X-Men

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This article is about the superheroes. For other uses, see X-Men (disambiguation).

Publication information
X-Men
Cover to Uncanny X-Men #505
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The X-Men #1 (Sept. 1963)
Created by	Stan Lee Jack Kirby
In-story information
Base(s)	Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Australia San Francisco
Member(s)	Archangel Armor Beast Cannonball Colossus Cyclops Dazzler Dust Emma Frost Gambit Hepzibah Iceman Jean Grey Karma Mirage Nightcrawler Pixie Rogue Storm Wolverine Warpath
Roster
See:List of X-Men members

The X-Men are a fictional superhero team in the Marvel Comics Universe.^[1] Under a cloud of increasing anti-mutant sentiment, Professor Xavier creates a haven at his Westchester mansion to train young mutants to use their powers for the benefit of humanity, and to prove mutants can be heroes. Xavier recruited Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Beast and Jean Grey calling them "X-Men" because they possessed the "x-gene", an ability normal humans lacked. Though the X-Men started off as five, as years went on many characters joined the team and just as many left; Cyclops is the only one to have had a solid seating in the series.

Early issues introduced the team's arch enemy, Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, who would later battle the X-Men for years. Although the X-Men series had been comprised entirely of WASP-type characters, it would later become the pilot Marvel series to have the most number of characters that were ethnically and religiously different. The X-Men comics have been adapted in other media, including animated television series, video games, and a successful series of films.

Publication history

X-Men #1 (Sept. 1963). Written by Stan Lee and art by Jack Kirby.

The group's name is a reference to the "X Gene", an unknown gene that causes the mutant evolution. Creator Stan Lee devised the series' title after Marvel publisher Martin Goodman turned down the initial name, "The Mutants", stating that readers wouldn't know what a "mutant" was.^[2] The X-Men are widely regarded (within the Marvel Universe) to have been named after Professor Xavier himself. Despite this, Xavier claims that the name "X-Men" was never sought out to be a self-tribute.^[3]

The X-Men were founded by a paraplegic telepath named Professor Charles Xavier, who called himself "Professor X".^[4] Xavier gathered the X-Men under the cover of the X-Mansion, his large mansion at Salem Center, a small town in Westchester County, New York. He recruits five teenagers, who the professor taught to control their powers: Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman and Marvel Girl.^[4]

1960s

Early X-Men issues introduced the team's arch enemy Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants featuring Mastermind, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and the Toad. Ironically, the cast of this comic book series, which would later 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. His key followers, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, were Roma (gypsies). Only one new member of the X-Men was added, Mimic/Calvin Rankin, but soon left due to his temporary loss of power.

In 1969, writer Roy Thomas and illustrator Neal Adams rejuvenated the comic book and gave regular roles to two recently introduced characters: 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 which was featured in new issues of The X-Men beginning with issue #94. This new team, however, differed greatly from the original. The new members were older and more ethnically diverse. Each was from a different country with varying cultural and philosophical beliefs, and were already well versed in using their mutant powers in combat situations. The "all-new, all-different X-Men" were led by Cyclops from the original team and consisted of the newly created Colossus (from the Soviet Union, now Russia), Nightcrawler (from West Germany, now Germany), Storm (an African from Kenya), and Thunderbird (a Native American from the Apache nation), along with three previously introduced characters, Banshee (from Ireland), Sunfire (from Japan), and most notably Wolverine (from Canada), who eventually became the breakout character on the team and, arguably, became the most popular X-Men character. A revamped Jean Grey soon rejoined the X-Men as the popular Phoenix; Angel, Beast, Havok, and Polaris also made significant guest appearances.

The revived series was illustrated by Dave Cockrum, and later John Byrne, and written by Chris Claremont. Claremont became the series' longest-running contributor. The run met great critical acclaim and produced the "Proteus Saga", "Dark Phoenix Saga", and later the early 1980s "Days of Future Past" as well as X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, the basis for the 2003 movie X2: X-Men United. Other characters introduced during this time include Amanda Sefton, Kitty Pryde, the Hellfire Club, Multiple Man, Mystique, and Moira MacTaggert with her genetic research facility on Muir Island.

1980s

In the 1980s, the growing popularity of Uncanny X-Men and the rise of comic book speciality stores led to the introduction of several spin-off series nicknamed "X-Books", most notably Alpha Flight, Excalibur, The New Mutants, X-Factor, and a solo Wolverine title. This plethora of X-Men-related titles led to the rise of crossovers (sometimes called "X-Overs"); story lines which would overlap into several X-Books. Notable crossovers of the time included The Fall of the Mutants, Inferno, and the Mutant Massacre.

