While the Avengers are truly Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as the team consists of some of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe including Thor, Hulk, and Ghost Rider, there is one ultra-hardcore team led by Black Bolt that makes even the strongest Avengers lineup look absolutely pathetic.
Blackagar Boltagon aka Black Bolt is the king of Earth’s Inhumans and a member of the Illuminati with the power to obliterate an opponent with nothing more than the sound of his voice. Black Bolt made his first appearance in Fantastic Four #45 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and while he was initially a side character, he quickly grew into a man of great importance, with influence that stretched across the universe. Using that influence, Black Bolt formed a team of heroes separate from the Inhumans of Earth and the Illuminati, one that is much more focused on raw power and the thrill of facing a seemingly unbeatable foe.
In Fantastic Four #577 by Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham, fans are introduced to a team of Universal Inhumans known as the Light Brigade. The Light Brigade is an ever-changing squad of Inhumans from across the universe led by Black Bolt who must undertake a perilous mission that no team has ever before survived. That mission is to travel to the Negative Zone and do battle with the Annihilation Wave–an endless army of seemingly unstoppable bug-like creatures controlled by Annihilus. Given that Annihilus and his army are incredibly powerful if just in sheer numbers alone, the mission of the Light Brigade to defeat them is almost insane in nature as it can never be done–but that’s what makes them so hardcore.
The Avengers are always ready to do battle if it means protecting the Earth from a potentially apocalyptic event, but they don’t regularly go out looking for things to fight if there is no imminent threat to the planet. The Light Brigade, on the other hand, try to prove their worth by battling the Annihilation Wave even though the odds of survival are incredibly slim in a ritualistic practice that will more than likely result in them dying a warrior’s death. However, the Light Brigade shown in this issue actually does make it after they are captured by Annihilus and forced to do battle against some of the villain’s strongest fighters in a gladiator-style arena. With the added help of the Human Torch, the Light Brigade escapes the Negative Zone and in doing so are victorious over the nearly unbeatable foe, Annihilus–thereby becoming some of the strongest and easily the most fearless warriors in the cosmos.
Even when the odds against them are great, the Light Brigade chooses to dive head-first into the most dangerous situations in the known universe. They actively for battles to fight and villains to vanquish even when there is no immediate threat and absolutely no guarantee of survival. This shows that the Avengers can't compete with Black Bolt’s ultra-hardcore team of Universal Inhumans known as the Light Brigade.