Are the Avengers now bigger than the X-Men in pop culture?

[USERNAME TAKEN]

For the last 10 years (until the recent Uncanny X-men re-launch) the Avengers main title has been outselling the X-men.

The Avengers movie is coming out in a few weeks and is set to be really,really massive (probably bigger) than any X-men movie. Iron man 1 and 2 were more successful than any X-movie. Thor and Captain America made roughly around the same thing the first X-film did (unadjusted for inflation).

Iron Man, Thor and Captain America are now household names (The Hulk is already a house hold name so i won't count him).

So, the question is this, are the Avengers now Marvel's number 1 franchise? Can the X-men ever again take that title?

Moderators, feel free to move this to the Avengers forum.

[Ziggy Stardust]

I don't think this is the case.... yet.

[John Zaleski]

X-Men definitely used to be the bigger of the two. I think after the movie that will change. Not yet though.

[Iron Maiden]

It's already happened. It's a changing of the guard. Just like the Fantastic Four started out as the flagship title, then was quickly supplanted by ASM. The little kids already know the Avengers from the Superhero Squad Show and the MMO game. They've been to the Thor and Captain America movie. The Avengers are straight up heroes that the kids identify with more so than the X-Men. They just go out and kick butt.

[Wild Styles]

I really think it is and this is coming from a X fan. Things are changing towards that way. The movie coming up is tracking huge and the people who've seen it are raving about it.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...-office-312398



Marvel's investment in the Avengers seems like it's really paying off.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

I think so. I mean, people can probably name more Avengers than X-men.

[USERNAME TAKEN]

I think so. I mean, people can probably name more Avengers than X-men.

Exactly

I think the only X-men people could mention are Wolverine...and maybe Magneto (because of the last movie).

[Aljira]

I think that was the plan during Quesada's tenure. And i do think it was very obvious that he was favoring the avengers franchise more that the x-men.

I can't blame him though, DC already has established the Justice League as their premiere super team and Marvel's counterpart isn't as recognizable as the JLA members so i guess they had to do something - hence the neglect of the mutant franchise.

and also because of the movies - Marvel had more control on the "Avengers" movies too - X-men and Spider-Man rights belong to what movie studios? i'm not so sure...so they can't invest too much to something they mostly don't have control of, i guess -

GET THEM BACK DISNEY!!!

[USERNAME TAKEN]

I think that was the plan during Quesada's tenure. And i do think it was very obvious that he was favoring the avengers franchise more that the x-men.

I can't blame him though, DC already has established the Justice League as their premiere super team and Marvel's counterpart isn't as recognizable as the JLA members so i guess they had to do something - hence the neglect of the mutant franchise.

and also because of the movies - Marvel had more control on the "Avengers" movies too - X-men and Spider-Man rights belong to what movie studios? i'm not so sure...so they can't invest too much to something they mostly don't have control of, i guess -

GET THEM BACK DISNEY!!!

As this stage, I think Disney will only get the rights for Spider-man and X-men when hell freezes over.

Sony and Fox will do everything possible to hold onto those rights forever.

Even if it means re-boots on and on...

[Darrell D.]

Oh, yeah.
The franchise is bigger than ever, and the movie is set to go with the heroes in individual costumes, and not just black leather suits that look alike.
That helps with the recognition in the general public.

[USERNAME TAKEN]

Oh, yeah.
The franchise is bigger than ever, and the movie is set to go with the heroes in individual costumes, and not just black leather suits that look alike.
That helps with the recognition in the general public.

Good point.

Each character has their own distinct appearance.

[Nomads1]

Of course not. Avengers will never have heroes as recognizable as Wolverine, Storm, Namor, Beast...

What? Oh, crap!

Peace

[The_Ronin]

answer unclear, try again later.

(Ask again on May 5th)

[The_Ronin]

As this stage, I think Disney will only get the rights for Spider-man and X-men when hell freezes over.

Sony and Fox will do everything possible to hold onto those rights forever.

Even if it means re-boots on and on...

At this point its more likely that Sony and Fox will just fold due to unrelated reasons and Disney will buy them back cheap, than them just letting them expire.

[Corey W]

Of course not. Avengers will never have heroes as recognizable as Wolverine, Storm, Namor, Beast...

What? Oh, crap!

Peace

Ha!

But joking aside, part of what Marvel was consciously doing was returning the Avengers to their roots of having the most popular solo characters. You and I might think that they had long since outgrown those roots, but there it is.

At this point, after a Thor movie, a Cap movie, two Iron Man movies, two Hulk movies, and Spidey and Wolverine in the middle of what may be the longest uninterrputed terms of service (tied with Luke Cage obviously) in Avengers history and I think that the Avengers Q rating has increased leaps and bounds over the past 10 years.

I am not sure that the Avengers have quite caught the X-Men yet (three successful movies, two decades of the most popular comic, and a number of cartoons is still a lot of ground to make up), but it seems likely to me that Spidey is better known than any X-Man, that Iron Man is about as well-known as Wolvie, that Cap is better known than any X-Man other than Wolvie, and that Thor is now better known than any X-Man character other than Magneto.