- For the Nintendo game, see X-Men.
The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. Created by
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they
first appeared in X-Men #1 (September 1963).
The team’s original incarnations failed to find a large audience. However, after a 1975 reformation, the X-Men grew to become one of the most hugely popular franchises in the comic book industry,
producing dozens of spin-off series and turning many of the writers and artists involved in the series into industry stars.
Since the early 1990s, the X-Men have been adapted into many other media, most notably
two animated television series and a string of blockbuster Hollywood movies.
The X-Men are mutants, human beings who, due to a
quantum leap in evolution, are born with superhuman abilities. Mutants are often hated by regular humans both
because of ordinary bigotry and because humans fear that mutants are destined to
replace them. This fact is worsened by a number of mutants, most notably the team's arch-nemesis Magneto, who use their powers to try to disrupt and dominate human
society. The X-Men were gathered by the benevolent Professor X to protect a
world that hates and fears them from Magneto and other threats.
Herein lies the sociopolitical undercurrent of the franchise. Mutants are often seen as a metaphor for racial, religious and other minorities that face oppression. Professor X has been compared to
African American civil rights leader Martin Luther King
Jr. and Magneto to the more militant Malcolm X.
Another civil rights metaphor the X-Men have is gay rights. Comparisons have
been made between the mutants' situation, including the concealment of their powers and the age they realise these powers, and
homosexuality, as was illustrated in a scene of the X-Men film
X2 that had Bobby Drake
"come out" as a mutant to his parents. The comics themselves delved into the AIDS
epidemic during the early 1990s with a plot about an incurable disease thought at first to only attack mutants, the "Legacy
Virus."
The X-Men series itself is known for containing a richly diverse cast of characters and is perhaps the most multicultural book in comics.
The Comic Books
The Original X-Men
In the early 1960s, Marvel Comics editor/writer Stan Lee, artist Jack Kirby and
several other illustrators produced a number of superhero titles which stressed character personalities and personal conflict as
much as action and adventure, including The Fantastic Four,
The Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man. X-Men was one of the last titles of this Silver Age renaissance, appearing in September
1963.
In the comic book series, the X-Men were founded by the paraplegic telepath Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X. Xavier gathered the X-Men under the cover of
a "School for Gifted Youngsters" at a large country estate in Westchester County, New York.
Cover-billed as "the strangest heroes of all", the original X-Men consisted of five teenagers still learning to control their
powers:
- Cyclops (Scott Summers), who emitted powerful “optics
blasts” from his eyes that could only be controlled by a "ruby quartz" visor. He
would become the X-Men's field leader.
- Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), who possessed telekinetic powers and later developed telepathy.
- Angel (Warren Worthington III), who flew from two feathery
wings that extended from his back.
- Beast (Hank McCoy), who possessed ape-like strength and agility.
- Iceman (Bobby Drake), who froze moisture in the air around
him and who could cover his body with snow and later developed the ability to turn himself into solid ice.
A precursor to the concept of a school for feared genetic mutants appeared in the 1953
science fiction novel Children of the Atom by Wilmar Shiras, which has been credited — though never officially confirmed — with inspiring
the X-Men. The title characters of the novel were also mutants, the results of an unintended experiment in genetic mutation. The
term "Children of the Atom" has also been used at times during the X-Men franchise's history, often as a subtitle for various
X-Men publications and video games.
Despite the philosophical concepts which appeared in X-Men, Lee has said he invented genetic "mutants" to find a way to
create a number of super-powered characters without having to come up with a separate and interesting origin for each one.
X-Men #1 also introduced the team's arch-nemesis, Magneto, who controlled magnetism and who felt that mutants should rule over or kill all normal humans. Magneto's character would later
be fleshed out to reveal that he once shared a friendship with Professor X and that his decree that mutants must conquer or be
conquered grew from his experiences as a Holocaust survivor. X-Men #4
introduced Magneto’s team, the Brotherhood
of Evil Mutants.
