Please let the culling begin...

[brer rabbit]

Jeffries isn't even a genius, he can only make robots and vehicles by himself, for anything else he has to work for a super scientist, like Forge.

Vindicator (James Hudson) from Alpha Flight, was resurrected by Jeffries and Forge working together, Box couldnt do it alone because he doesnt have the super intellect of Forge.


Ernst Toller biography

Madison Jeffries is a genius. It's just nowadays he's surrounded by people who are even smarter than he is.

[Digifiend]

Sunfire and Firestar also don't have fire powers, their names are very misleading. Both use microwave radiation.

The original Human Torch was changed to that too in the last Squadron Supreme series.

[ChronoRogue]

And then the writers will just create more new characters, because the X-Men comics have always lent themselves to character creation. For X-Men, writers and artists don't have to worry about making up any pseudo-science nonsense to create an origin event and they don't have to worry about the characters' viability as a solo act since it's a team-centric line. So, they can get right down to creating the character or at least the base of the character so that it can be developed by other creators later. Also, since this line is heavy on coming-of-age stories for young characters, there seems to be a demand for new young characters every decade or so.

Look, we've all heard the "too many mutants" thing before. It led to the Morlock Massacre. It led to the killing of the Hellions. And it led to the Decimation. And though some good things came out of those events, real long-term benefits are questionable.

This. There is no point to 'culling' the population, less mutants =/= better stories. The 198? Was awful. Good writers make good stories, nothing more nothing less.

If you don't want to use a character, you don't have to kill them. Send them to another school, get them to quit the X-Men, or actually graduate from the school to pursue activites outside the X-Men. So many ways to write them out of the franchise (long-term or temporarily) without bringing out a cheap death for drama, that will inevitably be recton'd years later.

[lurkerforyears]

writing a character out generally gets them killed
It happened with Avalanche (he had stopped being a villain and owned a bar in San Francisco), he was killed by Remender in his Uncanny Avengers
And it happened with Madrox (happily married to Layla Miller living in a farm), killed for Death of X, although he is being resurrected by now.

[Psyknight]

Culling characters for having a common power set seems unnecessary. Just spread them around. Not just in the X-books, but throughout Marvel.

[blinkingblah]

the culling should start with the ones who have been around for way too long and need replacing

generational change is key to keeping the x-men feeling real and vibrant

somebody gets it!!!

[CellarDweller]

I don't think there needs to be a mass culling, perhaps take repetitive characters and place them in other books.

I already think Marvel is doing this to a certain extent. Emma is a villain now, Quentin is an Avenger, X barely exists, Rachel is probably getting benched. It's down to Jean and Betsy now.

Are the remaining Stepford Cuckoos still around?

[The tall man]

The culling should start with the ones who have been around for way too long and need replacing

Generational change is key to keeping the X-Men feeling real and vibrant

I agree! Let's start with Cyclops and Emma.

[Psyknight]

This. There is no point to 'culling' the population, less mutants =/= better stories. The 198? Was awful. Good writers make good stories, nothing more nothing less.

If you don't want to use a character, you don't have to kill them. Send them to another school, get them to quit the X-Men, or actually graduate from the school to pursue activites outside the X-Men. So many ways to write them out of the franchise (long-term or temporarily) without bringing out a cheap death for drama, that will inevitably be recton'd years later.

I definitely agree with that.

[ChronoRogue]

writing a character out generally gets them killed
It happened with Avalanche (he had stopped being a villain and owned a bar in San Francisco), he was killed by Remender in his Uncanny Avengers
And it happened with Madrox (happily married to Layla Miller living in a farm), killed for Death of X, although he is being resurrected by now.

Remember is kill-happy with characters, I don't think he's the best writer to use as an example. Plus Avalanche is not an X-Men member or student, he took shelter with Utopia, but I don't think Toad and co were sent on missions like proper X-Men.

Second example, lots of X-Men die on the team and get the same treatment. See Nightcrawler, Wolverine, (probably Scott), etc... If a writer is deadset on cheap drama deaths, they'll use whoever they want to, whether in limbo or not, but I'm not convinced limbo increase's the chances to see a target on their backs.

Culling characters for having a common power set seems unnecessary. Just spread them around. Not just in the X-books, but throughout Marvel.

Yep, that's definitely an option. If there are just extremely similar, just spread them out. But even characters with similar powers I think can work on a team together. Look at Weapon X (so many stabby stabby claws there) and X-Men with all the telepaths on the same team. Those rosters were fine.

There's lot of ways to diversify power-sets and get really creative with the same power-sets, just write them with different strengths and weakness. I actually like that we have so many telepaths, because they've been forced to assume different niches. Emma as a telepath that uses dirty tricks and experience, Jean as a powerhouse, Psylocke as a psuedo-melee telepath, Karma with mind-control and Dani specialization with illusions. Just because someone shares a skill or talent with someone, doesn't mean they use or express them the same way.

Writers just need to get creative. Look at how people use firearms or martial arts differently, tons of variance, similar powers should be no different.

[jalsrix]

Cypher has the most unique power which is understanding all alien, human, machine and even animal languages but he was killed.

So ???

[Dementia5]

The culling should start with the ones who have been around for way too long and need replacing

Generational change is key to keeping the X-Men feeling real and vibrant

This is not how it works. If Marvel wants to pare down its mutant population it’s not going to start with its big-name cash cows. It’s going to start from the bottom, with the newer and least used characters.

[Muffinman]

Yes, let’s get rid of Lifeguard, Box & Match. They are clogging up our books.

Lol this is great^

But seriously, if there is a culling it should not be with the lesser known individuals. Just have some of the overused big names move on into other books. It is a shared universe after all.

[Cmbmool]

I would love to see them try to off an O5 member, have it not be Jean this time around, and have it stick for a few years.

Have them try to kill a several New Mutants.


Oh and get rid of Glob Herman and Eye ball boy. Actually get rid of almost all of the kids via Legacy Virus way and only have a several live to rebuilt once more.

Laura and Gabby are exempted from the culling.

[Havok83]

Not everyone can have their own powers.

Also, Magma doesnt really have "fire" powers in that sense. Oya and Sunfire and Match all use their powers in vastly different ways.

......and Onyxx is dead.

everyone writes and draws her as such though.