This article is written by guest contributor Joey Alarilla. Joey Alarilla is Head of Content of AI and web3 startup Playfix.io. A former tech and gaming journalist, he now blogs at A Life More Ordinary. Follow him on X.
It was the best of visions, it was the worst of visions.
Two men talking at the bar.
“God, you’re suicidal, or sentimental, maybe. Though either will kill you.”
“Would we be here helping the survivors if we cared about staying alive? We care about others. As do most, I believe. And if indeed mutants exist – “
“They don’t.”
“If they exist, why wouldn’t they use their abilities to make the world better for all people?”
“People don’t want to be better. They’re already the best everything. Best tribe, best faith, they even fight over who’s the best victim.”
Remix and Pastiche
As a longtime X-Men fan who discovered last year that he was a mutant, I particularly enjoyed X-Men ’97. The X-Men have been my favorite superhero team since I started reading their comic books as a kid. But even though I have read many of those story arcs and comic book events that spanned almost three decades, X-Men ’97 kept me on the edge of my seat throughout its 10-episode season.
The beauty of X-Men ’97 is that you don’t have to be an X-Men comic book reader to enjoy it. Or, in fact, have even watched X-Men: The Animated Series, which ran for five seasons from October 31, 1992 to September 20, 1997.
Even though the X-Men ’97 revival is set in the same universe, the way this series remixes and does a pastiche of multiple storylines is breathtaking art. In one episode, X-Men ’97 may feature and dispose of story arcs that took years to resolve in the actual comic books.
The series also does an excellent job of remixing old and new themes. For instance, the horrific attack on Genosha. Genosha was destroyed in the comic books – in fact, several times. But the Genoshan utopia that finally allowed Magneto and his X-Men to achieve Professor Charles Xavier’s vision is based on the most recent Krakoan Age of the X-Men in the comic books.
In 2019, Jonathan Hickman introduced the revolutionary Age of Krakoa, which completely retooled the X-Men and the timelines of the Marvel comic book universe. Hickman, whose most stunning work for Marvel was the 2015 comic book event Secret Wars.
It’s very convoluted but basically, think of it as DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths destroying every alternate universe (The Age of Apocalypse, Marvel 2099, Ultimate Universe). Everything but Earth-616, which has always been the primary continuity in Marvel Comics. Then, for a funny reason (IYKYK) Miles Morales and his family and friends, who were all in the Ultimate Universe, also became part of Earth-616.
Now Hickman was doing the same to X-Men and all mutants. In 2019, he launched the interlocking 6-issue mini-series House of X (House of X. X as in X-Men) and the 6-issue mini-series Powers of X (Powers of 10.)
No, Hickman wasn’t destroying the Marvel Comics universe again. Been there, done that. But he was giving the X-Men a more science-fiction feel. You actually feel that they are mutants. Alien. Menacing.
Krakoa and ‘Second Genesis’
In the comic book universe, Krakoa was originally a living island (The Island That Walks Like A Man) in Giant Size X-Men #1 in May 1975. This is the landmark issue that introduced the new X-Men and relaunched the comic book series. The original X-Men series had stopped publishing new issues in 1970 due to poor sales.
Xavier has recruited a new X-Men team to rescue the original X-Men. (Not all the original X-Men, as by then, Beast had left the team. Apart from Beast, the original X-Men team was composed of Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, and Angel.)
Together with X-Men recruits Havok (Cyclops’ younger brother Alex Summers) and Polaris (his girlfriend Lorna Dane), they have all disappeared in Krakoa. Only their leader Cyclops has escaped.
Instead of the young X-Men of the original team, Xavier has assembled an international team of mutants with more experience to help Cyclops free the original X-Men.
After appearing in the last panel of Incredible Hulk #180, the adamantium-wielding mutant known literally makes a big splash on the cover of the iconic Incredible Hulk #181 50 years ago… Hulk is battling The Wendigo. Wolverine being Wolverine, leaps into the attack, slashing at Hulk with his adamantium claws. Wolverine then decides to attack The Wendigo instead, which confuses Hulk.
“Hulk doesn’t understand. First little man fights Hulk… and now he fights Hulk’s enemy? But if Hulk’s enemy is little man’s enemy… then little man is Hulk’s friend!”
Which means Giant Size X-Men in 1975 is the debut of arguably the most popular X-Man of all time. With an international team of X-Men from diverse backgrounds that proved a hit among readers. In fact, Xavier had to use his telepathic powers so that this team could communicate with non-English speaking members. The new international team consisted of Cyclops as the field leader, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Sunfire, Banshee, and Thunderbird.
Giant Size X-Men #1, though a special issue, also contained “Second Genesis”, the first new X-Men story in five years. Just like X-Men ’97, ‘Second Genesis” tries to fill the gap between X-Men #66 and #X-Men 94. Cited as a starting point in the Bronze Age of Comics, “Second Genesis” expands the X-Men from beyond the white American cast to a more popular international cast. Though unfortunately, some characters were portrayed stereotypically,
Written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dave Cockrum, Giant Size X-Men #1 resurrected the X-Men as readers because the new ones proved popular among readers. Imagine a world without X-Men ’97? A world without the X-Men?
Did Magneto Fulfill Xavier’s Vision?
Magneto’s vision has always been that humans will always be afraid of mutants because they are different. After all, he has survived the brutality of Nazi concentration camps. He has seen the worst that humans can do to other humans. Imagine what they would do to mutants?
So his vision is to protect “his people” and fight back. Of course, going around proclaiming that you are Homo Superior and launching terrorist attacks probably didn’t sway those undecided among humans.
Also, of course, we always see the X-Men from the perspective of being the underdogs and minorities. The mutants are good, but the bad humans are trying to kill them. Yet think of it in real-life terms. These mutants believe they are the next evolutionary step. Magneto is loudly proclaiming mutants humans are destined to replace humans. That humans are a genetic dead link.
As one of the villains puts it: what did mutants expect humans to do? Lie down and die?
Genosha supposedly finally allows Magneto to fulfill the vision entrusted to him by the dead Xavier. Together with other mutants, they have finally built the utopia of Xavier’s dream. Mutants can now co-exist. Genosha is being accepted as a full nation.
Then Bastion and Orchis (an organization from the Krakoan Age of the comics) destroy everything in the masterpiece, “Remember It.”
In the comics, Bastion was first introduced in the 90s, working with Operation: Zero Tolerance. He was also part of the Onslaught saga, so that’s another Big Bad we might see in Zero Tolerance.
Bastion is also a Prime Sentinel, an AI sentinel that can now reproduce. Now another species wants to replace humans and mutants.
Who’s the Best Victim?
One of the things I really hated about the Fox X-Men franchise is that they reduced everything to a bad breakup of the Xavier and Magneto bromance. The X-Men – and all mutants, for that matter – are more than that.
Xavier’s vision was to create a world of peaceful human and mutant co-existence. How will mutants accomplish this?
Magneto’s is to protect his people from the oppressive humans. How will he do this? By launching terrorist attacks on humans so they will realize mutants aren’t weak.
Both are stupid visions. Both Xavier and Magneto are vying for Best Victim.
Why in the world would humans be grateful when usually the X-Men are battling other mutants?
Why wouldn’t the world be afraid when you have an Omega-level mutant like Magneto saying mutants are the new gods and he’s literally lording it above you?
It doesn’t help that the two are Omega-level narcissists. Would-be messiahs. Magneto wants to protect “his people”. Xavier talks about saving the world with “his students”.
Rogue shuts Xavier down: “Maybe if you saw us as people and not students, you’d have realized that.”
So, who’s the best victim?
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