While a few other important villains debuted during the 1960s — such as Professor X's superhumanly strong stepbrother
the Juggernaut and the mutant-hunting robot Sentinels — the
X-Men often fought easily-forgotten mutant criminals, alien invaders and brutish monsters. As a result, this era is largely
regarded as unremarkable and X-Men became one of the less successful Marvel series during the 1960s.
Lee and Kirby departed the series in 1966, handing the reins over to Roy Thomas and Werner Roth. In the
late 1960s, Thomas was joined by well-known artists Jim Steranko and
Neal Adams in an effort to save the series from sagging sales. These issues are
more highly regarded by fans and introduced two more X-Men:
- Havok (Alex Summers), Cyclops' rebellious brother who produced powerful "plasma
blasts"
- Polaris (Lorna Dane), who possessed magnetic powers and was
originally believed to be Magneto's daughter
Though sales did improve while Adams illustrated the book, it was too little and too late, and Marvel stopped producing new
issues of X-Men in 1969. The series continued by reprinting old issues and the X-Men
appeared in other Marvel comics, but faded to near-obscurity.
The All-New, All-Different X-Men
In 1975, writer Len Wein and artist
Dave Cockrum introduced a new team of X-Men. Rather than teenagers, this
group consisted of adults who hailed from a variety of nations and cultures. The wide range of cultures came from Marvel's
intention to target the title in markets outside its U.S. base. Giant-Size X-Men #1 introduced this team, called together
by Professor X to rescue the original team from captivity on a radioactive “living island.”
The "All-New, All-Different X-Men" were led by Cyclops, and consisted of:
- Sunfire (Shiro Yashida), a hot-tempered Japanese mutant who wielded an "atomic flame."
- Thunderbird (John Proudstar), an Apache man who possessed super strength and speed.
- Banshee (Sean Cassidy), an Irish mutant who possessed a "sonic scream."
- Colossus (Piotr Rasputin), a quiet, contemplative
Russian who could turn his body into "organic steel."
- Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner), a rascally German who possessed great agility and the ability to teleport. Nightcrawler also had a freakish appearance including blue skin, glowing eyes and a devil-like
tail.
- Storm (Ororo Munroe), a strong-willed African woman who controlled the weather. Storm would become the X-Men's leader in times of Cyclops'
absence.
- Wolverine (James Howlett), a gruff Canadian government agent who possessed heightened senses and a regenerative "healing factor", which also slowed his aging process. A covert agency had bonded the
fictitious metal alloy adamantium to Wolverine's skeleton, which included a set
of three retractable, razor-sharp, foot-long claws on each hand. Between his unbreakable skeleton and healing factor, Wolverine
proved virtually impossible to kill. Revealed piecemeal, Wolverine's origin would become one of the series's greatest
mysteries.
After Giant-Sized X-Men #1, Marvel began publishing new issues of X-Men, featuring the new team (minus Sunfire
and Thunderbird). The series was illustrated by Cockrum and written by Chris Claremont, who would go on to become the longest-standing contributor to the series. One of the most
important storylines of this era was "The Phoenix Saga" (X-Men #101-108, 1977), in
which Jean Grey (seemingly) bonded with a cosmic entity called the Phoenix and led the team on an intergalactic mission. The saga introduced the Shi'ar alien race and its empress Lilandra, a recurring love
interest of Professor X.
In 1978, Cockrum was succeeded as penciller by John Byrne, who also co-plotted the series with Claremont (soon retitled Uncanny X-Men). This marked the
beginning of what many consider the X-Men's first creative renaissance, during which the series became one of the most popular in
the industry. Following a confrontation with Magneto, Professor X and Jean Grey believe the X-Men lost and over the continuity of
a year the team fights its way back home. Byrne also introduced a series of Canadian-themed adventures with the introduction of
Alpha Flight, a Canadian super-hero team. Wolverine consistently won awards
as the most popular comic character, so between 1980 and 1984, at least one issue per year focused on him.