Notable additions to the X-Men during this time were Dazzler, Forge, Longshot, Psylocke, Rogue, and Rachel Summers. In a controversial move, Professor X relocated to outer space to be with Lilandra, Majestrix of the Shi'ar Empire in 1986. Magneto then joined the X-Men in Xavier's place and became the headmaster of the New Mutants. This period also included the arrival of the mysterious Madelyne Pryor, and the villains Apocalypse, Mister Sinister, and Sabretooth.

1990s

The multiple, interlocking covers of X-Men (vol. 2) #1 (1991) boosted sales. Art by Jim Lee.

In 1991 Marvel revised the entire line-up 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 long-standing X-Men writer Chris Claremont and drawn and co-plotted by superstar artist Jim Lee This book is the highest selling book in comic book history (selling close to 8 million copies). Another new X-book released at the time was X-Force featuring the characters from the The New Mutants led by Cable, and written by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza. 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, Lee, Fabian Nicieza and Scott Lobdell would take over the majority of writing duties for the X-Men until Lee's own departure months later when he and several other popular artists (including former X-title artists Liefeld, Marc Silvestri and Whilce Portacio) would leave Marvel 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 as well as several Capcom video games.

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 (Bishop, Cable, Gambit and Jubilee), but many of the later additions to the team came and went (Joseph, Maggott, Marrow, Cecilia Reyes, and a new Thunderbird). 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 villainess Emma Frost at her Massachusetts 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 Bishop, Cable, Deadpool, Gambit, and X-Man, but few of the series would survive the decade.

2000s

In the 2000s, Claremont returned to Marvel and was put back on the primary X-Men titles during the Revolution event. He was soon removed from the 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 a new villainess, Cassandra Nova, destroys Genosha, killing sixteen million mutants. Morrison also brought reformed ex-villainess Emma Frost into the primary X-Men team, and opened the doors of the school by having Xavier "out" 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 was 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 Caliban, Chamber, Emma Frost, Husk, Northstar and Warpath. During this decade former villains such as Juggernaut, Lady Mastermind, Mystique, and Sabretooth became members of the X-Men for various lengths of time. Several short-lived spin-offs and miniseries started featuring several X-Men in solo series, such as Emma Frost, Gambit, Mystique, Nightcrawler, and Rogue. Another book, Exiles, started at the same time and concluded in December 2007 but with a new book in January 2008, "New Exiles" written by Chris Claremont. Cable and Deadpool's books were also rolled into one book, called Cable & Deadpool. A third core X-Men 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 Colossus and Psylocke, a new death for Jean Grey, who later returned temporarily in the X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong miniseries, as well as the start of a relationship between Cyclops and Emma Frost, who have become 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.

The Messiah Complex crossover in 2007 - 2008 saw the destruction of the Xavier Institute and the disbanding of the X-Men. The team later reformed in Uncanny X-Men #500, with the X-Men now operating out a new base in San Francisco under Cyclops's leadership.^[5]

The X-Men were also involved in the Secret Invasion in Secret Invasion: X-Men.

Notable story arcs of this decade are Revolution (2000), "Eve of Destruction", "E Is for Extinction" (2001), "Planet X", "Gifted" (2004), Here Comes Tomorrow, "X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong", "House of M", "Decimation" (2005), "Deadly Genesis" (2005-2006), "Endangered Species" (2007), "Messiah Complex" (2007-2008) and Divided We Stand (2008).

World of the X-Men

Main article: History of the X-Men comics

Fictional places

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

Asteroid M, an asteroid made by Magneto, a mutant utopia and training facility off of the Earth's surface.
Genosha, an island near Madagascar and a long-time apartheid regime against mutants. Given control by the U.N. to Magneto until the E Is for Extinction story.
Madripoor, an island in South East Asia, near Singapore. Its location is shown to be in the southern portion of the Strait of Malacca, south west of Singapore.
Muir Island, a remote island off the coast of Scotland. Primarily known in the X-Men universe as the home of Moira MacTaggert's laboratory.
Savage Land, a hidden location in Antarctica which is home to a number of extinct species, most notably dinosaurs.
Mutant Town, an area in Alphabet City, Manhattan, populated largely by mutants and beset by poverty and crime.

