Pull List Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #7

Let me start with a list of things that confused me:
1. Why, exactly, do the X-Men care abut "rebranding" the Avengers as terrorists? I see, sort of, why they want to eliminate them, since the Avengers seem to be the only people left trying to stop this Pax Utopia project, and they have Scarlet Witch who can actually hurt the Phoenix Five, but the notion that they'd give a shit about how the public sees things feel off to me. If you had all that power and the whole world loved you, would you really care how they see your enemies?
2. What was the Avengers' plan with their little charms that made them look like Wanda? It didn't seem to slow the X-Men down for a second, and while I guess it gave Wanda the chance to do...something messed up to Namor, I'm not clear on what that accomplished. Meanwhile, the plan necessitated that the team split up and expose themselves to further ass-kicking at the hands of the X-Men. Why not just lay low and prepare yourself defensively? It just seemed like bad tactics with no payoff.
3. How did Transonic actually end up in Wakanda? It looked like she was outside the little transportation bubble, yet suddenly she's crash landing right next to the Avengers she was trying to chase. It was rushed, I think, a story detail that was glossed over so that we could get to the overly dramatic ending of Namor's attack. And while it was a pretty cool ending, the pacing of what led to it detracted from the issue overall.
4. What is Tony Stark actually looking at and/or doing? How is he getting this data? Are we ever going to get an answer or is it just impossible superscience based on nothing that I have to live with in order to get to the event's third act?

I guess that's all. I'm sure there were other, smaller moments that threw me as I was reading, but the questions above are what stand out in my mind. It wasn't all bad, of course. Matt Fraction handled the X-Men's in-fighting very well, and even though it was a bit of a left field move, it made Emma and Namor's kiss feel at least partially earned. And it's obviously going to be a significant thing down the line that some of the Phoenix Five are lying to and hiding things from each other (read "from Cyclops"). But more than any of the confusion, and in spite of the one or two legitimately good scenes, the ultimate problem with Avengers vs. X-Men #7 is that it feels like everyone, cast and creators alike, are just going through the motions. The X-Men attack the Avengers because, well...look at the title. The Avengers make weird plans and move to new locations because, well...they have to do something. Just look at the title. And even the bickering between the X-Men, while it worked for me, seemed more a means to an end (though I'm not sure what end yet, exactly) than a natural argument between these characters. The event is steadily trudging forward, but that doesn't mean it still has legs.
4.0/10