I tend to think of the classic 1970s Avengers as being the most iconic version–but since so many of them have been in the team before and after that, it’s not like there’s only one line-up or period that fits the criteria.
The one thing that’s true–and that Mark Gruenwald realized and regretted after the fact–is that once the West Coast Avengers existed, it became difficult to assemble a truly classic line-up, because the “Big Three” core Avengers–Thor, Captain America and Iron Man–were always split between the two teams/books.
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