Avengers vs X-Men: Marvel's Top Teams Are Separated By One Detail You Never Noticed
Despite the Avengersand the X-Men's mutual goal to protect the Marvel universe from evil, a single differing detail ultimately divides the teams. The X-Men often face issues specific to mutantkind, while the Avengers serve the global public at large, but one prolific X-Men writer knows the real secret that keeps the heroic teams apart. Admittedly, it’s a far simpler difference that no one would have consciously noticed.
A few years ago, long-time X-Men writer Chris Claremont opened an “Ask Me Anything” thread on Reddit, openly calling for any and all questions related to the creator’s professional history.
One Reddit user, u/RawrAmanda, asked Claremont about his general opinions on the X-Men’s growingly complicated Krakoa saga and what the franchise means to him. The retired Marvel writer kindly explained his thoughts on characters like Charles Xavier and Magneto but brought up an interesting point about what makes the X-Men such a unique team - the X-Men are creepy and reclusive.
Chris Claremont Believes the X-Men Are Creepy and Reclusive
The Comic Writer Has a Point
“For me, the X-Men being clandestine was one of the few things, one of the primal things, that separated this concept from every other concept in Marvel. The Avengers are public, the Defenders are public. Everybody knows the X-Men are creepy. Even though they're heroes, they're creepy and no one knows who they are. Once you take that away, they're just like everybody else.” - Chris Claremont
The X-Men have always been an inherently selfish team. That said, there’s nothing wrong with that within the context of the team’s plight. Groups like the Avengers come from all species, races, and backgrounds to serve the global public against the greater forces of evil. Likewise, a team like the Guardians of the Galaxy will help almost anybody as long as the reward is good enough. But the X-Men are a rather reclusive bunch. The mutant heroes are sometimes willing to help face global apocalyptic events but otherwise, stay out of non-mutant affairs.
To be fair, most non-mutant heroes don’t care to help the X-Men out either. During the collapse of Krakoa, Tony Stark was the most vocal Avenger to come to the mutants’ aid while the rest of the world watched in awe. After generations of constant subjugation, abuse, and genocide, mutantkind has been caught in a precarious state of self-exile, only furthering the divide between them and everyone else. This reclusive behavior is also to blame for the X-Men’s reputation for being “creepy.” At the end of the day, the X-Men are a private hero group.
The X-Men's Isolation Is Justified
The World Doesn't Care to Help Mutants
Frankly, the X-Men have every right to distance themselves from global affairs. For decades, mutantkind has faced total extermination at the hands of politicians, immortal scientists, and giant-sized robots. Yet, Marvel’s other heroes infrequently champion their mutual-heroes’ rights. Multiple mutant societies have fallen to this vicious prejudice, while the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fail to protect them. So, if the world doesn’t care about mutantkind, then they need their own heroes. The X-Men do what they do to protect their own people, but the responsibility for the team’s independence begins with the rest of the world.
Besides the flaming stigma against their natural mutations, little truly separates the X-Men from any other superhero group.
Besides the flaming stigma against their natural mutations, little truly separates the X-Men from any other superhero group. When an X-Man has to work alongside other heroes, such as Storm’s current partnership with the Avengers, it becomes clear how similar all heroes are. No one cares that Vision is an android. Everyone is okay with Captain Marvel being part alien. And, outside the context of the X-Men, no one cares where Storm comes from. It’s only when mutants come together that the world gives pause. So, without their reclusiveness, what makes the X-Men special?
Without These Qualities, The X-Men Aren't Special
Their Struggle Defines the Team
In Chris Claremont’s own words, “Once you take [these qualities] away, they’re just like everybody else.” At the end of the day, the X-Men aren’t entirely special. As readers, we know they are different from the rest of the heroes because the team calls themselves a different name and fight different enemies. We know the X-Men face a specific fight that the rest of the world doesn’t care to help with. But in becoming a team that only fights for mutantkind, they have bred fear in the general public that the Avengers don’t.
Every superhero team is scary if you’re just a normal person. These are gods and geniuses playing around with the lives of millions. But teams like the Avengers have been in the public eye for so long that they’ve become a common staple of daily existence. However, as long as the X-Men continue to isolate themselves from the greater superheroic scene, they’ll always be seen as the “other.” People are afraid to help those they don’t understand, only perpetuating the cycle of fear and disdain. Despite their heroics, the X-Men have garnered a lifelong reputation for being creepy outcasts.
Source: Reddit.com
- Movie(s)
- X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
- First Film
- X-Men (2000)
- TV Show(s)
- X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)
- Character(s)
- Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
- Video Game(s)
- X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
- Comic Release Date
- 213035,212968
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
