When it comes right down to it, there are two premier teams in the Marvel Universe - the X-Men and the Avengers. The X-Men are known for protecting a world that hates and fears them, fighting against racism, and trying to show people that mutants aren't anything to fear. They're a perfect allegory for the civil rights movement in America.
The Avengers are Earth's Mightiest Heroes. They fight the biggest threats to Earth and the universe. Their roster includes geniuses, gods, super soldiers, and just plain old human beings. Marvel's greatest heroes have been a part of the team. So, which team is more important? The X-Men or the Avengers?
10 The Avengers: That Roster, Though
When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the Avengers, they brought together all of the biggest heroes of the burgeoning Marvel Universe. This would be a trend that the team would keep up over the years. Not every roster was the greatest, of course, but that happens sometimes.
The Avengers' roster over the years has included a who's who of the Marvel Universe over the years, including some of the X-Men. The greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe have been Avengers, giving the team a stature that is second to none.
9 The X-Men: Building Heroes
One of the things that makes the X-Men so great is that the team teaches its members to use their powers and become better heroes. When a hero joins an Avengers, they're usually a known property of some kind. With the X-Men, most of its members are introduced as unskilled and green.
The X-Men builds heroes. Take Cyclops for example. He started life as an awkward, damaged orphan. Over the years, he grew as both a man and a hero, becoming a leader not only of the team but of mutantkind itself. Did he make mistakes? Sure, but that doesn't change the fact that even Captain America thinks that Cyclops is one of the greatest heroes around and if it wasn't for his time as an X-Man, none of that would have happened.
8 The Avengers: The Big Leagues
When it comes right down to it, the Avengers are the big leagues. Being a member of the team means that a hero has made it. Sure, other teams save the world and fight powerful enemies, but the Avengers are different. Everyone looks up to them.
Being considered a peer of heroes like Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and many others is a very big deal. It shows that a hero has arrived at the next level. It means that they are 'somebody' in the superhero community.
7 The X-Men: Teachers Are Heroes, Too
The Xavier Institute, besides being the headquarters of the X-Men, is a working school. Mutants from around the world are brought there and learn to use their mutant powers in the safest way possible. The X-Men teach classes to these youngsters, helping them develop into well-rounded adults, whether they want to become members of the team or merely live as normal a life as possible.
The X-Men do double duty, both fighting threats to both mutants and humans and teaching students how to be the best people they can possibly. And as everyone knows, teachers are the greatest heroes of them all.
6 The Avengers: Intergalactic Warriors
The Avengers' reputation isn't just relegated to Earth. Sure, the X-Men help out the Shi'Ar from time to time, but the Avengers are well known throughout the cosmos. Whenever there is an intergalactic war and if it even involves the Earth a little bit, the Avengers get involved.
Alien races throughout the universe know about the Avengers and they respect them. That's what happens when a team includes gods and beings who wield weapons with cosmic powers.
5 The X-Men: A World Power
The X-Men have a new status quo, thanks to superstar writer Jonathan Hickman. Using plants from the mutant island of Krakoa, Professor Xavier has made a fortune and set up a new nation for mutantkind. Mutants have set up treaties with many nations in exchange for these beneficial drugs.
The X-Men have become something that the Avengers have never been- a world power. Sure, the Avengers have worked for governments, but the X-Men are a government. They've become the most important team in the world.
4 The Avengers: Taking The Lead
Whenever there is an attack on the planet Earth, whether it be by a monster like Thanos or an alien invasion, the heroes of the planet Earth all look to one group for leadership. The Avengers are seen as leaders in the superhero community and whenever things are at their worst, they take charge.
Everyone looks up to Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor, the core of the team. These three are the creme de la creme of the superhero community and when they talk, people listen.
3 The X-Men: The Best Selling Comic Series Ever
1991's X-Men #1 sold eight million copies. Eight million. No comic before or since has done numbers anywhere close to that. Even before that, the X-Men were Marvel's best selling franchise, topping the sales charts and getting the best talent in the industry.
Throughout the 80s and 90s, the X-Men were the premier superteam in any company. The Avengers and their comics weren't even close to being competition to them and the Avengers only came back into prominence in the mid-00s. Even now, more people are talking about the X-Men and their comics than the Avengers.
2 The Avengers: The Biggest Movie Ever
That said, the Avengers are the cornerstone of the highest-grossing film franchise ever. the whole point of Phase One of the MCU was to introduce the team to audiences and moviegoers couldn't get enough. The Avengers became a gateway for people to get into the superhero movies of the MCU.
2019's Avengers: Endgame would go on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time, beating out Avatar and Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens. No one would have ever guessed that the Avengers would helm the biggest movie ever, but they did and that says a lot about the team.
1 The X-Men: That Allegory, Though
Sure, the highest-grossing movie of all time trumps the best selling comic of all time. So, that must mean the Avengers are more important, right? They have more fans, so that must mean they are the biggest team in Marvel history. Well, maybe, but there's something that will always make the X-Men more important- the meaning behind them.
See, the X-Men aren't just a team of superheroes brought together to save the world. They are an allegory for marginalized and discriminated against minorities. This gives the team much more meaning than the Avengers can ever have. Generations of readers have identified with the team and their struggles because they've mirrored the struggles they've gone through. The X-Men were woke before woke was a thing. They aren't just the most important team in Marvel history, but probably in comic history because their message of equality and empowering the marginalized is more important than dudes in tights punching each other.