The Mighty Avengers (2007) #12-13
29. New Avengers (2004) #39
• The prologue to Secret Invasion. Mighty Avengers stars Nick Fury while New Avengers stars Echo and Wolverine.
30. Secret Invasion (2008) #1
• The opening to Secret Invasion, although the Secret Invasion miniseries and its tie-ins are really the climax to the Secret Invasion storyline that had been building up since the early days of New Avengers.
31. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #14
• The Initiative tie-ins to Secret Invasion start here, selling the wide-reaching scope the Secret Invasion truly has.
32. Secret Invasion (2008) #2
33. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #15
• Secret Invasion continues as all the pieces move into place.
34. Secret Invasion (2008) #3
35. Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers (2008) #1-3
36. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #16
37. Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? (2008) #1
• A pitched battle takes place in New York City while things escalate elsewhere. Runaways/Young Avengers is by Chris Yost and Takeshi Miyazawa. Who Do You Trust is a one-shot exploring the Secret Invasion from the perspective of some side characters, notably Captain Marvel, Noh-Varr, and the Agents of Atlas.
38. Secret Invasion (2008) #4
39. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #17-18
• The New York battle reaches its fever pitch while the heroes of the Initiative near the climax of their arcs.
40. Secret Invasion (2008) #5
41. New Avengers (2004) #40-45
42. The Mighty Avengers (2007) #14-18
• Once all the secrets are revealed in Secret Invasion #5, we get a series of flashbacks in New Avengers and Mighty Avengers detailing the history of the Secret Invasion from the perspective of the Skrulls, from its inception to the present day.
43. New Avengers (2004) #46
44. Thunderbolts (2006) #122-124
45. The Mighty Avengers (2007) #19
• A set of tie-ins in the present day featuring the villains of the world. If you read any of the Secret Invasion tie-ins, read Thunderbolts, as it's really good and important for the future. Mighty Avengers 19 has to go after Thunderbolts based on Captain Marvel.
46. Secret Invasion (2008) #6-7
47. Thunderbolts (2006) #125
• The lead-up to the final battle.
48. Secret Invasion (2008) #8
49. New Avengers (2004) #47
50. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #19
51. The Mighty Avengers (2007) #20
52. Secret Invasion: Requiem (2008) #1
• The finale to Secret Invasion. Each issue after Secret Invasion #8 is some varying degree of epilogue, listed here in the order from least to most distance from the end of Secret Invasion #8. Requiem is a one-shot that contains both an epilogue story and reprints of older stories; you only need to read the epilogue story.

Dark Reign Sub-Era (2009-2010)

In the aftermath of Secret Invasion, Norman Osborn is placed in charge of America's security and the Avengers Initiative. What follows is a Dark Reign as Norman Osborn shuts down legitimate heroes and replaces them with his corrupt supervillains to further his own agenda. This era deals as much with the workings of Osborn's regime as it does with the heroes fighting him. While most stories in this era don't intersect, they all revolve around Norman Osborn in one way or another. New Avengers, Dark Avengers, and Siege are by Bendis, Mighty Avengers is by Dan Slott, Avengers: The Initiative is by Christos Gage, and Thunderbolts is by Andy Diggle and Jeff Parker.

