(Strand)om Stories: Avengers/X-Men: Bloodties Review
Though a tad uneven, this small crossover celebrates two anniversaries with engaging, explosive action
—by Nathan on July 17, 2026—
Two reviews ago, we hopped into the X-Men's corner of Marvel's 90s universe to see just what the heck was going on with our merry mutants in the most significant lead-up to the "Onslaught" crossover event. If your "Fatal Attractions" bingo card listed "Magneto returns from the seeming dead," "Cable gets his body bent out of shape," "Colossus ditches the X-Men to join the Acolytes," "Magneto rips out Wolverine's adamantium," and "Professor X wipes Magneto's mind," then congrats, you win. Grab yourself a Cyclops plushie on the way out.
A lot happens in those six issues, and I'm not even counting all the tie-in installments. Some time passed between "Fatal Attractions" and "Onslaught," but I'm choosing to take a little detour before we reach that main event (or, as these 90s reviews specifically began with Thor comics building to "Onslaught" and the "Fatal Attractions" review was to provide additional context, I guess this is a detour of a detour). But don't worry. We won't end up lost in some backwoods without any phone signal. We'll face the "Onslaught" soon enough.
Think of this post as an "epilogue" of sorts, for a few different reviews. While it most significantly follows "Fatal Attractions," today's arc also ties in to the official dissolution of the Avengers' West Coast branch, which led to the formation of Force Works. Also importantly, while "Fatal Attractions" celebrated 30 years of X-Men (via a pretty horrifying birthday party, to be honest), this crossover arc reminds us of another team that debuted in September 1963: the original Avengers. Cause if you're gonna have a birthday bash, why not invite some of your best buds along for the bashing?
Avengers/X-Men: Bloodties
Writers: Bob Harras, Fabian Nicieza, Roy Thomas, and Scott Lobdell
Pencilers: Steve Epting, Andy Kubert, David Ross, John Romita Jr., and Jan Duursema
Inkers: Tom Palmer, Matt Ryan, Tim Dzon, Dan Green, and Don Hudson
Colorists: Tom Palmer, Joe Rosas, Bob Sharen, Steve Buccellato, Kevin Somers, Mike Rockwitz, Joe Andreani, Chris Matthys, and Pat Garrahy
Letterers: Bill Oakley, Steve Dutro, and Chris Eliopoulos
Issues Collected: Avengers #368-369, Avengers West Coast #101, X-Men #26, and Uncanny X-Men #307
Volume Publication Date: January 1995
Issue Publication Dates: November 1993-December 1993
I originally intended to review this arc back when I covered the West Coast Avengers' collapse, but I wound up never reading this arc and moved on to other comics. Recently realizing this served as an "epilogue" to "Fatal Attractions," I gratefully made the most of the opportunity. Though I'd argue "Fatal Attractions" is ultimately the better story between the two, "Bloodties" carries with it a surprisingly intriguing thematic core.
The most frustrating aspect to any story that pairs different characters or teams together is, to me, the fairly haphazard way by which those heroes connect. Spidey and the Human Torch just happen to be in the same vicinity as the Beetle, for example. It's even worse when the heroes wind up squabbling first, writers typically relying on some coincidence or fabricated tension just so we can see them fight. But I'm not Ken Watanabe from 2014's Godzilla. I like my conflicts and tensions to have a reason, darn it. I also appreciate it when creators can develop a fun anniversary event that doesn't feel like an anniversary event cashing in on "our characters are X many years old!" Reading "Bloodties," fortunately, you feel as if the creators hit upon an organic storytelling device to generate this small crossover event.
Make that "devices," actually, because our assembled writers and artists are interested in pulling together a few plotlines that feel (generally) relevant to each group featured…and in a way that, fairly naturally, emphasizes the connections between our Avengers and X-Men. Fabian Cortez, former Magneto fanatic, has encouraged the mutants of the island nation of Genosha to overthrow and kill their human oppressors (all in a bid to protect himself from Magneto, whom Cortez had betrayed earlier). To fuel the flames, Cortez has kidnapped Luna, the daughter of X-Men/X-Factor member Quicksilver and Inhuman/Avenger Crystal. Though restricted by UN policies, the Avengers aren't about to let the X-Men stop Cortez alone, even if it means unintentionally kicking off an international incident.
