X-Men (Franchise) - TV Tropes

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The original five X-Men.

"It's 1987. Do you know what your children are?"

A long-running Marvel Comics franchise, starring mutants with superpowers. The good guy mutants — mainly the eponymous X-Men, led by Professor Xavier—use their powers to fight the bad mutants and protect normal humans — many of whom fear and hate them anyway. Features a lot of characters.

For the page describing the team itself, click here.

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The main titles in 2023 are:

X-Men: The flagship book, about the main team of superheroes led by Cyclops and Marvel Girl.
Immortal X-Men — The Quiet Council rules the Krakoan age, for better... or worse. Now, shaken by Inferno (2021), they strive to hold together � no matter how much they want to tear each other apart. Featuring Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, Storm, Emma Frost, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Kate Pryde, Sebastian Shaw, Destiny, Exodus, and Mister Sinister. Written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Lukas Werneck.
Marauders: Led by Captain Kate Pryde and funded by Emma Frost and the Hellfire Trading Company, this new team of Marauders sails the seas to protect those feared and hated. Featuring Kate Pryde, Bishop, Psylocke, Daken, Aurora, Tempo, Somnus, and Cassandra Nova. Written by Steve Orlando and drawn by Eleonora Carlini.
X-Men Red — Continuing from the events of S.W.O.R.D. (2020), Planet Arakko (formerly known as Mars) needs something more than just a team of heroes to defend it. Who will rise to the challenge? Written by Al Ewing and drawn by Stefano Caselli.
X-Force: The mutant CIA fights back against the enemies of Krakoa.
Legion of X — Continuing from Way of X, Nightcrawler and Legion have established the Legionnaires, a force to protect and cultivate �the Spark�. Also features Juggernaut, Pixie, Doctor Nemesis, Blindfold, and Dust. Written by Si Spurrier and drawn by Jan Balzadua.
Wolverine: He's the best he is at what he does and what he does isn't pretty.
X-Men Legends: A chance for past writers of X-Men books (like Fabien Nicieza, Louise Simonson, and Peter David) to tell the stories they weren't able to get to the first time.

Comic book titles linked to the X-Men include:

Mini-series, limited series, and ongoing series:

