'Avengers: Age of Ultron': See the First Appearances of All Your Favorite 'Avengers'
Check out comics from the 1940's, 50's and 60's.
-- With the red carpet premiere of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" happening Monday in Los Angeles, the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson could be attending to celebrate the biggest movie of the year.
But long before these actors took on the roles of Iron Man and Black Widow on screen, the characters graced the pages of Marvel Comics. Here's a look back at all their first appearances.
Black Widow – in Tales of Suspense #52, Natasha aka Black Widow meets Tony Stark aka Iron man for the first time way back when in 1964. In fact, she was “the gorgeous new menace” at first, not an Avengers. She’s also dressed to the nines, not the black suit you are used to in the movie.
Captain America – Talk about iconic, we see Cap fighting Hitler in his first appearance way back during WWII in 1941. The Captain really was a rallying cry against Hitler and the Nazis back in the 1940’s. By the way, a copy of Captain America #1 sold for north of $300,000 a few years back.
The Falcon – In 1968, we get our first look at The Falcon in Captain America #117. Now, we know all these years later that Falcon eventually takes over and becomes the new Captain America. Back in the 1960’s Falcon actually had a pet falcon!
Hawkeye – Hawkeye first appeared in 1959 and immediately clashed with Iron Man. The cover even says, “How can one man with a strange bow and arrow harm ol’shell-head? Don’t try to answer till you’ve seen the sensational Hawkeye.” He also teamed up with Black Widow, so things haven’t changed all that much.
The Incredible Hulk – Our favorite green giant came to be in 1962 in “The Incredible Hulk” #1, a classic from icon Jack Kirby. Now played by Mark Ruffalo in the “Avengers,” the question still remains “Is he man or monster or … is he both.”
Iron Man – “He lives! He Walks! He Conquers!” Long before Robert Downey Jr. took on the role of Iron Man, a metal man changed the face of comics forever in Tales of Suspense #39 in 1959. From that point on, Tony Stark became one of Marvel’s most exciting superheroes.
Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch – In only the 4th issue of X-Men in 1964, the team’s arch nemesis Magneto brought some new characters into the fold – namely Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson might be new to the Marvel movies but their characters have been around for quite a while.
Thor – Thor began swinging his hammer long before he hit the big screen. In 1952, he became one of the first Marvel superheroes in Journey Into Mystery #83. He was called “The most exciting superhero of all time!"
The Vision – “Behold … the Vision” The Vision was just as imposing back in 1963 when he first appeared in Avengers #57. Will the Vision be good or bad in "Age of Ultron," we’ll have to wait till May 1 to see!
Make sure to check abcnews.com at 9:30 p.m. ET for an exclusive live stream from the Los Angeles red carpet premiere of “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”