Firebirds
by antiochene is a Fix Fic of Avengers vs. X-Men.
Unmarked spoilers below.
This Work Has Examples Of The Following Tropes:
- Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: The discussion between Scott Summers and Logan in the latter's office at the Jean Grey School. At least before the Shi'ar attack.
- Alternate Continuity: In the comic books, at the end of Avengers: X-Sanction, Cable returned to the future after having the techno-virus removed by Hope. Here he remains in the past to aid his family and adopted daughter.
- Arc Words: What is, is.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Hope asks Wanda what she plans to do when the Celestials arrive and find out that mutants have been driven extinct.
- Artifact of Doom: The Mind Gem, which turns any psychic into a Physical God. In possession of a Brainwashed and Crazy Charles Xavier, who uses it in an attempt to kill all Phoenix hosts.
- Authority Equals Asskicking: Steve Rogers, as head of security of the United States and director of SHIELD.
- Bad Future: The restoration of mutantkind is this for the Shi'ar, as then humanity will surpass them technologically and be become a major player in cosmic politics.
- Phoenix Hosts Can Breathe in Space: Rachel and Nathan can travel through space, following the spaceship carrying the X-Men and Avengers to the moon, without problems.
- Big Badass Battle Sequence: The Battle of Cooperstown matches any comic sequence.
- Big Damn Hero: The Phoenix Three arrive just in time to save New York City from being destroyed by Shi'ar warbirds.
- Big Fancy Castle: It's more of a high-tech fortress, but Utopia was definitely this before it was destroyed by the Shi'ar on chapter 5.
- Bittersweet Ending: Mutants as a whole are restored, and in such a way that any future attempt to exterminate them will be doomed to failure. However, a lot of people perish in the final battle, and Nate has to deal with the death of his daughter. Also, while the mutants in the USA and Europe will get the training they need to be functioning members of society, those in the Middle East, China and Africa are going to be weaponized.
- Black Dude Dies First: Ororo Munroe dies in the expedition to the moon.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Charles Xavier who joins the Fraternity of Raptors to help them protect the Shi'ar Empire from the Phoenix Force.
- Cosmic Entity: The Celestials, the god-like beings who guide evolution, are name-dropped when Hope confronts Wanda. Also the Phoenix Force, who is the embodiment of life and rebirth through evolution.
- Despair Event Horizon: By the time the fic starts, the (few remaining) mutants are way past this, after spending more than a decade fending off attempted genocides, murderous hate groups and bring driven to near-extinction by a mutant. Charles Xavier also went through this before his Face–Heel Turn.
- The Dreaded: Phoenix hosts this, due to Dark Phoenix.
- Face–Heel Turn: Charles Xavier
- Fix Fic: Of Avengers Vs Xmen.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Wanda Maximoff has become a persona non grata amongst the superhero community, especially the remaining mutants.
- Grand Finale: In a way; many of the prominent characters around since the beginning die, and it's implied that Xavier's dream may finally be in reach.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Magneto; Hope Summers
- Humans Advance Swiftly: Mutankind being re-empowered will allow humanity to take great leaps in technology and spacefaring.
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Betsy Braddock tries to use this on Charles Xavier but he rebuffs her attempts.
- In Spite of a Nail: A few events from the comic book still occur, albeit in very different context.
- The Phoenix Force still splits and bonds with Rachel and Nathan
- Scott Summers still kills Charles Xavier who has been Brainwashed and Crazy and was wielding the Mind Gem in an attempt to kill Rachel and Nathan, succeeding in killing the former.
- Interplay of Sex and Violence: It describes Nathan and Domino's relationship, altough downplayed in that the violence is merely sparring.
- Kick the Dog: The Shiar do this in spades;
- Killed Off for Real: Magneto, Domino, Charles Xavier, Teon, Gabriel, Siryn.......quite a lot actually
- Knight Templar: The Shiar; they believe that the Phoenix is a menace based on past experience, and fear that should Mutants return then eventually their empire will fall to the combined forces of mutants and humanity.
- It's Personal: The hatred that Rachel Summers has for the Shi'ar Empire is very personal, considering they wiped out the Grey family in an attempt to prevent the rise of another omega-level mutant.
- Laser-Guided Karma: The Shiar commit every atrocity to ensure the future of their empire; during the final battle their leadership and many of their soldiers perish, meaning they're doomed to a civil war that will tear the empire apart.
- The Hero Dies: Hope allows the Phoenix to take her, so that it can guide the restoration of mutants.
- Mass Empowering Event: With the aid of Phoenix Force, the powers of all mutants are restored and millions of more mutants are empowered.
- Messianic Archetype: Hope is this for mutants.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: With so many original X-Men, the amount of empty chairs exceeds the seated chairs. That's why Scott decides to accept Steve's offer to become a full-fledged Avenger.
- Order vs. Chaos: The Meta Conflict is between the Shi'ar, embodying the worst elements of order, and Phoenix, the embodiment of chaos and change.
- Power Trio: Nathan, Rachel and Hope are this when they become Phoenix Hosts
- Puny Earthlings: Abigal Brand believes in this trope, which is the reason why she helps the Shi'ar launch an attack on Utopia.
- Reality Warping Is Not a Toy: The Phoenix Force opinion of Wanda's De-power of all mutants.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Steve Rogers, as head of SHIELD, tries to be this for the X-Men but after the American and Canadian governments spendt so much time attacking and persecuting mutants, the X-Men are cynical.
- Sufficiently Advanced Alien: The Shi'ar. While not god-like, they're very technologically advanced and are known to employ black holes against their enemies.
- Take That!: Towards Unncanny Avengers, which is nothing more than a PR stunt.
- Underestimating Badassery: The Shi'ar underestimate Scott Summers, who's able to free himself and kill the scientists and guards stationed in the lab and then wreck havoc through the Warbird.
- We ARE Struggling Together: Initially between the two factions of the X-Men, Utopia and Jean Grey School, the latter of which is allied with the Avengers. Subverted though as Scott and Logan repair their broken friendship to an extent and the Avengers are merely worried about another Dark Phoenix. In the end the three factions join forces to stand against the Shi'ar.
- Where It All Began: The final battle with the Shiar and Hope's embracing of the Phoenix take place in Cooperstown Alaska, the place she was born.