X-Men (Chris Claremont)
The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
Age of Apocalypse: Spinning out of the Uncanny X-Force arc "The Dark Angel Saga", this title follows characters in the apocalyptic hellhole that was once the setting of the eponymous crossover from the 90s.
Alpha Flight
Amazing X-Men: A title featuring grand, High Concept X-Men adventures and features the teachers of the Jean Grey School and first time X-Man Firestar. The volume's first arc revolves around the X-Men facing off against Azazel in the afterlife world with Nightcrawler, who has been dead since 2010's X-Crossover Second Coming.
Astonishing X-Men: Ran 2004-2013. Initially written by Joss Whedon, continuing on where New X-Men left off. Later written by Warren Ellis, then by a rotating set of writers until Marjorie Liu came aboard the title with a new team line-up. Another volume ran 2017-2019.
Cable
- Cable (2020)
Cable & Deadpool
Dazzler
Deadpool
District X
Emma Frost
Excalibur: A team based in the UK, made up of former X-Men and characters from the Marvel UK imprint.
Exiles
- Exiles (2018)
First X-Men
Generation Hope: After the events of Second Coming, the mutant Messiah Hope Summers returned to the 616 universe and started repopulating the mutant race activating the powers of new mutants around the world. This book is about her and her group of mutants called "Lights".
Generation X: A title launched in the 1990s focusing on Emma Frost's own Superhero School and her team of teenage mutants which included Jubilee (Marvel Comics).
- Generation X (2017) (ResurrXion)
Madrox
Magneto: Testament
Major X
Mekanix: A limited series starring Kitty Pryde, who's left the X-Men and is trying to make a new life for herself in Chicago. Later renamed and reprinted as X-Treme X-Men: Mekanix.
Mutant X
New Mutants: The first spin-off series from Uncanny X-Men (not counting Dazzler), launched in 1982, starring a group of teenage mutant students at the Xavier School. The series has been relaunched a few times since, with the same characters having aged to adulthood.
New X-Men: Academy X: Continuing from the second volume of New Mutants, starring a new group of teenage students at the Xavier School, launched in the early 2000s.
Old Man Logan: Originally an eight-chapter AU story, it spawned more books in that setting, inspired the film Logan, got a Secret Wars (2015) tie-in, and an ongoing series.
Snikt!
Spider-Man and the X-Men: Written by The Daily Show writer Elliott Kalan, this series was launched after Wolverine's death in 2014. This series continues Wolverine and the X-Men's Lighter and Softer approach with Spider-Man (on behest of Logan's will) teaching a special class at the Jean Grey School.
Ultimate Wolverine
Ultimate X-Men: Part of the Ultimate Universe, featuring re-imagined versions of the X-Men and their mythos.
Uncanny X-Men, originally titled The X-Men. The original and longest-running title, first launched in 1963. Relaunched multiple times:
- Uncanny X-Men (2011)
- Uncanny X-Men (2013) (All-New Marvel NOW!)
- Uncanny X-Men (2016) (All-New All-Different Marvel NOW!)
- Uncanny X-Men (2018) (ResurrXion)
Weapon H
Weapon X (1991)
Weapon X (2002)
Wolverine (which had its own spin-off titles, including Origins and The Best There Is)
Wolverine (1982)
Wolverine and The X-Men, not to be confused with the animated series of the same name. Written by Jason Aaron, it was the main title of Wolverine's Gold team and focuses on the adventures of Headmaster Logan, Headmistress Ororo (formerly Kitty Pryde) and the rest of the staff and the students on the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.
Wolverines
X-Factor series:
- X-Factor: (not to be confused with Simon Cowell's show). Started off as the original five X-Men reunited.
- X-Factor (1991): Retooled into a government-backed mutant team.
- X-Factor (2006): The quirky exploits of the dysfunctional crew of X-Factor Investigations.
- All-New X-Factor (All-New Marvel NOW!)
- X-Factor (2020) (Dawn of X)
X-Force series: Various incarnations, generally with the common theme of being a hard-edged mutant strike team.
- X-Force: A continuation of New Mutants, launched in 1991, with the main characters now as young adults led by Cable. In 2001 was Retooled to star an In Name Only publicity-hungry team with a completely different cast.
- X-Force (2008): Starring the sanctioned strike team of mutantdom fighting to stop threats towards what little mutants remain. Spun off from the X-Men crossover event Messiah Complex. Written by Craig Kyle and Chris Yost.
- Uncanny X-Force (2010): Starring a secret strike team as they confront the emerging threat of Apocalypse and the aftermath of what they wrought. Launched in the aftermath of the crossover event X-Men: Second Coming. Written by Rick Remender.
- X-Force (2013) (Marvel NOW!)
- X-Force (2018): Starring the original team, post-Extermination.
- X-Force (2019) (Dawn of X)
X-Man
X-Men series:
- X-Men (1991) vol. 2: Commonly nicknamed "Adjectiveless X-Men", launched in 1991 as a showcase for Jim Lee's art. Originally featured the "Blue team" of X-Men, while Uncanny X-Men featured the "Gold team"; later the two books became more interlinked.
- New X-Men: The series was retitled 2001-2004 while written by Grant Morrison, to coincide with the first two movies, and became the flagship X-Men book.
- X-Men: Legacy: The series was permanently retitled in 2008 from issue #208, when it became a solo book starring Professor X. Then from issue #226 it featured Rogue as its main character with a rotating supporting cast until it ended with #275. A second volume of X-Men: Legacy featuring Legion was launched for Marvel NOW!.
- X-Men vol. 3: Launched in 2010, ended with #41. Highlighted the X-Men acting within the Marvel Universe.
- X-Men (2013) vol. 4 (Marvel NOW!)
- X-Men (2019) vol. 5: A new status quo that started in 2019 with the two mini-series House of X and Powers of X which led into Dawn of X.
- X-Men (2021) vol. 6 (Reign of X)
X-Men: Black
X-Men: First Class: A 2000s title featuring new stories set during the Silver Age Uncanny X-Men period. Nothing to do with the film of the same title, which went even further back in time.
X-Men Forever
X-Men: Grand Design, a trio of two-issue series recontextualizing the first three decades of X-Men continuity into a single, coherent narrative. Major storylines covered include the establishment of the first class, the Myth Arc involving the Phoenix Force, and a shadow battle waged by human separatists determined to bring about the fall of all mutants.
X-Men: Legacy: The first volume was a renamed X-Men vol 2, the second volume a 24-issue series about Legion.
The X-Men and the Micronauts: A crossover miniseries in which the X-Men fight alongside the titular Micronauts, alien freedom fighters from a subatomic universe. Notable for using a similar concept to the later Onslaught storyline.
X-Men 2099: A version of the team set in the year 2099.
X-Statix: A continuation of the latter part of the first volume of X-Force.
X-Treme X-Men:
- X-Treme X-Men (2001) volume 1: By Chris Claremont and multiple artists, from 2001 to 2004.
- X-Treme X-Men: Savage Land
- X-Treme X-Men (2012) volume 2: Premiered in July 2012 by Greg Pak, featuring Dazzler and a team of alternate universe X-Men and is similar in tone to the Exiles series. Has no real relation to the first volume.
- X-Treme X-Men (2022)
X-Women: An Author Appeal one-shot by Chris Claremont and Milo Manara.

