Super Sunday Special: The Big Three - History Of a Friendship

The following essay was originally written by me for Assembled! 2, a book by Van Allen Plexico and the rest of the AA Boards published in 2009. I was moderator of the boards back then, and we were all offered the chance to contribute to this and the unfortunately unpublished Assembled! 3. I decided to chronicle the 45+ years of friendship between Cap, Thor and Iron Man, from the early days until the original Civil War. For various reasons, it took a while for the book to be printed, by which time it wasn't completely up to date anymore and some changes were necessary, but the following is the essay as it was originally written. Incidentally, two more contributors - Doug and Karen - have gone on to create the Bronze Age Babies blog. I recommend you check it out. 

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“When I awoke, decades later, the first thing I heard was a deep, jovial howl. Thor’s laughter. And then another voice. Educated. Proper. But hollow – as if it was spoken through a metal pipe… They were the future. The Avengers.” (Captain America @ Avengers V3 #63).

Captain America, Thor and Iron Man, often referred to by readers as “The Big Three”. The history of the group owes a lot to them: they are founders – retroactively in Captain America’s case – have been team leaders and served some of the longest stints of membership, and when you see them interacting with each other, using their real names, asking or giving advice, or discussing private matters that they hide from everybody else, you can almost feel how close they are.

But it was not always this way: like every real relationship, the friendship between Captain America, Thor and Iron-Man has evolved through the years, starting as simple respect between “colleagues” and going through good and bad times, moments of confidence and of betrayal, of support and of hostility. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss how this evolution occurred throughout the 500+ Avengers issues, and to try to understand what makes the Big Three essentially like each other, and where their disagreements stem from.

THE BEGINNING

Like just about everything else in the Marvel Universe, it all begins with the Lee’s era. After all, it’s Smiling Stan who creates the Avengers, making Thor and Iron-Man two of the founders, and it’s once again him who, in #4, brings Captain America back to the modern era, adding him to the team. In hindsight, this was a prophetical move. Cap could have been brought back in a number of ways, not last through the Fantastic Four, who after all were “The world’s greatest comics magazine”. And yet it happened through the Avengers, almost as if Stan wanted to add a myth to a myth-to-be, a bright but fading-into-oblivion star to one that was just rising, aiming to the skies.

Over the years, many stories set in the past, or involving time travelling, show early and forgotten encounters between Captain America, Thor and Iron-Man, but the first official one is in Avengers #4. In that story, both Thor and Iron-Man show to be familiar with the story of Captain America, immediately recognizing his shield and costume, and a few pages later, Cap himself is quickly impressed by the might and valour of those who saved him. In a way, this is the birth of a friendship, but it’s clear that at the time Lee did not want to commit the trio in this direction; there are some nice moments between the characters, especially in #6, with Thor encouraging Cap to stop looking back at his past, and in #7, with the Captain offering help to Iron-Man, but overall interpersonal relations are generally rather cold, as it is with people whose only connection is the job they share. At this stage, Captain America, Thor and Iron-Man appreciate each other skills and contributions to the team, but are not any closer than with Wasp or Giant-Man. Obviously there is respect, but not quite enough trust to reveal their secrets, which is natural considering that they have only been comrades for a few weeks. This is highlighted particularly in #10, where Cap is easily tricked by Immortus into believing that the Avengers betrayed him. Not much later, in #16, Thor and Iron-Man take a long leave of absence, leaving the team in Cap’s hands and thereby putting a temporary stop to any chance of further strengthening their friendship.

This move resulted in an interesting, and probably unwanted, side effect: while Captain America quickly rises into becoming the heart of the team, Thor and Iron-Man give the impression to be in a class of their own, above even the good Captain. This will be highlighted by a number of small details in the following years, reaching its peak when the two of them reveal their secret IDs to each other, but not to Cap. More on this later.

With Thor and Iron-Man not in the Avengers book for many years, the interaction between the Big Three is almost inexistent during most of the Thomas era. Better moments take place in their own books, for example in Captain America #112, showing a broken Tony Stark deeply mourning the apparent death of Cap at the hands of Hydra. Thanks to Kirby’s powerful art, this issue makes it obvious how important the Captain was for Tony, and how tragic his loss is. His mourning make actually seem excessive, considering that he and Steve have only been team mates for a relatively short period of time, but there is something else that should be considered: Tony Stark’s background is, and is always been, that of an industrialist. Even in comics, business world is a tricky place, where most people hardly play fair, and one can never let his guard down if he doesn’t want to suffer the repercussions. In his own book, shellhead has to face industrial espionage, betrayals, double crossing and attempts to seize his company almost as often as the Mandarin. As such, in a world where honesty and integrity are considered a rare luxury, and blows under the belt are almost an everyday event, an honest and straight person like Cap, embodiment of everything good the human race has to offer, must look like a guiding light in the darkness. It’s not accidental that, over the years, the strongest disputes between Steve and Tony will stem from the latter’s tendency to use his rivals methods, not living up to the very tight principles that Captain America sets for, and to a certain extent expects, from his friends.

