Long before the MCU gave audiences an all-female version ofthe Avengers,She-Hulkdid it first. One of the standout moments fromAvengers: Endgamecomes during the final fight with Thanos. There’s a moment where all the franchise’s most notable female heroes band together for a united front. Some havecalled the moment merely a stunt, but others found it genuinely empowering.
However, 12 years before that, She-Hulk gave audiences her own female Avengers line-up beginning with 2008’sHulk#7 by Jeph Loeb, Audrey Loeb, Arthur Adams, Frank Cho, and Chris Giarrusso. To combat an emerging Red Hulk, She-Hulk gathers her closest allies together:herself, Ms. Marvel (now Captain Marvel), Storm, Invisible Woman, Black Widow, Spider-Woman, Dazzler, Hellcat, Risque, Tigra, Valkyrie, and Thundra, all assisted by S.H.I.E.L.D’s Maria Hill.
She-Hulk’s Avengers -best known as the Lady Liberators- have proven themselves as Marvel’s most utterly impressive, yet underutilized unit, and deserve to make a comeback.
She-Hulk’s Lady Liberators Make the Ultimate Anti-Hulk Avengers Team
The All-Female Avengers BeforeEndgame’s
The beginning of Jeph Loeb’s run onHulkintroduces the Red Hulk, who establishes himself as a threat by completely dismantling She-Hulk on a physical level. She-Hulk has never been beaten up that badly, and vows she won’t let this mysterious Hulk get away with it. With payback on her mind,her first instinct is to revive one of themost powerful teams She-Hulk’s been a part of: The Lady Liberators. Unfortunately, out of all the women who She-Hulk calls for help, everyone except Thundra and Valkyrie are busy.
The Lady Liberators (or simply the Liberators) debuted in 1970’sAvengers#83 by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, originally introduced as Valkyrie and the Lady Liberators and featured the Scarlet Witch, Madame Medusa, and Black Widow. Valkyrie formed this team in hopes of destroying the shackles that “male chauvinist pigs” have placed on women in society.
With the help of Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Maria Hill (who basically serves as the Charles to these Charlie’s Angels, even supplying them with high-tech weaponry), the trio track down the Red Hulk to his hideout at the top of Mount Rushmore near a S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite. The Red Hulk basically toys with these three, until the cavalry arrives. The remaining women who She-Hulk called upon make the save, and not a moment too soon.With the gang all here, they’re able to knock out Red Hulk, winning the battle and forcing him to retreat.
Resurrecting a Female Avengers Line-Up Starring She-Hulk is Feasible
If They Could Beat the Red Hulk When He Was Unbeatable, What Else Can They Do Today?
If there was ever a time to reunite the Lady Liberators as led by She-Hulk, now would be the time. She still has good relationships with a lot of these characters, including Captain Marvel, who tried torecruit Jen for the modern Avengersnot long ago. The reaction to theAvengers: Endgamescene proves fans want to see an all-woman Avengers.She-Hulk’s comic series just wrapped up, opening the door for a whole new journey ahead, such as building anAvengersteam comprised of these women.
