Over the last 56 years, a surprising number of X-Men have served as members of the Avengers. The X-Men and the Avengers are essentially Marvel’s two premier superhero teams, and frankly the relationship between them has always seemed rather fractious. In general, the Avengers have been hands-off when it comes to mutant affairs, and it hasn’t always been appreciated. The X-Men were particularly incensed when the Avengers failed to show up after the Genoshan genocide.
For all that’s the case, though, there have been a surprising number of X-Men among the ranks of the Avengers over the years. The last decade saw the Avengers and the X-Men come into a conflict that almost destroyed the entire planet, the Avengers Vs. X-Men event. In the aftermath of that crisis, Captain America desperately attempted to build bridges with the mutant community, welcoming more X-Men into the fold.
It’s only a matter of time before the X-Men make their MCU debut. It’s entirely possible some of these heroes could work alongside both the X-Men and the Avengers; they could help bind the fabric of the shared universe together going forwards.
Quicksilver
First up is the super-speedster Quicksilver, who’s spent equal portions of his time as an active Avenger and as a member of X-Men splinter group X-Factor. He and his sister Scarlet Witch actually made their debut as members of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but they left the Master of Magnetism and became part of the second-generation Avengers team sometimes referred to as “Cap’s Kooky Quartet.” Pietro Maximoff’s arrogance and bad temper have made him a constant source of conflict for both superhero teams, and his interpersonal life has been complicated to say the least. He married fellow Avenger Crystal, one of the Inhumans, and they had a daughter together.
Beast
Although he’s best known as an X-Man, Beast is actually a long-serving and reliable member of the Avengers as well. Beast joined the Avengers shortly after he unwisely conducted an experiment upon himself in order to “cure” genetic mutation, and instead was transformed into his famous bouncing blue form. This iteration of the Beast proved to be a natural fit for the Avengers, striking a close friendship with Wonder Man. His loyalty was, however, sometimes torn between the Avengers and his old colleagues in the X-Men, and on occasion Beast carefully avoided filing reports that would have gotten the mutants too much attention. Beast subsequently returned to the X-Men, but he’s drifted back to the Avengers every now and again, even serving as technical support for Steve Rogers’ Secret Avengers team.
Wolverine
Moving into the 2000s, writer Brian Bendis reinvented the Avengers as Marvel’s premiere superhero team. He figured that they should really be the A-listers, all the most popular and remarkable heroes, and as a result the New Avengers included the likes of Spider-Man and Wolverine. From a plot point of view, Wolverine joined the Avengers because Tony Stark and Captain America because they believed a SHIELD conspiracy required a black ops operative. That turned out to be a secret Skrull Secret Invasion, although ironically Wolverine never actually practiced his espionage skills on the Avengers’ behalf. Still, he stuck around for quite a while later, and his views on Cyclops instigated the whole Avengers Vs. X-Men event.
Sunspot
A popular member of the New Mutants, Sunspot possesses the ability to absorb solar energy and channel it as superhuman strength and energy blasts; he’s known for having an ego the size of his impressive bank balance. Sunspot was invited into the Avengers by Captain America himself, but his overbearing nature meant he wasn’t a good fit. He came up with a revolutionary approach to taking over the scientific supervillain organization known as AIM - a hostile takeover, buying them out and renaming them “Avengers Idea Mechanics.” It didn’t take long for things to get tense between Sunspot and the US Government, and he founded his own Avengers team, one hunted down by SHIELD.
Cannonball
Sunspot wasn’t the only New Mutant recruited into the Avengers at Cap’s request; he also called in Sunspot’s best friend, Cannonball, who possesses a powerful biokinetic energy field. Cannonball’s missions saw him build a close relationship with a member of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard, Smasher, and the two fell in love in a remarkably fast courtship. They married, and even had a child. The birth of their son led Cannonball to leave the Avengers and head to Shi’ar space in order to bring the child up. He’s only now returning to the X-Men books as part of Jonathan Hickman’s relaunch.
Havok
In the aftermath of the Avengers Vs. X-Men event, Captain America decided it was time to build a bridge between the Avengers and the mutant community. He formed the so-called “Unity Squad,” a superhero team who were featured in the pages of Uncanny Avengers. He asked Cyclops’ brother Havok to serve as team leader, but it didn’t exactly go well; Havok proved too hesitant and indecisive, and the burden of leadership weighed heavily upon his shoulders. Havok had a relationship with Wasp, and in one future timeline they even had a daughter together. Unfortunately all that came to an end when Havok was twisted and corrupted during the AXIS event, transformed into a supervillain.
Rogue
The X-Men’s favorite sultry Southern Belle, Rogue, was another key member of the Unity Squad. Rogue has a long and troubled history with the Avengers, introduced as a supervillain who took on heroes like Carol Danvers, Thor, and Captain America. Unfortunately Rogue was an ill fit for the Uncanny Avengers, and she clashed with the Scarlet Witch in particular, blaming her for an act of genocide against the mutant race. The two gradually learned to trust one another, but the relationship between the two was always strained. In the end, Rogue was forced to absorb the powers and essence of her fellow Avenger, Wonder Man; he and Scarlet Witch had just become an item, and Wanda Maximoff was devastated.
Sunfire
One of the more unexpected members of the Avengers Unity Squad was the pyrokinetic Sunfire, an arrogant Japanese superhero who had been part of the X-Men’s Second Genesis team. Sunfire was recruited by the Avengers at one of the lowest points in his life, and as a result he struggled with this high-profile role. Sunfire ultimately went up against the Celestials, and was apparently killed; instead, his powers expanded and he absorbed the Celestial energy, transforming into a formidable powered-up version.
Sabretooth
The aftermath of the AXIS event saw the Uncanny Avengers gain their most unlikely new team-member - Sabretooth, traditionally one of the X-Men’s most savage enemies. Sabretooth was mystically inverted, transformed into a man who was desperately seeking redemption. He initially believed there was too much bad blood between himself and the X-Men, so he figured the best way to accomplish this goal was to join the Avengers Unity Squad. It didn’t last long - and neither did the inversion.
Cable
The last X-Man to join the Avengers was Cable, the time-traveling son of Cyclops and his ex-wife Madelyne Pryor. He discovered an Avengers mission that was destined to go catastrophically wrong, and traveled back to the present in order to help prevent a global catastrophe. Cable decided to stick around, helping the Unity Squad against the Red Skull and a monstrous, resurrected Hulk. In truth, Cable only ever saw the Avengers as a means to an end… and it was no surprise when he went his own way again.
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