Over the course of their histories, the Avengers and the X-Men have crossed paths many times,  both working together and against each other. In 1993's "Bloodties", both teams united for their 30th anniversaries in the pages of Avengers, Avengers West Coast, Uncanny X-Men, and X-Men. "Bloodties" caught Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the Children of The Atom in the middle of a civil war, uniting both groups to keep the peace.

This event was helmed by Bob Harras, Scott Lobdell, Fabian Nicieza, Ben Raab, Roy Thomas, Jim Cheung, Jan Duursema, Steve Epting, Andy Kubert, John Romita Jr., and Dave Ross. Here is a complete look at "Bloodties," the lead up to the event, and how it impacted the Avengers and the X-Men for years to come.

Related: Avengers: How Spider-Man REALLY Joined the Marvel Team

WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE X-MEN/AVENGERS: BLOODTIES?

"Bloodties" is a sequel to the historic "Fatal Attractions" crossover that saw Magneto and his Acolytes make their play for global mutant dominance. Among Magneto's lieutenants were the equally ambitious Fabian Cortez and Exodus. Cortez, believing Magneto dead for a period of time, decided to lead his own group of Acolytes. Eventually, Magneto returned and had Exodus declare Cortez's betrayal. At the end of "Fatal Attractions," Professor X mindwiped Magneto, leaving him comatose.

Subsequently, Exodus became the Acolytes' new leader, while Cortez fled to Genosha. This island-nation, following the events of "The X-Tinction Agenda", was working to mend the massive rift between mutants and humans. The new X-Factor even arrived on the island to assist in the mutant-human healing process, but Magneto's Acolytes ended up attacking Genosha several times for their previous crimes against mutantkind.

WHAT HAPPENED IN X-MEN/AVENGERS: BLOODTIES

X-Men Bloodties Avengers Marvel

Arriving on Genosha, Cortez incites the mutant population into a war with the island's humans. Unaware that Magneto was comatose, Cortez kidnaps Luna, Magneto's granddaughter and the daughter of Quicksilver and Crystal, to protect himself from the Master of Magnetism. This attracts the attention of both the Avengers and the X-Men, and while the Avengers intend to stop the violence in Genosha, Nick Fury forbids them from going, as this would interfere with a sovereign nation. Instead, Henry Peter Gyrich approaches Professor Xavier about intervening and, accompanied by Beast, Xavier, and Gyrich head for Genosha, followed by a team of X-Men. Despite their involvement, the Avengers decide that they can't just do nothing. This results in a skirmish with S.H.I.E.L.D., after which the east coast branch heads to Genosha, while the West Coast Avengers stay behind to argue with their UN charter. Arriving on Genosha,  Xavier's team is caught between the Genoshan magistrates and the rebel mutates, and the U.S. Agent arrives to help Xavier and the others fight off both sides.

The rest of the X-Men, meanwhile, encounters Cortez and his mutant henchmen, defeating them in the ensuing struggle. The X-Men discover that "Cortez" was a shape-shifting mutate, meant to trick the heroes. Finally, the Avengers are confronted by Exodus, who has arrived to take over Cortez's leadership role and campaign for mutant dominance. Exodus defeats War Machine, before engaging in a brutal battle with Sersi. All of the heroes converge when Cortez reveals himself, holding Luna hostage. Suddenly, Cortez is killed by Exodus, now possessing the baby. Furthermore, a barrier is erected which traps everyone on Genosha. Both the Avengers and the X-Men must then fight through magistrates and the mutates, teaming up to reach the baby. After a climactic battle, Professor X finally gets close enough to tamper with Exodus' mind before the Black Knight grabs Luna. Before they can claim a full victory, however, Exodus wounds Quicksilver. Fortunately, the speedster survives, thanks to the Black Knight.

Related: Fall of the Mutants: A Complete Guide to the X-Men's Last Stand

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER X-MEN/AVENGERS: BLOODTIES

For Genosha, "Bloodties" left quite a scar, as, after the mutant/human civil war, race relations plummeted to an all-time low. Despite all of its previous efforts, the island-nation had descended into a state of violent hatred. This left room for Magneto's takeover of Genosha, and he ruled with an iron fist, fighting for mutant supremacy. Ultimately, Genosha was doomed, destroyed by Sentinels who killed millions of mutants.

For The Avengers, "Bloodties" was also a serious turning point. For one thing, after much interference, Earth's Mightiest Heroes decided to no longer work under a government mandate. Considering that half of the team spent the whole event arguing with their handlers, it's no wonder they broke off this agreement. Additionally, after much consideration, the West Coast Avengers were disbanded. The rest of the team saw how disorganized this branch was, with much internal struggle. Since the West Coast Avengers spent the whole event back at Avengers Mansion arguing with the government, it made sense to disband and re-absorb this dying group.

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