Avengers #503

The "Disassembled" saga reaches its shattering conclusion with Avengers #503, and David Finch and Danny Miki's cover captures the weight of it all: a battered Captain America lunges forward clutching his shield, surrounded by the scattered remnants of his teammates — Mjolnir adrift, a robotic helmet (suggesting an Ultron-like threat), a broken bow, and a quiver of arrows — the wreckage of Earth's Mightiest Heroes laid bare. "Chaos Part Four" delivers the final chapter of Brian Michael Bendis's era-defining storyline, with a creative roster that also includes inker Danny Miki lending sharp definition to every devastating detail. Few covers in 2004 conveyed the sheer cost of heroism quite this vividly.