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Avengers West Coast
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First Appearance
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The West Coast Avengers #1 (September, 1984)
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Creators
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Roger Stern, Bob Hall
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Members
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Hawkeye, Mockingbird, War Machine, Wonder Man, Tigra, Iron Man, Thing, Yellowjacket, Moon Knight, Firebird, The Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Vision
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HQ
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Avengers Compound, Los Angeles
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Rallying Cry
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Avengers Assemble
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Paraphernalia
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None
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Aliases
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The West Coast Avengers
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The Avengers West Coast (AKA the West Coast Avengers) are a superhero team faction of the Avengers in the Marvel Universe.
Origin[]
The superhero Hawkeye, inspired by fellow Avenger Vision's desire to expand the Avengers' influence, creates a new team to fight crime on the American west coast.
History[]
During an event known as the Secret Wars, a large number of superheroes where taken off planet by the entity known as the Beyonder, including a number of significant members of the superhero team The Avengers. With the superhero the Vision taking over as chairman from previous chairwoman the Wasp, the decision is made to expand the ranks of the Avengers with the incoming threat of the Dire Wraiths, a group of alien invaders. After being given government permission to do so, the Vision appointed Hawkeye the chairman of the new West Coast Avengers, who set about forming a new team and headquarters. There was also an attempt to form a Midwest Avengers team at the time, though was aborted when Vision's choice for leader, the super-powered psychiatrist Doc Samson, declined. Hawkeye was able to convince a number of heroes to join his team including hia wife Mockingbird, the half-human/half-feline Tigra, the super powered actor Wonder Man and James Rhodes, who had taken up the mantle of Iron Man. Together, the team defeated the villain known as Graviton and proved to themselves they could work as a team.
Though the West Coast Avengers proved their mettle, they were also aware that they were somewhat more irreverent than the original Avengers and sometimes referred to themselves as "Wackos". During a time travelling adventure, they were assisted by the heroes Hank Pym and Moon Knight, both of whom accepted membership invitations to the team shortly thereafter. However, the events of their time travelling adventure put a rift between Mockingbird and Hawkeye when Hawkeye learned that she allowed the Phantom Rider, a former western hero who kidnapped her and used drugs to brainwash her into being her lover, to fall to his death following a battle between the two. Mockingbird ended up leaving the team with Moon Knight and Tigra and formed a new team with Bill Foster, though Tigra and Mockingbird would later return.
As the Avengers were a government sanctioned team, the US government eventually placed the arrogant patriotic hero U.S. Agent in the role as leader, causing Hawkeye to quit in protest. In search of direction, Hawkeye learned of a new unsanctioned team of Avengers, called the Great Lakes Avengers, and decided to investigate with Mockingbird. This Avengers team would eventually assist the two others against magnate Jerimiah Random, who was controlled by the entity That Which Endures. The two found the team to be well-intentioned but somewhat bumbling heroes and decided to provide the team with guidance. Meanwhile, the West Coast Avengers recruited Jim Hammond, the Human Torch who fought evil prior to and during World War II, though his tenure was brief.
The Scarlet Witch, meanwhile, was under tremendous pressure after the Vision was seemingly destroyed, being kidnapped by the forces of the gods Set and That Which Endures and the influence of the villain Immortus. When her mentor arrived to reveal her twin sons were not real and were merely magical constructs, she went mad. Her father, the villain Magneto, took advantage of her erratic mental state and manipulated her into helping him. The West Coast Avengers had to travel into Limbo to save Scarlet Witch from Immortus and Magneto and help her regain her sanity. After a battle with an army of Immortus' minions, they were able to help the Scarlet Witch and she rejoined the team. Scarlet Witch's brother Quicksilver, a super speed-powered hero, also joined the team, albeit in an unofficial status, though would leave after being recruited into the superhero team X-Factor.
The team eventually had to team up with the core Avengers team and the Great Lakes Avengers to battle two Termini, gargantuan powerful entities created for the express purpose of planetary destruction, and emerged victorious. Meanwhile the team coped with individual problems; Tigra got over her own inner conflicts with the help of witch Agatha Harkness, Wonder Man and Scarlet Witch faced the villain and Wonder Man's brother Grim Reaper (then a zombie created by necromancy) and the Torch got into a fight with new member Living Lightning.