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This article is about the fictional superhero team. For the comic book series of the same name, see X-Men (vol. 2).. For other uses, see X-Men (disambiguation).
X-Men
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe X-Men #1
(Sept. 1963)
Created byStan Lee
Jack Kirby
In-story information
Base(s)Xavier Institute for Higher Learning
Roster
See: List of X-Men teams

The X-Men are a team of science fictional comic book characters, superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they debuted in The X-Men #1, published in September 1963. The X-Men are fictitious American mutants who, as a result of a sudden leap in evolution, are born with latent superhuman abilities which generally manifest themselves at puberty. In the stories, many ordinary humans harbor an intense fear and/or distrust of mutants (often referred to as Homo superior), who are regarded by a number of scientists as the next step in human evolution and are thus widely viewed as a threat to human society. The tensions are exacerbated by mutants who use their powers for criminal ends. The X-Men was formed by the benevolent Professor Charles Xavier, (a.k.a. Professor X), a wealthy mutant who founded an academy to train young mutants to protect themselves and the world from Magneto, the Brotherhood of Mutants and other mutant threats.

The X-Men comic book series was one of comicdom's earliest and most influential trendsetters in adopting a multicultural central cast; during the 1970s, the roster was diversified, adding characters from Germany, Ireland, Canada, the Soviet Union, Kenya and Japan. Characters representing many other ethnicities and cultural backgrounds have subsequently been added. The stories themselves often touch upon themes relating to the status of minorities, including assimilation, tolerance, and beliefs regarding a "superior race".

The X-Men have expanded into film and television, including one of the most successful Saturday morning programs, X-Men: The Animated Series and the hit Kids WB! animated series X-Men Evolution. The year 2000 saw the successful debut of the X-Men movie directed by Bryan Singer. Its sequel X2: X-Men United was released in 2003, again directed by Singer, and a third X-Men movie, X-Men: The Last Stand, this time directed by Brett Ratner, was released May 26, 2006.

History

Main article: History of the X-Men comics
File:Magnetodebut.png
X-Men #1 (Sept. 1963).
Written by Stan Lee & art by Jack Kirby.

The team name, primarily, is a reference to the "X factor", or unknown gene that causes mutant evolution. Co-creator Stan Lee recalled in his book Son of Origins of Marvel Comics and elsewhere that he devised the series title after Marvel publisher Martin Goodman turned down the initial name, "The Mutants." In addition to this "official" explanation, the X-Men are widely regarded (both within the Marvel Universe as well as by the readers of the series) to have been named after Xavier himself. In Uncanny X-Men #309, Xavier claims that the name "X-Men" was never intended to be a self-tribute.

The X-Men are founded by the paraplegic telepath Professor Charles Francis Xavier a.k.a. Professor X. Xavier gathered the X-Men under the cover of Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters at a large country estate at 1407 Graymalkin Lane in Salem Center, a small town in Westchester County, New York. The original X-Men consisted of five teenagers whom the professor taught to control their powers: Cyclops/Scott Summers, Angel/Warren Worthington III, Beast/Hank McCoy, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey.

Early X-Men issues introduced the team's arch nemesis Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants featuring Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Mastermind and the Toad. Ironically, the cast of this comic book series, which would in decades hence become a vehicle for stories about prejudice and racism, was originally racially and ethnically homogeneous, seemingly comprised entirely of the WASP-type character that was the de facto model for most comic book heroes at that time. Furthermore, their arch nemesis was Magneto, a character later portrayed as a Jewish concentration camp survivor, whose key followers, son and daughter, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were Gypsies (Roma), an ethnic minority in Europe. Only one new X-Man was added, Mimic/Calvin Rankin, but was soon expelled by Xavier due to his arrogance.

In 1969, writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams rejuvenated the comic book and gave regular roles to two characters that had been recently introduced: Havok/Alex Summers (who had been introduced by Roy Thomas before Adams began work on the strip) and Lorna Dane, later called Polaris (created by Arnold Drake and Jim Steranko). However, these early X-Men issues failed to attract sales and Marvel stopped producing new stories with issue #66, although a number of the older comics were later reprinted as issues 67-93.

1970s

In Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975), writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum introduced a new team that would appear in new issues of The X-Men beginning with issue #94. Rather than teenagers, this group consisted of adults who hailed from a variety of nations and cultures. The "all-new, all-different X-Men" were led by Cyclops from the original team and consisted of the newly created Thunderbird/John Proudstar, Colossus/Piotr Rasputin, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner and Storm/Ororo Munroe, along with three previously introduced characters, Sunfire/Shiro Yoshida, Banshee/Sean Cassidy and, most notably, Wolverine/Logan who would become the breakout character. A revamped Jean Grey soon rejoined the X-Men as the popular Phoenix and Havok, Polaris, Beast and Angel made significant guest appearances.

