X-Men is a 1991 comic book series from Marvel Comics, launched as a new flagship title for the wider X-Men line.
At the beginning of the series, the X-Men's massive ensemble cast was split evenly between two central X-Men titles, with each one focused on a different field team. The new X-Men series featured the "Blue Team" of Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, Beast, Psylocke and Jubilee (while Uncanny X-Men featured the "Gold Team").
The series had Jim Lee as artist and co-plotter; the first three issues were scripted by long-term X-Men writer Chris Claremont, who had been writing Uncanny X-Men since 1975. After Claremont's departure the series was scripted by John Byrne and then Scott Lobdell – then, when Jim Lee left Marvel in 1992 to co-found Image Comics, Fabian Nicieza took over as the new writer. This entire era was notorious for frequent crossovers, not only with other X-Men books but with other series as well, which has made it very difficult to collect in trade.
Soon after the Age of Apocalypse event in 1995, Nicieza left the series and Lobdell (writer of Uncanny) took over the adjectiveless title as well, integrating the two core X-books much closer together. Lobdell was followed by Joe Kelly in 1997, and Alan Davis with Terry Kavanagh in 1999. The line-wide relaunch X-Men: Revolution in 2000 saw Claremont's brief return as writer from issue #100. In 2001, the series was retitled New X-Men from issue #114 for Grant Morrison's cerebral sci-fi run; for tropes relating to that era, see its own page. The 2004 relaunch X-Men: ReLoad saw the series' name revert back to X-Men from issue #157 under new writer Chuck Austen, who carried over the stories and characters he had previously been writing about in Uncanny X-Men. Austen was soon followed as writer by Peter Milligan, and then by Mike Carey.
Following the 2008 crossover event Messiah Complex, X-Men vol. 2 was permanently retitled to X-Men Legacy from issue #208. The series initially focused on continuity-heavy stories featuring Professor Xavier, before shifting focus to Rogue from issue #226 onwards. Carey left the series after issue #260 and was replaced by Christos Gage; the series ended with issue #275.
Tropes applying to X-Men volume 2:
- Aborted Arc:
- In issue #71, Sebastian Shaw is having tea, when someone stops time and gives him a letter sealed with some sort of Mayan/Aztec design, In issue #73, Shaw accepts the voice's invitation during a Hellfire Club festival in Rio de Janeiro, the letter burns in his hands, and a shadow presence appears behind him, telling him "the end of his world was near". This has not been explored any further.
- In issue #100, Kitty Pryde dates a Neo, who tells his boss, Domina, Kitty is a Neo. Kitty then puts on a green and purple armour, helps her teammates escape on a rocket back to Earth, and vanishes somewhere else. She reappears in issue #110 to take Colossus's cinerary urn to spread his ashes over his farm in Russia. Neither Chris Claremont (who penned her vanishing) nor Scott Lobdell (who wrote issue #110) explained her sudden return.
- Anti-Hero: Bishop, of the '90s Anti-Hero variety when he first appeared, being a police officer from a Bad Future with a fondness for using guns rather than his mutant powers.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: For Claremont's swan-song on his first seventeen year run on X-Men, he brought this trope along one last time, with half the team getting brainwashed into following Magneto.
- Brainwashing for the Greater Good: In the opening arc, Moira reveals she tried doing this to Magneto when he was all baby-fied. Erik is utterly outraged at this violation, but it turns out the brainwashing never took, since a flaw meant it wore off the minute he used his powers. All the good stuff he did? All him.
- Breaking the Fellowship: The pre-Messiah Complex team, thanks to Mystique and Lady Mastermind's betrayal. As Cyclops bluntly points out to Bobby, there is no point pretending that the team even exists when of their members two have turned traitor, one is possessed by Malice (Karima), another is captive (Rogue), and Cannonball is hospitalized thanks to Sinister.
- The Bus Came Back:
- Issue #80 brings back Shadowcat, Colossus and Nightcrawler, after more than a decade away from the main team (and titles).
- In issue #84, Professor X returns to the X-Men.
- Issue #85 is the prologue to the Magneto War 1999 Bat Family Crossover, bringing back Magneto as the main X-villain for the foreseeable future.
- Karima Shapandar returns during Mike Carey's run, having last been seen in Chris Claremont's Excalibur a few years before.
- Cast Herd: The cast has so many characters that the team was split into gold and blue teams.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Peter Milligan's run had Mystique repeatedly trying to set Rogue up with Pulse, a mutant who could deactivate the powers of anyone near him. The very issue Milligan left, Pulse vanished like he had never existed, and was never mentioned again.
- Continuity Overlap:
- Issues #4-5 happen almost immediately before Uncanny X-Men #281: the Gold Team wears fancy outfits to attend a Hellfire Club gala on Emma Frost's invitation, while Forge plays chess with Professor Xavier.
- Issues #77-78, "Psi-War" two-parter, deal with Shadow King causing a feedback that affects several psychic mutants, who feel the consequences in their respective titles: Jean Grey (in Uncanny X-Men #358), Emma Frost (in Generation X), Nate Grey (in X-Man), and Cable (in Cable).
- The Corrupter: In issue #78, the Shadow King tries to give "their heart's desire" to the three recent additions to the X-team: Marrow, Cecilia Reyes and Maggot. Cecilia wants to be a famous and brilliant medical doctor; Marrow wants to look normal and be loved, and Maggot wants to be a great superhero.
- Et Tu, Brute?: In issue #1, Magneto is nearly killed by Wolverine. He's a little surprised, since while he expected that kind of attitude from Cyclops, he and Logan had been if not friends then at least comrades-in-arms recently.
