The Avengers have more iterations than fans can sometimes count, with the New Avengers being a group rostered by heroes ranging from icons of the Marvel Universe to lesser-known characters who still manage to pull their weight with the best of them. Including the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Luke Cage, and the more recently repopularized character known as the Sentry, the New Avengers once named who they considered to be their greatest member, with the hero in question being a surprising yet spot-on choice.

A character who recently made his live-action debut in the MCU’s well-received Thunderbolts* film, Robert Reynolds aka the Sentry, was created in 2000 under the Marvel Knights banner by Paul Jenkins, Rick Veitch, and Jae Lee, and was retroactively inserted into the history of Marvel Universe as a powerful force to be reckoned with.

In an issue of The New Avengers from its inaugural comic run back in 2005, Iron Man tells Captain America that Wolverine, not Sentry, was the “missing ingredient” and most important member of the then-current New Avengers team, something that Cap doesn’t agree with at all.

Wolverine Is the New Avengers’ Greatest Member According to Iron Man

The New Avengers #6 - 2005 (Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch)

Disbanding in the wake of 2004’s Avengers Disassembled, the Avengers soon became the New Avengers, with the team continuing to add heroes to its roster during its opening arc. Opposed to Wolverine ing at Iron Man’s behest thanks to Logan’s constant attempts at killing people, Captain America calls a sidebar to express to Tony how Wolverine is “a murderer,” with Iron Man arguing how the original Avengers “didn’t truly come together” until the “last ingredient” that was Captain America arrived. Going on to call Wolverine the “missing ingredient” for the New Avengers, Cap can do little to push back.

Explaining how “for this team, for this situation, in this world,” Wolverine — much like how Captain America was for the Avengers — is the glue that makes it all possible, Tony continues to say how the New Avengers “can’t afford not to have him,” and how they’ll need someone “to go to that place that we can’t,” convincing Cap to allow Logan on the team. Rightfully pointing out that Wolverine is a killer, Cap can’t deny that Logan is an integral asset from a logistical standpoint, with his versatility on the battlefield trumping the nigh-omnipotent might of the Sentry any day.

Sentry Is Near Omnipotent but Wolverine Still Edges Him Out Where It Counts

Sentry Has Been Rostered on Multiple Marvel Teams Over the Years

So where does that leave the all-powerful Sentry if Iron Man considers Wolverine to be the most essential ingredient for the team? For starters, there’s no question that Sentry could wipe the floor with nearly all versions of the Avengers single-handedly, but with his mentals not always in order and his reluctance to give his worser half, the Void, any semblance of control over him, and it makes sense that Wolverine would go down as a core member of the New Avengers, easily earning him the spot at the top of the list as one of the team’s greatest heroes.

Sentry served on the Avengers, New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, and Dark Avengers

While Sentry, Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man, are just a few of the greats who have made up the New Avengers, the fact that Iron Man wholeheartedly believes that Wolverine is the “one last ingredient” that this specific iteration of the team needs to “truly come together” says a lot about not just who Wolverine is as a hero, but how Logan's presence improves any superteam he’s rostered on, regardless of his overly brutal methods. Sentry is one of the most powerful on any Avengers squad, but as for who the greatest New Avenger is, that’s all Wolverine.

The New Avengers #6 is available from Marvel Comics.