To those unhappy with the relaunch, how would you fix it?

[GodfatherIV]

I must say though that Im not against Hickmans writing. I think he's doing some great work on the franchise and its much needed. Im still convinced that we need a total reboot into a brand new and seperate universe however Hickmans Xmen is the closest thing to that and probably the best case

[Zelena]

Option 1: Drop the continuity bomb, and start over. Reinvent the X-Men core concept and cast from the ground up for contemporary sensibilities. Make Xavier (and Magneto) black and/or LGBT and the core cast, except Wolverine, teenagers. Explore what minority integration means in the 21st century instead of as a metaphor for 1960s liberalism. Explore what other ideologies exist in opposition to it, not just minority nationalism. Adopt a more international flavor, and explore what's going on in other countries. What's it like being a mutant in China? In sub-Saharan Africa (the real one, not Wakanda)? In the Arab world? What does social media mean for mutants? Climate change? Show the development of mutant subculture (and don't just have it suddenly appear like Morrison did).

The X-Men work best when a) the characters feel like real people with thoughts, feelings, hopes, and fears that we can connect with and care about and b) they live in a social and political environment that feels natural, relateable, and complex. Just like the real world.

Option 2: Engage similar themes as Option 1 but as a sequel to the existing X-Men mythos instead of as a reboot of it. Since Xavier's been retconned into being a villain, introduce a new character to fulfill his former niche as the benevolent integrationist. Introduce leaders of other mutant movements we haven't seen before, not just Magneto wannabes. Show the generational turnover among mutantkind. Introduce us to the people who've grown up under the Xavier-Magneto dialectic and how they've reacted to it--by choosing a side, rejecting the conflict altogether, or by taking another position entirely.

Show how the surviving X-Men react, trying to figure out where they fit in this new world. How do they handle being eclipsed by the next generation? What, if any, factions do they split up into? How do they stay relevant? What do they do?

I like it. To be modernized, X-men needs a complete reboot. Maybe it will be done by a smaller publisher and the name won't be X-men anymore.

[Whim]

I don't really like the complete reboot as the good thing about Marvel is the rich and long continuity. You could do a condensed and small reboot similar to DC Rebirth where it's sort of a reboot but more modern and the characters get younger.

But the idea I like is actually I think a What If Claremont came up with but never wrote?

X-Men aged up to real time. Maybe not real time but essentially maybe 20-30 years up. No time travel. No alternate universes.

Xavier and Magneto are done as they just get too old. Cyclops and Jean and a lot of the other core X-Men are retired and settled down. The New Mutants aren't "New" anymore maybe Sam leads the X-Men with some Gen X/New X-Men kids still around.

There's a complete new gen of kids. Maybe Rogue or Storm or whoever has their own kids that attending the school now.

I think an interesting plot would be it looks like the school is closing down. Maybe Cannonball/Mirage are the headmasters but they can't keep up or bring in any students. Then the kids of the old O5 are the new O5 with maybe someone else thrown in and we don't know who's kid they are.

[9th.]

I would have every story focus on my favorite characters and have the characters I dislike never show up on panel except to be insulted and humiliated.

I also would like the mutant as a metaphor thing to never make me feel uncomfortable or question myself because I don't think thats what fiction is supposed to do. I would like it to make me feel good about myself and no one else.

Thank you.

pretty much this

[Su_Whisterfield]

I don't really like the complete reboot as the good thing about Marvel is the rich and long continuity. You could do a condensed and small reboot similar to DC Rebirth where it's sort of a reboot but more modern and the characters get younger.

But the idea I like is actually I think a What If Claremont came up with but never wrote?

X-Men aged up to real time. Maybe not real time but essentially maybe 20-30 years up. No time travel. No alternate universes.

Xavier and Magneto are done as they just get too old. Cyclops and Jean and a lot of the other core X-Men are retired and settled down. The New Mutants aren't "New" anymore maybe Sam leads the X-Men with some Gen X/New X-Men kids still around.

There's a complete new gen of kids. Maybe Rogue or Storm or whoever has their own kids that attending the school now.

I think an interesting plot would be it looks like the school is closing down. Maybe Cannonball/Mirage are the headmasters but they can't keep up or bring in any students. Then the kids of the old O5 are the new O5 with maybe someone else thrown in and we don't know who's kid they are.

I’d be on board for this, but Marvel wouldn’t; too much branded merchandise to plug. To us, they are beloved characters, to the executives who pull the strings, they are just money making images. Cyclops, for example, is a brand and sells product, he’s never going to be able to retire. It’s why other parts of the Marvel franchise have so few kid and teens (though Spiderman seems to be the most flexible in that department, which is cool).

[Zelena]

I’d be on board for this, but Marvel wouldn’t; too much branded merchandise to plug. To us, they are beloved characters, to the executives who pull the strings, they are just money making images. Cyclops, for example, is a brand and sells product, he’s never going to be able to retire. It’s why other parts of the Marvel franchise have so few kid and teens (though Spiderman seems to be the most flexible in that department, which is cool).

