Set in the shared Marvel Universe, the comic features a globetrotting X-Men team led by Storm, initially teaming up to find the books of Destiny, a mutant precog and Rogue's deceased foster mother. The team later becomes the XSE, a mutant police force.
Two spin-off limited series were also published, both written by Claremont — X-Treme X-Men: Savage Land and X-Treme X-Men: Xpose. A third limited series, Mekanix, was later renamed to X-Treme X-Men: Mekanix to tie it to the main series (and was reprinted in the X-Treme X-Men collected editions).
The title was reused for 2012's (largely unrelated) X-Treme X-Men series, which saw Dazzler (and, later, Sage) working with a team of Alternate Universe X-Men. In 2022 Chris Claremont returned to write a third X-Treme X-Men title, this time a limited series that acts as an Interquel between this series and Claremont's penned Uncanny X-Men stint for X-Men Reload (back in 2004).
X-Treme X-Men provides the following tropes:
- 11th-Hour Ranger: Near the midpoint of the "Prisoner of Fire" arc, Kitty Pryde is brought back as reinforcements against Elias Bogan.
- Alien Invasion: The second - and longest - arc is called "Invasion", with a prologue in issue #10, main arc in #11-16, and two epilogues in #17-18. Alien sovereign Khan sends his emissary Shaitan to steal six gems in order to open up a portal that will allow his interdimensional army to cross through.
- Amazon Chaser: Alien warlord Khan becomes attracted to Ororo after seeing her display her superpowers, and it was only increased after witnessing her strong spirit. This seems to be Khan's type since his concubines are all warrior women.
- Ambiguously Human: Vargas is not a mutant, but he is also not fully human either. He claims to be the natural response of human evolution against mutantkind.
- And Now You Must Marry Me: Khan expresses his desire to make Storm his queen. No, not to add her to his harem, but to actually have her rule by his side as his Hot Consort. While Storm seemingly goes along with it at first, she actually works to undermine Khan's invasion from within.
- Arc Villain:
- Vargas is the primary villain in the initial story arc.
- Sebastian Shaw and Dragon Lady Mastermind feature in the Australian arc (issues #5-9)
- Alien invader Khan is the villain of the second major arc (Invasion, issues #10-16).
- Elias Bogan (Hellfire Club's Lord Imperial) becomes the third major villain in the series, with three arcs: Schism (#20-23), Intifada (#31-35) and Prisoner of Fire (#40-45).
- Lady Deathstrike and Reverend William Stryker are the Big Bad Duumvirate for God Loves, Man Kills II (#25-30).
- Morlock Masque (with a new identity) is the main villain in Storm: The Arena (#36-39).
- Backstory: The series has occasions where it delved into Sage's backstory.
- Badass Boast: Storm and Emma are pitted against each other and Storm lays one down on Emma while holding her down with strong force winds: " By itself, the piece of straw is nothing. But thrown by my winds it can punch through brick! Imagine the possibilities if I throw a steel spear? Diamonds are incredibly hard, but not unbreakable. They can be cut, they can be carved and, if you find the proper stress point and apply sufficient force, they can be shattered."
- Badass Normal: Unusual for an X-Men alien foe, Khan doesn't display any obvious superpowers and seems to be about as strong and durable as a normal human, but he still manages to beat Madame Viper (one of the deadliest hand-to-hand combatants that the X-Men had faced) and hold his own against Storm. Vargas also manages to fight Psylocke and Rogue with just a big sword and no powers, although he claims to be an ascended human.
- Baddie Flattery: During Elias Bogan's stroll through Sage's memories in XXM #44, he even compliments her:Elias Bogan: You fascinate me, woman. Such absolute precision - - in thought, in word, in deed. I have never encountered such pristine clarity in anyone.
—>— X-Treme X-Men #44 - Big Bad: Elias Bogan acts as the villain for quite a while. Even later when they think he has been defeated, he is on the periphery and secretly setting up more trouble.
- Brought Down to Badass:
- In Rogue's rematch with Vargas, despite being locked out of using the full spectrum of the powers she absorbed, she still kicks Vargas's ass.
- Despite losing their powers in the aftermath of Khan's invasion, the couple fight against Bogan's lackeys in Intifada and Prisoner of Fire and win.
- The Bus Came Back:
- Lila Cheney, Magma and Sunspot show up later in the series. Lila especially had not been seen for some time.
- Rachel Summers returns as the secret telepath being used to spy on the X-men.
- Combo Platter Powers: Sage has a mind that works like a computer. She also can jump-start the mutations of those with the mutant gene but no powers (or activate the "secondary mutations" of powered mutants, which are often unrelated to their original powers, placing them in this trope's territory). She jumpstarts Lifeguard's powers and Beast's secondary mutation in this title. She also has telepathy that she rarely uses because she turns it all inward to bolster her psychic defenses.
- Sage jumpstarts Rogue's powers so she can recall any and every power she had ever copied, allowing her to create mix-and-match power sets as needed.