The revived series was illustrated by Dave Cockrum and later John Byrne and written by Chris Claremont become the series' longest-standing contributor. The run met great critical acclaim and produced the "Proteus Saga", "Dark Phoenix Saga", and later the early 1980s "Days of Future Past", arguably some of the greatest story arcs in Marvel Comics, as well as X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, the basis for the 2003 movie X2. Other characters introduced at this time include Mystique, Multiple Man, the Hellfire Club, and Moira MacTaggert along with her genetic research facility Muir Island. Other characters such as Mastermind were also introduced in the hellfire club.

1980s

File:Uncanny227.jpeg
Cover of Uncanny X-Men #227. Art by Marc Silvestri.

In the 1980s, the growing popularity of Uncanny X-Men and the rise of comic book specialty stores led to the introduction of several spin-off series nicknamed "X-Books", most notably The New Mutants, X-Factor and Excalibur, and a solo Wolverine title. 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 and usually once per year; including the Mutant Massacre, The Fall of the Mutants and Inferno.

Notable additions to the X-Men were Shadowcat, Rogue, Rachel Summers, Dazzler, Psylocke, Longshot, and Forge. A controversial move was to have Professor X relocate to space in 1986 to be with his beloved Lilandra, Majestrix of the Shi'ar Empire, making Magneto the head of the X-Men. This period also included the arrival of the mysterious Madelyne Pryor, the villains Mister Sinister, Sabretooth, and Apocalypse.

1990s


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In 1991 Marvel revised the entire lineup of X-Books, centered on the launch of a second X-Men series, simply titled X-Men. With the return of Xavier and the original X-Men to the team, the bloated roster was split into two strike forces: Cyclops' "Blue Team" (chronicled in the pages of X-Men) and Storm's "Gold Team" (in Uncanny X-Men).

Its first issues were written by longstanding X-Men writer Chris Claremont and drawn and co-plotted by superstar artist Jim Lee. Another new X-book released at the time was X-Force featuring the characters from the The New Mutants led by Cable written by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza. However internal friction soon split the X-Books' creative teams. Claremont left after only three issues of X-Men due to clashes with Lee and the Marvel editors, thus ending his sixteen-year run as X-Men writer. In his void, Fabian Nicieza and Scott Lobdell would take over the majority of writing duties for the X-Men. Months later, Lee and Rob Liefeld would leave Marvel with several other popular artists (including former X-Men artists Marc Silvestri and Whilce Portacio) to form Image Comics. Their major grievance had been Marvel's heavy merchandising of their work with little compensation. Jim Lee's X-Men became the definitive X-Men for the 90s, and his designs would be the basis for much of the X-Men animated series and action figure line.

The 1990s saw an even greater number of X-books with numerous ongoing series and miniseries running concurrently. Notable story arcs of this time are the "The X-Tinction Agenda" in 1990, "The Muir Island Saga" in 1991, "X-Cutioner's Song" in 1992, "Fatal Attractions" in 1993, "Phalanx Covenant" in 1994, "Legion Quest"/"Age of Apocalypse" in 1995, "Onslaught" in 1996 and "Operation: Zero Tolerance" in 1997. Some new characters were introduced and became instant hits (Cable, Jubilee and Gambit), but many of the later additions to the team came and went (Cecilia Reyes, Maggott, Marrow, Joseph, Thunderbird III). Xavier's New Mutants grew up and became X-Force, and the next generation of students began with Generation X, featuring Jubilee and other teenage mutants led and schooled by Banshee and former villain Emma Frost at her Masachuessets Academy. In 1998 Excalibur and X-Factor ended and the latter was replaced with Mutant X, starring Havok stranded in a parallel universe. Marvel launched a number of solo series, including Cable, X-Man, Gambit, Bishop, and Deadpool, but none, save the now-merged Cable & Deadpool, would survive the decade.

2000s

File:New X-Men114.jpg
New X-Men #114 (2001). Art by Frank Quitely.

In the 2000s, Claremont returned to Marvel and was put back on the primary X-Men titles during an event called "Revolution". He was soon removed from his two flagship titles in early 2001 and created his own spin-off series, X-Treme X-Men, which debuted a few months after his departure.

