Judging from this interview with Tom Brevoort and Nick Lowe, Avengers vs. X-Men might be more truthfully titled Avengers and X-Men vs. X-Men and Avengers, as Brevoort explains:
There’s nothing that even says that characters — especially characters like Wolverine, Beast and Storm, who just joined the Avengers — will choose one side and remain on it consistently… It’s obviously easiest to see how the X-Men among the Avengers’ ranks might have divided loyalties. What may not be as apparent is how certain members of the Avengers might have greater sympathy with the X-Men’s position, or greater confidence in what Cyclops believes. I tend to think of characters such as Hawkeye, Iron Fist and Luke Cage as guys who’ll naturally root for the oppressed underdog against the majority or “the man,” so there may well be some points where each or any of them need to spot-check what they’re doing and why.
By the same token, the X-Men, as I mentioned earlier, are already fragmented, and this situation may cause them to fragment even further — not everybody in either X-camp is so totally supportive of either Wolverine or Cyclops that they wouldn’t exercise their own judgment and own sense of morals if it came down to it. Even among the Avengers, there may be characters who are taking a sidelong glance at the mutants standing right next to them as the situation gets real, wondering if their loyalties can be completely trusted.
On the one hand: It makes more sense, from a story perspective, that the battle lines aren’t as clear as “This team versus that team.” On the other hand, it does make all the Are You an Avenger? Are You an X-Man? branding (and, kinda, the title of the book itself) seem somewhat ridiculous if Marvel’s own editors are saying that Avengers vs. X-Men is an overly simplistic and not entirely correct way of looking at the conflict two months before the series even begins.
February 21st, 2012 at 1:30 pm
“…Marvel’s own editors are saying that Avengers vs. X-Men is an overly simplistic and not entirely correct way of looking at the conflict two months before the series even begins”
That’s not what they said. If that’s what they were saying, they would have said that. They were saying some characters allegiances might change during this conflict. Which is part of the fun. Or not, I guess, if you’re looking to troll everything that comes out of the Marvel editors mouths, misquote it, and use it to bitch.
February 21st, 2012 at 3:38 pm
“They were saying some characters allegiances might change during this conflict.”
Which would mean that the title, Avengers vs. X-Men, might not be very accurate for long. Or not very accurate in the first place.
Course, this whole thing just sounds more and more like Civil War 2 (remove registration, insert Phoenix).
February 21st, 2012 at 4:27 pm
“Which would mean that the title, Avengers vs. X-Men, might not be very accurate for long. Or not very accurate in the first place.”
How is that the case? If one or two members of either team change sides, does that change the rest of the group so much so that they lose their identity? Are Cap, Thor, Iron Man avengers only so long until Beast joins them? Then they become something else? By that logic, every team that has ever had a roster change should change their name each time someone joins, or even teams up with them. What a silly thing to nit-pick over.
February 21st, 2012 at 5:34 pm
I didn’t like it the first time when it was called Civil War, I hope they do a better job this time
February 21st, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Other than good guys fighting good guys how is this like Civil War?
Two sides having very good points in a conflict? Isn’t every team up ‘like Civil War’ then? The recent Daredevil / Spiderman /Black Cat books were soooo like Civil War….they fought to see who bangs Black Cat!!
February 21st, 2012 at 9:53 pm
the more stories are based around fighting the less interest i have.
February 23rd, 2012 at 4:58 pm
“Are Cap, Thor, Iron Man avengers only so long until Beast joins them?”
No, because in typical Marvel fashion, I fully expect one of those three to be on the X-Men’s side by the end of this, and vise versa from those core X-Men who aren’t already Avengers.
Wolverine will probably bounce around like he’s stuck in a pinball machine, but in the end still be in too many books while writers find even more excuses to bring up Jean Grey.
I’ve always been a Marvel fan, but it feels like the House of Ideas has been running on fumes for some time now, particularly with the big events like this. (Or is it not really a big crossover event? I can never tell with Marvel people talking out both sides of their mouths).