The Invaders is the name of two fictional superhero teams in the Marvel Comics universe. The original team was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Sal Buscema in The Avengers vol. 1, #71 (December 1969). A present-day incarnation was introduced by writer Chuck Austen and artist Scott Kolins in The Avengers vol. 3, #82 (July 2004).

The prototype for the Invaders, the All-Winners Squad, created by publisher Martin Goodman and scripter Bill Finger, was an actual historic Golden Age comic book feature with only two appearances — in All Winners Comics #19 (Fall 1946) and #21 (Winter 1946; there was no issue #20). This team had much of the same membership as the Invaders, but had its adventures in the post-World War II era, the time that their adventures were published. This group was also notable for being the first in which its members didn't entirely get along, prefiguring the internal conflicts of the Fantastic Four in the 1960s.

The Invaders team first appeared in flashback stories set during World War II, and comprised existing characters from Timely Comics, the 1940s predecessor of Marvel. Originally, Captain America (Steve Rogers), his sidekick Bucky (James Barnes), the original android Human Torch ("Jim Hammond"), the Torch's sidekick Toro (Thomas Raymond), and Namor the Sub-Mariner were together as heroes opposing the forces of Nazism. When these superheroes saved the life of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill from Master Man, the thankful Churchill suggested that they should become a team, known as the Invaders.

The Invaders fought the Axis Powers over the world until eventually finding themselves in England, where they met Lord James Montgomery Falsworth, the original Union Jack. He joined the team and provided them with a base of operations in England.^[1] Eventually Falsworth's children Brian (Union Jack) and Jacqueline (Spitfire) became members.^[2] The team later added Miss America (Madeline Joyce) and super-speedster the Whizzer (Bob Frank), during a battle with the Super-Axis.^[3] Later, against the threat of the Battle-Axis, the team added the Blazing Skull and the Silver Scorpion to its roster.

The team continue to fight against several threats, and faced an emotional trauma with the apparent deaths of Captain America and Bucky in a drone aircraft's explosion near the end of World War II, as first described in The Avengers vol. 1, #4 (March 1964). After the war's end, several members—including the second Bucky and Captain America (respectively, Fred Davis and William Naslund, formerly the superhero Spirit of '76)—created a new team, the All-Winners Squad. When that team dissolved, Marvel retconned several members, having them join Citizen V's V-Battalion.

After the Invaders' introduction in the pages of The Avengers, the team appeared in its own try-out title, Giant-Size Invaders #1 in 1975, followed by the ongoing series The Invaders later that year, and a single annual in 1977. Issues #5–6 of the series introduced another retcon World War II team, the Liberty Legion, in two parts of a story arc, "The Red Skull Strikes", interlaced with another two parts in Marvel Premiere #29–30.

In 2004 new Invaders team was created in four-issue arc "Once an Invader...", beginning with The Avengers vol. 3, #82. The revived team was spun-off into its own title, The New Invaders, running 10 issues (August 2004–June 2005), beginning with issue #0. It consisted of U.S. Agent (John Walker, the fifth Captain America); Union Jack; ageless android the Human Torch; former Liberty Legion member the Thin Man (Dr. Bruce Dickson), who remained ageless as, evidently, a by-product of his transformation in the super-scientific haven Kalahia; and the Blazing Skull (Mark Todd), who remained ageless due to supernatural means. The Invaders were also assisted by former Golden Age hero The Fin and his Atlantean wife Nia, although they did not officially join the team.

They were formed by the putative U.S. Secretary of Defense Dell Rusk—in actuality the Red Skull—who coerced the Thin Man into gathering this new team, which the Skull intended to use for his own goals. The new Invaders eventually learned of the plan, however and thwarted it, but at the cost of the apparent "death" of the android Human Torch. The majority of the members quit the team after this.

In a January 2006 interview [1], writer Fabian Nicieza said the remainder of the team would appear, along with Citizen V and the V-Battalion, in the "Domino Principle" arc in Cable & Deadpool #28–29.

U.S. Agent is presently a member of the new Canadian super hero team Omega Flight after the events of the Super Human Civil War.

At the August 2007 Wizard World Chicago Convention, an image of Captain America surrounded by flames embossed with the word "RETURN" was revealed, created by legendary artist Alex Ross, signifying his return to Marvel. On August 14th, 2007, Marvel has revealed that there will be a new 12 issue maxi-series entitled "Avengers/Invaders," giving a name to the image revealed at W.W. Chicago. According to Ross, who will be doing covers and design work for the series, it is a series that will return Captain America (Steven Rogers) to modern continuity, along with the other four original Invaders: Human Torch, Toro, Bucky, and Namor. They will appear in the mainstream Marvel Universe, returning at the height of their powers and popularity, as they were in 1942. The series will launch in 2008.

• All Winners Comics #19 & 21 (Sept. 1946 & Jan. 1947, Timely Comics)
• The Avengers  vol. 1, #71 (Dec 1969)(proto version: modern-day Avengers time-traveled to encounter the WWII superheroes)
• Giant-Size Invaders  #1 (June 1975)
• The Invaders (1975–1979)
• The Invaders Annual  #1 (1977)
• Namor the Sub-Mariner Annual  #1 (1991)
• The Invaders  four-issue miniseries (1993)
• Weapon X  vol. 2, #14 (Dec. 2003)
• The Avengers  vol. 3, #82-84 (Jul-Aug 2004)
• New Invaders  #0–9 (2004–2005)
• Giant-Size Invaders  #2 (Jan. 2006; reprints The Invaders #1–2, three stories from Golden Age All Winners Comics #1–2)
• Classic Invaders vol. 1 TP (2007; reprints Invaders #1-9, Giant-Size Invaders #1 and Marvel Premiere #29-30)
• Avengers/Invaders #1-12 (2008)

An ensemble of Invaders team members appeared on television in Spider-Man: The Animated Series story arc named "Six Forgotten Warriors". It shows Destroyer (named as Keene Marlow, his golden age identity), Whizzer/Robert Frank, Miss America/Madelyn Joyce, Captain America, Black Marvel/Omar Mosley (appeared in golden age comic 'Mystic Comics' #5 and few others), The Thunderer/Jerry Carstairs (appeared in golden age comic 'Mystery Comics' #7 and few others).

• Crusaders (comics)
• Kid Commandos
• Liberty Legion
• Timely Comics