X-Men had its title changed at this time to New X-Men and new writer Grant Morrison took over. This era is often referred to as the Morrison-era, due to the drastic changes he made to the series, beginning with "E Is For Extinction", where new villain, Cassandra Nova, destroys Genosha, killing sixteen million mutants. Morrison also brought reformed villain Emma Frost into the primary X-Men team, and opening the doors of school by Xavier "outing" himself to the public about being a mutant. The bright spandex costumes that had become iconic over the previous decades were also gone, replaced by black leather street clothes reminiscent of the uniforms of the X-Men movies. Morrison also added a new character, Xorn, who would figure prominently in the climax of the writer's run. In the meantime, Ultimate X-Men were launched, set in Marvel's revised imprint. Chuck Austen also began his controversial run on Uncanny X-Men.

Notable additions to the X-Men have been Emma Frost, Sage, Chamber, Northstar, Husk, Warpath, Caliban, Hepzibah, and Omega Sentinel. This decade also included former villains becoming X-Men such as Juggernaut, Mystique, Sabretooth and Lady Mastermind. Several short-lived spin-offs and mini-series started including Mystique, Emma Frost, Gambit, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Xavier and Magneto and District X. Another book, Exiles, started at the same time but continues to this day. Cable and Deadpool's books were also rolled into one book, called Cable and Deadpool. A third primary X-Title was also introduced called Astonishing X-Men, written by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, following Morrison's departure. Another X-Book titled New X-Men: Academy X took its place focusing on the lives of the new young mutants at the Institute.

This period included the resurrections of Psylocke and Colossus, the death of Jean Grey and the start of a relationship between Cyclops and Emma Frost, who became the new leaders of the Institute. The Institute formerly ran as a large-scale school, until the depowering of most of the mutant population. It now serves as a safe haven to those mutants who are still powered and as the home of the X-Men. In the meantime, Apocalypse and the Phoenix Force returned.

Notable story arcs of this decade are "Eve of Destruction", "E Is For Extinction", "Planet X", "Gifted", "X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong, "House of M", "Decimation", "Deadly Genesis", "Endangered Species", and "Messiah Complex".

World of the X-Men

See also: Mutant (Marvel Comics)

The X-Men exist in the Marvel Universe with other characters portrayed in Marvel Comics series. As such, it is unsurprising that they often meet characters from other series, and the global nature of the mutant concept means the scale of stories can be highly varied.

The X-Men fight everything ranging from mutant criminals to galactic threats. The X-Men base themselves in the Xavier Institute, Westchester County, NY, and are often depicted as a family. The X-Mansion is often depicted with three floors and two underground levels. To the outside world, it had acted as a higher learning institute until the 2000s, when Xavier is exposed as a mutant, and it becomes a full mutant boarding school. Xavier founds a corporation aimed at reaching mutants worldwide, though it ceased to exist following the Decimation.

The X-Men benefit greatly from state-of-the-art technology. For example, Xavier is depicted tracking down mutants with a device called Cerebro; the X-Men train within the Danger Room, first depicted as a room full of weapons and booby traps, now as generating holographic simulations; and the X-Men travel in their widely recognized and iconic Blackbird jet.

Fictional places

The X-Men introduced several fictional locations which are regarded as important within the shared universe in which Marvel Comics characters exist:

Alternate universes

  • Days of Future Past: Sentinels have mutants in concentration camps. Prevented by time travelling.
  • Age of Apocalypse: In a world where Professor X is killed before he can form the X-men, Magneto finds the X-Men instead in a dystopic world ruled by Apocalypse. Created and reverted via time travel.
  • House of M: Reality is altered by Scarlet Witch, with her father Magneto as the world's ruler. 2005's crossover event, it concludes with a revert to the normal Marvel Universe, albeit with most mutants depowered.
  • Ultimate X-Men: Set in the reimagined Ultimate Marvel universe.
  • X-Men: The End: A possible ending to the X-Men's early 2005 status quo.
  • Marvel 2099: Set in a dystopic world with new characters looking to the original X-Men as history, becoming X-Men 2099 and X-Nation 2099.
  • Marvel 1602: Mutants are known as the "Witchbreed".
  • Marvel Zombies: Set in a world where the majority of the Marvel heroes, including the X-Men, are zombies in this universe.