Claremont and Byrne thrust the X-Men into a variety of desperate situations that tested their character, most notably "The
Dark Phoenix Saga" (Uncanny X-Men #129-138, 1980). In this story, the aristocratic
Hellfire Club seduced Phoenix, using Mastermind's mutant ability to create complex illusions. This
tampering with her mind unleashed Phoenix's dark side, and she went on to destroy a populated planet. Although the X-Men tried to
control her and apparently succeeded, Lilandra had Jean Grey captured in the hope of ending the Phoenix threat. Professor Xavier
called for a duel of honor for the right not to surrender Phoenix. Lilandra, with the agreement of the Kree and Skrull as long as the superheroes' defeat was guarenteed,
agreed to the challenge. The result was a battle on Earth's moon between the Shi'ar's Imperial Guard and the X-Men, with Jean Grey's fate hanging in the balance. The X-Men were
eventually overwhelmed, but the stress of the battle, during which Cyclops was
injured, overcame Phoenix's mental restraints against her dark persona, and it returned. At that point, Lilandra ordered the
solar system destroyed in hopes that the Phoenix might be killed in the process, and Professor Xavier regretfully ordered the
X-Men to kill their teammate to prevent such destruction. Because of Jean Grey's humanity and willpower, Phoenix committed
suicide to prevent further loss, a watershed moment for comics; major characters had
rarely been killed up to that point, and sacrificial suicide had previously been inconceivable.
The import of Phoenix's sacrifice was highlighted in an issue of "What If?".
In an alternate history, Jean Grey prevents Cyclops from being injured and is
rendered unconscious. Thus, her transformation and suicide are avoided, and the Shi'ar perform a psychic lobotomy on her to
remove her powers and prevent the Phoenix force from returning. However, in a later battle with Galactus, Grey sees Cyclops about to be killed, and her powers return. Although she and the X-Men initially are
ecstatic, especially since she feels no touch of her dark side, Grey ultimately begins to feel the hunger caused by her power
once again and covertly looks for sustenance. After consuming a small star, the X-Men confront her, provoking her anger and the
return of Dark Phoenix, who easily kills them all, Cyclops last. As she sees her beloved murdered by her own hand, Grey loses
complete control of her power, and the unsatiable Phoenix Force, in the form of a gigantic firebird, destroys the earth and
continues into the entire universe.
For their swan song, Claremont and Byrne produced "Days of Future Past" (Uncanny X-Men #141-142, 1981), which portrayed a dystopian future in which America is a
wasteland controlled by Sentinels. In this timestream, most X-Men, and other heroes, are dead, and mutants are confined in
concentration camps. In the classic storyline, the psyche of
the adult 'Kate Pryde' is sent back in time to the body of her younger self (Kitty), and she convinces the X-Men to help her
thwart the assassination of a senator by a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants led by the shapeshifter Mystique. This dark vision of a future created by fear, hatred, and intolerance has inspired many X-Men
stories in the years since.
In 1982, Claremont wrote and Brent
Anderson illustrated the graphic novel X-Men: God
Loves, Man Kills, in which Reverend William Stryker began a religious crusade against mutants, capturing Professor X to manipulate his powers
to attack and eradicate mutant minds. The X-Men united with Magneto to battle Stryker, resulting in one of the clearest examples
of mutants as a metaphor for race relations in the series. More than 20 years later, the story inspired the second X-Men film.
Meanwhile, Uncanny X-Men continued with Claremont and artists such as Paul Smith and later John Romita Jr.. Early 1980s
storylines introduced the subterranean mutant gang the Morlocks, explored
Wolverine's love of Japanese aristocrat Mariko Yashida, saw Storm adjust to the (temporary) loss of her powers and form a
relationship with the mutant government weapons contractor Forge,
and delved into Cyclops's relationship with Madelyne Pryor, a seeming
doppelgänger of Jean Grey. This last story ended with Cyclops marrying
Pryor and retiring from the X-Men.
The X-Men gathered several new recruits in the early and mid-1980s, including:
- Kitty Pryde, a Jewish-American teenager
who "phased" through solid objects. She would later be called Shadowcat.