Back to the Thomas era, it’s only after the epic Kree-Skrull war that Thor and Iron-Man come back to the team for a steady period. Together, the Avengers face supermenace after supermenace, and certainly strengthen their ties of fellowship. Personal interaction between the Big Three however is limited, with the book focusing mostly on the Vision and his inner quest towards humanity. The main elements of notice are the occasional remarks of Iron-Man being surprised by Thor’s powers, apparently defying logic. Casual as they can appear, these are the first signs of Tony not being completely at ease in the company of the Thunder God. As he will later explain, he likes Thor, but his world, made of magic and mythological elements, is the existing proof that science and rationalization can not explain everything there is, and science is what he believes in the most, to the point of having his life dependant on it.

Thor is aware of his friend’s feelings, but it not hurt by them, and instead his admiration for the golden Avenger grows with time. The reasons for this are not openly voiced, but can be easily guessed: they are two of team oldest members, two of the first superheroes appearing in the modern era, and have fought side to side enough to understand and recognize each other’s valour. For Thor, Iron-Man is probably a knight in a shining armour, a mere mortal without any real superpower, but capable of going past his human limits thanks to his genius and technical ability. Moreover, thanks to his medical expertise, Thor is somewhat aware of his comrade’s heart problems, and admires him for fighting despite them. For Iron-Man, Thor is similar to Captain America: a man without deceit or treachery, who only has one word and follows it to the end, basing his decisions on honour and not gain, and incapable of stabbing someone in the back. This rising friendship stays in the background in the Avengers’ book, but is first officially mentioned in the final page of Iron-Man #65, where Thor refers to Iron-Man as his closest friend.

During this time, Captain America is a bit in the shadows, plagued by his personal problems and the inability to balance his private life with his public one. In #176 of Cap’s book, Thor proves his friendship trying to talk his comrade out of his self-destructive mood, and in doing so also voices his admiration for Steve’s courage, prowess and nobility. His words show what an high opinion Thor has of Cap, but also reflect the Thunder God’s inability to fully grasp the importance that a normal life has for a human being, and therefore come across somewhat detached and miss the point. A few pages later, Iron-Man attempts too, supporting his speech with more solid examples and getting closer to the point, but still failing to make Captain America change his mind. This conversation is perfect to highlight the different approaches of the trio to the same fact: Captain America strictly follows principles and integrity, caring about both the means and the end; Thor looks at things from a more idealistic point of view, basing a lot of his judgment on honour, intentions and ability, apparently being more interested in the means and the reasons behind them than in the end; Iron-Man is more pragmatic, looking at the results that a certain action can bring, rather than to the reasons behind it, or, in other words, to the end more than to the means. In the future, this inability to see things quite eye to eye will be behind some of the trio’s deepest arguments. It’s also worth remarking that, by this time, Captain America was probably much closer to characters like Falcon or Hawkeye than to Iron-Man or Thor, possibly because the formers were more similar to him in terms of real life issues than a professional and well-paid bodyguard and a mythical God.

BIRTH OF A FRIENDSHIP: THE ENGLEHART AND SHOOTER RUNS

So far, a lot of the interaction between Thor, Iron-Man and Captain America had taken place in their own books, using guest appearances by one or the other character. The reason for this was obvious: with so many Avengers not having their own book, writers preferred to focus on them and their characterization, using Cap mainly as the leader, the inspiration and the one ready to give advice, and Thor and Iron-Man as the powerhouses during fights. The downside of this choice was that the Big Three interpersonal relationships had evolved very little in the Avengers’ book, relegating them to the shadows when the team was not facing the menace of the day. This was all bound to change during the Englehart run.