Reflecting current social issues

The conflict between mutants and normal humans is often compared to conflicts experienced by minority groups in America such as Jews, blacks, Communists, LGBT characters, etc. Also on an individual level, a number of X-Men serve a metaphorical function as their powers illustrate points about the nature of the outsider. Template:QuoteSidebar

  • Diversity: Characters within the X-Men mythos hail from a wide variety of nationalities. These characters also reflect religious, ethnic or sexual minorities. Examples of Jewish characters include Shadowcat and Magneto, whilst Dust is a devout Muslim, Nightcrawler a devout Catholic and Thunderbird is a follower of the Hindu faith. Karma was portrayed as a devout Catholic who regularly attended Mass and confession when she was introduced as a founding member of the New Mutants. This team also included Wolfsbane (a devout Scots Presbyterian), Danielle Moonstar (a Cheyenne Native American) and Cannonball (a Baptist), and was later joined by Magma (a devout Greco-Roman classical religionist).
Northstar, one of the first gay superheroes, in the cover for Uncanny X-Men #392, by Salvador Larroca.
  • LGBT Rights: Another metaphor that has been applied to the X-Men is that of LGBT rights. Comparisons have been made between the mutants' situation, including the concealment of their powers and the age they realize these powers, and homosexuality.[1] Several scenes in the X-Men films, two of which were directed by openly gay director Bryan Singer, illustrate this theme. The first film featured a scene in which Senator Robert Kelly questioned whether mutants should be allowed to teach children in school, mirroring such debates as that over Section 28, in which Sir Ian McKellen (who played Magneto in the film, and who is also openly gay) was involved. Bobby Drake "comes out" as a mutant to his parents in X2. In response, Bobby's mother asks him, "Have you tried not being a mutant?", referencing a popular belief that homosexuality is not inherent, but rather a "lifestyle choice". Also in X2, Nightcrawler has a conversation with Mystique in which he asks her why she doesn't use her shape shifting ability to blend in among non-mutant humans all the time (an option Nightcrawler evidently wishes he had). Mystique replies simply, "Because we shouldn't have to". In the comics series, gay and bisexual characters include Mystique, Destiny, Northstar, Karma, a minor student character known as Anole, and the Ultimate version of Colossus. The comic books delved into the AIDS epidemic during the early 1990s with a long-running plotline about the Legacy Virus,[citation needed] a seemingly incurable disease similarly thought at first to attack only mutants. A similar storyline appeared in the X-Men animated series that aired in the 1990s.
  • Antisemitism: Explicitly referenced in recent decades is the comparison between anti-mutant sentiment and anti-Semitism. Magneto, a Holocaust survivor, sees the situation of mutants as similar to those of Jews in Nazi Germany. At one point he even utters the words "never again" in a 1992 episode of the X-Men animated series. The mutant slave labor camps on the island of Genosha, in which numbers were burned into mutants’ foreheads, show much in common with Nazi concentration camps, as do the internment camps of the classic Days of Future Past storyline. Another notable reference is in the third X-Men film, when asked by Callisto: "If you're so proud of being a mutant, then where's your mark?" Magneto shows his concentration camp branding, while mentioning that he will never let another needle touch his skin.
  • Subculture: In some cases, the mutants of the X-Men universe sought to create a subculture of the typical mutant society portrayed. The X-Men comics first introduced a band of mutants called the Morlocks. This group, though mutants like those attending Xavier's school, sought to hide away from society within the tunnels of New York. These Morlock tunnels served as the backdrop for such several X-Men stories most notably The Mutant Massacre crossover. This band of mutants illustrates another dimension to the comic, that of a group that further needs to isolate itself because society won't accept it. In Grant Morrison’s stories of the early 2000s, mutants are portrayed as a distinct subculture with “mutant bands” and a popular mutant fashion designer who created outfits tailored to mutant physiology. The series District X takes place in an area of New York City called "Mutant Town." These instances can also serve as analogies for the way that minority groups establish specific subcultures and neighborhoods of their own that distinguish them from the broader general culture. Director Bryan Singer has remarked that the X-Men franchise has served as a metaphor for acceptance of all people for their special and unique gifts. The mutant condition that is often kept secret from the world can be analogous to feelings of difference and fear usually developed in everyone during adolescence.

