Claim: Hulk(comics) is a fictional American superhero.

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 -LRB- cover-dated Sept. 1963 -RRB- , created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby , inspired by the success of DC Comics ' Justice League of America .   Labeled `` Earth 's Mightiest Heroes '' , the Avengers originally consisted of Ant-Man , the Hulk , Iron Man , Thor , and the Wasp . Ant-Man had become Giant-Man by issue # 2 . The original Captain America was discovered trapped in ice in issue # 4 , and joined the group after they revived him . A rotating roster became a hallmark of the series , although one theme remained consistent : the Avengers fight `` the foes no single superhero can withstand . '' The team , famous for its battle cry of `` Avengers Assemble ! '' , has featured humans , mutants , Inhumans , androids , aliens , supernatural beings , and even former villains .   The team has appeared in a wide variety of media outside of comic books including a number of different animated television series and direct-to-video films . The 2012 live-action feature film The Avengers , directed by Joss Whedon , set numerous records during its box office run , including one of the biggest opening debuts in North America , with a weekend gross of $ 207.4 million . A second Avengers film titled Avengers : Age of Ultron was released on May 1 , 2015 .