- Rogue, a southerner who involuntarily absorbed the strength,
memories and, in the case of mutants, powers of anyone she touched. Rogue was introduced as a member of Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. As a member of that team, she
permanently absorbed superhuman strength and the ability to fly from the heroine Ms. Marvel, and turned to the X-Men for redemption.
- Rachel Summers, the second Phoenix and the adult daughter of
Cyclops and Phoenix from the "Days of the Futures Past" timeline, who inherited her mother's telepathy and telekinesis.
The Series Becomes a Franchise
In the 1980s, the growing popularity of Uncanny X-Men and the rise of comic
book specialty stores lead to the introduction of several spin-off series nicknamed "X-Books." The first The New Mutants, was launched in 1983 and featured a group of teenaged mutants attending Xavier's school. In 1985, the original X-Men, including a controversially resurrected Jean Grey, formed X-Factor. In 1986, Wolverine was granted his own solo series, which
often dealt with his struggles with personal honor and his past. In 1987 Marvel added the
offbeat Excalibur, featuring Rachel Summers,
Nightcrawler, Shadowcat and the English superheroes Captain Britain and Meggan. With so many spin-off series,
the X-Men franchise became one of Marvel's most valuable assets, although the X-Men mythos became increasingly complex and the
larger X-Men storyline more difficult to follow. In the coming decade the success of the X-Books would inspire other popular
franchises, such as Spider-Man and DC Comics' Superman and Batman, to develop into interconnected "families" of
series.
Another controversial move was to have Professor X relocate to space in 1986 after he
sustained injuries so severe that only Shiar technology could save his life, while a convenient solar flare prevented Xavier from
returning to Earth. The major controversy arose from former arch-villain Magneto taking Xavier's place in running the school as
well as the various X-teams (this was the reason given for the original X-Men's decision to form X-Factor and keep their
identities secret -- they thought the new team had "betrayed" Xavier by working with Magneto).
This plethora of X-Men-related titles led to the rise of crossovers (sometimes called "X-Overs"), storylines which would overlap into several X-Books, sometimes
for months at a time. The first, 1986's "Mutant Massacre," featured the Marauders, a group a murderous mutants, who slaughtered the Morlocks and severely injured many of the
X-Men who intervened (Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler's injuries allowed the writers to ship them off to England for
Excalibur). The saga introduced Mister Sinister, a nefarious
mutant geneticist who was the Marauders' leader and a central figure in many subsequent plots. It also brought Sabretooth, previously an opponent of the martial arts hero Iron Fist, into the
X-Men's world as an adversary for Wolverine, with the suggestion that the two were linked in the past.
During this period Claremont unveiled a new X-Men line-up consisting of Storm, Rogue, Wolverine, Colossus, Havok and several
characters new to the team:
- Magneto, the team's then-reformed former nemesis, was left in charge of the X-Men and New Mutants by Xavier as he departed.
Magneto left the X-Men after he failed to prevent the death of one of the New Mutants, and ultimately reverted to villainy.
- Longshot, a television action star with "good luck" powers from an absurdist alien dimension run by the tyrannical television network head Mojo.
- Dazzler (Alison Blaire), a former disco
singer who could turn sound into light and energy beams. Dazzler had been introduced in the book several years earlier and had
had her own failed comic series in the intervening years.
- Psylocke (Betsy Braddock), an English telepath and femme fatale, originally introduced in
the Captain Britain comic.
Following the 1988 "Fall of the Mutants" crossover, in which the X-Men died and were
reborn fighting a demon called the Adversary in Dallas, the team briefly
relocated to an abandoned outpost in Australia. The Australian period saw the
introduction of the Reavers, a band of cyborg mercenaries, and the crossover "Inferno", which
revaled that Madelyne Pryor was actually a clone of Jean Grey created by Mister Sinister.
