10 Best Avengers Time Travel Comics

Avengers: Endgame introduced the concept of time travel to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which opened the doors for the MCU to tell multiverse stories. The latest MCU Phase has been dominated by multiverse stories, from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to Spider-Man: No Way Home to Loki‘s two seasons on Disney+.

The Avengers have traveled through time several times, battling Kang the Conqueror and his Council of Kangs across Marvel’s timeline. Likewise, comic series like Young Avengers and Avengers Forever feature Avengers from the past, present, future, and larger multiverse.

10 Marvel’s Ultimates Return

Ultimate Invasion

After the Secret Wars event in 2015, Marvel destroyed its Ultimate Universe, and only several characters survived, like Reed Richards/The Maker and Miles Morales. However, Ultimate Invasion brought them all back. The Maker began manipulating time and the multiverse to restore his destroyed universe.

Ultimate Invasion was an incredible blast from the past for fans of Marvel’s Ultimate comics. The Maker’s manipulations led to the creation of a brand-new Ultimate Universe with new titles like Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Black Panther, and Ultimate X-Men.

9 Kang The Conqueror Vs. The Avengers

Avengers #8 by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby

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Can any one man defeat the Avengers? Stan Lee posed that question on the cover of Avengers #8, as Kang the Conqueror appears for the first time, deflecting all the Avengers’ attacks, even Thor‘s hammer. Kang is such an interesting character. He is a villain who travels from Marvel’s future, possessing advanced technology and intimate knowledge of the Avengers team.

How do the Avengers defeat someone who hasn’t even been born yet? Someone who can travel back in time and try again and again. Decades later, the Avengers are still trying to overcome the challenge that is Kang after facing him in several time travel stories.

8 The Avengers Are “Lost in Space-Time”

West Coast Avengers #17-22 by Steve Englehart, Al Milgrom, Joe Sinnott & Ken Feduniewicz

“Lost in Space-Time” is yet another example of time travel gone wrong. The comic arc is incredible, as Dominus lures the West Coast Avengers onto a version of Doctor Doom‘s time pad and sends them hurtling into Marvel’s past. With no way to travel back to the future, Iron Man tries to rig the time pad to send them forward in time rather than backward.

The West Coast Avengers ultimately travel to Marvel’s Wild West and even to ancient Egypt, where they encounter Rama-Tut. He was an early and alternate version of Kang the Conqueror who would possess his own time machine and attempt to conquer the world in the past.

7 First Appearance Of Immortus

Avengers #10 by Stan Lee, Don Heck, Dick Ayers & Stan Goldberg

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Just two issues after Kang first appeared in Avengers comics, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes meet Immortus, another time-traveling villain, who ultimately was revealed as just another alternate version of Kang. Immortus had battled the Avengers for years before becoming the lord of Marvel’s Limbo.

Keeping track of Kang’s divergent history across Marvel’s timeline and multiverse could be a full-time job. Immortus is an incredible villain, just like Kang, who can manipulate time, effectively making himself immortal. His first battle with the Avengers in issue #10 was just a taste of what was to come.

6 The Avengers Of The Multiverse Assemble!

Avengers Forever (2021)

Over two decades after Marvel published the original Avengers Forever, Marvel Comics released a second Avengers Forever miniseries, which utilized a similar concept. However, instead of Avengers from Marvel’s timeline, the 2021 Avengers Forever also featured Avengers from Marvel’s multiverse.

Ghost Rider leads a multiversal army of Avengers, including alternate versions of the X-Men, Peggy Carter’s Captain Britain, and Tony Stark as the Invincible Ant-Man, against Marvel’s greatest villains. Marvel definitely needs to publish bombastic, large-scale multiversal comics like Avengers Forever more often.

5 Iron Lad Is A Heroic Version Of Kang

Young Avengers (2005)

The Young Avengers aren’t a “time-traveling” superhero team like the Exiles of the X-Men corner of Marvel Comics, but time travel has affected the bulk of their comic series, whether they’re aware of it or not. Iron Lad was one of the original members of the Young Avengers, sidekicks to Marvel’s Avengers who branched off on their own, similar to DC’s Teen Titans.

However, Iron Lad was secretly a version of Kang from an alternate future who traveled back in time and became a hero. Many MCU fans hope to see a live-action version of Iron Lad potentially following the next wave of Avengers films.

4 Kang Vs. Kang In “The Celestial Madonna Saga”

Avengers #129-134 by Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema, Joe Staton & Bill Mantlo

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The “Celestial Madonna Saga” is a little strange, and Kang is more sinister than ever regarding his intentions. Apparently, a woman will become “the perfect human,” so Kang hopes to create a perfect heir to his future empire with her. The motivations are unsettling, but the action and saga itself are incredibly enjoyable.

“The Celestial Madonna Saga” features some of the best appearances from the Council of Kangs. Each version of Kang has its own agenda and goals, stepping on each other’s toes with the Avengers caught in the middle.

3 Kang & The Uncanny Avengers Avenge The Earth

Uncanny Avengers #18-22 (2014) by Rick Remender & Daniel Acuña

In an alternate future, Earth has become Planet X, a world dominated by mutants. It’s the ultimate utopia that Apocalypse has always dreamed of, taking Magneto’s goals of mutant superiority to dangerous extremes. The Avengers’ Wasp is the only human left on the planet, and she is forced to team up with Kang and his time-traveling police force.

Uncanny Avengers was one of the best comics from Marvel’s All-New era. It combined members from the Avengers and X-Men teams. “Avenge the Earth” was the best arc of the series, feeling like a natural blend of classic Avengers and X-Men comics.

2 Wolverine Changes Marvel’s Past

Age of Ultron

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MCU fans who’ve never read the Age of Ultron comic series are in for a shock. Age of Ultron is nothing like the Avengers: Age of Ultron MCU film. The film is extremely simple and streamlined compared to the comic, which features Avengers and X-Men traveling to Marvel’s past and future.

Wolverine and the Fantastic Four’s Invisible Woman are the stars of the Age of Ultron comic. While the rest of the Avengers travel to the future to stop Ultron, Wolverine travels to the past to kill Hank Pym before he can ever create Ultron, completely altering the timeline with disastrous results.

1 The Avengers Of Marvel’s Past, Present & Future

Avengers Forever (1998)

Versions of Kang have been at war for centuries across Marvel’s timeline, and the Avengers always seem to get pulled into his mess. Created by Kurt Busiek, Roger Stern and Carlos Pacheco, the original Avengers Forever 12-issue miniseries from 1998 featured appearances from Avengers in displaced times.

Versions of Captain America, Hank Pym and Kang himself were ripped from various points in Marvel’s past, present and future. Avengers were forced to team up with Kang to defeat… a different Kang. Avengers Forever is regarded as one of Marvel’s best time-travel comics, shoulder to shoulder with X-Men’s Days of Future Past.

The Avengers

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Marvel’s Avengers first appeared in 1963. While Marvel Comics premier superhero team has boasted a rotating cast of heroes, and even spinoff franchises like the West Coast Avengers, heroes like The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, The Wasp, and Thor are mainstays of this potent franchise that has helped defined Marvel Comics and the MCU.