X-Men
The
X-Men is a team of
comic book superheroes in the
Marvel Comics universe. Created by
Stan Lee and
Jack Kirby, they debuted in
The X-Men #1, published in
September 1963.
The X-Men universe has branched into film and television, including one of the most successful Saturday morning programs,
X-Men: The Animated Series. The year
2000 saw the debut of the long-awaited
X-Men movie directed by
Bryan Singer. The $75 million adaptation was an instant hit and took in over $296 million worldwide. Its sequel
X2 was released in
2003 and became the sixth highest grossing film of the year. The third X-Men movie,
X-Men: The Last Stand, was released May 26,
2006 and had the biggest Memorial Day opening of all time, taking in over $120 million over the four-day period.
The X-Men are fictitious
mutants who, as a result of a sudden leap in
evolution, are born with latent
superhuman abilities which generally manifest themselves at
puberty. Many ordinary humans (
Homo sapiens) harbor an intense fear and/or distrust of mutants (
Homo superior), who are regarded by a number of scientists as the next step in evolution and are thus widely viewed as a threat to human society.
The tensions between
mutants and the rest of humanity are exacerbated by the many instances in which mutants (including such X-Men archenemies as
Magneto and
Apocalypse) have used their powers to criminal or violent ends. The X-Men alliance was formed by the benevolent Professor Charles Xavier, a.k.a.
Professor X, a wealthy mutant who founded an academy to train young mutants to protect themselves and the world from
Magneto and other mutant threats.
The X-Men comic book series was one of comicdom's earliest and most influential trendsetters in adopting a
multicultural central cast. During the
1970s, the roster was further diversified, adding characters from
Germany,
Ireland,
Canada, the
Soviet Union,
Kenya and
Japan. Characters representing many other
ethnicities and cultural backgrounds have subsequently been added. The stories themselves often touch upon themes relating to the status of minorities, including assimilation, tolerance, and beliefs regarding a "superior race."
The team's name is widely said to be derived from the fact that mutants have "extra" powers due to their "X-Factor" gene (a word which was coined by Professor X). Co-creator
Stan Lee recalled in his book
Son of Origins of Marvel Comics and elsewhere that he devised the series title after Marvel
publisher Martin Goodman turned down the initial name, "The Mutants." In addition to this "official" explanation, the X-Men are widely regarded (both 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 claimed that the name "X-Men" was never intended to be a self-tribute.
Beginning
The X-Men were founded by the
paraplegic telepath Professor Charles Francis Xavier a.k.a. Professor X. 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 whom the professor taught to control their powers:
Cyclops/Scott Summers,
Angel/Warren Worthington III,
Beast/Hank McCoy,
Iceman/Bobby Drake, and
Marvel Girl/Jean Grey.
Early
X-Men issues introduced the team's arch nemesis
Magneto and his
Brotherhood of Evil Mutants featuring
Quicksilver,
Scarlet Witch,
Mastermind and the
Toad. Ironically, the cast of this comic book series, which would in decades hence 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, whose key followers, son and daughter, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were
Gypsies (
Roma), an
ethnic minority in
Europe. Only one new X-Man was added,
Mimic/Calvin Rankin, but was soon expelled by Xavier due to his arrogance.
In 1969, writer
Roy Thomas and artist
Neal Adams rejuvenated the franchise and introduced two new characters:
Havok/Alex Summers and Lorna Dane, later called
Polaris. 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 that would appear in new issues of
The X-Men beginning with issue #94. Rather than teenagers, this group consisted of adults who hailed from a variety of nations and cultures. The "all-new, all-different X-Men" were led by Cyclops from the original team and consisted of the newly created
Thunderbird/John Proudstar,
Colossus/Piotr Rasputin,
Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner and
Storm/Ororo Munroe, along with three previously introduced characters,
Sunfire/Shiro Yoshida,
Banshee/Sean Cassidy and, most notably,
Wolverine/Logan who would become the breakout character.
The revived series was illustrated by Zachary Fridolfsson and later
John Byrne and written by
Chris Claremont, who would become the series' longest-standing contributor. The run met great critical acclaim and produced the "Proteus Saga", "
Dark Phoenix Saga", and later the early 1980's "
Days of Future Past", arguably some of the greatest story arcs in
Marvel Comics, as well as
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, the basis for the 2003 movie
X2. Other characters introduced at this time include
Mystique,
Multiple Man, the
Hellfire Club, and
Moira MacTaggert along with her genetic research facility
Muir Island.