- Commonality Connection: Invoked in-universe. In a flashback in issue #2, set before they begin their mission in Valencia, Spain, Storm consoles Rogue about cutting off ties with the rest of the team by mentioning how the members Storm chose for her team all suffered losses, and out of this comes their common bond.
- Continuity Nod:
- Neal Sharra who joined the team during the "Revolution" phase (2000-2001) was the rookie then and is still treated by the team as if he is in training.
- Sage's previous position as a spy for Xavier in the Hellfire Club is a major storyline and her backstory is developed further.
- Emma Frost attempting to re-write Storm's mind during the Dark Phoenix Saga comes up as another reason Storm dislikes Emma.
- Continuity Overlap:
- The arc "Prisoner of Fire" happens concurrently with "Planet X", from New X-Men #146-150, featuring the destruction of the Xavier Institute and Sage trying to contact any of the members there.
- The "Storm: The Arena" arc, at least the first two parts, also happens concurrently with issues #40-41: Sage contacts Ororo in Japan to warn her that something happened with the team at the mansion.
- Dinner and a Show: In one issue, the team is gathered for a celebratory dinner. After several teammates start teasing Ororo, Kitty stands up:Kitty: What's going on here? That's not Ororo, I'm Ororo! Someone must have swapped our minds!
[The team stares at Kitty and Ororo in dread silence]
Kitty and Ororo: PSYCH! - Distressed Drink Jitters: In issue #20 (the first part of the Schism arc), Sage and Bishop are investigating a series of murders in Alaska, and their trail leads them to a hut away from a chic lodge. Bishop uses his powers to melt the ice over freshly dug graves, while Sage goes down into the grave to check on the corpses. She mutters a silent "My God" to herself, then Bishop pulls her out of the grave to their truck. She enters the truck and Bishop pours her some hot coffee in a cup she is holding, her hands visibly shaking at whatever she saw on the bodies.
- Dropped a Bridge on Her: Psylocke is killed by Vargas.
- Facial Markings: Sage has a pair of black "tear" like markings below her eyes, which become part of a storyline in this series. Bishop has an 'M' (for Mutant) branded on his right eye.
- False Flag Operation: In issue #25, Lady Deathstrike kills some pilots on the airplane that is transporting William Stryker, pretends to be a victim and radioes the communications tower to pin the blame on the X-Men.
- Forced Orgasm: Paradise, one of Masque's mutant underlings in her Gladiator Games, is capable of causing intense pleasure on whoever she touches to the point they unwillingly orgasm and even faint. Combined with Masque's other underling, Purge (who causes pain with his touch) they are used as Torture Technicians to break the prisoners, alternating them between extreme pain and pleasure.
- Foreshadowing: In issue #4, Bishop is shown a page of Destiny's Diaries by Psylocke: Gambit spread on a disk, with jewels attached to his wrists, ankles, neck and heart. This is actually the "Madripoor Collection", which Shaitan uses to power up a circuit that summons his master Khan and his army (issue #10).
- Frame-Up: Elias Bogan framed young student teleporter Jeffrey at the Xavier School for a murder.
- Gender-Equal Ensemble: The initial team consists of four women and four men. Even though Psylocke dies and Beast leaves, they are replaced by Slipstream and Lifeguard. This maintains the balance.
- Go-Go Enslavement: Khan has Storm dressed in many sexy outfits, as he desires her as his bride.
- Guest-Star Party Member:
- Wolverine guest stars in the arc God Loves, Man Kills II.
- Kitty Pryde guest stars in God Loves, Man Kills II and Prisoner of Fire, before her return to the X-Men in Astonishing X-Men, in 2004.
- Half-Human Hybrid: During the Invasion arc, Heather/Lifeguard is revealed to be "Shi'ar royalty". Since her father was the pretty much human Viceroy of Sydney, her mother is of alien descent, although never revealed either in this series or in her next appearances.
- Hand Blast: Rolling Thunder can fire concussive blasts from her fingertips like a gun. The blasts are strong enough to rend fortified stone.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Lady Mastermind tried to trap Sage in a series of illusions. However, with the assistance of Lifeguard, Sage is able to break the illusion and reflect Regan's powers back against her. This leaves Lady Mastermind in a vegetative state
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: In issues #16-17, Vargas plunges his large claymore sword through Gambit and Rogue's bodies.
- The Leader: Storm leads the team for almost this entire run.
- Mind Rape: Claremont has this in all his X-men books. Villain Elias Bogan forces Sunspot and Amara to kiss each other against their wills, makes Rachel Summers a slave to do his bidding, later holds Bishop hostage and goes through his mind and telepathically controls a young mutant, Jeffrey Garrett to murder his family.
- Multinational Team: Storm is Kenyan, Beast is American, Bishop is at least half–Australian Aborigine, Gambit is Cajun, Psylocke is British (in an Asian body), Rogue is from the American South, Sage is from an Eastern European country, and Thunderbird is Indian.
