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When one looks in the box, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the cat.

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We’ve talked about what a science fiction Justice League would look like, but with Avengers now ever-present in the minds of the world’s moviegoers, it’s clearly time to think about which fantasy characters would comprise an epic fantasy Avengers.

The Avengers in the movie are an opinionated bunch, so we had to be sure to include fun conflicting personality types, and all our favorite skill sets as well. Who would win if they had to fight the science fiction Justice League? Who made the cut?

King Arthur

Arthur from BBC's Merlin. Look at that fancy cape.
Arthur from BBC’s Merlin. Look at that fancy cape.

This is sort of a duh where fantasy is concerned. King Arthur would be perfect in assuming the leadership role that Captain America provides. He knows how to run the show, how to fight, and how to give people ideals to fight for. Instead of a shield, he’s got one badass sword—Excalibur is sort of like having a super power all to itself, if you want to discount the whole “special chosen king with a magical teacher” thing. Full of reserve and wisdom, and fair-minded about how the team functioned, Arthur would keep everyone at their combat-ready best. A shoe-in.

Legolas (Lord of the Rings)

The team needs an archer to fill Hawkeye’s shoes and Iron Man calls him this in the movie anyway… so clearly we need an elf in this party. Legolas has got all sorts of superhuman skills; he can walk on top of snow for crying out loud. He has heightened senses, he can speak Elvish, and would easily win the team’s “Best Flowing Locks” competition. He also has a flair for the dramatic and says “alas!” a lot. He would probably give Arthur all sorts of foreboding advice in hushed tones. (And if he was like movie-Legolas, all of his lines would basically fill in the exposition. Useful skill.)

Hermione (Harry Potter)

We need a genius, and Hermione basically is the genius when it comes to magic. She’d give everyone a hard time for being impractical and arguing every second, but you know she would be the best tactician of the whole group, logical to a fault. With her wand at the ready, she’d be able to render neutral nearly every obstacle. The girl could unlock a doors at age 11, and fight Death Eaters at 17—she’d have no trouble dispatching whatever the supervillain-of-the-week deigned to throw at her. (Yeah, we know we’re stretching the epic fantasy definition here, but TEAM HERMIONE.)

Falkor (The Neverending Story)

Obviously, someone around here needs to be able to fly (since Hermione doesn’t like brooms and apparating doesn’t work for everything), and Falkor would be the most cuddly addition to the Fantasy Avengers. He’s good-humored, fun, loyal, and great for helping you out of a pinch. He’d zip in to get the team out of harm’s way, then zip out and have them back in some castle for teatime. As noble steeds go, Arthur would probably be happy to turn in his stallion for a luck dragon. Falkor’s mighty laugh would freeze evildoers in their tracks! He’s a fuzzy Hulk!

Rand al’Thor (Wheel of Time)

Rand al'Thor in the Fantasy Avengers
Art by Michael Whelan

Actually Rand al’Thor, the hero of the Wheel of Time series, would probably be the best Hulk equivalent on this team, being an intensely moody guy who wields an enormous amount of power. He and Arthur would clash all the time and honestly, we’re not sure who would come out on top. Rand would introduce a seriously unstable element to the team, which would keep things very interesting. You have an army? We have a Rand.

Vin (Mistborn)

Mistborn's Vin in the Fantasy Avengers
Art by Sam Weber

Need someone to single-handedly storm the enemy stronghold and wipe it clean of every goblin, ghoul, and monster? Vin from Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series is your woman. She fulfills the Black Widow role perfectly and is aloof and deadly. When everyone else is down, she’s still fighting. Under the right circumstances, she could probably take down the entire Fantasy Avengers!

Kvothe (The Kingkiller Chronicles)

The Fantasy Avengers has a good mix of overpowered juggernauts, strategists,  and heroes with peak physical abilities, but it doesn’t have a trickster. Someone who can approach a problem sideways and turn a bunch of disparate elements into a home run for the good guys. Tyrion Lannister can do this, but so can Kvothe, from Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles, and he has cool abilities that are scenario-specific, so anything you throw at him immediately becomes interesting.

Syrio Forel (A Song of Ice and Fire)

Okay, we’ll level with you here. We wanted someone from this series and while Tyrion, Arya, Dany, Jaime, Melisandre, and many others were considered, Syrio Forel was the clear choice. Our Fantasy Avengers has some serious downers on it, and a funny, swarthy master swordsman is the perfect antidote to that. And we can’t use Inigo Montoya because our final member is….

Fezzik (The Princess Bride)

Fezzik is a man of many talents. Of course, there’s his size and legendary strength, wrestling and climbing skills, but he’s so much more than just the star of the local brute squad… He’s a one-man rhyme machine, he looks damn good in a holocaust cloak, and rumor has it that he’s buddies with the Dread Pirate Roberts (always a good connection to have). A mighty giant with a heart of gold, Fezzik is equally adept at fighting unruly mobs and gently nursing a drunken, depressed friend back to health: who better to have by your side when the chips are down, whether there’s a princess in need of rescue or a father’s honor to be avenged?

Okay, we’ve had our fun with an Epic Fantasy Avengers. Your turn!


Stubby the Rocket is the mascot of Tor.com and is the post-credit surprise in the Fantasy Avengers movie.

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