1980s
In the 1980s, the growing popularity of
Uncanny X-Men and the rise of comic book specialty stores led to the introduction of several spin-off series nicknamed "X-Books", most notably
The New Mutants,
X-Factor and
Excalibur and a solo
Wolverine title. 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, sometimes for months at a time and usually once per year; including the
Mutant Massacre,
The Fall of the Mutants and
Inferno.
Notable additions to the X-Men were
Shadowcat,
Rogue,
Dazzler,
Psylocke,
Longshot,
Forge, and
Jubilee. A controversial move was to have Professor X relocate to space in 1986 to be with his beloved Lilandra, Majestrix of the
Shi'ar Empire, making Magneto the head of the X-Men. This period also included the arrival of the mysterious
Madelyne Pryor, the villains
Mister Sinister,
Sabretooth, and
Apocalypse1990s
|
The multiple, interlocking covers of X-Men #1 (1991) boosted sales. Art by Jim Lee. |
In 1991, Marvel revised the entire lineup of X-books with
X-Men (vol. 2), the original series of this title having been already renamed to
Uncanny X-Men.
X-Men #1 became the best-selling comic book of all time, and it still holds the record today. It's first issues were drawn by mega-popular artist
Jim Lee and written by longstanding X-Men writer
Chris Claremont. Another new X-book released at the time was
X-Force featuring the characters from the
The New Mutants led by the mysterious war hawk
Cable written by
Rob Liefeld and
Fabian Nicieza.
Internal friction split the X-Men books' creative teams. Chris Claremont left after only three issues of
X-Men due to clashes with artist
Jim Lee and the Marvel editors, thus ending his fifteen-year run as X-Men writer. Months later, Liefeld and Lee left Marvel with several other popular artists including former X-Men artists
Marc Silvestri and
Whilce Portacio to form
Image Comics. After Claremont left
Scott Lobdell took over X-Men. And later would work with artist
Joe Madureira, who becomes one of the most popular artist of the 1990s.
Most memorable from the 1990s to comic fans and non-comic fans was the hit cartoon series
X-Men: The Animated Series. This show featured the major comic characters of 1990s, but told classic stories and original stories. The show lasted five seasons.
Notable additions to the X-Men have been
Gambit,
Bishop,
Cannonball, and
Marrow. This decade saw the return of Xavier and the original X-Men to the team. With so many X-Men Xavier split the X-Men into two strike teams. Cyclops lead the "Blue Team" and Storm lead the "Gold Team"
The 1990s saw an even greater number of X-books with numerous ongoing series and miniseries running concurrently.
Generation X featured
Jubilee and other teenage mutants who were lead and schooled by
Banshee, and former villain
Emma Frost.
X-Man starred a powerful young mutant Nate Grey, an alternate genetical brother of Cable from the "Age of Apocalypse" reality. Marvel launched solo series for characters including
Cable,
Gambit,
Bishop and
Deadpool, the last a sarcastic mercenary antagonist of
X-Force. In 1998
Excalibur and
X-Factor ended and the latter was replaced with the
parallel world series
Mutant X starring Havok.
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.
2000s
|
Cover of New X-Men Issue 114, which kicked off Grant Morrison's run on the book. Pencils by Frank Quitely. |
In the 2000s, Claremont returned to Marvel and was put back on the primary X-Men titles. He was soon removed from his two flagship titles in early 2001 and created his own spin-off series,
X-Treme X-Men, where
Storm asked several X-Men to separate themselves from the school.
Also in 2000 Fox released the first X-Men film directed by
Bryan Singer and starring
Hugh Jackman,
Halle Berry,
Patrick Stewart, and
Ian McKellen. It was highly successful and lead to two sequels,
X2: X-Men United and
X-Men: The Last Stand, that were released later in the decade.
X-Men had its title changed at this time to
New X-Men and new writer
Grant Morrison took over. 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 new villain,
Cassandra Nova, destories Genosha and killing sixteen million mutants. Morrison also brought reformed villain
Emma Frost into the primary X-Men team, and opening the doors of school by Xavier "outing" himself to the public about being a mutant. 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 the controversial new character,
Xorn, who would go on to murder her and wreak havoc on
New York City (Whether Xorn was mind-controlled or not is disputed; see his entry for an insight into the controversy). In the meantime, the
Ultimate X-Men were launched, set in Marvel's revised imprint.