- Eye Scream: Blindfold, in the last issue of "Blinded by the Light", thanks to foreseeing Hope's birth, which makes her start bleeding from underneath her blindfold. All the more alarming because Blindfold doesn't have eyes.
- Fantastic Slur: It's an early sign of Cortez's general personality that he throws "flatscan" around casually.
- Forceful Kiss: In the danger room session that opens issue #1, Gambit grabs Jean Grey and gives her one of these. Then Jean explodes in his face. Because she was actually a training robot.
- Foreshadowing: When attacking Cable in issue 200, Gambit asks him if he knows the phrase "two minutes 'till dawn". Several issues later, Cable repeats it to baby Hope.
- Immediate Sequel:
- Issue #53, when Jean Grey goes shopping and Onslaught drags her to the astral plane, leads directly into Uncanny X-Men #334. Issue #54 also follows immediately after the Uncanny issue, wherein Jean reads Juggernaut's mind on his request and learns Onslaught's identity: Professor Xavier!
- Issue #64 is the last part of the X-Men/Shang-Chi team-up: the team is en route to the United States, when Bastion's Super Sentinels intercept them midflight and a battle ensues (issue #65).
- Ironic Echo: During the "Psi-War" two-parter, Shadow King tries to seduce Psylocke to be his consort, telling her she looks "ravishing entombed in darkness". After defeating the villain, Psylocke seals him inside a black ball, concluding that, in this state, he "looks ravishing entombed in darkness."
- It's Personal: Sebastian Shaw, in the Cronus Machine arc of Legacy, which is the only reason he's involved at all. Up until he learnt he was threatened, he had not cared much beyond "vague curiosity".
- Jerkass Ball: Wolverine spends much of issue #1 being particularly volatile and assholish, even for him.
- Make Way for the New Villains:
- Magneto's death in issue 3 was supposed to be him getting Killed Off for Real, in favor of folk like Fabien Cortez.
- My Skull Runneth Over: Rogue, just before Messiah Complex, thanks to an ancient alien weapon that absorbs the minds of anyone it comes near, and has been traveling across galaxies for centuries.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Sunfire, during "The Blood of Apocalypse", risks his life to crawl back through Apocalypse's base to save Gazer from becoming a Horseman... only to find Gazer is no more, and so Sunfire gets made a horseman himself.
- Official Couple: The title both teases and officializes the Rogue/Gambit pairing.
- The Purge: Issue 200 through 204 has the Marauders going around finding anyone with time-travel abilities or knowledge of the future, as part of Sinister's scheme. Blindfold is the only one to get out, thanks to seeing it coming.
- Put on a Bus: The title has a revolving door for X-Men members, just like its sister series, Uncanny X-Men.
- In issue #71, Cyclops and Jean Grey leave the team to take a sabattical in Alaska.
- In issue #73, Joseph (Magneto's younger clone) quits the team to go with Sabra to learn more about his past misdeeds.
- In issue #79, Cannonball leaves the team.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits:
- During the Operation: Zero Tolerance crossover (issues #66-69), Iceman allies himself with doctor Cecilia Reyes, Morlock (and former minor antagonist) Marrow, and secret Israeli agent Sabra, in their fight against Bastion and his operation.
- Issues #71-79, the X-Men roster includes veterans like Cannonball, Storm, Rogue and Wolverine, and newcomers Cecilia Reyes (a medical doctor and reluctant hero), Marrow (formerly a minor antagonist) and Maggot (a South African teenager).
- Reforged into a Minion: Happens to Sunfire, Polaris and Gambit during "Blood of Apocalypse", each becoming a Horseman. Gambit actually did so willingly, but he had been planning to turn it against Apocalypse, only for the brainwashing to prove far too strong.
- Sacred Hospitality: In the opening arc, Magneto saves the future Acolytes and the people chasing them. He's a little put out when on waking up they immediately resume trying to kill one another. More so when one of the humans kills a Mutant right in front of him...
- Sexy Surfacing Shot: In Issue #8, Scott catches sigh of Psylocke rising out of the water in her leotard and starts stuttering. Jean gets extremely jealous.
- Ship Tease: It's in this title that Rogue and Gambit become a couple, beginning with some light flirtation and some initial dates, like a motorbike ride in #4 and a picnic in #8.
- Shirtless Captives: In issue #7, "Inside Out", Wolverine is interrogated by Omega Red and Fenris after being captured by them, and relieved of his shirt.
- Story Arc:
- Issues #20-22 and 31-32 deal with the Revanche/Psylocke body swap and the question of both women's identities.
- Issues #42-44, just after Age of Apocalypse, deal with interdimensional refugee Holocaust being found by the Acolytes. The monster awakens, destroys the Avalon space haven, killing some Acolytes, and Cyclops leads the survivors to another safe place.
- Issues #60-61 acts as Sequel to a previous Storm story in X-Men Unlimited Vol. 1 #7.
- In issues #62-64, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Cannonball and Wolverine join forces with Shang-Chi to stop a plot by the Kingpin (at this time, an American expatriate) and Sebastian Shaw in Hong Kong.
- Issues #72-76, a strange package is posted in Germany, addressed to Ororo Munroe in New York. This is by her adoptive mother Ainet, and will be dealt with in the "Psi-War" two-parter.
- Token Evil Teammate: Rogue's team had half its team be token evil folk - Mystique, Sabretooth and Lady Mastermind. It was honestly astounding it took as long as it did for everything to go to crap.
- Wedding Episode: Issue #30 is the Jean Grey and Cyclops's wedding. No clones, no cosmic entities, no battles. Just a single, solemn ceremony on the mansion's grounds with the assembled X-teams (in formal wear, mind you).
