I can’t resist a good nitpick when it comes right down to it, so I’m going to drag you through Avengers Finale in terms of who remembers what (and whether it makes any sense). First, I should say that I thought the highlights were chosen well. They offer a nice cross-section of significant Avengers moments.
We start with Iron Man recalling the founding. That’s perfectly appropriate, particularly in light of how much of his personal fortune he’s invested in the team over time. Next, the Wasp identifies the discovery of Captain America as a seminal moment for her. This is fine, too, considering the lasting impression Cap made on the team.
Things get a bit odd from here. Hank cites the Kree-Skrull War, despite playing only a marginal role in it. A better choice for that peak moment might have been Rick Jones, who probably would have attended the last supper, when I think about it. He was the thematic linchpin of the story in many ways, and it had to have been a highlight of his career as a super-heroic hanger-on.
Wonder Man mentions the wedding of the Vision and the Scarlet Witch, despite his being in suspended animation at the time. It’s also odd in that he routinely undermined the relationship. When the Vision was deprogrammed, Simon declined to restore Vision’s personality. Simon also pursued a romantic relationship with the Scarlet Witch on a number of occasions, only vaguely cognizant of how his “brother” might feel about the turn of events.
The Beast might have been an interesting choice for this, even though he wasn’t yet an Avenger, and he could have easily cited the marriage of the couple as opposed to their wedding. In terms of being an out-and-proud mutant and public figure, Wanda beat Beast to the punch by several years. It might have been inspirational to the Beast, having just recently left the mutant ghetto himself for Avengers membership, to see a mutant finding happiness on her own terms and serving the public without evasion or apology.
Unfortunately, the Beast gets to recall the battle with Korvac, in spite of the fact that he wasn’t present for it. (He had gone to rescue the missing X-Men from Mesmero and was later kidnapped along with the team by Magneto, resulting in his absence during the last half of this arc.) Again, a different, more appropriate Avenger is right on hand. This was Warbird’s first significant adventure with the Avengers (in her days as Ms. Marvel). Beyond the scope of the event itself, it could be portrayed as a liberating, legitimizing event in the early days of her heroic career.
Maybe the clumsiest of the lot is Jarvis fondly recalling the Siege of the Mansion. It’s not that I don’t think the choice is right, but there’s something about his tone as he describes the event. I remember those stories, and it was a significantly traumatic event for him. He was badly brutalized by the invaders, hospitalized, almost lost an eye, and almost quit service to the team as a result. His “you sure showed those ruffians” retelling is rather odd and seems to trivialize the experience.
Apropos of nothing, the Falcon harkens back all the way to… um… Ultron Unlimited. He wasn’t present for it, hadn’t been an active member for some time, and hadn’t yet returned to active membership in volume three. It’s also one of those world-saving moments that generally make him uncomfortable or at least reaffirm his commitment to street-level super-heroics. The problem with Falcon, though, is that he’s served very short stints with the team, usually in the in-between periods. He could have nicely talked about the team’s evolving relationship with longtime pest Henry Peter Gyrich, as Gyrich forced Falcon’s introduction to the team and later worked closely with Falcon to redeem himself.
This isn’t to say that Ultron Unlimited wasn’t an appropriate inclusion to the “Best Of” list. A finale without reference to Ultron would be odd, to say the least. But why not give Hank his moment? (Even Falcon wonders why Hank didn’t choose this turn of events.) Or bring in a hero or two who were actually there, like the Panther, Firestar, or Justice? (It was Panther’s first outing with the team after a fairly serious interpersonal rift, and it was the point at which Justice and Firestar truly found their footing as members of the team.)
Ultimately, I think Avengers Finale was reasonably well intentioned. Some thought went into it, but I do think there was plenty of room for more. When relevant characters are available and would be motivated to attend an event like this, it doesn’t really serve any purpose to exclude them, particularly when they can carry a moment better. I’m not saying everyone from Firebird to Stingray should have attended, but if you have a list of points you want to make for the sake of resonance and closure, why undermine them with utility casting?