You can hopefully see, from the summary above, how this nicely weaves different plot elements together. Luna represents a family fusion between the X-Men and the Avengers; the Avengers are forced to rebel against a UN-sanctioned charter established in their own title; Cortez acts out of fear following Magneto's return, unaware the master of magnetism is brain dead. Our writers have neatly linked these story pieces together, which I feel works, in part, because they weren't originally meant to combine. I assume Scott Lobdell and others didn't write "Fatal Attractions" to kick off "Bloodties," and fan as I am of the Chris Claremontian method of seeding plotlines in the background to sprout major story arcs down the line, I appreciate how the writers considered how our heroes' pasts, recent and otherwise, could influence this crossover. Nothing, surprisingly, feels forced. It's as if these were puzzle pieces, lying around and just waiting for someone to put them together.
Such plotting allows for some enticing motivations–young Luna is a bridge between her father's mutant and her mother's Inhuman heritages, having a genetic connection to both teams. Her role as this narrative's "MacGuffin" (if it's fine for me to apply such a term to a fictional human child) is strengthened by her position as Magneto's granddaughter, representing, to Cortez, a remnant of the master of magnetism he has no issue snuffing out. And she's a kid, a human shield behind which Cortez hides. All of that combined adds decent tension, even before you throw in the whole "island nation in political turmoil" piece.
The one caveat I'll provide is that, while this is an X-Men/Avengers crossover, the event seems heavily favored in the X-Men's direction, even if three of the five installments are Avengers issues, of both the east coast and west coast variety. The arc takes place on Genosha, deals with the fallout of Magneto's most recent defeat, heavily stars our mutant heroes, and features two antagonists (Cortez and newcomer Exodus) intrinsically tied to Magneto's Acolyte faction. The Avengers play their roles in the conflict, though they wind up, I feel, receiving the short shrift.
Take their West Coasters (the "Wackos") as an example. Popping up periodically in an early issue, the West Coast Avengers remain mostly stateside, choosing instead to engage the UN in diplomatic deliberation rather than engage physically in Genosha (all except US Agent, who does nicely get involved in some of the island action). Roy Thomas' West Coast Avengers issue mainly deals with the ongoing "X-Men/Avengers vs. Cortez" conflict, with him crafting a scene between the "Wackos" and those aforementioned diplomats. There are, certainly, narrative reasons for this (that dang UN charter the rest of Avengers refuse to follow), but it prevents the team from feeling like an integral part of the narrative…perhaps because their own comic was cancelled just an issue later? More than that, it's a bummer to see guys like Hawkeye (whose wife Mockingbird, killed in the issue immediately preceding this one, gets nary a mention), Hercules, Spider-Woman, and the Vision left out of the action, reduced to verbally sparring with politicos when they could be knocking heads. And did I mention that Mockingbird had just been killed? And no one mentions it??
The UN scene, and the idea of the Avengers being stymied by the government as a whole, intends to develop tension, offering an example of bureaucratic red tape that's meant to frustrate readers. And it does, just not in the way our writers want it to. Rather than appearing as intriguing commentary on superhuman/government relations, it feels coincidental and convenient. And Clint Barton can huff and puff all he wants to in front of the UN, but I'd rather much spend my time watching the batch of heroes who openly defy the government and SHIELD square off against their mutant opponents on Genosha. There, at least, our writers more solidly develop the notion of heroes confronting evil, regardless of its form, to prevent the loss of human life, regardless of its form.
I've noted the decent tension, which gives way to fairly fun action. At times, the mano-a-mano aspect drifts into cheesier 90s territory–our writers introduce two different groups of hit squads used by Cortez which boil down to indistinguishable thugs serving as cannon fodder for our heroes to pummel. Yet when the writers use fight sequences to further the narrative, such violence works well. The Avengers dish it out against SHIELD agents in their attempts to reach Genosha. Quicksilver, Crystal, and Scarlet Witch have a fairly tense standoff with Cortez. And in the arc's most memorable scene, the Eternal-turned-Avenger Sersi goes nuclear against the enigmatic Exodus in a scene meant to establish just how powerful the Acolyte really is in a pretty quick fashion. Spoiler: he's one tough dude.
For my 30th birthday, my family grabbed lunch with a friend and then participated in an escape room (which we failed…I'm actually writing this from that same room now! :o). Not nearly the same stakes as attempting to save your infant daughter and liberate a whole nation from the grip of a mad mutant overlord. But I guess that's how you commemorate milestones in the Marvel Universe. "Bloodties" is a satisfactory enough narrative, even if it doesn't equally represent both teams it celebrates. There's strong tension and stakes, good motivation, fun action. And there's a strong sense of continuity as this arc serves as an epilogue to "Fatal Attractions" and the prologue to the Wackos' final issue. Though this small crossover doesn't deal as directly with the upcoming "Onslaught" as some other stories I've reviewed, it nevertheless provides a fine little coda before the mid-90s violence escalates once again.