In other media

Cartoons

File:Xmenmyeyes.jpg
A scene from Pryde of the X-Men.
  • The X-Men made their first ever animated appearance on the 1960s Marvel Super Heroes TV series with the original X-Men line-up (Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Jean Grey). Since Grantray-Lawrence Animation didn't have the rights to the Fantastic Four, they substituted them with the X-Men. Interestingly enough, the X-Men were never referred to as the X-Men. They were instead, referred to as Allies for Peace. The characters kept their original looks and individual names from the comics though.
  • The X-Men occasionally guest-starred on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. Spider-Man, Iceman and Firestar were the three regular heroes. The X-Men first appeared on the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode The Origin of Iceman. Appearing in this particular episode (in a flashback sequence only) are Professor X and the five original X-Men: Iceman, Cyclops, Angel, Marvel Girl and Beast. The next appearance on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends was in the episode A Firestar is Born. Making appearances in this particular episode are Professor X, Cyclops, Angel, Wolverine, Storm, and Juggernaut (plus Magneto in a cameo appearance). The X-Men would return the following season in the episode entitled The X-Men Adventure. Making appearances there were Professor X, Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Sprite, and Thunderbird. The X-Men Adventure was meant[citation needed] to be a pilot for an X-Men cartoon, featuring the X-Men characters in the episode, plus Lady Lightning (animated version of Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel) and Videoman as members. The cartoon was never produced.
  • In 1989, Marvel Productions produced a pilot X-Men episode called Pryde of the X-Men. The series was never picked up but the single episode aired infrequently in syndication during the Marvel Action Universe series and was later released on video. In 1991, a 4-6 player arcade game was based upon this failed series starring Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler. Professor X and Kitty Pryde also appear.
  • In 1992, the Fox Network launched an 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 guest starring. The two-part pilot episode, "Night of the Sentinels" set off what would become a five season series. It was an extraordinary success, becoming one of the most watched animated series in television history[citation needed] and helping widen the X-Men's popularity. The five seasons ended in 1997. It was put back in Fox's line up for several months after the first movie was released.
  • In 2000, Warner Brothers Network launched the television show X-Men: Evolution, which portrayed the X-Men as teenagers attending a regular public high school in addition to the Xavier Institute. The series ended in 2003 after its fourth season.
  • In 2007, Marvel Studios will put out a new X-Men animated show that will primarily feature Wolverine, this time using a mesh of 2D/3D animation for characters and backgrounds. Avi Arad, CEO of Marvel Studios, stated "X-Men is one of Marvel's crown jewels and it makes sense to focus on the popular Wolverine character for our second animation project." The new series is titled "Wolverine and the X-Men" and is currently in production.

Films

Main article: X-Men film series

Video games

Main article: List of X-Men computer and video games

The first X-Men video game was released by LJN for the NES and was called Marvel's X-Men. That same year (1989) a computer game was also released based on the X-Men. In the 1990s Sega of America released two popular X-Men video games for its Sega Genesis; X-Men and X-Men 2: Clone Wars. In 1992 the X-Men teamed up with Spider-Man for Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge for every major system of the time. Wolverine got a solo game in 1994 for both the Super Nintendo & Sega Genesis called, Wolverine: Adamantium Rage. Wolverine is an unlockable character in Activision's 2001 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. In 1995 the X-Men got their own game for the Super Nintendo called, X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse. There are several video games for various platforms starring the X-Men. Many of them are 2D fighting games such as 1994's X-Men: Children of the Atom, 1996's X-Men vs. Street Fighter and 2000s X-Men: Mutant Academy. There was also a 3-D fighting-game called X-Men: Next Dimension the most recent in the series are the role-playing games X-Men Legends (2004) and its 2005 sequel X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. The characters also appeared in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. Konami also created n 1992 an X-Men (arcade game) which featured 6 playable X-Men characters: Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus, and Dazzler.

The X-Men made a few appearances in Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro. Professor X (Daran Norris) and Rogue (Jennifer Hale) run a Danger Room simulation for the player to train in. Beast (Dee Bradley Baker) appears in the first level to demonstrate the controller functions to the player.

With the release of X2: X-Men United, X2: Wolverine's Revenge was released and featured Wolverine and his origins which acted as a flashback for many events in the second film.

To coincide with the release of the third film, Activision has released X-Men: The Official Game which filled in the gap between X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand, such as explaining Nightcrawler's absence from the third film.

Wolverine, Storm and Magneto also appear in Electronic Arts' 3-D fighting game Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects. Wolverine, Iceman, Storm & Deadpool are playable in the major Marvel video game, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Colossus is playable on the Xbox 360, Wii & PS3 versions of the game, and Jean Grey is playable on the GBA version. Cyclops, Psylocke, Professor X, and Nightcrawler appear as NPC's on all versions while Beast, Forge, Dr. Moira MacTaggert and Karma were mentioned from different characters, in addition, during a cut-scene Cyclops, Jean Grey, Professor Xavier, Magneto, Gambit, Colossus, Emma Frost, Storm, Psylocke, The Punisher, and Beast were seen defeated by Dr. Doom along side The Hulk. Starting April 10, Xbox 360 owners will be able to download 8 new playable characters for the game, including X-Men heroes and villains: Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Sabretooth and Magneto. [2]

References

  1. ^ John Hartl (2006-05-25). "The X-Men come out". MSNBC. Retrieved 2007-02-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Activsion to Release New Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Heroes and Villains on Xbox Live Marketplace". Retrieved 2007-03-27.
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