The Champions were the first West Coast-based superteam, with their first challenge being the Greek god of death, Pluto. They formed much as did the Avengers, with several heroes meeting by chance against a great threat. The group consisted of two former X-Men (Angel and Iceman), Greek god of strength Hercules, supernatural avenger Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), and the Russian spy called Black Widow, who acted as team leader.

After defeating Pluto, the self-styled "Champions of Los Angeles" decided to stick together as a team. Angel's wealth bankrolled the group, and they bought a surplus Avengers Quinjet, the "Champjet", for team usage. Black Widow and Hercules made an abortive attempt at romance, but though it did not last long, neither did it seriously impair their working relationship. The group also worked from time to time with Black Goliath, who provided scientific expertise in addition to his brawn.

During their brief tenure as a team, the Champions once fought The Incredible Hulk, who was, unbeknownst to them, trying to get his injured cousin Jennifer to a hospital for the blood transfusion that would inadvertently turn her into She-Hulk.

In addition to Black Widow, another Russian heroine joined the team: Darkstar joined after participating in an attempt to capture the Black Widow.

The Champions briefly reunited, ^[1] teaming up with X-Force to battle their old foe Pluto.

After their dissolution, the Champions have become a sometime object of ridicule, with Iceman recalling ^[2] the team as an embarrassment, and Angel calling ^[3] the team "a nightmare - we just didn't know what we were doing."

Despite this, two recent teams have courted the name as their own: the California branch of the 50-State Initiative was originally to be named "The Champions", but this was quickly changed to "The Order." Also, the team first known as the Great Lakes Avengers (also the Lightning Rods and Great Lakes X-Men) "won" the name "Great Lakes Champions" during a poker tournament held by The Thing, although they are currently the "Great Lakes Initiative."

Paraphernalia

Equipment: None known.
Transportation: formerly the "Champjet", a surplus Avengers Quinjet
Weapons: None known.

Notes

Publication dates October 1975 - January 1978
Writer(s) Tony Isabella, Bill Mantlo
Penciller(s) Don Heck
Creator(s) Tony Isabella, *Don Heck

Trivia

The Champions were a short-lived fictional comic book superhero team in the Marvel Comics universe. Running from 1975-1978 in their own 17-issue series, the team, formally "The Champions of Los Angeles", was Marvel's first to be set on the U.S. West Coast, rather than in the publisher's usual locale, New York City.
Originally, writer Tony Isabella wanted the Champions to be a two-man group consisting of former X-Men, Angel and Iceman, but editor Len Wein insisted the team contain at least five members and Isabella added the other previously-established heroes. Another Russian hero, Darkstar, later joined the team. Had the series continued, the team reportedly was to expand to include Black Goliath in full capacity as well as Jack of Hearts.