The Avengers were a team of extraordinary individuals, with either superpowers or other special characteristics. Though primarily affiliated with the interests of the United States of America, the group's purpose was to protect global stability from inner or extraterrestrial threats. The Avengers were first assembled by S.H.I.E.L.D. as a result of the Avengers Initiative, when Loki invaded Earth with his Chitauri army. The team, consisting of Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye defeated Loki and went their separate ways for a while. After S.H.I.E.L.D. became a defunct agency due to the HYDRA infiltration, the team was no longer an American governmental division, therefore becoming an independent and private organization. Stark Industries remodeled Stark Tower into Avengers Tower and the team joined in the fight against HYDRA. After their victory, Stark built Ultron, hoping that the A.I. would be able to defend the world from any threats necessary in place of the Avengers. The plan backfired and Ultron started a war against humanity, forcing the Avengers to fight him. When Ultron was defeated, Hulk, Barton, Thor and Stark left the team, so Wanda Maximoff, Vision, War Machine and Falcon were recruited, and they were relocated to the Avengers Compound. Under Captain America's leadership, the team completed several operations around the world with success, until the amount of collateral damage during their conflicts caused the United Nations to pass the Sokovia Accords in an attempt to regulate their actions, turning the team from a private organization to one which was under the control of a governmental body. The differences in opinions created a rift within the team which split the Avengers into two factions, one led by Iron Man and the other by Captain America. After Captain America was able to stop Helmut Zemo, the instigator of their fight, the team was divided; Iron Man, Vision and War Machine remained official members, while a small group consisting of Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon continued to operate in the shadows. Stark would try to boost the Avengers' membership by inviting Spider-Man to join, but the young hero turned down the offer to remain closer to the people he had sworn to protect. Two years after the Accords were ratified, Thanos launched a crusade against the universe in his quest to gather the Infinity Stones. The Avengers were split up into different groups as they fought to combat Thanos before he succeeded, joining forces with the Masters of the Mystic Arts, the Wakandans, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Iron Man and Spider-Man went to Titan alongside Doctor Strange, where they allied with Star-Lord, Nebula, Mantis and Drax to try to stop Thanos, while Captain America, Banner, Black Widow, War Machine, Falcon, Thor, Groot, Rocket Raccoon and Maximoff protected Vision from the Black Order in Wakanda. The team on Wakanda was successful in killing Thanos' minions, but the team on Titan was defeated. Thanos arrived and overpowered the heroes on Wakanda with ease before killing Vision to acquire the Mind Stone, thus completing the Infinity Gauntlet, and eradicating half of the universe's population. Among the victims were Falcon, Maximoff, and Spider-Man; with Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Banner, Black Widow and War Machine being the only Avengers to survive the war. Despite them managing to kill Thanos, the victory was empty, as the Infinity Stones were destroyed, ensuring no chances of undoing the Snap. This resulted in Iron Man, Captain America and Thor retiring from the team. Black Widow then became the team's new leader, commanding War Machine as well as new members Rocket, Nebula, Captain Marvel and Okoye, as they strove to maintain order on Earth and the wider universe. Five years later, Ant-Man escaped from the Quantum Realm and provided the Avengers with a chance to time travel, so the Avengers assembled once more. With Ant-Man officially joining the roster, the Avengers initiated a Time Heist, where they traveled to alternate timelines and collected the six Infinity Stones. Returning to their timeline with the Stones, at the cost of Black Widow's life, Banner donned the Nano Gauntlet and was able to resurrect those who died in the Snap. However, an alternate timeline Thanos and his army had followed them, sparking the immense Battle of Earth, where Iron Man gave his life to defeat Thanos and his army. With the battle won and over, and the remaining members going their separate ways, the Avengers disbanded.