The Avengers Smash Records

Written by Kirk Baird

The Hulk along with the other Avengers smashed the movie competition last weekend with a record-breaking $207-million opening. (To put that figure in perspective, consider that the previous No. 1 opening belonged to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, with nearly $170 million.) The Avengers is a superhero mash-up featuring some of Marvel Comics’ top names — Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Hulk — who join forces to save Earth from an evil god and his alien invasion force. But The Avengers is only the latest-greatest superhero film, with dozens of titles featuring the heroes battling villains solo and in teams.

The Hulk:

The Hulk (2003)

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990, TV finale)

Hulk VS. … (2008 animated movie)

*The Incredible Hulk (1978, TV Premiere, and seasons 1-5)

The Incredible Hulk Returns/Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989, TV movies)

*Planet Hulk (2009 animated movie)

Thor:

Thor (2011)

Thor, Tales of Asgard (2011)

Iron Man:

*Iron Man (2008)

*Iron Man 2 (2010)

The Invincible Iron Man (2007, animated)

Iron Man Armored Adventures, CompleteSeason 1 (2008, animated series)

Iron Man, the Complete 1994 Animated Series (1994-1996, animated series)

Iron Man: New Animated Series (2010, animated series)

Iron Man — Extremis (2010, animated series)

Captain America:

*Captain America — The First Avenger (2011)

Captain America (1979, TV movie pilot)

Captain America II: Death Too Soon (1979, TV movie pilot)

Captain America (1990)

The Avengers:

The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010 –, animated series)

The Avengers: United They Stand (1999-2000, animated series)

Next Avengers — Heroes of Tomorrow (2008, animated)

The Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2005, animated film)

Ultimate Avengers 2 (2006, animated film)

* denotes Kirk's picks