The animated Avengers first aired in October of 1999, but the storylines and the group roster were influenced mainly by the Avengers comics from the early 1980's - the height of Marvel's dominance in the pulp-comic world.

Brilliant scientist and leader of the Avengers was Hank Pym (a.k.a. Ant-Man). Wearing a cybernetic helmet and high-tech armor that increased his strength, Ant-Man could shrink himself to the size of an ant or grow to gigantic proportions.

Heiress Janet Van Dyne (a.k.a. Wasp) was both a founding member of the Avengers and the wife of Ant-Man, who gave her the power to shrink to insect size. Her tiny wings gave her the power of flight at that scale. The Wasp's firepower was increased by a protective battlesuit, which included two extra bug-like robotic arms containing additional weaponry.

The most powerful member of the Avengers was Simon Williams (a.k.a Wonder Man). His body was super-charged with ionic energy, transforming him into a living powerhouse. He had superhuman strength, was impervious to bullets, and had the ability to fly.

Wanda Maximoff (a.k.a. Scarlet Witch) was born a mutant with the power to 'hex' an object, causing strange, unpredictable things to happen. With a simple gesture she could make gun barrels melt, force objects to fly through the air, or cause things to burst into flames.

The Vision was a synthezoid - an artificial being - created by Ultron as a weapon to destroy the Avengers. But when the brain wave patterns of Wonder Man were downloaded into his computer mind, the Vision betrayed his evil master and instead joined the Avengers. The Vision possessed the power to alter his density, becoming as immaterial as vapor or as hard as a diamond. He could also fire beams of solar energy from his eyes.

Cocky and confident, Clint Barton was the expert archer known as Hawkeye. His quiver included a variety of high-tech arrows designed for specialized tasks. Hawkeye also wore protective body armor that incorporated the component parts of his bow.

Greer Nelson underwent treatments to improve her athletic abilities. Something went wrong and she was instead transformed into a fur-covered creature with incredible speed, agility, and the enhanced senses and claws of a cat. Taking the name Tigra, she became a fearless feline fighter who loved the thrill and the danger of fighting super-villains.

Social worker Sam Wilson adopted the costumed identity of the Falcon in order to fight the crime that was rampant in his neighborhood. He used artificial wings that allowed him to soar alongside his trained falcon, Redwing. After he saved the President's life, the Falcon was made a member of the Avengers and given a combat suit that incorporated a number of built-in weapons.