The Avengers and the X-Men are two of Marvel’s greatest teams. There was a time when the Avengers were the superior team, consisting of the greatest heroes, and the X-Men were basically the C-list hero team. However, all of that changed in the ’80s, as the X-Men became more popular than the Avengers. Over the years, even before the X-Men’s ascendance, the Avengers and the X-Men have had plenty of crossovers, hanging out together and battling against threats that the teams on their own couldn’t handle. However, here’s the thing about basically every Marvel crossover (and really just crossovers in general) — whenever heroes or team first meet, there’s always a big fight.
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The X-Men and the Avengers have a lot of problems with each other ideologically. While the Avengers talk a big game about saving everyone, they have often looked the other way when it comes to mutants being targeted by the government the Avengers is usually allied with. The X-Men take exception to the Avengers’ ignorance of mutant affairs, and this has led to some battles between the two. Over the years, the X-Men and the Avengers have had some battles against each other, and these five are the most memorable.
5) X-Men (Vol. 1) #9
The first crossover between the X-Men and the Avengers came in X-Men (Vol. 1) #9. This story revealed why Professor X was paralyzed as the X-Men hunted for the alien who dropped a cave on him in the past, Lucifer. However, the Avengers were out and about as well, following Thor’s hammer, which had sensed a disturbance. This caused the two teams to tangle with each other when they met up in a Bavarian village. Obviously, the Avengers were able to get the upper hand, but neither side really won the fight. This fight showed how easy it was for the Avengers to decide to attack the X-Men, and it would be far from the last time that two teams clashed.
4) Ultimate War
We’ve gotten a new Ultimate Marvel Universe, and many of the fans who have been around for both think the new one is better. However, the old Ultimate Universe did have its highlights, and one of those was Ultimate War #1-4. This miniseries spun out of the events of Ultimate X-Men, as it was revealed that instead of killing Magneto, Professor X had merely erased most of his memories to give him a chance to live a normal life. The Ultimates, the Ultimate Universe version of the Avengers, were called in by SHIELD and the two teams ended up fighting it out. The Ultimates basically won this fight; the X-Men were able to escape and stay out of jail, but they had to go underground because the Ultimates were still hunting for them. A lot of the old Ultimate Universe didn’t age well, but if you can find this one from Mark Millar and Chris Bachalo, you should check it out. It’s one of the best Avengers/X-Men battles.
3) X-Men Vs. Avengers
X-Men Vs. Avengers was the big first crossover between the two teams in the late ’80s. The four issue miniseries pit the two teams against each other over Magneto. Magneto had stopped being a villain in Uncanny X-Men #200, hanging out with the X-Men. However, the Soviet Union wanted Magneto’s head for his sinking of the nuclear sub Leningrad and decided to grab him, so they sent the Soviet Super-Soldiers. This got the Avengers’ attention, and they decided to try to grab Magneto first, giving him to the Soviets to keep the Soviets from starting a world war over Magneto. Both teams tangled a little bit, and then it became more about the battle against the Soviet Super-Soldiers than a battle between the two teams.
2) Avengers/X-Men: Utopia
“Dark Reign” was an amazing time for Marvel. It made Norman Osborn the leader of the Superhero Initiative, following him making a team of Avengers with mostly evil Avengers, trying to save the world while cementing his power base. There are some really cool stories from this period, but the best one is Avengers/X-Men: Utopia. The Friends of Humanity, an anti-mutant racist group, decided to march on San Francisco, where the X-Men had moved after the destruction of the X-Mansion. Riots began and Osborn mobilized the Dark Avengers, also creating his own team of Dark X-Men. This led to Cyclops coming up with a plan to antagonize Osborn, forcing him to fight the X-Men on a field of their choosing. The X-Men were able to overpower Osborn’s Avengers and X-Men, creating their new home, the island known as Utopia. Osborn did declare victory after the battle, but everyone that mattered knew that he had lost.
1) Avengers Vs. X-Men
Avengers Vs. X-Men is very underrated, in my opinion, and is the most well-known fight between the two teams. Basically, the Avengers and the X-Men both discover that the Phoenix Force is coming to Earth. Cyclops wants Hope Summers to bond with it and use the power to recreate the mutant race at its previous numbers. Captain America, listening to Wolverine, wants to stop that from happening because Wolverine has told him that Cyclops was insane. The two teams battle it out, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Magik, and Namor gain the power of the Phoenix Force, and the Avengers kept up the fight although vastly overpowered. Eventually, the Phoenix Five go crazy, the X-Men team up with the Avengers, and both sides end up battling Dark Phoenix Cyclops. So, as far as winners go, the X-Men won at first, then the Avengers and X-Men won, so this one is a wash (although I guess you could say the X-Men came out with more wins, but the book came out in 2012, so Marvel wanted an Avengers event that made them look better than the X-Men).
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