Avengers vs Sentinels: Why I Think Earth's Mightiest Heroes Win This Fight

My answer to Avengers versus the Sentinels is simple: the Avengers win. That might sound strange given how the Sentinels performed in Days of Future Past, where I think they are some of the worst robots we've ever seen. But once I break down how their signature ability actually works, I don't think this fight is close.

In Days of Future Past, the Sentinels were terrifying. The X-Men literally had no answer for them in a fight. They ripped Colossus apart, and they adapted to every mutant power thrown at them in real time. When Storm hit them with lightning, or Magneto tried pulling them out of the sky, they would just change their composition and keep coming. Against the X-Men they were practically unstoppable, plowing through every mutant in their way.

Here's the thing though. The Sentinels only adapt to mutant X genes. That's literally how they work, and it's explained in the Rogue Cut. Their whole terrifying reputation comes from the fact that they were built specifically to counter mutants, and every X-Men they fought had a mutant power for the Sentinels to copy and throw back at them.

None of the Avengers have a mutant X gene for the Sentinels to copy

There are no mutants on the Avengers roster. Thor is an Asgardian. Hulk's abilities come from gamma radiation. Vision is a robot. Iron Man is just a very smart human in a suit. Cap has the super soldier serum. Technically, none of these should trigger the adaptation mechanic that made the Sentinels so dangerous against the X-Men.

Without their adaptation, the Sentinels go in as base-form robots

Since none of the Avengers should trigger the mechanic, the Sentinels go into this fight in their base form. They are still powerful enough to tear through some of the Avengers. But I don't think they have any answer to the likes of Thor and Hulk. Even Vision can just phase through them and tear them apart from the inside, and Tony could probably just hack them.

The X-Men struggled because the Sentinels could copy their powers and use them back against them. In theory, that shouldn't be happening here, since there's nothing mutant-based for the Sentinels to latch onto in the first place.

My verdict: the Avengers win

The Sentinels looked unbeatable against the X-Men because the X-Men were the exact kind of opponent they were built for. The Avengers shouldn't have that same problem. That's why my pick here is the Avengers.