In Avengers #113, just 9 issues after his debut on the book, Englehart has Thor and Iron-Man essentially proving that they know each other secret identities. This is a huge step forward in their friendship, and the fact that neither of them tries to deny it proves just how much they trust each other by now. From this point on, Tony and Donald Blake will often be seen together, discussing private matters or asking each other for advice. This strongly comes across in Avengers Giant Size #3, where Thor finds the lifeless body of Iron-Man, killed by one of Kang’s minions in the Legion of the Unliving, and his rage explodes. “Rest thee well Iron-Man – fellow Avenger – comrade – friend – for thou shall be avenged!!” he cries unleashing his power, and even Kang has to flee in fear. Iron-Man is later revived, much for Thor’s relief.

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, by this stage the strongest friendship is definitely the one between Shellhead and the Thunder God. This doesn’t mean that Captain America is ignored, but the two of them clearly confide in each other more that in their star-spangled friend, who, for example, is still left in the dark with regards to their secret IDs, just like any other Avenger. The impression is that, while seeing each other as close friends and equals, the two of them still consider Cap – and everyone else in the team – only as trusted comrades, thus essentially a small step below them.

In this period, Thor and Tony also start to refer to each other as the strongest and the oldest members of the Avengers, in a probably unwanted but still somewhat elitarian way. Their friendship is further highlighted by their genuine rivalry about leadership of the group seen around #138. The title goes to the Thunder God, while Iron-Man ends up proposing Moondragon for membership, a move he will regret later on, when the woman essentially talks Thor into leaving the Avengers after many years of stable membership. Proving once again how much he trusts him, Thor leaves interim leadership to Iron-Man, who can only respect the Thunder God’s decision (“Still, as a friend, I can’t help but wish that nobody’d put this idea in his head” he comments bitterly, looking towards Moondragon). The same issue, Avenger #150, has one of Thor’s rare jests in the book, when he point out Iron-Man sporting yet another new faceplate for his armour, to which Tony jokingly replies “You just wish you could hide your ugly face”. To Englehart’s credit, characterization and friendship clearly emerge even from such colloquial dialogue, in no little part thanks to George Perez’s pencils. As for Cap, around this time the impression is that from a personal point of view he relies on Iron-Man more than Iron-Man relies on him, with Tony often being Steve’s confident in the latter’s own book, for example in issues #218 and #228.

These episodes have two keys of reading. On one hand, Iron-Man cares about Cap enough to offer him help on what clearly are personal matters, and Cap trusts him back enough to open himself and explain the issues. On the other, it comes across as a slightly uneven relationship, between two people who don’t see each other as equals, but as younger and older brother, with Tony being the latter. In this stage, it’s him who gives advice, and Steve who is in need of guidance.

This status quo changes during the first Shooter run. After a few issues where Captain America is shown to be unhappy with Iron-Man commitment (or lack of) to the team, there is their first ever argument in #168, where they almost come to blows. The resulting explanation in #170 is a pivotal moment, with Captain America openly explaining how much the team means to him, and Iron-Man admitting his leadership mistakes. It is the first time that the two of them seem to talk to each other as equals, without considering seniority, chairman role, power or personal fame. Younger and older brother now come across to the readers as twins, and to confirm this Tony is ready to unmask to Steve, who decides to interrupt him and leave him his secrets.

Since writers clearly prefer to focus on the relationship of two of the Big Three at a time, Thor is not involved directly in this argument. This will be a recurring thing in the future, with the Thunder God often finding himself in the middle of feuds between his two friends, and only occasionally being directly involved. Anyhow, his loyalty still seems to be slightly more directed towards the Golden Avenger. Is it coincidence that in #177, after the team almost finds death at the hands of Korvac, it his Iron-Man the first comrade he frantically attempts to revive?

THE SHIFT

So far, little has been happening between the Sentinel of Liberty and the Prince of Asgard. This situation gradually changes during the second Shooter’s run and the Stern’s run, mostly due to the effects of the events taking place in Iron-Man’s own book, where he succumbed to alcoholism. However, before this happens, two more significant events take place: issues #216 and #224. Avengers 216 is another pivotal book, because in it Captain America finally discovers the secret identity of both Thor and Iron-Man. In truth, this is a coincidence more than an act of confidence from their part, but both of them agree that he had always deserved to know, marking another significant step forward in their friendship. But this book doesn’t only show how close the Big Three have become, but also how far away they can be on certain matters, like cold blood killing. At the end of the issue, Tony is adamantine to kill the all-powerful Molecule Man, even if this means spending the rest of his life in jail. From his point of view, Molecule is too dangerous to be left alive with such power, and simply trusting that he won’t misuse it, or that they will always be able to stop him, is not enough; Captain America is equally adamantine to stop him, believing in the principle of life and in everybody’s right to live. He doesn’t necessarily trust Molecule, but has faith that an alternative, and more humane, solution can be found; Donald Blake is essentially caught in the middle, unable to strongly support either side, but in the end agrees with Cap, reminding Tony that, as a doctor, his duty is to fight to preserve life. In just a few panels, we see factors that will cause the trio to fall apart in the most recent years: Tony is a scientist and a practical man, he needs certainty and is ready to go to any length for it, but is not happy with just “believing” and hoping that things will be all right; Captain America is a man of principles, he holds them tightly, not accepting extenuating circumstances or compromise; Thor’s real persona was not involved in the discussion, but is likely that, as a man of honour, he would have considered it unworthy to kill an helpless enemy, siding therefore with Cap.

