With the recent announcement from Marvel of the up coming Avengers vs. X-Men, we here at metalmachine.net decided to size up both teams in the era that this battle would truly be seismic.

Marvel Comics announced their first “Event” book of 2012…Avengers vs. X-Men. Know, both these teams have squared off several times in various incarnations through out the years in the Marvel U. Their most recent tiff, you might say was House Of M. Now, many have been grumbling about the fact this rumble, which will begin in 2012, is not true to a real battle between two of Marvel’s greatest super teams. The school of Xavier against Earth’s Mightiest. So, we here at metalmachine.net decided to take both teams, and pit them against each other at their most ultra/mega selves. We chose a period where both teams were at their most powerful….The Avengers at issue #200 and The X-Men at issue # 137. Both teams are at their pinnacle. So with out further ado….”LETS GET READY TO RUMMMMMBBBBLLLLEEEEE!!!!!!!

In this corner, sporting 12 of the most powerful super humans, gods, mutants, synthetic beings and scientists, The Earth’s Most Powerful Heroes….THE AVENGERS!

Captain America
Iron Man
Thor
Wonder Man
Vision
Beast
Hawkeye
Wasp
Ms. Marvel
Jocasta
Scarlet Witch
Yellow Jacket

And in this corner, consisting of the earth’s mightiest mutants….THE UNCANNY X-MEN!

Cyclops
Phoenix
Night Crawler
Colossus
Wolverine
Storm
Angel
Kitty Pride
Professor X
* Havoc
* Banshee
* Thunderbird

(We have added Havoc, Banshee and Thunderbird to the roster to even out the X-Men membership. They are the closest former members of the team from that time frame.) Both teams in this era were at their zenith. The Avengers were fighting their most powerful enemies…Ultron and Kang/Immortus.

The X-Men were in the midst of “The Dark Phoenix Saga” and were in a battle with The Shi’ar’s Imperial Guard. The books were being handled by heavy hitters George Perez, David Michelinie and Jim Shooter…John Byrne and Chris Claremont. (If I have to tell you which creators were handling which books…then you shouldn’t be reading this).

The Avengers were gaining in size and roster, and were being supervised by a government liaison named Henry Gyrich, who also had ties to the X-Men. As the groups roster grew, so did the scrutiny that the United States Government had over the team. Over at the X-Men, Jean Grey’s “Phoenix powers were grown, and the X-Men were having to figure out a way for Jean to control those powers. The Shi’ar Empress Lilandra had a watchful eye on Jean Grey as The Phoenix was becoming a threat to the universe, once devouring a star and killing billions on a nearby planet as an outcome.

So here we have it, two of The Marvel Universe’s most powerful super groups…the students of the gifted against Earth’s most powerful. We’ve instructed the combatants, let’s keep it clean. No low blows. When we tell you to go to your corner…you go to your corner. Now, touch gloves and let’s have a clean fight!!! (That means you to Logan!)

Tomorrow, we’ll continue with a one on one match up of each individual character from both groups. Who sizes up, who comes out on top.