The X-Men and X-Factor battled Pryor, who was now the insane Goblin Queen,
and the demons she had allied herself with. One of the high points of the story was the reunion of X-Factor and the X-Men --
X-Factor had no idea the others were really alive, and the X-Men had assumed Jean Grey was still dead. The Australian sojourn
finally ended with Storm and Rogue presumed dead and most of the others, despondent, choosing to enter the Siege Perilous, a
crystal which determined their individual fates. Claremont took this opportunity to write Dazzler and Longshot out of the series
(they paired up and left to raise a child). Unlike most X-characters, they have rarely been seen or heard from since their
departure.
In late 1989, Marvel began publishing Uncanny X-Men twice a month, allowing
Claremont to write intertwined plot threats involving a number of X-Men. The 1990
crossover, "The X-tinction Agenda," pulled the X-Men back together, with two new members:
- Jubilee (Jubilation Lee), a teenage "mall rat" who produced
plasma "fireworks" from her finger tips. Jubilee stowed away with the X-women when they teleported home from a mall excursion.
She lived in their quarters without their knowledge for several weeks, finally revealing herself to save Wolverine from a
crucifixion at the hands of Lady Deathstrike.
- Gambit (Remy LeBeau), a suave Cajun thief who "charged" small objects, usually playing cards,
with explosive kinetic energy
From 1987 until 1990 Marc
Silvestri illustrated Uncanny X-Men. He was succeeded by young artist Jim
Lee, who was one of the most popular artists in comics during his tenure on the title.
The Sales Boom of the 1990s
After the X-Men's return to the Westchester, New York and Professor X's return to Earth in early 1991, Marvel revised the entire lineup of X-books. Artist Rob
Liefeld transformed The New Mutants into the platoon-like X-Force, led by the mysterious warhawk Cable. The original X-Men abandoned X-Factor and returned to the X-Men, many of them much different from
when they left. Beast had developed blue fur and earned a PhD in genetics and Angel, now called Archangel, had been transformed by the 2,000-year old
supermutant Apocalypse and now had blue skin and metal
wings. Meanwhile, Havok, Polaris and several secondary mutants formed a new, government-affiliated X-Factor.
To make room for the enlarged main team, Marvel launched a second X-Men series, simply called X-Men. Written by
Claremont and illustrated by Lee, the new series featured the "blue team," consisting of Beast, Psylocke, Rogue, Gambit, Cyclops
and Wolverine. Uncanny X-Men, written and illustrated by Lee and Whilce Portacio, featured the "gold
team," consisting of Colossus, Iceman, Archangel, Jean Grey, Storm, and Bishop, a gun-toting renegade mutant from a distant future. Professor X, Banshee and Jubilee stayed on as
non-combatant X-Men.
The popular art of Lee and Liefield and the buzz produced by this reformation raised the X-Men's popularity even further and
the first issues of X-Force and X-Men became two of the best-selling comic book issues of all time, thanks mainly
to the sales boom from comics speculators.
Amid the success, internal friction split the X-Men books' creative teams. Claremont left after only three issues of
X-Men due to clashes with Marvel editors and with Lee, ending his fifteen-year stint as X-Men writer. Months later,
Liefield and Lee left Marvel with several other popular artists (including Silvestri and Portacio) to form Image Comics.
The X-Men's rise in popularity continued, largely thanks to the Fox
Network's top-rated X-Men animated series, which
debuted in 1992. Meanwhile Uncanny X-Men was handed over to writer Scott Lobdell and artist Joe
Madureira, whose manga-like style helped generate a new interest in Japanese comics
in the U.S. X-Men continued with writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Andy Kubert.
X-overs proliferated, becoming almost annual events during the 1990s. Although they consistently boosted sales, fans began to
complain that they were just contrived publicity stunts. Some of the more prominent crossovers from the decade include:
- "The X-Tinction Agenda" (1990), in which the government of Genosha, a fictional island off the coast of Madagascar
where mutants are used as prison labor, captured the X-Teams.
- "The X-Cutioner's Song" (1992), in which Cable's clone and arch-enemy Stryfe framed the X-Force leader for an attempt on Professor X's life. He also captured and
tormented Cyclops and Jean Grey, the genetic parents of both Cable and Stryfe, who were revealed to be time-travelers.
