Dave's Comic Heroes Blog: X-Men And Avengers Beginnings

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

X-Men And Avengers Beginnings

Back on July 2, 1963 was a day like no other. The Marvel Universe was changed, when two teams were formed, one of a group of students bound together by their mutations, the other, a mighty gathering of the greatest heroes of that age.

Join this entry of the Super Blog Team-Up, wherein will be discussed the earliest days of the X-Men and the Avengers.

Formation

With these two books by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Marvel Universe began to take shape. X-Men #1 (September, 1963 inked by Sol Brodsky and Frank Giacoia) introduced the world to the mutants of Professor X's school for gifted youngers, as these kids banded together to face Magneto, while Thor, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Iron Man and the Hulk were gathered together to fight Loki in Avengers #1 (September, 1963, inked by Dick Ayers).

More X-Men early history here, with the beginnings of the Avengers here.

Meeting

The two teams first met in X-Men #9 (January, 1965, by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Chic Stone), as Professor X tracked down his nemesis, Lucifer (the alien who cost Xavier the use of his legs). Xavier has to dispatch his team of X-Men (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel and the Beast) to stop the Avengers (with Captain America replacing Hulk) from defeating Lucifer, as the tricky villain has tied a thermal bomb to his heartbeat, with the bomb detonating should the Avengers defeat him.

This sets the stage of X-Men vs. Avengers which would then play out over decades....

Crossover

The two teams would later encounter one another due to the manipulations of Magneto, searching for two of his ex-students, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch (who had joined the Avengers). Magneto had also captured the X-Men, with Cyclops breaking free to battle Quicksilver in X-Men #45 (June, 1968), with the X-Men facing the Avengers (which included Hawkeye and Black Panther, along with former Ant-Man now Goliath and the Wasp) in Avengers #53 (June, 1968). The heroes would eventually realize they had been manipulated into fighting, and gather to work against Magneto and his allies, the Toad and Mastermind.

Combination

As a little extra for anyone still reading, the teams even started to combine, as the Beast had graduated the X-Men, got a job, mutated a little further to being grey and furry, then became blue and furry, and joined the Avengers in Avengers #137 (July, 1975) by Steve Englehart, George Tuska and Vince Colletta (with Jim Starlin providing one panel, and John Romita providing the cover).

The Avengers are short members (Swordsman dying, Mantis leaving, and the Vision and Scarlet Witch going on a honeymoon), and begin a recruitment drive, which, along with the return of Yellowjacket (formerly Goliath) and the Wasp, get the Beast (an ex-X-Man) as well as the enigmatic Moondragon....all to face what appears to be the menace of old X-Men cosmic villain, the Stranger!

Oh, but how much stranger the years would become.