The X-Men’s Most Famous Catchphrase Shows Why They’re Nothing Like The Avengers

There’s always been a weird little rivalry between the X-Men and the Avengers, especially in the minds of fans. There are definitely differences between the two teams, and those differences have affected them in a variety of ways. There once was a time when the Avengers were the most valuable team in Marvel’s universe, but all of that changed in the late ’70s and the ’80s, when the X-Men vaulted over Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Since then, the two teams have changed spots atop the heap, their stories very different. Fans have always liked the X-Men for different reasons than the Avengers, and the best way to illustrate that is to talk about their catchphrases.

The Avengers have “Avengers assemble”, a rallying call that brings together the greatest heroes on Earth to battle the most deadly threats. This says a lot about the team; they’re soldiers, heroes who come together to fight for everyone. They come from disparate places, and assemble whenever they’re needed. Most Avengers aren’t always Avengers; they have other things in their lives. However, whenever they hear their rallying call, it’s on. “Avengers assemble” says something about the team and what they are. The X-Men, though, have a very different rallying cry — “To me, my X-Men!” — and it shows just how different the two groups are.

The X-Men Aren’t Just a Team, They’re a Family

The X-Men have had quite a time over the years. The team was first brought together under the guise of being a school for “gifted youngsters”, but even back then, it was more than that. The members of the team were all outcasts because of their mutant nature. If you look at each of the original members of the team, they were there because their families didn’t want to deal with them. As you look at the evolution of the group, as more members joined, you’ll find a bunch of people without families. Xavier gave them a home, and that home became something special.

Xavier became a father figure to the team. The X-Men have some amazing members, but they were all missing someone to look up to. Professor X gave them that, as did Cyclops later. The leaders of the X-Men have to be more than the field leader; they have to be the father figure to the team. They have to give them that feeling of belonging. That’s why the leaders call the team “their X-Men”; there’s a sense of familial relation to the X-Men that even makes the Fantastic Four, long known as the First Family of the Marvel Universe, seem quaint in comparison.

This is very different from the Avengers. The Avengers have had some wild adventures, and have built up a sense of camaraderie through their battles. The Avengers first came together to deal with Loki and a plan that not one of them could defeat on their own. They assembled, coming together for the big battles ever since. They all had other homes, and things in their life, but those things took a backseat to the threats that the team faced, because those threats would destroy the world otherwise.

All of the Avengers respect Captain America, their leader, and look up to him, but they don’t see him as a father. They see him as a commander, a warrior, a legend. The same can be said for all of the Avengers’ leaders. They earn their spot, and the respect they gain drives the rest of the team to come together. The X-Men respect their leaders, but it’s different. The team loves each other. They are fighting for their very existence as people in the world in a way the Avengers aren’t. They have no one but their compatriots, and this comes through in their rallying call. They only have each other, and the person who leads them holds them together. The Avengers choose their life, the mutants don’t. They need a family, and their team gives them that.

The Avengers and the X-Men Couldn’t Be More Different

There’s nothing wrong with the Avengers being a more of a team than a family. They don’t “need” to come together. Sure, the world needs saving when they come together, but they’re all the kind of people that would do it any way on their own. The X-Men don’t really have a choice. Their lives are defined not by being heroes, but by being mutants, and the group gives them a sense of belonging that they can’t get elsewhere, not even on other teams. Being a member of the X-Men means having a home you wouldn’t have otherwise. The leader of the team isn’t just your friend; they’re one of you.

There are a lot of differences between the Avengers and the X-Men, and their rallying cries underline those differences perfectly. Each group has an entirely different mission when it comes to the world they live in. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are the military, the varsity team. The X-Men are a family for people who don’t have a family because of who they are. The two team’s rallying cries say so much about the two groups, showing just what each of them is about.

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