- "Legion Quest" / "Age of Apocalypse" (1995), in which Professor X was killed by his time-traveling son Legion before he had ever formed the X-Men. An
alternate reality unfolded in which Apocalypse ruled North America and Magneto led the X-Men as a resistance force.
- "Onslaught" (1996), which dominated all Marvel series for two months. In this storyline, Professor X lost control of his powers,
producing an evil, near-omnipotent secondary personality called Onslaught, which battled the X-Men, The Avengers and the Fantastic Four.
- "Operation Zero Tolerance" (1997), in which an anti-mutant army is given license to
hunt down the X-Teams and other mutants.
The 1990s saw an even greater number of X-books, with numerous ongoing series and miniseries running at any given time.
Ongoing series from this time included Generation
X, starring another team of teenage mutants and X-Man, starring a powerful
young mutant from the "Age of Apocalypse" reality. Marvel launched solo series for several characters including Cable,
Gambit, Bishop and Deadpool, a sarcastic mercenary antagonist
of X-Force. In 1998 Excalibur and X-Factor ended and the latter was
replaced with the parallel world series Mutant X starring Havok.
Era of Reformations
By the time "Operation Zero Tolerance" concluded in 1997, major characters such as Bishop, Gambit, Jean Grey and Cyclops had
been written out of the X-Men. In place, writers assembled a new team consisting of Wolverine, Rogue, Beast, Storm and several
newcomers including Cannonball, a former member of the
New Mutants and X-Force who flew at jet speeds; Marrow, a former
Morlock whose body grew protruding bones which she could remove and use as blades or clubs; Maggott, a South African with cybernetic slugs bonded to his
body; and Cecilia Reyes, a Puerto Rican doctor with a personal force field.
When writer/artist Alan Davis began his stint as X-Men writer in 1998, he
scrapped that team, keeping Marrow, Rogue, Storm and Wolverine and returning Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Gambit and
Professor X to the fold. Fans considered Davis' stint, during which he illustrated X-Men and Adam Kubert illustrated Uncanny
X-Men, a moderate success, but Marvel ended it when Claremont agreed to return in early 2000 to write both core X-Men series.
With the event called "Revolution," Marvel instituted
a six-month time gap between issues of the X-Books, allowing Claremont and illustrators to completely revise the X-Men in a
single month. Claremont's second stint featured mainly a cast of the old regulars. It did, however, introduce Tessa as an X-Man. This character, who possessed telepathic powers and a
computer-like brain, had been seen as a part of the Hellfire Club for years but was revealed to be a spy for Professor X.
Claremont also introduced a new Thunderbird, an Indian pyrokinetic named Neal Shaara.
Wandering plot lines and forgettable new villains plagued Claremont's return, leading Marvel's new Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada to remove him from the two flagship titles in early 2001. Quesada paired Claremont with artist Salvador LaRocca for a new title, X-Treme X-Men, featuring Tessa, Psylocke, Bishop, Gambit, Rogue and Storm operating outside the central
X-Men.
At the same time, Marvel cancelled Gambit, Bishop, X-Man, Mutant X and Generation X and
completely overhauled X-Force. While these series had sold well, Quesada argued that so many mutant superhero titles had
become redundant.
Marvel launched a few new books, not based on the theme of "fighting for a world that hates and fears them," including:
- Weapon X, a mercenary group employing Sabretooth, Marrow and several
other hard-edged characters
- Exiles, a group of reality-hopping mutants from
various parallel worlds
- The new X-Force (later retitled X-Statix) featuring a group of
publicity-seeking, corporate-sponsored mutant superheroes.
Another popular new X-Men series was Ultimate X-Men, writer
Mark Millar and artist Adam Kubert's reinvention of the concept featuring
teenaged versions of the X-Men and meant to appeal to new readers. Ultimate X-Men was set in the "Ultimate Marvel Universe", alongside Ultimate Spider-Man and The Ultimates.