Alternate versions

Age of Apocalypse: In a world where Professor Xavier is killed before he can form the X-Men, Magneto founds the X-Men instead in a dystopic world ruled by Apocalypse. Created and reverted via time travel.
Days of Future Past: Sentinels have mutants in concentration camps. Prevented by time-travelling.
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 reversion to the normal Marvel Universe, albeit with most mutants depowered.
Marvel 1602: Mutants are known as the "Witchbreed". Carlos Javier creates a "school for the children of gentlefolk" to serve as a safe haven and training ground.
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 Zombies: Set in a world in which the majority of the Marvel heroes, including the X-Men, are zombies.
Mutant X: Set in a world where Scott Summers was captured along with his parents by the Shi'ar and only Alex escaped, allowing him to be the eventual leader of this Universe's X-Factor ('The Six'). The Mutant X universe reimagines Mr. Fantastic, Nick Fury and Professor X as villains and Doctor Doom and Apocalypse as heroes.
Ultimate X-Men: Set in the re-imagined Ultimate Marvel universe.
X-Men: The End: A possible ending to the X-Men's early 2005 status quo.
X-Men Noir: Set in the 1930s, with the X-Men as a mysterious criminal gang, and the Brotherhood as a secret society of corrupt cops.
X-Men: Forever: An alternate continuity diverging from X-Men (vol. 2) #3, continuing as though writer Chris Claremont had never left writing the series. ^[6]

Reflecting social issues

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The conflict between mutants and normal humans is often compared to conflicts experienced by minority groups in America such as Jews, African Americans, 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.

"The X-Men are hated, feared and despised collectively by humanity for no other reason than that they are mutants. So what we have here, intended or not, is a book that is about racism, bigotry and prejudice."

—Uncanny X-Men writer Chris Claremont, 1981

Anti-Semitism: 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 mutant's 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 tattoo, while mentioning that he will never let another needle touch his skin.

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, Sabra and Magneto, whilst Dust is a devout Muslim, Nightcrawler a devout Catholic, and Thunderbird is a follower of the Hindu faith. Storm (Ororo Munroe) represents two aspects of the African diaspora as her father was African American and her mother was Kenyan. Karma was portrayed as a devout Catholic from Vietnam, 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). Different nationalities included Wolverine as a Canadian, Colossus from Russia, Banshee from Ireland, Psylocke from the U.K., Armor from Japan, etc.
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 concealment of their powers and the age they realize these powers, and homosexuality.^[7] 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 shapeshifting 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 Anole, Destiny, Karma, Mystique, Northstar, and the Ultimate version of Colossus. The comic books delved into the AIDS epidemic during the early 1990s with a long-running plot line about the Legacy Virus,^[8] 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. The predominantly-mutant neighbourhood of Mutant Town, also known as District X, was used in Grant Morrison's New X-Men as an analogue to Castro Street, or other gay villages.

Racism: Professor X has come to be compared to civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and Magneto to the more militant Malcolm X. The X-Men’s purpose is sometimes referred to as achieving "Xavier’s dream", perhaps a reference to King’s historic "I Have a Dream" speech. Magneto, in the first film, quotes Malcolm X with the line "By any means necessary". X-Men comic books have often portrayed mutants as victims of mob violence, evoking images of the lynching of African Americans in the age before the American civil rights movement. Sentinels and anti-mutant hate groups such as Friends of Humanity, Humanity's Last Stand, the Church of Humanity and Stryker's Purifiers are thought to often represent oppressive forces like the KKK giving a form to denial of civil rights and amendments. In the 1980s, the comic featured a plot involving the fictional island nation of Genosha, where mutants were segregated and enslaved by an apartheid state. This is widely interpreted as having been a reference to the situation in South Africa at the time.

Red Scare: Occasionally, undercurrents of the "Red Scare" are present. Senator Robert Kelly's proposal of a Mutant Registration Act is similar to the efforts of United States Congress to effectively ban Communism in the United States. In the 2000 X-Men film Kelly exclaims, 'We must know who these mutants are and what they can do,' even brandishing a "list" of known mutants (a reference to Senator Joseph McCarthy's list of Communist Party USA members who were working in the government).^[9]

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 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.

Religion: religion is an integral part of several X-men storylines. It is presented as both a positive and negative force, sometimes in the same story. The comics explore religious fundamentalism through the person of William Stryker and his Purifiers, an anti-mutant group that emerged in the 1982 graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills. The Purifiers believe that mutants are not human beings but children of the devil, and have attempted to exterminate them several times, most recently in the "Childhood's End" storyline. By contrast, religion is also central to the lives of several X-men, such as Nightcrawler, a devout Catholic, and Dust, a devout Sunni Muslim who observes Islamic Hijab. This recalls the religious roots of social activists like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, as well as their opponents such as the Ku Klux Klan or Nathuram Godse (the Hindu radical who assassinated Gandhi).

