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I was moderator of the boards back then, and we were all offered the chance to contribute to this and the unfortunately unpublished Assembled! 3.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.

Avengers: "Revenge"

Avengers #276 (1987)

By Roger Stern, John Buscema, Tom Palmer

Background: The Masters of Evil assembled by Baron Zemo have taken over Avengers Mansion, brutally beating Hercules, imprisoning Captain Marvel and capturing Captain America, the Black Knight and Jarvis. With the help of the new Ant-Man, the Wasp is ready for a counter-attack.

So, What Happens? The Wasp's call for help is answered by Thor, who is once again ready to join the Avengers, and heard by their erstwhile ally Doctor Druid, who owes a lot to the team and decides to go and help. Elsewhere, a furious Captain Marvel finally exits the Darkforce dimension thanks to the unwitting help of the Shroud, whose powers tap the same energy creating a door out. Monica immediately flies to Janet, who's ready to launch an assault and take the Mansion back. Inside, Hyde is still beating poor Jarvis up, but the heroes cause a blackout that allows the Black Knight to finally summon the Ebony Sword. He immediately frees Cap, and together the two start pummelling Hyde, who's then finished by the Wasp and Thor once Captain Marvel digs an entrance tunnel underneath the building and the Darkforce casing. Outside, Druid mentally commands Blackout to lower the barrier and enters the building, while inside Yellowjacket warns Zemo that Thor and Captain Marvel have arrived, convincing him to order a hasty retreat without warning all of his allies. Unprepared, the Masters start falling, as Ant-Man takes down the Fixer while Thor - who's leading the attack together with Captain America - uses Mjolnir to draw the Wrecking Crew's power back through the Wrecker. However, they haven't reckoned with Goliath, who grabs Thor from behind. On the roof, Moonstone panics at the sight of Captain Marvel and tries to fly away, but in her confusion she hits a cliff head on and breaks her neck. Monica tries to help, learning that Blackout is not under her control but Zemo's. Meanwhile, the Baron - who now carries Cap's shield - has reached the roof of the Mansion and shot Doctor Druid from behind. Alone with Blackout, he orders him to send the entire mansion in the Darkforce dimension.

Thor: "Thunder In The Netherworld"

Thor #130 (1966)

By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta

Background: Pluto tricked Hercules into signing a contract imprisoning him into the Netherworld as its ruler. Thor risks his own freedom to face the armies of Pluto and free the Olympian.

So, What Happens? Judging the fate of Hercules unfair, Thor wows to be his champion. Upon entering the Netherworld, his first foe is mace-wielding Cerberus, but he is no match for the power of Thor and is quickly defeated. The Thunderer breaks into the throne room where Hercules is about to be crowned against his will, and once again promises to fight on his behalf, much to Herc's relief and admiration. Thor smashes past the footsoldiers of Pluto and relentlessly destroys their cannons and warmachines, further motivated by a feeling of danger menacing someone he loves. He breaks out of Pluto's traps, throws away the mighty Crusher, crumbles the archers' towers and is about to create a tornado when Pluto himself stops the battle. The Olympian realizes that going on would only further destroy his realm and accepts to rip apart the contract binding Hercules. Free once more, a grateful Herc calls Thor his friend, and the two of them leave together discussing the responsibilities of power.

Thor: "Behold... the Living Planet!"

Thor #133 (1966)

By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta

Background: Thor and the Recorder have travelled into the mysterious Black Galaxy on behalf of the Rigellians. There, they have come face to face with Ego, the Living Planet.

So, What Happens? Thor and the Recorder are astounded at the gigantic sight of Ego, the Living Planet, who's capable of showing a humanoid face and of talking to them. Landing on the surface, they see something similar to enormous living cells and realize that Ego is indeed a planet-size living being. Wanting to talk to them, Ego probes their minds for a familiar surface and then changes the environment around them into something resembling and Asgardian forest, where he appears as a knight. Thor and the Recorder realize that Ego is capable of reshaping matter as he wishes, and that his power is also limitless. The Living Planet intends to conquer space and wants to test himself by beating someone as strong as Thor while in human form. He proceeds to create an army of human-shaped antibodies to battle Thor, who manages to travel under the surface but has to contend with both the antibodies and the ever-shifting environment. Eventually the Recorder is almost destroyed, but Thor saves it and hits Ego with a "universe-shaking thermoblast", a thunderstorm powerful enough to damage even the Living Planet. Conceding defeat, Ego allows the two foes safe passage and promises never to threaten the rest of the universe again. Successful, Thor starts the journey back to Earth.

Thor: "The Miracle of Storms"

Thor #303 (1981)

By Doug Moench, Rick Leonardi, Chic Stone

Background: Thor has returned to NYC after a prolonged period in Asgard.

So, What Happens? Thor saves a local priest named Father Coza from two thugs. With no time for an ambulance, he turns into Donald Blake and performs emergency surgery to save his life. After mistaking him for a miraculous apparition, Father Coza regains consciousness and explains that his attackers were hired killers paid by a local crime boss bent on purchasing and demolishing his church. After five years of putting up with vandalism, harassment and threats, Father Coza is now tempted to give up since the church appears to be dying down anyway and there isn't enough money for essential repairs. More importantly, the priest is experiencing a crisis of faith, his beliefs numbed by the constant presence of evil and apathy around him, by the lack of proof of good. Don Blake argues that he might be an instrument of God and offers to help. With a couple of phone calls, he learns the name and address of Angelo Simoni, the man behind the attacks on Father Coza, and pays him a visit as Thor. Simoni and his men are no match for the Thunder God, but the terrified mobster confesses to having arranged an arson attack to burn down the church and everyone inside. Thor flies to the rescue, but is too late to prevent the arson and the church starts to burn, With a pregnant woman trapped in his office, Father Coza is torn between saving his own life and running back through the fire to get her out. His prayers for strength are answered when he sees Thor summoning rain and lightning to douse the flames. Inspired and mindless of his own injuries, Father Coza runs to his office and starts dragging the woman out, being once again saved by Thor from a toppling wall. Seeing a different deity upsets the priest, but the Odinson briefly explains that there are many gods across the universe, all originating from the same universal higher force and given truth by their worshippers' faith. His beliefs renewed, Father Coza later tells Donald Blake he has been given the proof he had asked for and will carry on. The next day, whilst numerous volunteers are helping cleaning up, Father Coza is visited by Angelo Simoni, who, prompted by the watching Thor, makes a "large donation" to rebuild the church and begs for forgiveness.