Marvel’s current slate of X-Men titles boast quite a few mutant characters, creating a possible barrier to entry for more casual fans.
Back at the conclusion of 2005’s “House of M,” Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch, uttered three words that would forever change a entire species within the Marvel Universe: “No more mutants.” However, now that the X-Men have managed to unite the majority of their kind on the island of Krakoa and the planet of Arrako, it appears that Wanda may have been correct in her summation of there being entirely too many mutants.
As it currently stands, the various X-titles are nearly bursting at the seams with a vast assortment of both heroic and villainous mutants. Although it does give rather obscure characters a new chance to shine, it also necessitates a number of internet searches, and may create a difficult chasm for newer readers to cross.
The original X-Men lineup back in 1963 consisted of a mere six members: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Angel, Iceman and Professor X, doubling as both mentor and leader. 1975’s Giant-Size X-Men #1 (by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum) introduced a new roster of seven iconic members who, with the exception of Wolverine, were entirely new characters. This team proved almost immediately popular and remained the core of the book for years, fighting various villains and occasionally bringing in more allies.
In the decades that followed, writers and artists continued to create new mutant characters to populate the Marvel Universe. Uncanny X-Men and X-Factor led the charge, soon joined by X-Force, X-Men, New Mutants, and so forth. Even though the rosters of the teams would shuffle around every year or so, there was usually a core team represented from month to month. With the constant additions to both the heroic and villainous casts, the mutant population grew steadily from a mere seven to hundreds of characters as the number of titles increased from two to a dozen.
When Scarlet Witch whispered those fateful words she changed reality, effectively reducing the vast mutant population to a mere 198. It was a huge paradigm shift, that opened up many new avenues for storytelling. In a matter of moments, mutants were no longer the dominant species on earth but had actually become endangered. After years of their future being in jeopardy, Hope Summers was born, giving the species hope as their numbers slowly began to rise.
Enter Jonathan Hickman. Not only did he unite good and evil mutants alike under the banner of the island nation of Krakoa, but he introduced mutant resurrection. Mutants who had died long ago were brought back into the modern era. All mutant deaths are now reversible, with even mutants who had lost their powers now able to be restored to their initial state.
The mutant population of Marvel have made an incredible comeback as a result, and the mass majority of them are united as a part of the X-Men’s first society. This makes for quite a few powered characters appearing on the printed page at any given time. Take Hellions, for example. This team has a core roster of Havok, Psylocke, Greycrow, Wild Child, Orphan-Maker, Nanny, and Empath. Mr. Sinister is their unreliable leader. While eight members is a manageable number of characters, one mention of The Five (who make resurrection possible) brings that number to 13. If the governing body of Krakoa (the Quiet Council) appears, there are suddenly eight more mutants on the page.
The introduction of mass resurrections in the world of the X-Men means that there is now a massive number of characters vying for time in the spotlight. This can result in quite a few internet searches even for the most seasoned fan of the team, possibly bringing with it a sense of disconnect among established readers.
For new readers who might only be familiar with the X-Men movies or various animated versions, this huge cast of mutant characters is sure to be daunting, to say the least. Opening pages that give a roster of important characters appearing in the story is a step in the right direction, but may still be too much for more casual readers. As great as the recent transformation of the X-Men titles has been, it is essential for the rosters to be kept under control in order to sway from the danger of alienating both new and old readers alike.
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