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Warning: Spoilers for Uncanny X-Men #8The X-Men have just proven their biggest difference from the Avengers, settling any doubt as to what makes the two teams similar. While they’re both among the premier superhero teams of the Marvel Universe, Cyclops spells out the team’s greatest difference from their contemporaries, which goes a long way in explaining some of the darker actions the team has taken throughout their history.
Uncanny X-Men #8 by Gail Simone and Javier Garrón concludes the Raid on Graymalkin crossover, as both teams of X-Men battle to break free from the control of the powerful telepath Scurvy and rescue their captive teammates. When the X-Men are confronted by Warden Ellis and her guards, Cyclops remarks “..You have two teams of X-Men facing you now. And we’re not as nice as the Avengers.”
This statement spells out the ultimate difference between the X-Men and the Avengers in the Marvel Universe, demonstrating what sets them apart.
Uncanny X-Men #8 by Gail Simone, Javier Garrón, Matt Wilson, and Clayton Cowles
While the X-Men and the Avengers are both fighting for the same side, the X-Men themselves are often forced to be more hardline than other superhero groups due to the nature of the threats they face. Both teams face super villains, yes; but the X-Men’s threats also include groups like the Purifiers and Orchis, which want mutants dead and actively work towards that goal. These kinds of threats are unique to the X-Men as mutants, as they aren’t the kind of threats that the Avengers have to face.
Failure has very real consequences for the X-Men in a way that the Avengers have never truly had to contend with.
These threats, as well as the ever-looming threat of extinction at the hands of other groups, are often what force the X-Men to take more militant stances than their contemporaries. Notable examples of this difference include Cyclops greenlighting X-Force as a kill-team to retrieve an infant Hope Summers and Cyclops’ later stance as a mutant revolutionary following the events of Avengers vs. X-Men. Failure has very real consequences for the X-Men in a way that the Avengers have never truly had to contend with.
The X-Men Can’t Afford to Be as Nice as the Avengers
Anti-Mutant Sentiment Changes How the Team Operates
Ultimately, the reason the X-Men aren’t as “nice” as the Avengers is because they can’t afford to be. Past tragedies, such as M-Day, have forced the X-Men against the ropes. As such, they’re forced to take more firm, sometimes violent stances against their enemies – because it’s the only guarantee of survival. The recent wounds left over from the fall of Krakoa only accentuate this point, as the X-Men are now in dire straits and can’t rely on anyone but themselves to protect mutantkind.
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Cyclops spells out the major difference between the X-Men and the Avengers, making it clear that the former is not as “nice” as the latter. The team’s history proves this to be true, as they are not allowed to be as nice or merciful as other superhero teams in the Marvel Universe without paying dearly for it down the line. It’s a bitter truth that for the X-Men to survive, they must be more aggressive than their contemporaries within the superhero community, like the Avengers, because the harsher actions of the X-Men have become essential for their survival.
Uncanny X-Men #8 is available now from Marvel Comics.
“}]] Cyclops knows what sets the X-Men apart. Read More