The Avengers were the brainchild of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nicholas Fury, who envisioned a team of heroes that might work together as an emergency response team in the event that a threat would prove so powerful, that no one hero could face it alone. The catalysts for this plan were the appearances of beings with personal levels of power that vastly exceeded conventional military capabilities. He named his plan the "Avengers Initiative".