Are they beloved characters or were they beloved characters?
With each different author, you have a different kind of X-men. They have roughly similar design, similar names but they are quite different in personality.
They are still loved characters, but not by everyone… well, not by me. I was a bit saddened by Xavier's death in AvX, now his new death leaves me unmoved.
How long can you capitalize on nostalgia? To do something new with something old. Marvel is an old publisher, too big to do anything risked. Hickman's run is its last gambit, in my opinion. Will it a success? Time will tell.

[DearMachine]

Overall, I am on board with the relaunch, even though I was one of the few people who enjoyed X-Men before the reboot a lot. I thought the pre-Hickman writers were on the right track, and honestly hoped that Hickman wasn't going to take over the books.

So, it wouldn't take a lot to fix the current books for me. My major critique is how conceptual all the characters have become. It feels as if their personalities and relationships have been suppressed, so that they can be vehicles for exploring ideology and philosophy. X-Men has always been an allegory, but the X-Men have never been purely allegorical figures. They're pretty close to that now.

I'll give the example I used in the Mr and Mrs X thread, because I think it works well. So, Nightcrawler comes up with the Make More Mutants law, acting as a kind of vox dei. Imagine that your sibling came up with a law like that. Would you take it seriously as a guideline by which you suddenly have to live your life, or would you troll the every-loving crap out of them for wanting nieces and nephews? And imagine that, on the counsel, you had a bunch of other people who had personally done terrible, unimaginable things to you. Would you listen to them unquestioningly? Why is anyone listening to Sinister?

That's kind of my issue with the relaunch. The high concept, plots and themes are fascinating, but the characters feel like thin paper cut-outs being pushed through the scenes. They aren't having normal reactions based on their personalities, histories, relationships with those around them. So, the books are coming across as weirdly sinister, like everyone is living in a false utopia that brainwashes people and silences dissenters. Allowing some more friction and grit would fix 99% of it for me.

[Domino_Dare-Doll]

Overall, I am on board with the relaunch, even though I was one of the few people who enjoyed X-Men before the reboot a lot. I thought the pre-Hickman writers were on the right track, and honestly hoped that Hickman wasn't going to take over the books.

So, it wouldn't take a lot to fix the current books for me. My major critique is how conceptual all the characters have become. It feels as if their personalities and relationships have been suppressed, so that they can be vehicles for exploring ideology and philosophy. X-Men has always been an allegory, but the X-Men have never been purely allegorical figures. They're pretty close to that now.

I'll give the example I used in the Mr and Mrs X thread, because I think it works well. So, Nightcrawler comes up with the Make More Mutants law, acting as a kind of vox dei. Imagine that your sibling came up with a law like that. Would you take it seriously as a guideline by which you suddenly have to live your life, or would you troll the every-loving crap out of them for wanting nieces and nephews? And imagine that, on the counsel, you had a bunch of other people who had personally done terrible, unimaginable things to you. Would you listen to them unquestioningly? Why is anyone listening to Sinister?

That's kind of my issue with the relaunch. The high concept, plots and themes are fascinating, but the characters feel like thin paper cut-outs being pushed through the scenes. They aren't having normal reactions based on their personalities, histories, relationships with those around them. So, the books are coming across as weirdly sinister, like everyone is living in a false utopia that brainwashes people and silences dissenters. Allowing some more friction and grit would fix 99% of it for me.

These are pretty much my thoughts summed up too. Like, everything feels so very...surface-level. Reactions, emotions, even motivations; it's not quite there..and like, anything we do get to inform why characters might feel the way they do doesn't come from them on panel, it's alluded to via data pages, which...it's not really the approach needed. You need characters to face what's happened so that we can see where they are now, and that doesn't even have to be one whole issue! Just...a panel reaction, or something! Like a proper contextualisation, I guess? If that's the right term?

[pkingdom]

Option 1: Drop the continuity bomb, and start over. Reinvent the X-Men core concept and cast from the ground up for contemporary sensibilities. Make Xavier (and Magneto) black and/or LGBT and the core cast, except Wolverine, teenagers. Explore what minority integration means in the 21st century instead of as a metaphor for 1960s liberalism. Explore what other ideologies exist in opposition to it, not just minority nationalism. Adopt a more international flavor, and explore what's going on in other countries. What's it like being a mutant in China? In sub-Saharan Africa (the real one, not Wakanda)? In the Arab world? What does social media mean for mutants? Climate change? Show the development of mutant subculture (and don't just have it suddenly appear like Morrison did).

The X-Men work best when a) the characters feel like real people with thoughts, feelings, hopes, and fears that we can connect with and care about and b) they live in a social and political environment that feels natural, relateable, and complex. Just like the real world.

I actually had an idea of how you could do that. I don't think the Hickman era is salvageable. You can't go back from this. I have a hard time seeing these character going back to try to run a school or work with the Avengers when they've been working with Sinister and Apocalypse for months.