By the end of Avengers #216, for the first time ever, the Big Three truly seem to be in a circle of their own: they are the oldest and most charismatic members of the team, they know their secret IDs and they obviously trust deeply each other. It’s a short period where no-one appears to be on a slightly higher step, the distinction between younger and elder brother is gone. This quickly changes by Avengers #224, an issue marking the first, and not last, time that Captain America tries to help Tony in his difficult moments, this time stepping forward to oppose his relationship with Wasp and comment on his somewhat questionable actions. Over the years, Captain America will appear a number of time in Iron-Man’s book, usually as the voice of reason or moral integrity. Comparing this issue with “Captain America” #218, it’s clear that the situation has reversed, and it’s Steve who comes across as the older brother this time, forcing his friend to see the lies he has been hiding behind. Thor will generally appear much less often, probably because the writers felt that a mythological God was not the most appropriate character to talk about such pedestrian matters as women, alcohol or secret identities.

Anyway, under different circumstances this heart to heart between Tony and Cap would have been a one off occasion, but only a few months later, in his own book, Tony becomes an alcoholic. He had been a victim of the “demon in the bottle” once before in the recent past, and, in line with what has been discussed so far, had told about it only to Thor. This time however he doesn’t mention it to anybody, and it’s a worried Cap who, during a visit, finds him heavily drunk and out of himself. Unsurprisingly, Thor is the first person Captain America informs about the situation, talking with him privately so that no one else from the team would overhear. By now, the two of them refer to each other as “old friend”, something they will keep on doing until recent years, and from this point on will often be seen talking in an empty room, usually to discuss about Tony or other private questions. It’s fair to hypothesise that worrying for a common friend is what further strengthened their own friendship, at the same time distancing them from the rest of the team, which is kept mostly in the dark. With the Hulk long gone, Hank Pym having retired from superheroism, and Wasp just gone through divorce, the two of them are the oldest members around. A nice touch in #232 is having Cap and Wasp witnessing Donald’s Blake transformation in Thor. Like Iron-Man, Cap is a bit shaken by it, but unlike his friend he confesses this to Thor immediately, prompting the Thunder God to remember how disturbing Tony seemed to find it, and perhaps to appreciate the Captain’s openness about it.

THE CAP-THOR FRIENDSHIP

Eventually, and with some help from Captain America, Tony recovers from his alcoholism and goes back to the Avengers. By now, Thor and Cap had experienced the Secret Wars, standing side by side against forces overwhelming both man and god, and it’s in this story that the son of Odin openly voices his admiration for his friend and his leadership qualities, saying “I am a prince of the Gods! I do not pledge my allegiance to many of mortal stature! This man I will follow through the gates of Hades!”, and essentially handling him the leadership of the assembled heroes. One of the consequences of the Secret Wars was the birth of the Avengers West Coast branch, and it’s this team that Tony will join after coming back to the group. With Captain America and Thor firmly in the east branch, the three comrades see little of each other for a long time, and most of their meetings don’t happen in friendly circumstances.

After spending almost 250 issues to establish a friendship, Marvel seemed to think it was the time to test it, repeatedly, and the late 80s and early 90s see a number of strong disagreements, or even open fights, between them. They always involve Captain America and Tony, the former becoming more and more rigid in his views, the latter forgetting what he first liked about Steve and starting to act in more unscrupulous ways. Thor, soon to be plagued by his own concerns, hardly plays a part in these feuds, but, despite staying close to both, will eventually join Cap’s side, idealistically if not practically.