Notable additions to the X-Men have been
Emma Frost,
Sage,
Xorn,
Northstar, the former villain
Juggernaut,
X-23, and
Warpath. Several short-lived spin-offs and mini-series started including Mystique, Emma Frost, Gambit, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and
District X. Cable and Deadpool's books were also rolled into one book, appropriately called
Cable and Deadpool. A third primary X-Title was also introduced, when Morrison left
New X-Men, called
Astonishing X-Men, written by
Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator
Joss Whedon. Another x-book titled
New X-Men: Academy X took its place focusing on the lives of the new young mutants at the Institute. These new book were part of an X-Men event called "Reloaded".
This period included the return of
Shadowcat, a mutant cure, the resurrections of
Psylocke and
Colossus, and Cyclops and Emma Frost, now a couple, becoming the new leaders of the Institute. The Institute formerly ran as a large-scale school, until the
depowering of most of the mutant population. It now serves as a safe haven to those mutants who are still powered and as the home of the X-Men. Their decreased numbers have led to the re-emergence of the
Superhuman Registration Act and all mutants at Xaviers were forced to register, leading to the 2006
Civil War event, which the X-Men try to remain neutral but eventually become anti-registration.
Notable story arcs of this decade are "Dream's End", "Eve of Destruction", "
E Is For Extinction", "
Planet X", "Gifted", "
House of M", "
Decimation", "
Deadly Genesis", and "
Civil War".
Since
Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975), the X-Men have also become famous for their wide cultural and ethnic diversity.
|
Storm, one of the first black female superheroes. |
Long before international characters became popular in the comics world, the X-Men franchise brought in characters from all over the world such as from:
*
Africa:
Algeria (
M Twins),
Egypt (
Apocalypse),
Kenya (
Storm),
Maasai (
Kidogo),
Morocco (
Jetstream),
South Africa (
Maggott)
*
The Americas:
Apache (
Thunderbird I,
Warpath),
Brazil (
Sunspot),
Cajun (
Gambit),
Canada (
Sabretooth,
Alpha Flight,
Wolverine, and the
Quebecois,
Northstar and
Aurora),
Cheyenne (
Forge,
Mirage,
Naze),
Chinese American (
Jubilee),
Japanese American (
Hisako Ichiki),
Jewish American (
Shadowcat),
Mexican American (
Feral,
Thornn,
Wraith,
Skin),
Mexico (
Rictor),
Puerto Rico (
Cecilia Reyes,
Tag),
Venezuela (
Wind Dancer)
*
Asia:
Afghanistan (
Dust,
Sage),
China (
Xorn),
India (
Indra,
Thunderbird III),
Israel (
Sabra),
Japan (
Deathstrike,
Psylocke/
Revanche,
Silver Samurai,
Shinobi Shaw,
Sunfire,
Sunpyre,
Surge,
Yukio and Mariko Yashida),
Thailand (
Stonecutter,
Tyger Tiger),
Vietnam (
Karma),
*
Europe:
Austria (
Mystique and
Destiny),
England (
Jamie Braddock,
Chamber,
Psylocke/
Revanche,
Captain Britain,
Mister Sinister,
Pete Wisdom and
Toad),
France (
Tarot and
Fantomex, a non-native resident),
Germany (
Nightcrawler,
Fenris and
Maverick),
Greece (
Avalanche),
Ireland (
Banshee,
Siryn and
Black Tom Cassidy),
Netherlands (
Beak),
Poland (
Magneto),
Russia (
Colossus,
Omega Red,
Darkstar,
Magik,
Soul Skinner,
Mikhail Rasputin and
Alexi Vazhin),
Scotland (
Wolfsbane and
Moira MacTaggert),
Spain (
Empath),
Italy (
Unus),
Yugoslavia (
M II).
*
Oceania:
Aborigine (
Gateway),
Australia (
Pyro,
Slipstream,
Lifeguard,
Bishop),
Hawaii (
Loa),
Samoa Islands (
Mondo),
Māori (
Kiwi Black)
The X-Men introduced several fictional locations which are regarded as important within the shared universe in which
Marvel Comics characters exist:
*
Genosha, an
African island near
Madagascar and a long-time
apartheid regime against mutants.
