Who are the core X-Men? Who would you build the X-Universe around?

[TheFallen]

If you could rebuild the X-Universe back to prominence who and what titles would you build around?

Who is the core foundation of the X-Men?

[ChildOfTheAtom]

Cyclops and the X-MEN

Storm and the X-MEN

[Harpsikord]

Professor X, Cyclops, Storm, Phoenix, Wolverine, Iceman, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Magneto. These are the iconic X-Men.

[Bart]

The X-Men don't feel like the X-Men without these 4 around:
1) Wolverine
2) Jean
3) Storm
4) Cyclops

I think these would be the 4 pillars.

[TheFallen]

Professor X, Cyclops, Storm, Phoenix, Wolverine, Iceman, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Magneto. These are the iconic X-Men.

Kitty Pryde? Really? Iconic?

I have never got how she was iconic to the X-Men, mind you I am a product of the Jim Lee era so she was never a focus then.

[Michael Watkins]

Kitty Pryde? Really? Iconic?

she was treated as iconic by Claremont; who was instrumental in making the X-Men iconic. it's not more complicated than that.

[Harpsikord]

Kitty Pryde? Really? Iconic?

I have never got how she was iconic to the X-Men, mind you I am a product of the Jim Lee era so she was never a focus then.

Kitty and Jean are basically seen as the 'exemplary' students. Kitty was Logan's first sidekick, involved in one of the most iconic arcs of Claremont's original run, etc.

[TheFallen]

she was treated as iconic by Claremont; who was instrumental in making the X-Men iconic. it's not more complicated than that.

I just think your opinion and my opinion on what constitutes as iconic varies.

That doesn't mean I think she isn't worthy to be a core of the X-Universe, I just don't think she is iconic.

[lurkerforyears]

iirc Kitty wasn't in proper X-Men books pretty much from the mid 80s to the mid 2000s, since the creation of Excalibut to Whedon's Astonishing.


For me the most important X-Men are Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm and Magneto. The other characters are at least a step below those 4.

[Havok83]

Its been stated numerous times over the years by various characters and creators that Jean Grey is the heart and soul of the X-men and I'd agree. It died when she did and hasnt felt the same

[CuteClops]

Xavier, Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Storm and Magneto.

Plus, Beast, Iceman, Angel/Archangel, Rogue, Colossus and Nightcrawler.

[HandofPrometheus]

The X-Men don't feel like the X-Men without these 4 around:
1) Wolverine
2) Jean
3) Storm
4) Cyclops

I think these would be the 4 pillars.

I agree. Personally I would also add Beast. Emma is a 2000s addition but she also feels like a mainstay to me. But I would only add one person to this list and it would have to be Beast.

[RCX]

Cyclops
Jean Grey
Storm
Wolverine
Nightcrawler
Rogue
Colossus

If you go with these, you are good.

[lurkerforyears]

I disagree with the Jean heart and soul thing because the quality of the books didnt decline when she died, and the popularity didnt decline either (x-men became the best selling comic book when Jean was dead)
Both Uncanny X-Men and New Mutants were great the 6 years Jean was dead. Even with Storm with no powers, no Cyclops because of Maddie, and Xavier in space with Lilandra.

I also prefer x-men books of the 2000s (until AvX) to 90s x-men books, especially from Onslaught on. I don't think there is evidence to say the books don't work just as fine without Jean. Even in the Byrne-Claremont run the X-Men were separated from Jean for much of it, in the Savage Land, Japan, fighting Alpha Flight in Canda.

I think Storm deserves to get the treatment Scott got in the 2000s, what Lemire did to her is a shame.

[Cyke]

Kitty Pryde? Really? Iconic?

I have never got how she was iconic to the X-Men, mind you I am a product of the Jim Lee era so she was never a focus then.

She was never a focus then because she was too busy carrying another book, Excalibur. She remained busy.

But her most iconic years were probably from her debut to Excalibur, to which Whedon and then post-Bullet writers keep building on. After all, she became the leader of several X-teams and then was one of the few X-Men to venture into a non-X-book in recent years, namely the Guardians of the Galaxy.

To put it another way, we know Jubilee has her fans thanks to the Jim Lee era, cemented by the cartoon. Other writers don't think that because that wasn't their introduction to the X-Men, but when you talk to people who were introduced to the X-Men or to comics through the cartoon, Jubilee is often mentioned just as much as any of the other X-Men who weren't Wolverine or Storm. Now go back 10 years before that, and Jubilee was that era's Kitty Pryde, but more so, many of today's writers grew up on 80s comics (like Whedon and Fraction), with the next wave of 90s kids only starting to get into the Marvel bullpen. And there are very few heydays in comics like the X-Men's 1980s run.