The Avengers and His Dark Materials are having quite the year. With the debut of Disney+ and the premiere of His Dark Materials on HBO comics and fantasy fans have had quite a lot to be thankful for. As was given away in the premiere episode of His Dark Materials the show, the animal companions, or daemons, that follow the characters around are manifestations of the souls of those individuals.
As exciting a prospect as that is on HBO, it's an even more interesting concept when we imagine it against the personalities and characters we've had a little more time to learn to love. Let's take a moment to consider what daemons our favorite Avengers might have if they lived in a slightly different world.
Tony Stark/Iron Man - Hummingbird
Starting with the "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," of the team, we all know and love Tony Stark for his intelligence, curiosity, and ambition. We all worry about his stubbornness, isolation, and drinking. How might his soul settle once he came of age? Hummingbird! Why a hummingbird?
Well, they have incredible energy expenditure, so Tony's constant tinkering and lack of sleep will have found an understanding companion. They fly which, when we look at Iron Man's powers, would be incredibly helpful to keep daemon and human together at all times. Some also believe that hummingbirds represent infinity. So let's just look at the end of Infinity War and appreciate how well these two would go together.
Steve Rogers/Captain America - Golden Retriever
Many would jump straight to the bald eagle as a representation of Captain America, but let us remember that the daemon would represent Steve's soul, not that of his public personality. With his loyalty, hard-working, and compassionate nature Steve Rogers is much more likely to have a dog of some kind at his side.
The golden retriever, in particular, is known for its even temper, loyalty, and high intelligence. Both a hunter and a companion animal the golden retriever would fit quite well as the daemon to Captain America. The gold would go quite nicely with the red, white, and blue as well.
Thor - Black Bear
Perhaps Thor himself would hope for a Bilgesnipe, "huge, scaly, big antlers," he tells Agent Coulson in the original Avengers, but Thor is unlikely to have the soul of a mythical Norse beast with all the time he spends on earth.
Rather, Thor's daemon would take the shape of an American black bear. With an omnivore's diet, wide distribution across the continent, incredible strength for its size, and of course, curiosity, the black bear really is Thor as he appears on earth. The black bear even has Thor's incredible appetite and interest in trying a variety of foods.
Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - Fox
Black Widow would not have a spider as a daemon, rather Natasha would have a Fox. Known for being adaptable to all sorts of habitats, including those that are host to many humans, Natasha's undercover work would play into her daemon nicely.
The fox also has excellent low-frequency hearing and has always been recognized, especially in folklore, for its intelligence and cunning. It certainly doesn't hurt that Natasha and the fox both have red hair. They've been known to survive in extreme weather and are very protective of their young.
Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Eagle
It's not Captain America who gets an eagle as his daemon, but rather Hawkeye himself, Clint Barton. Eagles are known to have the best eyesight in the animal kingdom. Eagles also have a wider range of color vision than humans, which could certainly help Clint out on the job.
Like Clint and his family, eagles are monogamous and mate for life. they tend to nest in high and uninhabited areas, which seems very similar to the Barton family decision to live incognito on a farm.
Bruce Banner/The Hulk - Moose
Bruce Banner would likely have a moose daemon by his side. Like the Hulk side of Bruce, the Moose is huge, but like Bruce, the animal is also usually unassuming and docile, not terribly afraid of humans.
However, if a moose is provoked, it can be very dangerous. Besides being incredibly large, a moose is also incredibly strong and would have no trouble trampling those around or stabbing at them with their antlers. They may seem calm and collected on the outside, but when threatened it's important to get out of the way.
Vision - Liger
Vision, who was for all intents and purposes manufactured by man would be paired up with the equally man-made Liger. Ligers are larger than either of their tiger or lion parents and are actually considered the largest known cats in the entire world. Ligers, like the Vision himself, grow up rather quickly, and, if not killed, have considerably long natural lives.
They are fast animals, running up to fifty miles an hour, and are also known to swim, like their tiger relatives. Like the creation of Vision himself, the crossbreeding of tigers and lions to create ligers is ethically questionable.
Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch - Cone Snail
Wanda Maximoff would have a cone snail daemon. Cone snails are known as perhaps the deadliest creature in the entire ocean. It can be a few inches long, but also contains a venomous harpoon it can shoot outward to subdue and kill its enemies. The snails live in particularly beautiful shells, which often catch the eyes of divers or other animals.
Despite their beauty, cone snails are not animals anyone should want to pick up or get near, they have a power that you wouldn't assume on first glance.
James Rhodes/War Machine - Parakeet
Big bad Colonel Rhodes would have a parakeet at his side. Why a parakeet? Other than the fact that both the parakeet and Rhodey's superhero alter ego War Machine both fly, they are also both social and faithful.
The Colonel's success during his time in the military was in part due to Rhodey working best in a pair or with a team (unlike his friend Tony Stark). Alone the bird suffers from extra anxiety, just as Rhodey suffers when the Avengers stop playing as a team.
Nick Fury - Honey Badger
The founder himself, Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. would, of course, be joined by his honey badger daemon. With thick skin, no fear, and a number of weapons (including claws, teeth, stink bomb, and strength) the honey badger, like Fury himself, is ready for anything that might come for him.