Around #300, with the two of them being the only hardcore Avengers left in the team, the friendship between Cap and Thor is almost palpable, to the point that they are even seen hanging out together in their free time and discussing social topics, like immigration in #304. It’s fair to assume that Thor, who has witnessed centuries of human behaviours, gets to see the Captain as the best mankind can offer: strong and capable, noble of spirit, compassionate, honourable and true to himself, capable of “wearing his heart upon his sleeves” as he puts it. At the same time, Cap, who has spent most of his life fighting individuals mad with power, is the most likely to appreciate how noble Thor really is, using his godlike attributes to help mankind and not to assert his authority. To fully understand how this comes to happen, we have to consider two pivotal events, happening almost simultaneously in the trio’s own books.

By #333 of his own magazine, Steve Rogers had been stripped of the Captain America’s identity by the government, and had taken the name of “Captain”. With his trusted shield gone with the costume, Steve asked Tony Stark for a suitable replacement, which came in “Iron-Man” #228. By this time, Stark was involved in the so called Armor Wars, and, not wanting Steve to interfere, at the end of #228 he hits him from behind, leaving his friend collapsed on the floor. This is a moment of huge importance because for the first time, without being under the effect of alcohol or anything else, Tony choices to walk away from the clear waters of Captain America’s principles, towards muddier ones, where the end justifies the means and everything is accepted, even practically betraying a friend. Cap doesn’t take this betrayal well and, in “Thor” #390, talks about it to the Thunder God. Thor, who, in an anger outburst, had just shown his appreciation for Cap by proposing to topple the American government who had stripped his friend of his hero identity, is deeply confused by his words. For the first time, he is forced to consider making a choice between his most trusted friends, and to ask himself who to believe in. “How can these two be in conflict?” he wonders, uncertain. He makes up his mind by the end of the issue, when the Captain does something that no other Avenger had even done before, and, in a moment of supreme need, manages to prove himself worthy of lifting Mjolnir, and then renounces to its power to give it back to its righteous owner. This a topical moment, that truly marks the birth of the friendship between Thor and Cap as we know it today, and that neither of them will never forger. “I owe you an apology, Captain. When you first spoke to me about your problems, I had doubts… about you! They were quickly erased, when you lifted Mjolnir… for only a man or god worthy… pure of heart and noble of mind could have done so. […] A sacred bond unites all those who have ever been privileged to wield Mjiolnir! A bond which stretches far into infinity!” he says, essentially always siding with the Captain from this moment on. By lifting Mjolnir, Cap had not only proved himself beyond any possible doubt, but also done it in the way that Thor would remember the most: one linked not to Earth or science, but to Asgard and Odin himself, his magic and his laws.

TOWARDS THE MODERN DAYS, CRISIS AFTER CRISIS

By permanently putting the Thunder God on Cap’s side, the events of Thor #390 essentially set the status quo for the friendship between the Big Three. This status remains essentially unchanged through the years, despite a number of wedges opening between Captain America and Iron-Man, who is portrayed more and more often as a self-righteous man, ready to commit unlawful acts if he deems it necessary, ignoring Cap’s more idealistic views and speeches and sometimes pushing his weight thanks to his founder status. Not that Cap is always right: during the Infinity Crusade miniseries for example, it’s Tony’s attachment to science and pragmatism that prevents him from being subdued by the so-called Goddess, which Captain America and Thor instead follow. More generally however, writers use Cap and Tony to symbolise generational clashes, with the former finding himself more and more isolated, and the latter representing the need for a new, and somewhat more ruthless, way of acting, apparently necessary to face the new problems that time brings. The biggest wedge opens during the maxi crossover “Operation: Galactic Storm”, when Iron-Man directly ignores the order of the then chairman and leads a team of renegades Avengers to kill the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree.

To their credit, Captain America and Iron-Man clearly try hard to make their friendship survive despite seeing things in so different ways. In what becomes almost a tradition, after each clash they always meet somewhere to reconcile, trying to understand where the other was coming from, and in the end usually accepting at least some of his points and shaking hands. This may appear hypocrite, but at least serves to show how much they value each other and their friendship. “I missed having you as a friend” Cap says once, while Tony explains how difficult it is for anyone else to live up to the very high moral standards that the captain seems to set for them all.

Shortly after Galactic Storm, almost to prove that their friendship is stronger then their differences, each of them goes in the other’s aid in moments of need. Despite all of this however, their meetings are now tense and cold, much different from those full of camaraderie’s atmosphere of the early days, and sadly it’s harder not to suspect that their reconciliations are sales driven rather than character driven. Throughout this time, Thor is not seen, due to a number of problems happening to him in his own book, and, just when it looks like he is ready to come back, it’s Tony who (temporary) dies, suiciding after a period of erratic, mind controlled-induced behaviours.