So here was my idea: do the Moira reboot, but not with Moira. Instead, have Wolverine be the one to relive his life. Turn the old joke of Wolverine being involved in everything and on every team into a plot point. Have him use his much longer life to forge ties with every superbeing and team he can to have a support network for mutants. Knock off a couple of the more problematic villains like Mr. Sinister before they become a threat. Intervene in some of the early pre-X-men disasters like Scott losing his family. Have him approach Xavier and start the X-men earlier, and include people like Storm, Colossus and Nightcrawler early, before the O5 even. Even intervene and recruit some of the lesser villains like Toad and Blob before their starts of darkness. Then, once he gets around the point the series starts, go from there with stories. Have Wolverine use his foreknowledge to actually thwart things like the Phoenix Saga and House of M, which it appears Moira and Xavier just let happen to further their Krakoa scheme.

[dkrook]

Some of the previous posters have such solid ideas for how this could have been done while being a good restart. I loved what Hickman did with Avengers, but I think X-Men needed a different touch. I hate that he reboot and set it up for other writer to use the same old few X-Men. I stopped reading the books because everything was about Cyclops, Xavier, Jean and Wolverine. Kitty, Emma. ...they are the banner for the power and prestige of vanillaness. Hickman invokes some good concepts and ideas then shoves all the same old favorites into them. With all of mutantdom available, this was the wrong call this time. I completely agree with the poster that suggested that the bolder move would have been to take the strong writing and concept and introduce it to other mutants. Can we start to setup of mutants so that we can expand the validity and value of X-Men books so that we don't have to start seeing 5 Wolverine books, 3 Jean Grey books, and 2 Cyclops books ala Batman where many other characters occupy the bottom cause they get no substantial push!

[GodfatherIV]

Im not completely against the idea of using other mutants. I mean I enjoy Cyclops and Xavier and Magneto and Jean. In fact just to sidetrack for a second...the idea of this whole Hickman run feels like what Cyclops whole mutant revolution should have been in the 1st place. Even with Xavier, its a little strange to see him give up on the vision. His actions feel like something maybe Emma would be doing as part of the revolution.

But back to the idea of using mutants we are less familiar with... I dont think its bad one. Having someone like Exodus maybe step up to one of thr roles or instead of all the stupid mess in Age of Xman, maybe Legion is in Xaviers role. Or even have the New mutants/Generation X step up in these roles as a means of branching out on their own and establishing their own dream.

[Londo Bellian]

That we give up our "dreams," as Xavier gave up his Dream, and submit ourselves to the reconditioning. No more, no less. Because we'd be happier that way, they guarantee it.

[scourge]

Let's see..

-Ditch Hickman. He's overhyped and I don't think he's suited to a shared universe.
-Get rid of Hickman's retcons. Every change with Moira the universe resetter, Krakoa, and the rest.
-NO MORE DATA PAGES. No charts, no graphs, no pages that are nothing more than black text on a white background. Save that stuff for special data-issues or an annual or something like that. They're just wasting valuable page space as is and for the most part don't even contain anything that furthers the story.
-Have things actually explained on panel. None of this "story yet to be told" stuff. There's so much that should have been shown rather than just "oh everyone and everything is great!" and running from there. It all feels hollow and empty as is.
-Re-arrange the team setups so they actually make sense and ditch the villains.
-Stop with the stealth solos. And a general thing a few friends and I were discussing before: If a character has a solo title running, they don't get a spot on a team.
-Right now we've got an incredibly obvious "something nasty and possibly mind-controlling is going on" sign flashing at us. We could probably do without that and the whole cult nonsense happening.

[cranger]

If it comes across as sinister to readers then it's probably based on their own experiences with similar language used and such--in which case, if it is being misread, Hickman needs to invest time in getting his point across much more succinctly without sacrificing the character's voices.

Yes, trust me I have been on both sides many times, but the problem here is modern writers being too vague, ambiguous, and 'clever'. When a story is full of mystery, surprises, revelations and subterfuge, it should not be unexpected that readers will take elements that typically indicate those to actually indicate those.

For example, when a character trusts someone, say it. When they are suspicious of someone, say it. When someone is hiding something, say why. When everything is left up to interpretation, it will be.

[Domino_Dare-Doll]

Yes, trust me I have been on both sides many times, but the problem here is modern writers being too vague, ambiguous, and 'clever'. When a story is full of mystery, surprises, revelations and subterfuge, it should not be unexpected that readers will take elements that typically indicate those to actually indicate those.

For example, when a character trusts someone, say it. When they are suspicious of someone, say it. When someone is hiding something, say why. When everything is left up to interpretation, it will be.

Exactly. If there’s mystery to be sowed, then just do it; don’t have every line of dialogue feel like some stage magician going all “*nudge, nudge,* *wink, wink,* is the mystery here? Or is it over HERE.”

Like, just write and let the work speak for itself organically without forcing an ominous tone; it just makes everything feel flat when the real ‘twist’ comes about.