NOTE: MTV Geek used as a reference for this article
With helpful assistance from
MTV Geek, I take a look back at 6 previous times the Avengers and the X-Men have come to blows in preparation for the big 2012 showdown between the two superhero teams.
Tales of Suspense Vol 1 #49 January, 1964
- Editor-in-Chief: Stan Lee
- Cover Artist: Jack Kirby
- Writer: Stan Lee
As pointed out by MTV Geek, this comic marked just the third ever appearance by the X-Men and pits Iron Man against Angel. During an explosion at a Stark factory, Angel gets doused with radiation rays that turn him evil. In short, this issue featured a lot of aerial dog fighting with Iron Man basically being unable to keep up with his winged adversary. With all the advancements Tony has made over the years, I'm pretty sure this outcome would be reversed if/when these two meet again. In the end Angel is returned to normal as the radiation just sort of wear off in typical hokey 1960's fashion but this issue still marks the first time the Avengers and X-Men meet. MTV Geek thinks this issue will play an important role in the upcoming throwdown.
The Avengers #53 June, 1968
- Editor-in-Chief: Stan Lee
- Cover Artist: John Buscema
- Writer: Roy Thomas
This issue saw Magneto trick the two teams into fighting one another with the Master of Magnetism hoping that the X-Men would defeat the Avengers. However, the X-Men got their tails kicked and Magneto was defeated. And what's surprising here is that the X-Men went against an Avengers team that only consisted of Ant-Man (going by Goliath at the time), Wasp, Black Panther, and Hawkeye. No Cap, Thor, Iron Man or Hulk and they still won. Of course, this is when the X-Men are still teenagers and the team is without the likes of Gambit, Storm, Wolverine, etc. As for the fight itself, Black Panther defeats Beast, Hawkeye takes down Iceman, and Goliath subdues Cyclops. It will be interesting to see if this fight is referenced in the upcoming battles, for instance maybe Cyc says "You may have defeated me when I was a kid Hank but that was a long time ago...." or something along those lines.
X-Men vs Avengers Miniseries April - July, 1987
- Editor-in-Chief:Jim Shooter
- Cover Artist: Marc Silvestri
- Writer: Roger Stern / Jim Shooter
This miniseries centered around Magneto's infamous asteroid base which recently crash landed back to Earth thanks to Adam Warlock. A recently reformed Magneto attempts to rectify the situation but The Avengers and The Soviet Super Soldiers have other ideas and want Magneto to stand trail for his past transgressions. In this three-way brawl the Avengers team of Captain America, Dr. Druid, Captain Marvel, Thor, She-Hulk and Black Knight get the best of an X-Men team featuring Magneto, Rogue, Wolverine, Storm, Dazzler and Havok. Yeah, I'm not surprised by that either although Magneto gives the X-Men a fighting chance. It should be noted here that Stern wanted to have the story end with Magneto showing himself for the bastard he really was. This plot was changed by Shooter and Stern “decided the miniseries was too much grief to deal with any further.”
House of M Miniseries August - December 2005
- Editor-in-Chief:Joe Quesada
- Cover Artist: Esad Ribic
- Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Granted, this fight took place in an alternate reality created by the Scarlet Witch, fans were still treated to fights between mutants and the "Human Resistance" led by Luke Cage. House of M also established the Scarlet Witch as one of, if not arguably the strongest entity in the Marvel Universe as she altered reality and displayed powers that not even the combined might of Professor X and Doctor Strange could counter. It will be interesting to see what it done with her character in the upcoming battle.
Dark Avengers / Uncanny X-Men: Utopia August 2009
- Editor-in-Chief:Joe Quesada
- Cover Artist: various
- Writer: Matt Fraction
Norman Osborn sends his Dark Avengers to try and root the X-Men out of their new San Francisco home but to no avail. This just may be the first actual victory for the X-Men over the Avengers. Granted it's not the real Avengers but when a supreme powerhouse like Sentry is on your roster it's pretty hard to discredit the victory. What's striking about the victory is that Sentry is defeated through telepathic means as obviously no one on the X-Men has the muscle to go toe-to-toe with him. It will be interesting to see if this tactic will be used again on some of the stronger members of Earth's Mightiest.
Avengers: The Children's Crusade September 2010 - on going
- Editor-in-Chief: Axel Alonso
- Cover Artist: Jim Cheung
- Writer: Allan Heinberg
This event will have direct repercussions for the upcoming battle between the X-Men and the Avengers as Scarlet Witch has regained her sanity and powers but has also been rediscovered by the X-Men, who view her as a threat that may need to be eliminated. Said Cyclops to Captain America,
"The Avengers don't get to negotiate on behalf of mutantkind. The Scarlet Witch is coming with us. The X-Men will hold her accountable for her crimes...or I will burn the Witch where she stands."
The more I think about this event, the more I like it. There are a ton of storylines coming to a head here, most notably those of the Phoenix Force and the Scarlet Witch. These two are arguably the most powerful entities in the entire Marvel Universe and it will be interesting to see what stance these two super hero teams take regarding them. I'm also inclined to believe that Marvel won't miss the opportunity to put these two female juggernauts into some sort of confrontation.
Also, it's interesting to see that in the early days, the Avengers regularly got the best of the X-Men in their infrequent interactions but over the years, the X-Men have grown increasingly powerful and just may get their first definitive win over Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
This April, The Avengers and the X-Men—the two most popular franchises in Marvel comics history—go to war! Marvel is proud to announce AVENGERS VS X-MEN, a landmark 12-issue pop culture event bringing together the world’s greatest super heroes—Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Magneto and more—for an unforgettable battle beginning in April 2012.
AVENGERS VS X-MEN is written by a team of the top-selling authors in the comic book industry today: Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction. This unprecedented assembly of acclaimed writers is joined by a trio of the industry’s superstar artists: John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert.
The Avengers and X-Men have learned that the all-powerful embodiment of both death and rebirth known as the Phoenix Force is on a crash course for Earth…and it needs a new host to unleash its immeasurable power. But what is the shocking decision tied to the Phoenix’s return that will pit the Avengers against the X-Men? And when good friends become bitter enemies, what does this mean for the future of the Marvel Universe?
More on Marvel.com: http://marvel.com/news/story/17810/avengers_vs_x-men#ixzz1gAZss5Nt