There are countless storylines that Marvel Comics had to drop from their run of Marvel Cinematic Universe while also planning out their significant events such as Avengers Assemble, Sins of Sinister, Summer of Symbiotes, Dark Web, Captain America Cold War and Fall of X. Many of these massive moments will have an impact on the Avengers roster.
There are so many stories that have been largely ignored but could be picked up again in some capacity, whether they're in a past crossover event or a turning point within a previous run of The Avengers. Sometimes the comics naturally move past these beats — it's a normal hazard of comics continuity, what with so many narrative plates spinning and frequently rotating creative teams trying to keep them aloft — yet there is some further content to mine from those stories which could provide further emotional conflict, or perhaps help to bring a character back into the forefront.
10 Mech Creations
Marvel Comics has recently commissioned a few standalone narratives involving the creation of mech suits, including Avengers Mech Strike and Monster Hunters, which the Earth's mightiest heroes equip to do battle with some of the most violent villains in the Marvel Universe. It's a fun twist on the normal costumes, but the stories haven't been acknowledged elsewhere.
It seems odd that such a big advancement in the technology of the team has barely been touched upon. Indeed, there are Avengers-level threats, like the attacking Celestial, that might have been slightly easier to deal with, had these mechs come into play. Unfortunately, the abandoned storyline appears to exist in its own bubble away from the major arcs.
9 The Initiative And Academy
The Avengers Initiative and eventually Avengers Academy runs were both pretty popular for their portrayal of young heroes entering this dangerous world, after the impact of the Superhero Registration Act. Although the narratives ran their course, there has been little in the way of following up on these titles since they have been completed.
A couple of the new teen heroes have made an impact elsewhere, but with the advent of the Strange Academy, the failings of the previous educational institutions don't seem to have been ed. In fact, considering the Initiative and Academy were supposed to be training facilities for the next generation of Avengers, it seems peculiar that none of them have been positioned in the team.
8 DC Crossovers
In previous crossover events, the DC and Marvel universes have collided with one another in a spectacular display of superhero conflict. It was an amazing time to be a comic book fan, although those types of narratives are very rare, now that the financial stakes for each company are far higher than ever before. Despite the size of those moments, they have seemingly been forgotten.
While there are actors who appeared in both DC and Marvel, it's shocking to know that there are also characters that jumped between worlds. No Avengers comic in the years since has made mention of that time they fought Superman, or the occasion when Batman just so happened to be in the neighborhood. It's a shame the Multiversal connection couldn't continue.
7 H.A.M.M.E.R.
Norman Osborn was a major element of the Dark Reign storyline, which culminated in the siege and thus destruction of Asgard. During that time period he created an organization known as H.A.M.M.E.R. which was intended to be a variation on S.H.I.E.L.D. Its importance cannot be overstated and readers were waiting to hear what the acronym actually stood for.
Among the best Dark Reign storylines was the continued politics of H.A.M.M.E.R. which would prove to be a dangerous adversary for the Secret Avengers. After Norman lost his power, the organization returned one more time, before it was completely forgotten. H.A.M.M.E.R. could have easily been a continued Avengers threat, and readers never even got to know what the name meant.
6 Impact Of The Skrull Infiltration
The Skrull infiltration during the Secret Invasion arc had big ramifications for the long-term Marvel Universe, including the promotion of Norman Osborn and the start of Dark Reign. However, those heroes who had been swapped out for alternative Skrulls never seemed to have any big consequences as Avengers stories have developed in the modern era.
Looking across all the heroes that were replaced by the Skrulls, there should be narrative beats that continue to haunt the team now. After all, there could be security systems that were manipulated, past decisions made that were not in good faith, or procedures put in place that now don't benefit the team at all. There are plenty of twists that could still be developed, had the story not been dropped.
5 Seer Security
The Civil War II event saw the Avengers battle among themselves, as they decided whether the powers of an Inhuman that could see the future should be used to their advantage. It was deemed to be a breaking of civil rights, with some Avengers arresting criminals before they had actually committed the acts they were supposedly going to.
While the civil war would ultimately resolve the issue despite the harsh realities of a reread, and this seer security plan was put to bed, the topic itself has never been brought up again. There are characters in the Marvel Universe currently with this same power like the X-Men's Destiny, yet no one from the Avengers has decided to even mention the potential dangers thus dropping the story.
4 Coulson's Betrayal
Agent Phil Coulson was first introduced in the MCU before becoming a mainstay of the comics. He was a firm ally to the Avengers, until his death and resurrection by Mephisto's hand. The Heroes Reborn story commenced and Coulson was finally jaded by everything he had seen, turning evil in the process and attempting to replace Earth's heroes.
While the classic Heroes Reborn story was revisited, the aftermath of this modern incarnation has not been. Coulson's attempt to take down the Avengers could have been played out further, but the story has been dropped. Coulson as a villain with a warped and hellish mind, is an intriguing prospect that didn't get enough time to really develop to its full potential.
3 Godly Avatars
The age of Khonshu saw Moon Knight attempt to carry out the order of his moon god, a deity that put the Avengers in its crosshairs. The story itself wasn't fully dropped from Moon Knight's own arc, with the Avengers themselves keeping tabs on the vigilante's development after he attempted to destroy his former teammates in the name of his Egyptian master.
Powerful Asgardian gods aren't the only deities to populate the Marvel Universe. In fact, the Avengers have heroes on their roster, like Black Panther, who act as the avatars to their own gods (in his case Bast). The storyline itself has been dropped though, with no actual precautions put in place to protect against future threats that could play out the exact same way, whether it's Bast, Phoenix, Khonshu, or someone else.
2 Dark Avengers
The Dark Avengers were a creation of Norman Osborn, which tarnished the legacy of the famous Marvel team. Consisting of like Ares and Sentry, while the likes of Mac Gargan and Daken disguised themselves as familiar heroes, the group had its time in the spotlight and were dropped once the Dark Reign narrative had concluded.
In recent years the concept of the Dark Avengers has not resurfaced, which is odd considering how prominently some of those characters were used. The history of figures such as Daken and Ares in this context is also not touched upon and there has not been a renewed interest in this kind of villainous unit, perhaps because the Thunderbolts largely took the spot once more.
1 MCU Continuation
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has actually crossed over with the comics previously. There have been multiple tie-in comics that act as preludes and fill in some of the narrative details of the big screen environment so that those who seek out those pages will get a deeper understanding of the characters and the world that they love.
But most of these storylines have been dropped. Whether they change the MCU characters slightly, add some backstory, give context to a plot or even feature a small team-up, none of these Avengers comics moments end up lasting on the page or the screen. Indeed, despite supposedly being canon, they are dropped every time, making the tie-in comics largely redundant.
