In DC Comics, the Justice League made its debut in March 1960.
At that time, in issue #28 of The Brave and the Bold, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman teamed up for the first time to fight the starfish alien, Starro. This marked the first official appearance of the Justice League.
Two years later, in 1962, issue #9 of Justice League of America presented the earliest canonical origin story of the Justice League.
In that version, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter each defeated five separate alien invaders on their own, then teamed up to defeat a sixth alien together.
Finally, the five heroes joined forces with Superman and Batman to repel the final invader.
After this event, the seven heroes decided to form a team to face even greater threats. Thus, the "Justice League of America," later simply known as the "Justice League," was officially founded.
However, under Martin's recommendation, Warner Bros.' version of the Justice League was streamlined.
The original seven founding members were reduced to four core members.
Characters with relatively weaker popularity—such as Batman, Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter—were temporarily removed from the plan.
This was mainly because this was a film, not a comic book. Too many main characters would complicate the story, possibly making it bloated and chaotic.
Martin briefly explained Warner's Justice League plan to Avi Arad and Stan Lee.
The two exchanged glances, clearly surprised.
Warner's idea was strikingly similar to theirs.
They were also planning to cut some less prominent heroes from The Avengers, instead focusing on Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor, with Spider-Man, Black Widow, Ant-Man, and Scarlet Witch as supporting characters.
Interestingly, The Avengers was created much later than Justice League.
In 1960, DC launched the first true "superhero team" in comic history—the Justice League—which became a huge success. This team-based format of superhero storytelling quickly captured readers' enthusiasm.
At that time, Marvel was nearly bankrupt, and Stan Lee, considering a career change, made a last-ditch effort by launching the first superhero team in Marvel's history—
Wait, are you expecting The Avengers to show up here?
In fact, the team that emerged was called—The Fantastic Four.
They were Marvel's first-ever superhero team.
Back then, Marvel didn't have powerful icons like Superman or Batman. With no strong characters to rally fans, it wasn't the right time to gather existing heroes.
So instead, they created the somewhat quirky Fantastic Four as an experimental attempt.
Surprisingly, it was a huge success.
Fantastic Four was a hit as soon as it hit the shelves, pulling Marvel back from the brink.
This success boosted Marvel's confidence and gave them valuable experience for assembling a larger hero team later on.
In September 1963, Marvel's main heroes officially assembled for the first time—The Avengers was born!
The birth of The Avengers reignited Marvel's momentum, putting it on equal footing with DC as a comics powerhouse.
In this chapter of "Ancient Comics," we explore how The Avengers came into being.
Although their origin story in the comics was quite different from that in the films, both shared a common villain—Loki.
Yes, that same Loki with the complicated love-hate relationship with his brother, Thor.
The story centers on Loki, who, trapped on "Isle of Silence," sends his spirit to Earth to seek revenge on Thor. He uses magic to sabotage a railway and frames Hulk for it, tricking Thor into thinking Hulk is the villain and provoking a fight between the two—while Loki waits to reap the benefits.
On Earth, a group called the "Teen Brigade" believes Hulk is innocent. They broadcast a radio signal, hoping to summon the Fantastic Four to investigate.
But Loki intercepts the signal. While he interferes with the Fantastic Four's reception, by sheer chance, the signal reaches Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Iron Man.
These heroes, who would soon become the first Avengers, band together to find Hulk. Together, they defeat Loki and clear Hulk's name.
Because of their successful cooperation—including Hulk—they decide to officially form a team.
In the end, it's Wasp who gives the team its iconic name: The Avengers.
When many viewers, especially non-English-speaking ones, first hear the name "The Avengers," they might find it odd—Who are they avenging?
Why did Wasp think it was a "cool" name?
This actually has to do with the deeper meaning of the word "avenge" in English.
There are two common English words related to revenge:
"Revenge"
"Avenge" (as used in The Avengers)
While "revenge" typically refers to personal vendettas or payback, "avenge" carries a nobler connotation. It often means delivering justice, avenging on behalf of others, or punishing evil—not for oneself, but for a greater cause.
So the more accurate translation of "The Avengers" might be something like "The Justice Seekers" or "The Righteous Vengeance League."
Feels a bit like something out of Water Margin, doesn't it? (Shut the fuck up!)
Anyway, enough digression.
After watching Iron Man unfold, Avi Arad and Stan Lee were increasingly impressed and convinced.
Avi Arad tentatively asked, "Martin, would you be interested in directing Iron Man again?"
Martin shook his head and politely declined, "I'm too busy—I might not have the time. If the first film can get things rolling, the director won't matter as much later. As long as the style continues, that's what counts."
Avi Arad looked a little disappointed, but also relieved—he was afraid Martin would make outrageous demands.
Martin prepared to leave.
But just as he reached the door, he hesitated.
After a moment's thought, he turned back to Avi Arad and Stan Lee and said, "You two better prepare yourselves. I've received word that starting this November, the Writers Guild of America is planning a major strike. When that happens, all of Hollywood will grind to a halt. If you've got any projects lined up, you should either speed them up or delay them."
Avi Arad was shocked. "Is that true, Martin?"
Martin shrugged. "The source who told me wouldn't lie to me."
In fact, Martin knew this massive strike would last for about 100 days, ending only in February 2008. It would cause $2.1 billion in economic losses and wipe out 37,700 jobs across the U.S. film and television industry and its surrounding sectors.
Of course, Martin had all this information from the memories of 2nd Martin.