Avengers Forever is a twelve-issue comic book limited series published from December 1998 to November 1999 by Marvel Comics. It follows the storyline of Rick Jones and his quest to build a team of Avengers from the past, present, and future. The series was written by Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern and drawn by Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino. In 2021, a new Avengers Forever series was released, following the character Ghost Rider. Publication history Marvel originally contracted Busiek and Pacheco to produce a series called Avengers: World in Chains, but it was too similar to another project (presumably Mutant X) and was canceled by the company. Because Busiek and Pacheco were under contract, the pair instead developed the concept for Avengers Forever. Plot summary Immortus sends his servant Tempus to kill an apparently critically ill Rick Jones, the possessor of the "Destiny Force", a powerful ability used during the Kree–Skrull War storyline. Rick is saved by Kang the Conqueror (who is destined to evolve into Immortus), who destroys Tempus and holds off Immortus' temporal army. The alien Kree Supreme Intelligence urges Rick to use the Destiny Force to summon aid. With the help of former Zodiac member Libra, Rick pulls various members of the superhero team Avengers from the past, present, and future. The team consists of a disillusioned Captain America, who is pulled from an adventure in which he discovers a high-ranking government official is the leader of the Secret Empire; Yellowjacket from a time when he is mentally unbalanced and unaware that he is Hank Pym; Hawkeye from just after the conclusion of the Kree–Skrull War and war against Olympus; Giant-Man (also Hank Pym) and Wasp from the present; Songbird from an unspecified time in the near future; and Captain Marvel from further in the future. Although these Avengers appear almost randomly selected, Libra states that they have been chosen due to his subtle awareness of the universal balance, each one fulfilling an eventually clarified role in events: Cap's presence brought cohesion to the team while his weakened mental state due to his current lack of confidence prevented him from dominating it; The Wasp led the team with strength and flexibility that gave them direction without exerting too much control; Yellowjacket's eventual betrayal of the team due to his current instability would bring them into the right position to strike; Giant-Man provided support while irritating and provoking