Other drastic changes of this time included the deaths of long-running characters Colossus and Psylocke, and the long-awaited
uncovering of Wolverine's beginnings in the 2001 Origin mini-series .
2001 also saw the ascent of writer Grant Morrison and artist
Frank Quitely to X-Men, retitled New X-Men,featuring the line-up of Beast, Jean Grey, Professor X, Cyclops, Wolverine and Emma Frost, a seductive telepath and former White Queen of the Hellfire Club. The team
was outfitted in black leather uniforms resembling those of the 2000 X-Men film and a student body of teenage mutants was added to Xavier's School. New X-Men was known for
its high-minded science fiction concepts, and its ambitious,
unexpected twists and turns such as the killing of 16 million mutants in Genosha at the hands of the Sentinels, as well as for
controversial changes in long-established characterisation. One of Morrison's more controversal plotlines involved the married
Cyclops having a telepathic affair with Emma Frost behind Jean's back.
Meanwhile Uncanny X-Men was revamped by writer Joe Casey and artist Ian Churchill and later writer Chuck Austen, along with a revolving door of artists. The book, which focused on traditional action and
adventure, featured Iceman, Nightcrawler, Archangel, Havok, Polaris, Alpha
Flight's Northstar, Generation X's Chamber and Husk, and (surprisingly) the Juggernaut, who had been a criminal and enemy of the X-Men since the mid-1960s. Chuck Austen brought
back Havok, who had been floating in limbo (literally) ever since Mutant X had been cancelled. Both Casey and Austen, however,
received considerable backlash. Many critics felt Uncanny X-Men was treading a derivative and well-worn path (especially
in comparison to the more adventurous New X-Men), while fans often objected to the changes that were made,
including retcons of Nightcrawler's becoming a Catholic Priest, a change in the character of Polaris, and a
controversial Archangel/Husk romance..
Modern Age
In 2004, Morrison left New X-Men and Marvel prepared for what was already being
called the "post-Morrison period". Marvel cancelled X-Treme X-Men and placed Claremont back on Uncanny X-Men. The
company also launched Astonishing X-Men with writer
Joss Whedon (well-known as the creator of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and artist John Cassaday.
Astonishing X-Men became a hit amongst comic book fans due to Whedon's plotting and dialogue, and John Cassaday's clean
and realistically-styled art. The series included the return of decisively dead X-Man Colossus, which fans generally accepted
since the character was quite popular and his death had often been often considered a needless deus ex machina. Some attribute the series's success to its relatively straightforward
presentation - many X-Men books (especially from the 1990's era) are known for complicated continuity and flashy art
overshadowing the characters in the story.
Marvel has also launched several new secondary X-Books including Rogue, Nightcrawler, Gambit,
Jubilee, District X, in which Bishop polices a mutant
neighborhood of New York City, New X-Men: Academy X, a continuation of the recently launched New Mutants vol. 2
starring Xavier's student body, and a new Excalibur, featuring Magneto and Professor X's attempt to rebuild Genosha.
However, Marvel ended X-Statix when creators Peter Milligan and Mike Allred left. Milligan
replaced Chuck Austen as writer of X-Men (which had since dropped the "New" from the title) in January 2005.
Another feature is the introduction of the character X-23, a character from the
television show X-Men: Evolution. This is the second time Marvel
has brought in a character to their comicbooks who originally appeared in a tv show, not unlike Harley Quinn of DC Comics. The first was Firestar from "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends". She appeared later in New Warriors and the Avengers.
Other Media
Animated Television Series
In 1989, Marvel Entertainment produced a pilot for an X-Men
series called Pryde of the X-Men, which never aired but
was later released on video.
In 1992, the Fox Network launched an unrelated X-Men animated series with the roster of Beast, Cyclops,
Gambit, Jean Grey, Jubilee, Professor X, Rogue, Storm and Wolverine with Bishop and Cable frequently guesting. The team's major
adversaries included Magneto, Mr. Sinister, Sabretooth, Apocalypse and the Sentinels. The series often utilized stories from the
Claremont years and even produced its own versions of the Phoenix and Dark Phoenix Sagas in its third season. The series was an
extraordinary success, becoming one of the most watched animated series in television history. It continued for five seasons,
ending in 1997, but Fox and the ABC Family Network began airing reruns after
the success of the 2000 X-Men film.