Cultural impact

The insecurity and anxieties in Marvel's early 1960s comic books such as The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and X-Men ushered in a new type of superhero, very different from the certain and all-powerful superheroes before them, and changed the public's perception of them.^[10]

In other media

Animation

The X-Men made their first ever animated appearance on the 1960s The Marvel Superheroes TV series with the original X-Men line-up (Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Iceman). Since Grantray-Lawrence Animation didn't have the rights to the Fantastic Four (their series was produced by Hanna-Barbera), 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 guest-starred in several episodes of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, starting with a flashback in "The Origin of Iceman" (Iceman himself being one of the show's three main characters). Appearing in this particular episode are Professor X and the five original X-Men: Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Marvel Girl. (In the continuity of the show, Firestar was also a former member of the X-Men.) The X-Men's next appearance was in the episode "A Firestar is Born", including appearances from Professor X, Cyclops, Angel, Wolverine, Storm, and even 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: Colossus, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Professor X, Sprite, Storm, and Thunderbird. "The X-Men Adventure" was meant^{[citation needed]} to be a pilot for an X-Men cartoon that was slated to feature the X-Men characters, plus Lady Lightning (an 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 six-player arcade game (and a four-player version) was based upon the pilot starring Colossus, Cyclops, Dazzler, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Wolverine. Kitty Pryde and Professor X 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 (albeit edited) for several months after the first movie was released. This line of X-Men would guest star on Spider-Man when Spider-Man seeks Professor X's help on his growing mutation disease. Storm would later guest star on the Secret Wars arc.

In 1994, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Gambit, Wolverine and Storm, along with Scarlet Spider, made very quick cameos in the Fantastic Four series, in the episode "Nightmare in Green", as Johnny flies overhead.

In 2000, The WB 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 2003, while not physically making an appearance, the X-Men and mutant-kind are mentioned in an episode of the short-lived CGI series Spider-Man: The New Animated Series called "The Party". Peter Parker is quoted as saying, "I bet the X-Men get to go to parties." Soon after, he is ambushed by a group of cops, one of them calling him a "mutant freak".

In 2006, Minimates released a short animated brickfilm called X-Men: Darktide on DVD with a box set of figures. The story involved the X-Men battling the Brotherhood at an oil rig.

In 2008, Marvel Studios put out a new X-Men animated show that features Wolverine, though as of the middle of season 1, he is just the main protagonist, driving the plot. This time the series uses 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 airing in Latin America and Canada and debuted in the United States on January 23rd, 2009. It started airing in the U.K. in February.

Films

Main article: X-Men (film series)

The X-Men film series currently consists of three superhero films based on the fictional Marvel Comics team of the same name. The films star an ensemble cast, focusing on Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, as he is drawn into the conflict between Professor Xavier and Magneto, who have opposing views on humanity's relationship with mutants: Xavier believes humanity and mutants can coexist, but Magneto believes a war is coming, and intends to fight. The films also developed sub-plots based on the comics' Weapon X and Dark Phoenix storylines.

20th Century Fox earned the film rights to the characters in 1994, and after numerous drafts, Bryan Singer was hired to direct X-Men for a 2000 release. Singer returned for the 2003 sequel X2, but left a potential third and fourth film to direct Superman Returns. Brett Ratner directed X-Men: The Last Stand for a 2006 release. Critics praised Singer's films for their dark, realistic tone, and focus on prejudice as a subtext, but Ratner's film was met with mixed reviews. Nonetheless, each film out-grossed the last, and Fox is developing spin-offs set before the three films. The most current spin- off in progress is X-Men Origins: Wolverine, due to hit theatres on May 1st (2009).

Video games

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

The first X-Men video game was released by Josh Toevs and 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 and Trevor Macy. In the 1990s Sega 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 starred in a solo game in 1994 for both the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis called, Wolverine: Adamantium Rage. 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 (also created by Josh toevs and LJN), 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 an X-Men (arcade game) in 1992, which featured six playable X-Men characters: Colossus, Cyclops, Dazzler, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Wolverine.

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 gaps between X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand, such as explaining Nightcrawler's absence from the third film.

