Recap the X-Men’s 4 Seminal Moments
Before you read ‘House of X’ and ‘Powers of X’ in Marvel Unlimited, try these major mutant milestones that paved the way for the X-Men’s all-new era.
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HOUSE OF X (2019) #1 has arrived in digital comics mega-library Marvel Unlimited, and on its heels, POWERS OF X (2019) #1, hitting next week.
This interconnected 12-part saga by creators Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz, and R. B. Silva will establish an entirely new mutant landscape, one buoyed by Charles Xavier and Magneto’s joint leadership over the mutant’s island-nation of Krakoa. Need more details? We’ve got you covered here.
And, here’s the reading order for those that want to follow along. Both of these series are pivotal to the mutantkind’s new status quo, meaning you’ll have 12 reasons to check back in the Unlimited library each week!
Now, mutants have the power of “Habitats”, “Gateways” and “No-Places” (see: HOUSE OF X #1), but there once was a time when their global population was at the mercy of humanity, and mutant identity was as much reviled as it was feared.
Reviewing the span of the X-Men’s almost 60-year history, our top editors and creators boiled down 4 game-changing moments that reshaped, and laid the course, for what can now be considered a new Dawn of X.
So, dive into each of these seminal moments below, and check out the 4-part video series where Marvel Editorial weighs in on the significance of each!
GIANT-SIZE X-MEN (1975) #1
The issue that catapulted the X-Men into commercial success. Here, we meet Nightcrawler, Colossus, Storm and Thunderbird for the very first time, while Wolverine gains his place among the mutants.
Continue with UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #94 for writer Chris Claremont’s behemoth run that introduced a slew of mainstays, and gave us storylines like the PHOENIX/DARK PHOENIX SAGA, DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, and so (SO) much more.
This is the X-Men gone global. And the scale of Claremont’s storytelling, characterization and universe-building spanned as far as the team itself.
The dynamic duo of Claremont and Jim Lee divvied up the X-Men into two distinct squads following the X-TINCTION AGENDA event, which you can read in full here. The result? A game-changing issue #1 that still maintains its record as an industry best-seller.
With a 4-part gatefold cover that showcased the sheen and modernity of the Blue and Gold teams, the '90s kicked off a Golden Age for Marvel’s mutants, while introducing an entire generation to comics reading.
Try the event in full! Killed twenty years in the past during a freak time-travel accident, Charles Xavier leaves behind a world where the despotic Apocalypse rules with an iron fist. But not all mutants agree with Apocalypse's reign, including a group of underground freedom fighters led by Xavier's oldest friend, Magneto.
This event is lauded for its creative redesigns. The X-Men were reduced to a scrappy assembly looking to rise from the dystopian ashes. An audacious story, and one that fans won’t soon forget.
Creators Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely delivered this bold reboot that put the “freak” in mutant. Innovative, (and ideal for new readers), this run introduced oddball favorites like Cassandra Nova, Fantomex, Quentin Quire and Glob Herman.
It also opened on the haunting note of 16 million mutant deaths, all wiped out in a Genoshan genocide.
Join Marvel Unlimited to read these comics—and over 25,000 more—right now! What will you be reading this week? Join the conversation with #MarvelUnlimited, and stay tuned to Marvel’s Twitter and Facebook channels for more weekly announcements and updates.
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