*
Madripoor, an island in
Southeast Asia, near
Singapore. Strong evidence from the Ultimate Guide To The X-Men Points out that Madripoor is located in the
Philippine archipelago situated in
Luzon, the country's main island. Associated with
Viper.
*
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 prehistoric location in
Antarctica.
*
Asteroid M, An asteroid made by Magneto, a mutant utopia and training facility off of the earth's surface.
The conflict between mutants and normal humans is often compared to conflicts experienced by minority groups in America such as
Jews,
African-Americans,
Communists,
Homosexuals,
Catholics 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.
*
Racism :
Professor X has been compared to
African American civil rights leader
Martin Luther King Jr. and
Magneto to the more militant
Malcolm X. The X-Men's purpose is sometimes referred to as achieving "Xavier's dream", perhaps a reference to King's historic "
I Have a Dream" speech. Magneto, in the first film, quotes Malcolm X with the line "By any means necessary". X-Men comic books have often portrayed mutants as the victim of
mob violence, evoking images of the
lynchings of African-Americans in the age before the
American civil rights movement.
Sentinels are thought to often represent oppressive forces like the
KKK giving a form to denial of civil rights and amendments. In the 1980s, the comic featured a plot involving the fictional African island nation of
Genosha, where mutants were segregated and enslaved by an
apartheid state. This is widely interpreted as having been a reference to the situation in
South Africa at the time.
*
Diversity : Characters within the X-Men mythos hail from a wide variety of nationalities (see "International Characters" section above). These characters also reflect religious, ethnic or sexual minorities. Examples of characters include
Shadowcat and
Sabra, whilst
Dust is a devout
Muslim,
Nightcrawler a devout
Catholic and
Thunderbird III is a follower of the
Hindu faith.
Karma was portrayed as a devout Catholic who regularly attended Mass and confession when she was introduced as a founding member of the New Mutants. This team also included
Wolfsbane (a devout Scots Presbyterian),
Danielle Moonstar (a Cheyenne Native American) and
Cannonball (a devout Baptist), and was later joined by
Magma (a devout Greco-Roman classical religionist).
|
Northstar, one of the first gay superheroes, in the cover for Uncanny X-Men #392, by Salvador Larroca. |
*
Homosexuality : Another metaphor that has been applied to the X-Men is that of
LGBT rights. Comparisons have been made between the mutants' situation, including the concealment of their powers and the age they realize these powers, and
homosexuality. This was illustrated in a scene of the
second X-Men film, directed by
openly gay director
Bryan Singer, in which
Bobby Drake "
came out" as a mutant to his parents. Specifically, Bobby's mother asks him, "Have you tried not being a mutant?" In addition, the first film featured a scene in which
Senator Robert Kelly questioned whether mutants should be allowed to teach children in school, mirroring such debates as that over
Section 28, in which Sir
Ian McKellen (who played Magneto in the film) was involved.
Homosexual and
bisexual characters include
Northstar,
Karma, a minor student character known as '
Anole' and longstanding X-Men antagonists
Destiny and
Mystique.
*
AIDS: The comic books delved into the
AIDS epidemic during the early 1990s with a long-running plotline about the
Legacy Virus, a seemingly incurable disease similarly thought at first to only attack mutants. A similar storyline appeared in the X-Men animated series that aired in the 1990s.
*
Red Scare : Occasionally, undercurrents of the "red scare" are present.
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. In the 2000
X-Men film Kelly exclaims "we need to find out who these mutants are and what they can do," even brandishing a "list" of known mutants (a reference to Senator
Joseph McCarthy's list of
Communist Party USA members).
*
Anti-Semitism : Explicitly referenced in recent decades is the comparison between anti-mutant sentiment and anti-Semitism. Magneto, a
Holocaust survivor, sees the situation of mutants as similar to those of
Jews in
Nazi Germany. At one point he even utters the words "never again" in a
1992 episode of the X-Men animated series. In the comic books, Magneto has routinely sought to establish a "mutant homeland" which may be a parallel to modern day
Israel. The mutant slave labor camps on the island of
Genosha, in which numbers were burned into mutants' foreheads, show much in common with
Nazi concentration camps, as do the internment camps of the classic
Days of Future Past storyline. Another notable reference is in the third X-Men film, when asked by Spike and co: "If you're a mutant, then where's your mark?" Magneto shows his concentration camp branding, whilst mentioning that he will never let another needle touch his skin again.
