The Avengers and X-Men have always been diametrically opposed teams when it comes to public perception. The X-Men have always served as the feared minority, mutants whom the public fears are going to one day replace them in the world. The Avengers have always served as the face of heroism in the world, and were more often than not beloved as such. That makes the moments when mutants join the Avengers such an interesting dynamic, because superheroes whom the mostly bigoted public fears are now members of the team that they have always supported. At the start, it was Captain America who helped lead the charge to bring mutants into the Avengers, and over the years, many of these mutants have become beloved heroes as well.
From Cap’s so-called Kooky Quartet to the formation of the Unity Division after “Avengers vs. X-Men,” there have been several times when mutants took center stage on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. This has led to huge moments, from M-Day and “AvX” to when mutants were added to the MCU’s version of the Avengers, although they were not considered mutants at the time.
Quicksilver debuted in The X-Men #4 (1964) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, as a reluctant member of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Magneto had saved the Scarlet Witch’s life, and Quicksilver joined the group to protect his sister, not trusting Magneto. However, the two of them ended up leaving the team, and they then joined the Avengers when all the founding members quit the team, leaving Captain America as the only remaining member.
This was an unlikely Avengers team consisting of former villains Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch, and once again, Quicksilver joined to keep an eye on his sister. He ended up leaving the team when he fell in love with and married Crystal of the Inhumans. However, he returned to serve on the West Coast Avengers, the Mighty Avengers, and the Avengers Unity Division. He also worked on the government-run X-Factor. His mutant status remains in question, with later retcons saying he was part of a High Evolutionary experiment rather than a mutant, but he was considered a mutant when serving with the Avengers.
The Scarlet Witch joined the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants with her brother Quicksilver after the mutant terrorist Magneto saved her when she was attacked and accused of being a witch. She debuted in The X-Men #4 (1964) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and worked with Magneto for the first year in Marvel Comics before the siblings left the team to join the Avengers when Captain America was trying to rebuild its roster following the exit of the original members.
Her first hex power was probability manipulation, not magic, and for most of her existence in comics, she was considered a mutant, and at one time believed she was Magneto’s daughter. That was all a lie, and she was actually the daughter of a previous Scarlet Witch and was experimented on by the High Evolutionary. While a loyal member of the Avengers many times, she is also their greatest betrayer, both in “Avengers Disassembled” and “House of M.” She has since found redemption for those moments.
Havok is Alex Summers, the brother of Cyclops. He debuted in The X-Men #54 (1969) by Arnold Drake and Don Heck, although he didn’t have his powers activated at the time. He eventually joined the X-Men in The X-Men #65 (1969). He joined the Avengers in Uncanny Avengers #1 (2012) by Rick Remender and John Cassaday and is listed as a leader of the Avengers Unity Division. This happened after the events of “Avengers vs. X-Men,” with Captain America starting the team to help human-mutant relations.
Havok was who Captain America felt was the best choice to lead the team, someone who could lead them responsibly and also have a good front-facing relationship with the public. During “AXIS,” he was morally inverted and resigned from the Unity Division in AXIS #3, then stayed inverted when the other heroes were restored in AXIS #9 and joined Cyclops’s team. He has since returned to work with the mutants as a member of various mutant teams.
Rogue was a villain who was raised by Mystique and Destiny as their adopted daughter and worked with them as a villain. She debuted in Avengers Annual #10 (1981) by Chris Claremont and Michael Golden. However, after she fought Carol Danvers and absorbed too much of her powers and memories, it drove Rogue to the limit, and she left Mystique to go to the X-Men to find help. The X-Men took her in and then helped her learn to control her powers better, and she became a great hero for the team and one of their most iconic members over the years.
She joined the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #171 (1983), and then she joined the Avengers years later in Uncanny Avengers #4 (2013). She was one of the leaders of the Unity Division, serving as their actual field leader. This was the group that Captain America helped create to try to heal human-mutant relations. This was a storyline rife with controversy because Rogue and Scarlet Witch were on the same team, and Rogue refused to forgive Wanda for the events of M-Day.
One of the most controversial mutants to join the Avengers in the early days was Wolverine. While he is one of the most famous and beloved mutants to serve on the team now, when it happened, not all fans liked the idea. The main reason Marvel put him on the team was that the company wanted to add its most popular characters to as many monthly books as possible to increase sales. Spider-Man and Wolverine were the two most obvious examples.
Wolverine joined the Avengers in New Avengers #6 (2005) by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch, and Wolverine agreed as long as he could also keep his X-Men membership. Iron Man said they needed someone like Wolverine after the Scarlet Witch lost control, and Iron Man felt they needed a member who could make the tough choices. Wolverine ended up siding with the Avengers during the “Avengers vs. X-Men” storyline against the Phoenix Force. Wolverine is back in the Avengers in the brand-new 2026 relaunch.
Who are your favorite mutants who have been members of the Avengers? Let us know if there’s anyone we might have missed in the comments below.
