The format of the title was usually two stories, one featuring the character Hawkeye (a sarcastic archer who had been first introduced to the Avengers title in 1964) and a back-up strip showcasing current or former Avengers who didn't have their own title. Some issues featured one long story, and others dropped Hawkeye altogether. With issue 35, the comic changed format to exclusively focus on one full-length story (apart from issue 36, which carried a Hawkeye story intended for #35 but not completed in time), in a failed attempt to avoid cancellation.