X-Treme X-Men is a 2012 comic book series from Marvel Comics, part of the wider X-Men franchise. It's written by Greg Pak with art by Stephen Segovia and Dennis Cristostomo, with color art by Jessica Kholinne.
Set in the shared Marvel Universe, the series initially features a team of Alternate Universe characters introduced in Pak's Astonishing X-Men arc "Exalted". Joined by Dazzler from the usual Marvel universe ('Earth-616') and guided by the severed head of an alternate Charles Xavier, they're tasked with hunting down ten extremely dangerous versions of Xavier, each one from a different alternate universe, before the Xaviers can cause massive damage to reality.
This also means that each arc is set in a different parallel world, with many alternate versions of well-known Marvel characters appearing. The team's line-up also changes significantly, with characters joining, dying or leaving in many arcs.
The quest, and the series, eventually ends in a Crossover Finale as part of the X Termination event, a Bat Family Crossover between X-Treme X-Men, Astonishing X-Men and Age of Apocalypse.
Despite the title, the series has no direct connection to the original 2001 X-Treme X-Men series.
The first issue was released 25 July, 2012. The final issue, #13, was released April 10, 2013.
X-Treme X-Men (2012) provides examples of:
- Adventure Towns: The series jumps to a new Alternate Universe for each short arc, and each version of Earth is very different to the others.
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Kurt came from a nearly utopian world that was destroyed by a robot uprising. Even now, robots continue to prowl the surface to murder any humans they can find.
- Alternate Universe: As a rule, each arc involves visiting a new universe and looking for its version of Charles Xavier.
- Apocalypse How: At the very start of the series, the world introduced in the Astonishing X-Men arc "Exalted" is disintegrating. It's evacuated and the surviving humans, along with their buildings and technology, are teleported to an uninhabited Earth in an Alternate Universe. However, the planet itself is torn apart.
- Arc Villain: At the very start of the series, the team's mission is to kill ten powerful, evil, Alternate Universe versions of Charles Xavier. So it's no surprise that a version of Xavier is usually the villain for each arc - although this is sometimes subverted.
- Beast with a Human Face: In one arc the team find a version of Charles Xavier that somehow became an Acanti Space Whale but still has a human face. Unfortunately, he's also infested with the malevolent alien Brood.
- Children Are Innocent: Invoked. When Jamie Howlett hurls himself at Xavier to kill him in self-defense, General Howlett takes the blow instead before chopping off Xavier's head himself. Howlett then has Jamie swear not to kill anyone until he's at least eighteen.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Jamie Howlett's father John was tortured by his world's Xavier, who let John's wounds fester for years. John has held on through sheer willpower, but is on the verge of dying when he meets General Howlett.
- Distressed Dude: John Howlett was taken captive by Xavier's men after trying to stand up to the psychic menace. General Howlett finds John with festering wounds from Cold-Blooded Torture. John remains defiant, but is on the verge of succumbing to his injuries when he's transported back home by Kurt.
- Good Parents: In The Wild West world the heroes run into, nine-year-old James "Jamie" Howlett is very close to both of his parents, who love Jamie and try their best to protect him from danger. His father John was imprisoned and tortured for standing up to the Xavier of this world and Jamie is willing to kill to protect his parents, showing how tight-knit the family is. General James Howlett is stunned to see this and does everything in his power to defend Jamie's family above the protests of the decapitated Xavier.
- The Man Behind the Man: In the first arc, the heroes find a desolate world tormented by cruel gods. They're expecting Xavier to be the villain, but he's actually a hero, leading the resistance alongside Magneto. Except that he really is the villain - he's telepathically manipulating the gods and playing both sides.
- Recycled Title: Although they're both part of the X-Men franchise and exist in the same continuity, it's not actually a sequel to the original X-Treme X-Men (2001) series - it just reuses the same distinctive title.
- Straight Gay: General James Howlett is a manly Four-Star Badass who also happens to be in a loving relationship with his world's Hercules.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: The "Exalted" arc in Astonishing X-Men featured one hundred disembodied heads of Charles Xavier, each one from a different Alternate Universe. Only one of them survives the first issue of X-Treme X-Men.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Versions of Storm and Armor both survived the "Exalted" arc in Astonishing X-Men, and Storm is briefly seen in the first issue (whereas Armor isn't seen at all). Neither is mentioned by the other characters, and their fate isn't revealed. Presumably they stayed with the human population on their new world, but this is never confirmed.
