10 Reasons Why X-Men Are Actually Better Than The Avengers
3. For Years, They Were Marvel's Foremost Team
No matter your opinion on the X-Men or the Avengers, no one can refute that both teams are integral elements of the Marvel universe. Both have been around as long as each other, but while Earth's Mightiest Heroes have never been threatened with cancellation, the X-Men went missing in action circa 1969, not returning until 1975 thanks to Len Wein and Dave Cockrum.
Be that as it may, when they did return in Giant Size X-Men #1, they were back for good. Claremont soon joined the title and fashioned several seminal story-arcs along the way, which gradually pushed Marvel's mutants further into the spotlight.
By the time the nineties came around, and Jim Lee was tapped to pencil the group alongside Claremont, the X-Men were in a really healthy position. Lee's addition to the book, however, caused sales to skyrocket, so much so that X-Men #1 sold over eight million copies according to Comichron. An animated series soon followed, and with it various forays into other mediums like video games and cinema.
The Avengers, for the most part, just couldn't compete. In mainstream circles the X-Men were the definitive Marvel team, and it wasn't until the MCU came around that Earth's Mightiest Heroes managed to close the gap on their rivals.