*
Anti-Catholicism : Within the X-books there is a metaphorical connection between anti-Catholic prejudices and the X-Men's maligned, outcast status. Just as Catholics were often mistrusted and feared in early United States history because of their loyalty to a foreign
Pope, so are the X-men suspect because of their double loyalties both to the same laws as all other citizens and to the "mutant cause." Individual members of the X-Men (and related teams) who have been overtly identified as Catholics include: Nightcrawler, Havok, Gambit, Siryn, Banshee, Sunspot, Skin, and Karma.
*
As a subculture: In some cases, particularly in
Grant Morrison's stories of the early 2000s, mutants were portrayed as a distinct subculture with "mutant bands" and a popular mutant fashion designer who created outfits tailored to mutant
physiology. Also the series
District X takes place in an area of
New York City called "mutant town." These instances can also serve as analogies for the way that minority groups establish specific subcultures of their own that distinguish themselves from the broader general culture. Director
Bryan Singer has remarked that the X-Men franchise has served as a metaphor for acceptance of all people for their special and unique gifts. The mutant condition that is often kept secret from the world is analogous to feelings of difference and fear usually developed in everyone during adolescence.
*
Characters: This metaphorical content is also present, more personally rather than politically, in some of the characters. For instance, Cyclops must wear a visor or specialized glasses at all times to keep his powers in control and has thus grown-up emotionally restrained; Rogue, whose mutant power prevents her from establishing physical contact with others, feels an enormous sense of personal isolation; and the scientifically brilliant Beast must always fight the perception that he is a monstrous brute due to his furry, animalistic appearance. Thus, the effects of alienation on one's well-being and psyche are often explored in the franchise.
Cartoons
|
A scene from Pryde of the X-Men. |
*The X-Men made their first ever animated appearance on the 1960s
Marvel Super Heroes TV series. The original X-Men line-up (
Angel,
Beast,
Cyclops,
Iceman, but since Grantray-Lawrence Animation didn't have the rights to the
Fantastic Four, they substituted them with the X-Men. Interestingly enough, the X-Men were never referred to as the
X-Men. They were instead, referred to as
Allies for Peace. The characters kept their original looks and individual names from the comics though.
*The X-Men occasionally guest-starred on
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.
Spider-Man,
Iceman and
Firestar were the three regular heroes. The X-Men first appeared on the
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode
The Origin of Iceman. Appearing in this particular episode (in a flashback sequence only) are Professor X and the four original X-Men: Iceman, Cyclops, Angel, and Beast. The next appearance on
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends was in the episode
A Firestar is Born'. Making appearances in this particular episode are Professor X, Cyclops, Angel, Wolverine, Storm, and Juggernaut (plus Magneto in a cameo appearance). The X-Men would return the following season in the episode entitled The X-Men Adventure
'. Making appearances there were Professor X, Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Sprite, and Thunderbird.
The X-Men Adventure was meant to be a pilot for an X-Men cartoon, featuring the X-Men characters in the episode, plus Lady Lightning (animated version of Carol Danvers/
Ms. Marvel) and Videoman as members. Needless to say, the cartoon never happened.
*In
1989,
Marvel Productions produced a
pilot X-Men episode for
NBC called
Pryde of the X-Men. The series was never picked up but the single episode aired infrequently in
syndication during the
Marvel Action Universe series and was later released on video. In 1991, a 4-6-player arcade game was based upon this failed series starring Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler. Professor X and Kitty Pryde also appear.
*In
1992, the
Fox Network launched an unrelated
X-Men animated series with the roster of Beast, Cyclops, Gambit, Jubilee, Professor X, Rogue, Storm and Wolverine with Bishop and Cable frequently guest starring. The two-part piloting episode, "Night of the Sentinels" set off what would become a five season series. It was an extraordinary success, becoming one of the most watched animated series in television history and helping widen the X-Men's popularity. The five seasons ended in
1997. It was put back in Fox's line up for several months after the first movie was released.
*In
2000,
Warner Brothers Network launched the television show
X-Men: Evolution, which portrayed the X-Men as teenagers attending regular high school in addition to the Xavier Institute. The series ended in
2003 after its fourth season.
