Avengers Six: The Quinjet!

Of course, the only recent news about the movie that I particularly care about is the concept art for the Quinjet.

 

I can't help but think that this actually part of a larger piece of art that's sure to set the Internet ablaze in the coming weeks, if not in the next few days. Anyway, the Quinjet, for me, is non-negotiable. If anyone's having anything to do with the Avengers, the Quinjet has to be there.

From Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Granted, it's first appearance was much later than the Mansion's (since issue 1), but it's use is actually far more practical. After all, unless you have Dr. Strange on your squad, how are you supposed to transport non-flying Avengers across the globe, let alone across the galaxy, to respond to a major threat?

From Next Avengers

So, yeah, the Quinjet does hold a somewhat iconic status for me similar to how their respective fan bases feel about the Star Destroyer or the Enterprise. So much so that for the longest time I've been looking for a toy or a model to add to my collection! Thankfully, the Superhero Squad line came up with this:

Yes, it's mine!

Which brings me to quite a puzzle: This toy, as well as the animated depictions, have shown the Quinjet capable of firepower. Yet, according to this site, the Quinjet has "no on-board weaponry". I have yet to find another material that confirms this, but from the behavior of the Quinjet in the comics, that looks to be about right.

The only other toy. From United They Stand. Not sure if this was ever released.

Yes, I know the Quinjet is not as iconic as the Batmobile or even the Blackbird - heck, sometimes I feel that slapping an "A" logo on any plane already makes it a Quinjet - but like the Mansion, the Quinjet adds a humanizing element to the mythos of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Sometimes, it even acts like a character in an Avengers story - just like in Busiek's closing issue for Vol. 3, which also printed my very first fan letter to Marvel!

In a testament to Busiek's genius as a writer, this issue had the Avengers accounting for one Quinjet that was destroyed and one that was illegally parked.

This is part 3 of 6 in a series of blogs about what I think makes the Avengers.

Part 2: The Mansion!
Part 1: The Battle Cry!