The X-Men are currently in a transitional phase. Their Fox movie universe, which has lasted nearly two decadesOpens in a new tab, is coming to an end with Dark PhoenixOpens in a new tab, and within the next few years we are no doubt going to get the MCU’s takeOpens in a new tab of the legendary teamOpens in a new tab. But the source of these films has been and will always be the original Marvel comics.
In celebration of the comics’ next big phase—this summer’s Powers of X and House of X by writer Jonathan HickmanOpens in a new tab—Marvel is releasing a short documentary series called The History of the X-Men: The Seminal Moments.
The first part deals with the introduction of the “All-New, All-Different X-Men” in 1975, followed by the issue that cemented the team as comics biggest ever hit, 1991’s X-Men #1. The third part is all about the ’90s event series Age of Apocalypse. You can now watch all three parts of this series via the official Marvel YouTubeOpens in a new tab account.
X-Men #1 sold a staggering 8 million copies in 1991, and was the pinnacle of writer Chris Claremont’s time with the mutant team he helped define. It also made a superstar out of artist Jim Lee, and changed how comic book art was perceived. Without the template of X-Men #1, it is highly doubtful that the animated X-Men series would have ever been greenlit. And that series’ huge success led to X-Men becoming a household name. No cartoon, no eventual live-action movies. And the success of those films helped pave the way for the MCU. In short, all roads lead back to the ’90s X-Men.
The third part of this documentary deals with the game-changing event Age of Apocalypse, which see the entire X-Men line of books cancelled and replaced with X-books focusing on an alternate timeline. In this timeline, Charles Xavier died before ever forming the original X-Men. Because of this, the ancient mutant Apocalypse ruled the Earth with an iron fist. In Xavier’s place, his friend Magneto led the charge and led a totally different version of the X-Men. The 1995 event helped keep Marvel afloat in troubled financial times, and was the talk of comics fandom.
The fourth chapter shifts the focus to writer Grant Morrison’sOpens in a new tab New X-Men run from 2001 to 2004, which took the concept of mutants in a decidedly different new direction. Influenced by the recently released big screen iteration of the team in part, Morrison wasn’t afraid to break decades-old X-Men traditions and introduce wild new concepts.
Now Jonathan Hickman’s upcoming run on X-Men is being touted be another one of those moments in X history. Although we know no details about what is coming up in House of X and Powers of X, the final chapter of the new documentary says that we’re not going down the alternate timeline/parallel Earth route again. We’ll have to wait and see how Hickman creates the next great phase of the X-Men when Powers of X and House of X hit this July.
Images: Marvel Comics
