X Men
Xavier spent months recruiting his early students (codenamed Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Beast, and Marvel Girl), dubbing them "X-Men" because each possessed an "extra" ability normal humans lacked. 1963).
Written by Stan Lee & art by Jack Kirby.
The group's name is a reference to the "X Gene", an unknown gene that causes mutant evolution.
Co-creator Stan Lee recalled in his book Son of Origins of Marvel Comics that he devised the series' title after Marvel publisher Martin Goodman turned down the initial name which originally referred to "Xtra Powers", "The Mutants", stating that readers wouldn't know what a "mutant" was. In addition to this "official" explanation, the X-Men are widely regarded, within the Marvel Universe (as well as by the readers of the series), to have been named after Xavier himself.
In Uncanny X-Men #309, Xavier claims that the name "X-Men" was never sought out to be a self-tribute. This lends credence to the statement Xavier made in Uncanny X-Men #1, in which Xavier stated he called the team X-Men "for ex-tra power!"
The X-Men were founded by the paraplegic telepath Professor Charles Xavier a.k.a.
Xavier gathered the X-Men under the cover of Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters at a large country estate at 1407 Graymalkin Lane in Salem Center, a small town in Westchester County, New York. The original X-Men consisted of five teenagers, each of whom the professor taught to control their powers: Angel/Warren Worthington III, Beast/Hank McCoy, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Iceman/Bobby Drake, and Marvel Girl/Jean Grey.
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.
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.
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 American living in 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 the most popular X-Men character.
This plethora of X-Men-related titles led to the rise of crossovers (sometimes called "X-Overs"); storylines 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. 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 #1 (1991) boosted sales.
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). 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.
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.
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. 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 villaness, Cassandra Nova, destroys Genosha, killing sixteen million mutants.
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. This decade also included former villains becoming X-Men such as: Juggernaut, Lady Mastermind, Mystique, and Sabretooth.
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. Xavier funds a corporation aimed at reaching mutants worldwide, though it ceased to exist following the "Decimation".
The X-Men benefit greatly from state-of-the-art technology.
For example, Xavier is depicted tracking down mutants with a device called Cerebro; the X-Men train within the Danger Room, first depicted as a room full of weapons and booby traps, now as generating holographic simulations; and the X-Men travel in their widely recognized and iconic Blackbird jet.
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. 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 universes
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. 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 1930's, with the X-Men as a mysterious criminal gang, and the Brotherhood as a secret society of corrupt cops.
Reflecting social issues
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.
Anti-Semitism: Explicitly referenced in recent decades is the comparison between anti-mutant sentiment and anti-Semitism. 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 branding, 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.
Examples of Jewish characters include Shadowcat and Magneto, whilst Dust is a devout Muslim, Nightcrawler a devout Catholic, and Thunderbird is a follower of the Hindu faith. Comparisons have been made between the mutants' situation, including concealment of their powers and the age they realize these powers, and homosexuality. Several scenes in the X-Men films, two of which were directed by openly gay director Bryan Singer, illustrate this theme.
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".
A similar storyline appeared in the X-Men animated series that aired in the 1990s.
Racism: Professor X has come to be compared to civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. 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.
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, particularly Nightcrawler, a devout Catholic, Wolfsbane, a devout Presbytarian,Shadowcat, a follower of Judaism, and Dust, a devout Sunni Muslim who observes Islamic Hijab.
The X-Men would return the following season in the episode entitled "The X-Men Adventure". It was an extraordinary success, becoming one of the most watched animated series in television history and helping widen the X-Men's popularity.
It was put back in Fox's line-up (albeit edited) for several months after the first movie was released.
In 1994, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Gambit, Wolverine and Storm, along with Spider-Man, 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 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.