This post contains SPOILERS for Avengers 1,000,000 BC #1
Thanks to Marvel Comics' new one-shot starring the Ancient Avengers of 1,000,000 BC, the classic Avengers vs X-Men crossover event has been reshaped due to a major reveal about the Phoenix Force. Serving as one of Earth's first heroes, the first host of the Phoenix decided to unite a team of like-minded warriors together who would defend the Earth as Avengers. However, this new issue reveals that she would also ensure that their legacy would continue for countless generations to come.
Coming from writer Jason Aaron and artist Kev Walker, Avengers 1,000,000 BC #1 reveals the moment when Earth's first Avengers disbanded. Having had multiple appearances throughout Jason Aaron's current run of Avengers, these prehistoric predecessors to the modern-day team consisted of the very first Black Panther, Iron Fist, Sorcerer Supreme, Starbrand, and the first Ghost Rider who rode a mammoth. Having been brought together by the first Phoenix, the team also featured the All-Father Odin, the first wielder of the mighty hammer Mjolnir. However, a large reason why the Ancient Avengers disbanded was due to Odin falling in love with the Phoenix, eventually seeking to marry her via a surprise wedding.
Having been rejected by the Phoenix Force, Odin turned his back on Earth and the rest of the Avengers went their separate ways. However, the first Phoenix host knew that the Earth would still need Avengers to keep it safe throughout time. As such, this new issue sees the Phoenix convincing the Earth goddess Gaea to carry Odin's child, eventually giving birth to Thor who would help continue the Avengers' legacy. As such, it certainly paints the 2012 Avengers vs X-Men crossover in a whole new light seeing as how the Avengers were looking to destroy the Phoenix. Without the Phoenix's involvement (on multiple levels), there would be no Avengers in the first place.
In Avengers vs X-Men, the X-Men were seeking to use the power of the Phoenix to bring their species back from the brink of extinction (thanks to the Scarlet Witch's M-Day). However, the Avengers saw the Phoenix as too dangerous and something that needed to be destroyed rather than used. Although the truth about the Ancient Avengers and the Phoenix was lost to time (having happened literally a million years ago), one has to wonder if Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the present would have reacted differently had they known that the Phoenix was a founding Avenger at the dawn of mankind, proving its capacity for good as a force of creation.
In any case, the Phoenix Force is no longer a sentient energy source solely connected to the X-Men. Its major role in the inception of the Avengers is incredibly significant (as well as the first Phoenix host's secret part in Thor's birth). Without the Phoenix, there are no Avengers. Avengers 1,000,000 BC #1 is on sale now.