Summary
Warning: Contains spoilers forAvengers #17!!
TheAvengersare one of themost recognizable superhero teams in the Marvel Universe, and while their members often rotate, their purpose largely stays the same; yet the team’s new mandate fundamentally changes their purpose. In the wake of the Orchis war and mutants losing Krakoa, however,Captain America confirmedthat the focus has shifted:the Avengers see themselves as the heroes responsible for rescuing everyone – even mutants.
Avengers#17 shows the team beginning to deal with the aftermath of Marvel’sBlood Huntcrossover. They’re all coping in their own ways, and Sam Wilson chooses to take a moment to get in touch with the X-Men’s resident weather goddess, Storm.
Cap uses their conversation to offer apologies that the Avengers “failed” mutants and did not do more to stop Orchis before they caused such irreversible damage to mutants and their new nation. While Ororo reminds him that her people didn’t see it coming either, Cap seems stuck on the idea that the Avengers were responsible for saving them.
Captain Marvel Officially Declares the Modern Avengers Roster a Failure
After the team was taken unawares in Marvel’s “Blood Hunt” event, Captain Marvel is beginning to doubt the Avengers roster that she personally chose
The Avengers Declare Themselves Responsible For The Entire Marvel Universe
The Avengers#17 – Written By Jed MacKay; Art By Valerio Schiti, Bryan Valenza, & Cory Petit
This shift in the Avengers' priorities could be helpful when mutants are still scattered and recovering from the loss of Krakoa.
Relations between the Avengers and X-Men have often been strained, to say the least. The team has been notably absent during mutantkind’s greatest catastrophes, with Emma Frost, Cyclops, and others calling out their lack of support or action during attacks like the Genoshan Massacre. Things have boiled over into direct conflict more than once, most obviously during the AvX event, which had the Avengers heavily contributing to mutants becoming divided amongst themselves. If the Avengers dropped the ball on helping mutants,it didn’t start with Krakoa, but until now they did not seem to view it as their problem.
Captain America’s conversation with Storm seems to be a turning point. Sam’s sentiment implies thatthe Avengers should have a bigger role in mutantkind’s safety, and he evenoffers Storm a spoton the team to ensure that mutants have a voice among them. In the best case scenario, this shift in the Avengers' priorities could be helpful when mutants are still scattered and recovering from the loss of Krakoa. However, things rarely work out for the best when the X-Gene is concerned, and it would be all too easy for the Avengers to eclipse their autonomy.
The Avengers' dedication to saving the planet makes turning a blind eye to mutant suffering seem borderline hypocritical, so Cap’s stance is “righting a wrong” in a way.
Recognizing Past Failures Will Make The Avengers Stronger
A New Mandate For A New Era
Whatever the risks, Sam is hardly overselling the Avengers' position in the world. They’ve been one of the most prominentsuperhero teams for decades, often carrying the world on their shoulders. The Avengers' dedication to saving the planet makes turning a blind eye to mutant suffering seem borderline hypocritical, so Cap’s stance is “righting a wrong” in a way.Blood Huntleft the team nursing their wounds, but they seem to be rising to even more responsibility instead of staying down. TheAvengersare owning up to their failures and dedicating themselves to doing better by the world, including mutantkind.
AVENGERS #17 (2023)
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
