Originally Posted by
yogaflame
Claremont was handed a cast of the O5, Polaris and Havok, Prof, Mags, Nightcrawler, Wolvie, Colossus and Banshee, plus Thunderbird and Storm. The franchise's pre-Giant Sized substrate was 100% white(other than Sunfire, who was an adversary at first, I can't remember a single POC named character from the original run).
His X-Men lineup didn't exactly add a lot of diversity(sure Jewish Kitty, made Mags Jewish, much later Chinese Jubes and Australian Gateway), but look at what he did in New Mutants; that team was 1/2 POC. A marked improvement (and probably about as far as the market will withstand). It's not so much the race of his characters that makes his run so great, it's the way he juggled the storytelling. I'm sure you can apply that principal to a more global, worldly cast in the modern day.
If it were me in charge of the line(after disposing with the O5/alternates), I'd give the people a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. Take the established fan favorites, split them up into small groups and pair them with some of the less established characters who need some meat on their bones. Since they can only seem to manage sets of 12 issues these days, that's fine, you work your minor arcs in sets of 12, have the editors plan out 3 to 5 sets in mega sets(the long game), allowing for variable writers/ topical inspirations(the individual arcs/TPB's).
Two main X-Men teams:
Cyke's team based in Westchester where the mansion has been relocated(mutant rescue/emergency response team). Scott and Jean resurrected, but not together as a couple at first(at least 12 issues), lead Triage, Hijack, Iceman, Northstar, Xorn, Frenzy, and Dani(repowered: psionic arrows/illusions) with Cuckoos on Cerebro in support. They'll find any newbies, extract them from hostile situations(saving bystanders in the process), and move them to appropriate support centers(global X-Corporation/Mutants Sans Frontieres is back online). Jetsetting world tour, rapid deploy, tight tactics, and close relationship drama. Lots of guests.
Storm's team(visionary/world stage change) are based out of an ancient Atlantean/Lemurian island in the south Pacific. Storm and regular Logan(resurrected), not a couple, lead Gambit, Marisol, Namor, Nature Girl, Prodigy, Magik. Guests include Cece, Sunfire, Magma, Manifold, and the other teams[reps] as necessary. This team is making bold moves in the public eye to show the world how much they need mutants. Climate change, natural disasters, famine, wars, etc. The front page news/widescreen X-Men, while trying to coordinate a global strategy with the other teams. Such bold moves puts them on the UN's watchlist(can't believe they gave Storm that XSE mandate!), but what can they really do about it(maybe send the Ultimates after them)? X-Men meets The Authority, but not so crass/violent.
Then we bring back the splinter teams, 90's style, where they all have their own thing, but are united by common themes and small appearances by each other that link the stories.
X-Calibur(mystical, adventure, fun) based in Muir Island. Nightcrawler and Rachel(dating) lead Bling, Pixie, Indra, Dust, Armor, Eyeboy, and Shark Girl or Loa. Guests include retired Brian and Meggan(and their baby?), Alistaire, Pete Wisdom from the old series, vs. Juggernaut/Cyttorak, and many other wider MU characters. Resurrect Haven(who has been collecting her own group in India) as a grey antagonist, bringing in all her attendant mythologies into play, along with Apocalypse and Selene eventually as big bads uniting the whole line. Start small with seemingly random adventures that build into greater mysteries.
X-Force/X-Cess (military/industrial, violent, sexy) based in Madripoor. Emma and Forge lead, with opposition from DaCosta's AIM. Cast includes Cipher(a mole for Storm), Anole, X23(with Honey Badger if you must), Warpath, Mercury, Hellion(with hands regrown). Guests include Karma, Cypher, Sage, Val Cooper and a light sprinkle of Cable, Domino, Deadpool, Psylocke, Archangel cast in more business-oriented roles as appropriate. Hellfire Club/X-Corporation meets Blackwater. Global, hostile takeovers, political, seedy. (Eventually some of the more upright cast can break off to support an X-Factor/Freedom Force type book under Forge in DC, when things get too messy down the line, at which point Emma recruits even more ruthless characters to her side.)
Gen neXt(college, millennial). Piotr and Kitty(newly weds) lead Quentin, Oya, Morph, Hindsight, Monet(freed from Marius), Jubilee(cured, back to pafs), Husk(powers back in order, can still be a therapist or whatever), Transonic. Coordinating with Prodigy and Forge to actually change the world (PR/culture wars and physical tech/infrastructure creation). They are the managers of a Google/Buzzfeed/The Office/Instagram/Tumblr X-Men squad that can head a large "school" for any randoms I left off(or new ones Cyke's team finds). Quirky and offbeat, with cameos by Dazzler, Chamber(Shogo babysitter /Jube's boyo), Rictor and Shatty (in a open relationship with M?), a resurrected Zero, Hope, Boom Boom, etc, etc based in a LA office and/or the old Graymalkin Industries in Marin(San Fran).
In addition to the above teams(all X-Corporation factions), we have Haven's group in India(a seemingly benign new age cult with eventual, unforeseen, connections to Apocalypse, Selene, and the Adversary), and a Wakandan group(sanctioned by T'Challa, overseen by Storm, but led by Gentle, with several other Wakandan characters along with others not included elsewhere), and Magma has a group in the Andes as well(the MLF, a radical, but not exactly evil group, including any notable leftovers like Mondo, Wolfsbane, Tempo(I don't care, bring her back)).
Magneto will return to space in his new Asteroid M, with Mystique, Sabretooth, Bishop, Exodus, X(Charles in Fantomex's body), Voght, Havok, Polaris, Darwin, and any other remaining Acolytes/Brotherhooders(I don't care who you have to repower, resurrect). They will at times align or clash with the various X-Teams, but also have their own aims(could be another book). Rogue, Cannonball and Sunspot can stay with their Avengers teams for now(and Beast joins them), and make occasional appearances in these X-Books.
That's 5 distinct monthly team titles (packed to the gills but doable, just stop with this stupid decompression/full page for one panel thing). You can keep Deadpool doing whatever he does, and maybe a solo for Wolvie(Logan and all his brats can share one), but no one else. There's two more team books(X-Factor/FF and the Brotherhood/Asteroid M) that could spin off too, if you want more (and with the right writers/artists and reception, you can go biweekly as necessary).
While each squad has a strong lead/duo, there will be times they are compromised/separated and the other team members have to step up. Make the books actually topical again(reflecting real world politics, news, and pop culture to some interesting/relatable degree), balance all core members(they each have a subplot), keep the continuity tight(things matter over time), make the teams fun(you want to read about them every month), and sexy(soap opera), and action packed(superheroic). Give them great art(at least 3 issues/1 arc, per artist, before switching, but ideally you get an artist who can go 6-12 issues in a row or longer). This is not rocket science.