Line-wide initiatives:

Marvel NOW! (2012) and All-New Marvel NOW! (2014)

All-New X-Factor: Focusing on a new iteration of the X-Factor superhero team and written by Peter David, it sees a return to the corporate-sponsored version of the team.
All-New X-Men: Launched by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. The setting takes place in the aftermath of Avengers vs. X-Men where the original five X-Men are yanked from the past into the present day.
Cyclops: Spinoff from All-New X-Men starring the time-displaced teenage Cyclops.
Magneto
Uncanny Avengers, a mutant-heavy Spin-Off of The Avengers that features the X-Men members Wolverine, Rogue, Havok and Sunfire as main characters.
X-Force (2013): Written by Si Spurrier, it merges the two teams and serves as a continuation of both series:
- Cable and X-Force (2013): Written by Dennis Hopeless, Cable forms a new outlaw X-Force group.
- Uncanny X-Force (2013): Written by Sam Humphries, follows Psylocke's new X-Force team.
- X-Men (2013): Originally written by Brian Wood. Featuring an all-female team.

All-New, All-Different Marvel post-Secret Wars (2015)

All-New Wolverine: After Logan's death in Death of Wolverine, Laura Kinney (X-23) takes on his mantle as the new Wolverine.
All-New X-Men (2016)
Extraordinary X-Men: Mutantkind is endangered once again due to the terrigen mists of The Inhumans.
Spider-Man/Deadpool, which is Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
X-Men '92, a title born out of Secret Wars, which is an Alternate Universe inspired by the 1990s animated series.

ResurrXion (2017) and Marvel: A Fresh Start (2018)

Astonishing X-Men (2017)
Generation X (2017): Jubilee mentors a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits team at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.
Legion, ResurrXion Phase II
Rogue & Gambit (2018)
Mr. and Mrs. X: An ongoing monthly series featuring newlyweds Rogue and Gambit, following on from the mini-series Rogue & Gambit (2018).
Weapon X (2017)
X-Force (2018): The surviving members of the original X-Force team reunite to hunt down Kid Cable post-Extermination. Written by Ed Brisson.
X-Men: Gold: The flagship X-Men title during ResurrXion, which refocused the X-Men on their superheroics and featured Kitty Pryde as the leader.
X-Men: Blue: The second ResurrXion title, focused on the time-shifted original five X-Men who have broken off from the main X-Men team and are working with Magneto.
X-Men: Red: ResurrXion Phase II, featuring the newly resurrected Jean Grey leading her own team of X-Men as they protect Charles Xavier's legacy.

Dawn of X (2019), Reign of X (2021), and Destiny of X (2022)

Children of the Atom: A new group of teenage mutant superheroes appear fighting crime in New York. But these teenagares aren't exactly what they seem...
Excalibur (2019): A new connection forms between the mutants, the magic of the world, and the Otherworld.
Fallen Angels (2019) — Not all belong in Paradise. Kwannon, the second Psylocke, finds herself in a new world for mutantkind and unsure of her place in it, and when a face from her past is killed, she seeks help to get vengeance.
Hellions: Mr. Sinister sets out to find a purpose for Krakoa's most dangerous mutants with Havok and Psylocke's help.
Knights of X — Captain Britain III (Betsy Braddock) fights to reclaim Otherworld from the mutant-hating forces of Avalon. Also featuring Gambit and Prestige.
Marauders: Led by Captain Kate Pryde and funded by Emma Frost and the Hellfire Trading Company, this new team of Marauders sails the seas to protect those feared and hated.
New Mutants (2019): The return of the classic team, plus a second team in alternating stories.
S.W.O.R.D. (2020): The mutant space program led by Abigail Brand.
Way of X: Nightcrawler searches for some purpose and meaning to unite the mutants of Krakoa to save them from Onslaught.
Wolverine (2020): The seventh Wolverine volume, launched by writer Benjamin Percy and artist Adam Kubert.
X-Corp: The X-Corporation led by Warren Worthington III and Monet St. Croix tries to launch their new products in a cut-throat world.
X-Factor (2020): Mutants have conquered death through The Five, but when a mutant dies, X-Factor is there to investigate the circumstances to follow the rules of resurrection.
X-Force (2019): The mutant nation of Krakoa's mutant CIA team. Written by Benjamin Percy.
X-Men (2019): The flagship title of Cyclops and his assembled "powerhouses" team.