*In
2007,
Marvel Studios will put out a new X-Men animated show that will primarily feature Wolverine, this time using a mesh of 2D/3D animation for characters and backgrounds.
Avi Arad, CEO of Marvel Studios, stated "X-Men is one of Marvel's crown jewels and it makes sense to focus on the popular Wolverine character for our second animation project."
Films
|
Teaser poster for X-Men: The Last Stand |
The first attempts to make a
film version of the X-Men began in the late
1980s along with
Spider-Man and
Hulk films.
James Cameron, director of
Aliens and
The Terminator, was rumored to have been selected as director, but the project never came to fruition. In
1996,
FOX produced a television movie based on the X-Men spin-off
Generation X.
*In
2000,
20th Century Fox released
X-Men, a $75 million film adaptation of the comic, directed by
Bryan Singer.
*In
2003, the sequel
X2 also directed by Singer, was released. This film was loosely based on the 1982 graphic novel
God Loves, Man Kills. It was an even greater success than the first film.
*In
2006, a third movie
X-Men: The Last Stand directed by
Brett Ratner was released. Singer was originally slated to direct the film but left the project to work on
Superman Returns.
Matthew Vaughn was then selected to take Singer's place but dropped out in
June 2005 due to "personal issues", resulting in the project being given to Ratner.
X-Men: The Last Stand made $120.1 million in its first weekend and has become the most successful movie of the franchise making over 430 million dollars world wide.
*Spin-offs:
Lauren Donner, producer for the first two movies, has said the movie studio is interested in producing two spin-off films. One film will star Wolverine, in which
Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as the clawed warrior. Screenwriter
Sheldon Turner is currently working on bringing Magneto to the big screen in his own spin-off film. The plot will deal with the character's friendship turned sour with Charles Xavier. Turner has stated that "It's going to take place from 1939
Auschwitz up to 1955 or so." Although it at first appears unlikely that
Ian McKellen will reprise his role, recently he stated that he would actually be playing a younger incarnation of his character due to a CGI effect which is able to make him appear younger.
[http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/704/704451p1.html] Rebecca Romijn, who plays Mystique in the X-Men franchise, has been approached about a Mystique film. Reputable movie news site http://www.superherohype.com has reported that
X-Men: The Last Stand screenwriter
Zak Penn is now writing a third X-Men spin-off film as well.
Video games
The first X-men video game was released by
LJN for the
NES and was called
Marvel's X-Men. That same year (
1989) a computer game was also released based on the X-men. In the
1990s Sega of America released two popular X-men video games for its
Sega Genesis;
X-Men and
X-Men 2: Clone Wars.
There are several
video games for various platforms starring the X-Men. Many of them are 2D
fighting games such as 1994's
X-Men: Children of the Atom, 1996's
X-Men vs. Street Fighter and 2000's
X-Men: Mutant Academy. There was also a 3-D fighting-game called
X-Men: Next Dimension the most recent in the series are the
role-playing games X-Men Legends (2004) and its 2005 sequel
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. The characters also appeared in the
Marvel vs. Capcom series. Konami also created n 1992 an
X-Men (arcade game) which featured 6 playable X-Men characters:
Cyclops,
Wolverine,
Nightcrawler,
Storm,
Colossus, and
Dazzler.
To coincide with the release of the third film, Activision has released
X-Men: The Official Movie Game which will fill in the gap between
X2: X-Men United and
X3: The Last Stand.
*Fecteau, Lydia (
July 12,
2004).
Mutant and Cyborg Images of the Disabled Body in the Landscape of Science Fiction Available online as a Word document. Accessed on
September 29 2005.
*
Morrison, Grant. (
August 10,
2000)
"The geek shall inherit the earth".
The Evening Standard. Accessed on
September 29 2005*
Weinstein, Simcha.
Up Up and Oy Vey : How Jewish History, Culture And Values Shaped The Comic-Book Superhero (Baltimore : Leviathan, 2006) has a chapter on the X-Men, with special emphasis on Jewish characters Magneto and Shadowcat.
*
MarvelDirectory.com*
Official webpage at Marvel.com*
Big Comic Book DataBase list*
Mutant High*
The X-Men Central*
UncannyXmen.net*
Ultimate X-Men @ ULTIMATE X*
Uncanny X-Men