Magneto, Storm and Wolverine also appear in Electronic Arts' 3-D fighting game Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects. Deadpool, Iceman, Storm, and Wolverine 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, Nightcrawler, Professor X, and Psylocke appear as NPC's on all versions while Beast, Forge, Karma and Dr. Moira MacTaggert were mentioned by different characters. In addition, during a cut-scene, Beast, Colossus, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Gambit, Magneto, Professor Xavier, Psylocke, and Shadowcat were seen defeated by Dr. Doom alongside The Hulk. Starting April 10, 2007, Xbox 360 owners will be able to download eight new playable characters for the game, including X-Men heroes and villains: Cyclops, Magneto, Nightcrawler, and Sabretooth. ^[11]

Books

In the novel Planet X, Storm, Shadowcat, Archangel, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Banshee, and Wolverine are transported into the Star Trek universe by Q, interacting with the crew of the Enterprise-E in between the events of the films Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection. It was a follow-up to two earlier one-shot comics depicting interaction between the X-Men and the Star Trek universe.

The X-Men appear in the novel X-Men: Dark Mirror.

The X-men Mutant Empire Saga, consisting of three parts.

Wolverine appears in the novel Wolverine: Weapon X

There is a book called Science of the X-Men, which explains how different powers would work and how they would affect the people that have them. The mutants featured include Quicksilver, Wolverine, Shadowcat, and Nightcrawler.

There are also several other X-Men novels that were published in the mid-late 1990s.

Notes

^ "X-Men - Marvel Universe: The definitive online source for super hero bios.". http://www.marvel.com/universe/X-Men. Retrieved on 2008-12-14.
^ Lee, Stan; Jack Kirby (2005-08-10). Son of Origins of Marvel Comics. Son of Origins of Marvel Comics. 1. John Buscema, Don Heck, Bill Everett, Gene Colan. Marvel. pp. 448. ISBN 0-6712-2166-3.
^ Tacopina, Robert. "Uncanny X-Men #309: ...When The Tigers Come At Night!". UncannyX-Men.net. http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/issues/showquestion.asp?fldAuto=1064. Retrieved on 2009-04-07.
^ ^a ^b Luzifer, Peter. "X-Men (1st series) # 1: X-Men". UncannyX-Men.net. http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/issues/showquestion.asp?fldAuto=186. Retrieved on 2009-04-07.
^ "The Independent Comics Site - State of the Art: The X-Men Post-Messiah CompleX". http://independentcomicssite.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=313&Itemid=33. Retrieved on 2008-01-27.
^ NYCC '09: Claremont and the X-Men: With a Twist
^ John Hartl (2006-05-25). "The X-Men come out". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12956661. Retrieved on 2007-02-06.
^ 60 What is the Legacy Virus? Who's had it? Hasn't there been a cure for a while?
^ X-Men 3: The Last Stand (2006) Movie Review - 3.0 out of 4.0 stars - The Movie Insider
^ Fleming, James R. (2006). "Review of Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society. By Danny Fingeroth". ImageText (University of Florida). ISSN 1549-6732. http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v2_2/reviews/fleming.shtml. Retrieved on Fleming.
^ "Activision to Release New Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Heroes and Villains on Xbox Live Marketplace". http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/marvelultimatealliance/news.html?sid=6167963&om_act=convert&om_clk=gsupdates&tag=updates;title;1. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.

References

Fecteau, Lydia (July 12, 2004). Mutant and Cyborg Images of the Disabled Body in the Landscape of Science Fiction Available online as a Word document. Accessed on September 29, 2005.
Morrison, Grant. (August 10, 2000) "The geek shall inherit the earth". The Evening Standard. Accessed on September 29, 2005
Weinstein, Simcha. Up Up and Oy Vey : How Jewish History, Culture And Values Shaped The Comic-Book Superhero (Baltimore : Leviathan, 2006) has a chapter on the X-Men, with special emphasis on Jewish characters Magneto and Shadowcat.
Montgomery, Mitch. (October 21, 2006) "X-traordinary People: Mary Tyler Moore and the Mutants Explore Pop Psychology". Silver Bullet Comics. Explores the psychology of storytelling and methods of coping with loss as seen in the film Ordinary People and the Uncanny X-Men comic book collection From the Ashes.

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: X-Men

X-Men at the Marvel Universe
X-Men at the Open Directory Project
X-Men at the Comic Book DB
X-Men at the Grand Comic-Book Database
X-Men at the Marvel Directory

Friday 10 April 2009

Israel Matzav: Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams meets with Ismail Haniyeh

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