In 2000, Warner Brothers Network launched X-Men: Evolution, which portrayed Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler,
Rogue and Shadowcat as teenagers attending regular high school in addition to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. At the
latter, Professor X, Storm and Wolverine were their teachers. The series, which was aimed at younger children than its
predecessor, irked longtime X-Men fans but gathered moderate ratings. The first season mainly featured Magneto's Brotherhood of
Mutants. Later seasons predominantly featured Apocalypse as an adversary and introduced versions of The New Mutants and Magneto's
Acolytes. The series
ended in 2003 after its fourth season.
Feature films
The first attempts to make a film version of the X-Men began in the late 1980s along with Spider-Man and Hulk films. James Cameron, director of Aliens and Terminator, was said to be the most likely
director of the films, but it never came to fruition.
In 1996, FOX produced a television movie called
Generation X.
In 2000, 20th Century Fox
released X-Men, a $75 million film adaptation of the comic book, directed by the innovative young director Bryan Singer. The film featured Cyclops (James
Marsden), Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and Storm (Halle Berry) as leather-clad X-Men who also serve as teachers of Professor
Xavier’s (Patrick Stewart) School for the Gifted. Wolverine
(Hugh Jackman) and Rogue (Anna Paquin) were two mutant wanderers who crossed their path. The team battles Magneto (Ian McKellen), who created a machine that turned humans into mutants and planned to
affect a congregation of world leaders. His Brotherhood of Mutants included Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) and Toad (Ray Park) The film gathered good reviews, approval from fans, and earned $157.3 million at
the box office, helping usher in a new era of Marvel movies including 2002's Spider-Man and 2003's Daredevil and Hulk.
In 2003, the sequel film X2: X-Men United, also
directed by Singer, was released. That film was loosely based on the 1982 X-Men graphic
novel God Loves, Man Kills. Instead of a minister, William Stryker (Brian
Cox) is a high-ranking army general who leads an assault into Xavier’s school to build his own version of
Xavier’s mutant-hunting computer Cerebro in order to kill every mutant on
Earth. The X-Men team up with Magneto and Mystique to defeat Stryker. The film also introduced Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) to film-goers. The movie was an even greater success than the first,
earning $214 million, and many fans and critics considered it a superior film.
X3 is planned for 2006 and
shooting will begin in June 2005, although Singer
will not be directing: according to Avi Arad, Singer was offered more money to
direct a new Superman movie. The circulating name for a director is Joss Whedon, cult creator of
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" spinoff as well as writer of Astonishing X-Men. Whedon is
still not confirmed or ruled out about his possible stature. Simon Kinberg has been hired to pen the script for a third "X-Men". Also there is a possibility
making two films back to back, following the example of the Matrix
sequels. Expecting to return in the new movie are nearly everybody of the previous two movies. James Marsden Cyclops was removed from the cast, because of scheduling conflicts with Bryan Singer's new
Superman Returns, which will be shooting till July. Halle Berry
(Storm) is unconfirmed as a possible addition, as are Ray Park (Toad) and Taylor Mane (Sabertooth); Park stated that he
originally made a two picture deal before shooting the first one.
Producer Lauren Shuler Donner for the first two movies said that there will be two spin-offs - one of Wolverine, where Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as the clawed warrior, and second of
Magneto, where Ian McKellen's participation is unknown. Reportedly, Jackman will work on "his" Wolverine spin-off and X-Men
movie(s) as a producer.
Crossovers
In 1995, Pocket Books published Planet X, a novel that featured
the X-Men sharing an adventure with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Similar
crossovers occurred in comic book form, as Marvel had just launched a new series of Star Trek comic books. These crossovers were roundly criticized by fans of both franchises.
Related articles
External links
- [1] (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116401/)
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