1. Secret Invasion: Dark Reign (2008) #1
• This issue sets up the status quo of Norman Osborn's America.
2. Avengers: The Initiative Special (2008) #1
3. Avengers: The Initiative Featuring Reptil (2009) #1
4. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #20-24
• The last missions of the Initiative before Osborn fully takes charge, making them a good place to start.
5. Thunderbolts (2006) #126-127
• Norman ousts the current Thunderbolts he doesn't like and sets the rest up for something greater.
6. New Avengers (2004) #48-49
7. Dark Avengers (2009) #1
8. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #25
9. New Avengers (2004) #50
• The New Avengers wrap up Secret Invasion while Norman Osborn forms his own Avengers, the Dark Avengers, and fully takes over the Initiative before pitting his team against the New Avengers is NA #50.
10. Dark Avengers (2009) #2-6
• The first real mission of the Dark Avengers.
11. Dark Reign: New Nation (2009) #1
12. New Avengers: The Reunion (2009) #1-4
• The New Nation one-shot shows the world reacting to Osborn's Dark Avengers. It flows right into The Reunion miniseries, by Jim McCann, which deals with Mockingbird being back from the dead after Secret Invasion. It's a good series for Hawkeye's characterization, too.
13. Thunderbolts (2006) #128-129
14. Deadpool (2008) #8
15. Thunderbolts (2006) #130
16. Deadpool (2008) #9
17. Thunderbolts (2006) #131-136
• The new Thunderbolts team forms, then crosses over with Deadpool as Deadpool tries to kill Norman Osborn.
18. The Mighty Avengers (2007) #21-33
• Basically a self-contained series about Hank Pym trying to redeem himself after Secret Invasion. It fits best here due to the condition of Osborn's Cabal.
19. Dark Reign: Young Avengers (2009) #1-5
• Osborn tries to form his own team of Young Avengers.
20. New Avengers (2004) #51-54
21. Thunderbolts (2006) #137
• The New Avengers continue to battle The Hood. Thunderbolts #137 is a standalone issue by Rick Remender about Osborn trying to blackmail Luke Cage into joining the Thunderbolts.
22. Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia (2009) #1
23. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #513
24. Dark Avengers (2009) #7
25. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #514
26. Dark Avengers (2009) #8
27. Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus (2009) #1
• The Utopia crossover sees Osborn try to form his own team of X-Men to control the mutant population.
28. New Avengers (2004) #55-60
29. Dark Reign - The List: Avengers (2009) #1
30. New Avengers Annual (2009) #3
• The continuing adventures of the New Avengers. The List and the annual are placed per Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. The annual is listed as a 2009 annual on Marvel Unlimited, but it is #3 following the numbering of the 2006 annual.
31. Captain America: Reborn (2009) #1-6
• A flashback miniseries by Ed Brubaker detailing how the Avengers help bring Captain America back to life.
32. Dark Avengers Annual (2009) #11
33. Dark Avengers (2009) #9-12
• Dark Avengers fits best here, with the annual making the most sense before issue #9.
34. The Mighty Avengers (2007) #34
35. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #26-31
36. Thunderbolts (2006) #138-140
37. Siege: The Cabal (2009) #1
38. Dark Avengers (2009) #13-15
• The lead-up to Siege. Mighty Avengers fits best first since it's the most disconnected from the rest, then Initiative since it starts the earliest. Initiative, Dark Avengers, and Thunderbolts tie-in to The Cabal one-shot and the start of Siege, but Dark Avengers fits best as a direct prelude to Siege.
39. Siege (2010) #1
• The proper beginning of Siege, with the Volstagg Incident and the start of the assault on Asgard.
40. Siege: Embedded (2010) #1
• A sequel series to Civil War: Front Line, showing the battle from the civilian perspective and doing good character work for Volstagg.
41. Siege (2010) #2
42. New Avengers (2004) #61-62
43. Siege: Embedded (2010) #2
44. Thunderbolts (2006) #141
• The battle of Asgard is joined in full force. The New Avengers issues take place primarily before Siege, but end during Siege #2. The continuity with NA #60 and the annual is a little wonky since #60 leads right into #61 per Captain America, but Jessica Jones' and Luke Cage's arc in the annual takes place between those issues, as per the dialogue, but this seems like the best way to do it story-wise. The rest of the tie-ins can be read in any order respective to the Siege issues, but are ordered in the way that I think is best.
45. Siege (2010) #3
46. Thunderbolts (2006) #142
47. Siege: Young Avengers (2010) #1
48. New Avengers (2004) #63
49. Siege: Embedded (2010) #3
• Siege #3 ends with a big event that flows best into Thunderbolts and Young Avengers since they take place right after to help sell the impact.
50. Siege (2010) #4
• The finale of Siege.
51. Siege: Loki (2010) #1
52. Siege: Secret Warriors (2010) #1
53. New Avengers (2004) #64
54. Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #32-35
55. Thunderbolts (2006) #143
56. Siege: Embedded (2010) #4
• These tie-ins all primarily take place before Siege #4, but have enough epilogue that they need to go afterwards. They are ordered based on the amount of epilogue, so Siege: Loki is primarily during Siege while Embedded has the best epilogue. While the Initiative issues could maybe be split up, there is enough going on that they work best as a singular read about the fall of HAMMER. The ending to Thunderbolts is probably the last scene chronologically, but it fits best here as Siege epilogue since other issues have better endings.
57. The Mighty Avengers (2007) #35-36
• Basically a standalone story that finishes the redemption of Hank Pym, with enough references to Siege that it is best read after to preserve Siege's story.
58. Dark Avengers (2009) #16
59. New Avengers: Finale (2010) #1
• Two epilogue issues wrapping up loose ends and providing closure. Dark Avengers focuses on Norman Osborn and the Dark Reign storyline while New Avengers focuses on the New Avengers stories and characters with an eye to the future.