- Naïve Newcomer: Neal is called "The Rookie" many times and has to be taught still how to be an X-man. he later became a mentor to Slipstream and Lifeguard, who are also naive newcomers.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Khan's name is a Mongol / Turkic title for warlords, his most important henchman is named Shaitan, one of the many names for Satan.
- Put on a Bus: Slipstream leaves the team and Lifeguard and Thunderbird got to find him. While we see the latter two, Slipstream doesn't reappear until the Krakoan Era in X-Force (2019).
- Original Generation: Lifeguard and Slipstream are new characters created for this series.
- Psychic Static: Storm has a literal static mind because of her weather powers. Jean Grey mentions that it is sometimes hard to speak with Storm because of it. Later Bogan learns the hard way that reaching into her mind can literally have painful electronic static if she summons her lightning powers.
- Real Men Cook:
- In X-Treme X-Men #4, Bishop, badass Australian cop, takes over the kitchen in Destiny's Valencian house to prepare breakfast.
- In X-Treme X-Men #46, Gambit is teaching Bishop how to properly season a dish that includes chicken and shrimp.
- Red Herring: In issue #3, Sage suggests to Storm Xavier may have sent Vargas to stop the team from getting the diaries. In issue #9, Storm brings up the idea to Jean Grey, and supposes there is a connection between Vargas as a physical enemy and Cassandra Nova as a psychic enemy. This plot point goes nowhere.
- Same Character, But Different: Australin detective Teri Baltimore was introduced in the Australian arc (issues #6-8) as a woman with long blue hair (no word if dyed or natural). When she reappears in the "Intifada" arc, she is sporting a cropped blond Power Hair.
- Screw Destiny: The reason why Vargas is a thorn on the X-Men's side: Irene's diaries state that he is fated to die at the hands of one, believed to be Rogue. And he wants to avoid that by any means necessary.
- Second Love: After Psylocke's death, Neal Sharra finds another love interest in Heather Cameron, their future member Lifeguard.
- Sequel: The arc God Loves, Man Kills II (issues #25-30) is purpotedly a sequel to the 1982 graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills, but it is really a tie-in to X2: X-Men United, released in 2003.
- Shapeshifter Mode Lock:
- Lifeguard remains stuck in a half-Shi'ar form during the Invasion arc.
- Shaitan, Khan's enforcer, is turned into a copy of Storm to fool the X-Treme X-Men, but is only able to fool Vargas. While their confrontation is never shown, Vargas is later seen carrying the false Storm's body over his shoulders as he gloats over his "victory".
- Starbucks Skin Scale: In issue #4, Aboriginal Australian Gateway sends the X-team to a journey through Dreamtime, then sends then back to Spain (their current location). Soon enough, Rogue's skin and hair change to that of an Aboriginal, then revert back to her default look (Caucasian) by the end of the issue. When Bishop comments on it, he says he liked her previous "coffee skin and 'locks" look.
- Story Arc: The main storyline for the first year of the book was the team's quest for Destiny's Diaries, which was cut short with issue #17. Later arcs are more self-contained.
- Those Two Guys: Bishop and Sage are partnered up to investigate the deaths that lead to Jeffrey Garrett at the mansion during Schism (#20-23). Later, Morrison used them to investigate the attempted murder of Emma Frost at the mansion during Murder at the Mansion (New X-Men #139-141). They become this pair for the rest of the X-treme X-Men series.
- Tournament Arc: Surprisingly for a Western/American comic, the arc Storm: The Arena functions as this. Storm travels to Tokyo to investigate interdimensional slave-trader Tullamore Voge, and is roped into an illegal underground fighting ring called "The Arena". She barges into a match, wins, and eventually becomes the top champion, then competes in other local arenas, such as London, Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, Riad, and Las Vegas.
- Unknown Rematch Conclusion: Issue #2 has the newly introduced villain Vargas defeating Rogue and Beast, and killing Psylocke. In issue #17, Rogue fights Vargas again and is poised to kill him with his own sword. Their fight is televised and commented on by a camerawoman, but the camera battery dies just as Rogue is pushing down the sword towards Vargas's body. At the end of the same issue, Rogue goes back to her teammates, but the reader is not shown any resolution to their battle.
- The Unreveal: During the battle between Vargas and Rogue, she had him pinned to the ground and ready to stab him with his own sword, but she hesitated because she did not want to fulfill the prophecy and wanted to prove him wrong. It is unknown whether she spared or finished him off since the comic cuts way before it happens and the next panel showed her declaring that "it's over". She evidently spared him, as years later, Mr. Sinister sends his death squads to finish the job.
- Western Terrorists: Later in the series, when the team becomes the XSE, they fight domestic terrorism in the United States. One example is human Marie D'Acanto trying to blow up a Lila Cheney concert in a nighthouse in the mutant community Valle Soleada. The name of the arc where this event happens is even named Intifada.
- You Have Failed Me: Khan personally executes his main concubine Jalene by snapping her neck for trying to kill Storm.