THROUGH VOLUME 3

The beginning of Volume 3 finally reunites Captain America, Thor and Iron-Man in the same team, providing a way to put their friendship, and their differences, on the forefront once again. The general atmosphere is now free of all the tension built up in the recent years, and the Big Three can shine once more. Busiek’s run relies especially heavily on the Cap-Thor friendship, with the Thunder God openly voicing his admiration and attachment to the team-mate a number of times. For example, in V3 #38, when thanked for coming back to the team after having left it in a rather abrupt way a few weeks earlier, he replies “Only for thee, Captain. Only for thee”, and in V3 #44, where, believing the Captain dead, he lets his rage explode, in a manner that’s clearly reminiscent of Avengers Giant Size #3. In his fury, the prince of Asgard once again reminds himself – and the readers – of the reasons that make Cap so dear for him “[…] Captain America is more than just a man. He is the best of his people… the best of mankind… and he deserves better than this! This man… this hero… he should not have died like this […] and by my hammer, he shall be avenged!!”. Compared to this, the relationship between Thor and Iron-Man comes across somewhat colder than usual, not different from the one tying the Thunder God to his other long term allies – Scarlet Witch, Vision and Hawkeye. As for Tony and Cap, they still clearly don’t always see things eye to eye, but are much more open about it, usually discussing the problem straight away and not letting it escalate too much. Luckily, the disagreements are always short-living, and more times than not they help each other out in a number of occasions.

After Busiek’s departure from the book, the trio’s friendship is tested once more, this time with the first real clash between Thor and Iron-Man, with Cap caught in the middle, during the Standoff crossover. Here the two old friends battle fiercely, and Thor harshly criticises Tony’s faith in technology and science, stopping only after having hit Cap in a rage outburst, and therefore showing a bit more concern for him than for Iron-Man (possibly due to the knowledge that, unlike Tony, Cap has no armour to protect him). This is the Thunder God’s last appearance alongside the Avengers to date, even though he does call out to them one more time, in Asgard’s darkest hour, during the Ragnarok storyline in his own book.

END OF A FRIENDSHIP: CIVIL WAR

Sadly, Thor’s departure is the first step towards the end of the friendship between the Big Three. Captain America’s and Iron-Man’s different opinions on topics such as personal rights and freedom escalate, making them the leaders of the two opposite forces of Civil War, an event during which both are responsible of rather extremist – and out of character – actions. Ties that seemed forged in steel break, the means stop meaning, the final goal becomes everything. Cap doesn’t hesitate to sucker-punch Iron-Man, behaving exactly like the latter did during the Armour Wars storyline, boasting that he will play dirty this time and essentially betraying his own principles. Iron-Man goes even further down the “end justifies the means” road and creates a conscienceless clone of Thor, apparently feeling no shame to recreate a lost friend in a lab, and not revealing its true nature to the general public (Cap is the only one to immediately realise “That wasn’t Thor”). Their behaviours are so extreme and sudden that they are hard to explain: perhaps, just like old married couples, they took each other for granted, forgetting how much their friendship used to mean in the past, or perhaps the Civil War was just an excuse to let finally out all the old grudges. More likely, they felt themselves called to make a final choice, and valued it so important to make it worth throwing away for its sake everything they had always believed in, including their friendship, and, in final analysis, themselves. Despite a number of attempts, this time there is no reconciliation after the crisis, and it’s only after Cap’s unexpected death that a grief stricken Tony mourns “It wasn’t worth it”. Shortly after, a revived Thor angrily accuses his armoured comrade for having cloned him, abruptly interrupting their friendship.

CONCLUSION

And so it ends, 45 years after it all began. After having learned to appreciate each other, to share happiness and triumph, grief and defeat, the Big Three are together no more. The differences out weighted the similarities, and a friendship that no enemy could destroy, has crumbled from within. While Tony appears as the main responsible for this, all of them share some guilt. Suddenly unable to see where the others were coming from, self-righteous, adamantine on their positions and unwilling to even attempt a compromise, they seem to have forgot what once they held most dear. Will these be permanent? No one knows. Things change quickly in the world of comics, and perhaps we will soon see these three heroes fighting shoulder to shoulder once more, enjoying each other’s company and ignoring their differences. But for now, we can only close our eyes, and dream about the future.