Avengers #4
Avengers vol. 3 #4 is the formal roster-establishment issue of the Busiek–Pérez run, the most creatively celebrated Avengers run of the late 1990s. It closes the 'Morgan Conquest' arc by trimming a sprawling 39-member cast down to a tight seven active heroes plus two reserves, restoring the franchise to the classic, character-driven dynamics Marvel wanted after the awkward Heroes Reborn experiment. Most significantly, it contains the first appearance of Carol Danvers under the codename Warbird — a persona that anchored her story arc through alcoholism and court martial before she eventually evolved into Ms. Marvel and, later, Captain Marvel. The issue also seeds the fractured Vision–Scarlet Witch relationship that would drive major storylines across the entire Busiek run.
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Kurt Busiek and penciler George Pérez launched Avengers vol. 3 in February 1998 as Marvel's prestige answer to its own Heroes Reborn stumble — a deliberate 'back to basics' reset explicitly comparable in ambition to Grant Morrison and Howard Porter's JLA relaunch at DC. Issue #4, published May 1998 and subtitled 'Too Many Avengers!', serves as the epilogue to the opening three-part Morgan Conquest story and was edited by Tom Brevoort. The issue was given a special production treatment: a gatefold cover by Pérez and an eight-page pullout poster insert, signaling Marvel's confidence in the new direction.
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- Story title: 'The Morgan Conquest Epilogue — Too Many Avengers!' Written by Kurt Busiek, penciled by George Pérez, inked by Al Vey and Bob Wiacek; published May 1998.
- First appearance of Carol Danvers as Warbird — the alias she would carry through the Busiek run, including her court-martial storyline in Avengers #7.
- The official post-Morgan Conquest Avengers active roster is formally announced: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and Warbird (seven members).
- Justice (Vance Astrovik) and Firestar (Angelica Jones), former New Warriors, join the team as reserve members after proving themselves against Whirlwind.
- Vision, badly damaged fighting Morgan Le Fay, takes on a holographic presence while his physical body is repaired — a callback to earlier periods in the character's history.
- The issue includes a George Pérez gatefold cover and an eight-page pullout poster insert — a premium production format underscoring Marvel's promotional investment in the new run.
- Cameo appearances by Edwin Jarvis, government liaison Duane Freeman, and villain Whirlwind (who receives a costume redesign).
- The story was reprinted in the 2000 trade paperback Avengers: The Morgan Conquest, and the broader run is also collected in the hardcover Avengers Assemble Vol. 1 (2004), which gathers issues #1–11.
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