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The Avengers and the X-Menare Marvel’s most powerful superheroes, and with world-class heavy hitters and literal reality-warping gods, it’s been highly debated which team is the strongest. The Avengers are known as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but the X-Men are quite literally “homo-superior,” as each team has succeeded in some of the most challenging battles and in stopping universe-ending threats.
Both the X-Men and the Avengers have played a vital role in protecting the Marvel Universe. However, there are key intrinsic differences between the two teams that have, at times, caused them to be at odds with one another.
Each team’s roster and hero abilities are ever-expanding, culminating in the Avengers’ holding city-leveling heroes like the Hulk and Scarlet Witch, and the X-Men bolstering omega-level mutants such as Storm and Jean Grey. Determining who would win requires a deeper look into each team’s roster and powers, as well as an analysis of their prior encounters.
Both the Avengers and the X-Men Have Godly Rosters of Heroes That Heighten the Stakes of Any Battle
The X-Men Have the Phoenix, While the Avengers Have Scarlet Witch
The Avengers’ title of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” isn’t just a name; they are the world’s most well-organized and effective defense force, and while the Avengers have a revolving door of heroes, they have major powerhouses like Thor, The Hulk, Captain Marvel, and Scarlet Witch. The team also includes some of the smartest leading strategists, like Iron Man and Captain America, making them an incredible force of nature when combined with heroes with major powers, like the Hulk’s sheer strength and Doctor Strange’s mystical abilities. The Avengers are known for their ability to fight multiversal threats and come out victorious.
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On the other hand, the X-Men are home to an equally vast array of mutants, including devastatingly powerful omega-level heroes, such as Jean Grey as the Phoenix, Storm, Kid Omega, Magneto, and Iceman. Like the Avengers, the X-Men have exceptional leaders like Cyclops and Professor X, in addition to a team of mutants that is always expanding and evolving to new heights. Of the X-Men’s vital members, both Jean Grey and Storm have recently acquired cosmic-level upgrades that give the X-Men an unprecedented power boost against the Avengers’ strongest super-beings.
Chaos Magic vs. the Phoenix: One Cosmic Force Is Now More Powerful Than the Other
The Two Heroes Are the Opposing Forces of the Marvel Universe
Since each team has a record of incredible heroes that are always growing, it’s difficult to pinpoint which team would come out on top, as the victor is highly dependent on Marvel’s current creative team directing the narrative. However, when examining each team’s roster based on their current abilities and their absolute strongest heroes, the answer to which team is superior becomes more transparent. Following that sentiment, one of the most deadly possible face-offs would have to be the X-Men’s Jean Grey and the Avengers’ reality-warping Scarlet Witch.
Jean Grey as the Phoenix has recently evolved into one of the most powerful cosmic entities in existence, arguably giving Jean an edge over Wanda.
Wanda Maximoff is the embodiment of Chaos Magic after absorbing the Darkhold and has infamously held the power to warp reality as well as speak the majority of the mutant population out of existence during the events of House of M. It’s previously been confirmed that Scarlet Witch’s chaos magic and Jean Gey’s Phoenix Force are equally matched, serving as opposing entities within the larger universe. Yet, Jean Grey as the Phoenix has recently evolved into one of the most powerful cosmic entities in existence, arguably giving Jean an edge over Wanda as of 2025.
On top of Jean Grey’s omega-level psychic abilities, the founding X-Men hero is now a fully realized god in control of destruction, rebirth, and creation who has been recognized by other cosmic entities such as Eternity. In Avengers vs X-Men #12 by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert, Wanda attempted to rid the world of the Phoenix force with the help of Hope Summers as the two women declared “no more Phoenix,” yet this “new normal” didn’t last long as the Phoenix inevitably returned. The Scarlet Witch undoubtedly has god-level abilities, but her power over reality has never been consistent or long-lasting.
The Avengers and the X-Men Have Fought Before, Making a True Victor More Complicated
The Avengers and X-Men Often Have Clashing Worldviews
The Avengers fighting the X-Men is not purely hypothetical as the two teams have come to blows several times over the dangers of powerful mutants like Magneto, Hope Summers, and the Phoenix Force. The two teams went head-to-head in 1987’s The X-Men vs Avengers #1 by Roger Stern, with the Avengers and the X-Men fighting over who had jurisdiction to determine the punishment for Magneto’s crimes against humanity. The Avengers were the victors in this encounter as the X-Men realized that Monica Rambo as Captain Marvel and the Avengers as a whole were far more powerful.
The Phoenix Force proved to be a world-ending threat capable of taking down Earth’s mightiest…
While the Avengers initially won, both teams have since undergone massive changes. The two teams once again found themselves at war in 2012’s Avengers vs X-Men crossover event when the Avengers attempted to stop the Phoenix Force from returning to Earth and possessing the mutant messiah, Hope Summers. This civil war resulted in the Phoenix being split into the Phoenix Five, Cyclops becoming the Dark Phoenix and killing Professor X, and the feud ultimately ending with Hope and Scarlet Witch defeating Cyclops and dissolving the Phoenix Force, bringing back the mutant population.
Though the second major fight between the Avengers and the X-Men did not have a definitive “victor,” with both teams walking away with their goals achieved, the battles within the event redefined many heroes’ power levels, including the Phoenix. During a fight on the moon in Avengers vs X-Men #5 by Matt Fraction and John Romita Jr., the X-Men easily defeated the Avengers with the Phoenix Force divided between Cyclops, Emma Frost, Magik, Colossus, and Namor. The Phoenix Force proved to be capable of taking down Earth’s mightiest, but the X-Men and the Phoenix aren’t the only ones whose powers have grown.
Marvel’s Main Hero Teams Are Apex Power-Houses, but There Is a Clear Winner
The X-Men Have Had an Unprecedented Surge in Power Levels
The Hulk and Thor are among the Avengers’ absolute strongest, with Thor acquiring the Odin Force and the powers of Zeus, making him more powerful than he’s ever been before. Nevertheless, Juggernaut and Rogue remain a terrifying duo for the Avengers, as the Juggernaut has beaten the Hulk before, while Rogue has been able to siphon both the Hulk and Captain Marvel’s powers. Despite the Avengers’ seismic roster, Storm’s current power level as Eternal Storm has completely tipped the scale, with Storm showing she can now turn mutants into omega-levels and easily defeat Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Doom.
Check out the beginning of Storm’s recent solo adventures – with an ultra-boost in power – in 2024’s Storm #1 by Murewa Ayodele, Lucas Werneck, Alex Guimarães, Fernando Sifuentes, and Travis Lanham, available now from Marvel Comics.
Before and even during the Krakoa Era, the Avengers would have had a clear chance at claiming victory; however, the X-Men in their current era have experienced a massive uptick in absurdly powerful mutants who have surpassed even gods. The power difference between the Avengers and the X-Men has always been extremely close, as there are many constantly changing in-canon and external factors that play a part in which of Marvel’s main teams comes out on top. Ultimately, the X-Men’s current team of mutants surpass the Avengers in almost every facet, making them Marvel’s strongest superhero team.
“}]] The Avengers and X-Men settle who’s the strongest. Read More