Which do you prefer the X-Men Status Quo or the pre- HOX/POX days

[Habis]

My only issue with the pre-Krakoa days is how absolutely anti-mutant the 616 humans are. The Avengers and FF don't actively try to do PR and help mutant causes, humans don't blink when mutant genocide after mutant genocide occur, and they happily march their kids to get the anti-mutant shot... which I think was a ridiculous plot device anyhow. If the X-Men's attempts to better the world's view of mutants actually worked, if there were far more positive (or at least neutral) portrayals of humanity at large and human laws/institutions changing for the better in relation to mutant rights, and genocide wasn't seemingly the first writer option in the 21st Century, I think having the X-Men as socially conscious superheroes and teachers could still work.

Having said that... 616 humans are violently anti-mutant, new enemies appear every day, genocides and 'cures' are rampant, and there's no sign that mutant tolerance much less acceptance and integration will ever be possible. Krakoa is the logical next step for people pushed past the breaking point by almost every factor imaginable. Do I like their 'drink the Kool Aid' mutant superiority stance? Do I like that they're actively trying to take over the world through their drugs and financial endeavours? Do I like horrific and unnecessary elements like the Crucible? Nope, but I definitely understand how we got here and I'm intrigued by where Krakoa will go next.

I just wish there had at least been a chance for Xavier's dream to actually work, some hope for humans and mutants living together in peace. In the 616, sadly not.

On the other hand, how many human characters in non-mutant books are anti-mutant?. I am not speaking just about non-mutant heroes, but also everybody around them isn't racist (even Gyrich is anti-hero rather than anti-mutant).

It is weird. It's as if the X-Men lived in a different world than the rest of the MU. In non-mutant titles, most humans are tolerant, decent people. In mutant titles, all humans are racist.

[rdman]

I definitely like the current status quo. Every mutant is at least a hero or not some cardboard villain. But there may be some mutants who are beyond redemption - Sinister and Cassandra Nova come to mind.
The age of Krakoa allows so many fans to hope for their favorite mutant to take the spot light.
So glad Hickman revitalized the X-Men.

[Wind Rider]

I much prefer the Krakoan era. Flawed as it is, it's so intriguing and brings a lot of great things to the table. I love the lore, I love seeing the nation evolve over time, I love political intrigue, I love (the idea behind) the teams, and I love how many characters have gone in interesting and fun directions.

This x 100. A far better era in Z-lore than I have read in more than a decade

[Sutekh]

Krakoa.

I liked the school / Academy X / New X-Men era, and the 80's pre-outback stuff, but that's all long past, and I *still have those stories,* so it's time to move on to new stories, rather than try to endlessly retell the same ones.

There's a dozen things I wish were done differently about Krakoa, but it's just that there's so darn much to unpack, and entirely storylines seem to be getting lost in the weeds. The main frustration for me is that there's so much *not* being done. Huge character developments, just sort of happening in the background, or not at all, and it makes the whole of it feel kind of empty that so few characters are allowed the panel-space to have a reaction to any of this.

[Omega Alpha]

I just want to say, blame Marvel overall for that one, they used to have non-mutant superheroes help them out, Peter Parker was a professor at the Jean Grey school at one point, and I feel like I’m the only one who remember Thor helping them out during Mutant Massacre.

This is in part because the X-men were set to be as apart as possible from the rest of the MU due to moving rights, part because it was easier to have the heroes all integrate when they were under the same editorial command at Marvel, when there were a lot less books around.

[Thundershot]

Giant-Size X-Men through Outback Era I prefer over Krakoa.
I prefer Krakoa over anything before or after that time period.

Same, except I’ll extend it to AOA. Outback era (basically Mutant Massacre through the end of the Outback) is my all time favorite..

[Maestro 216]

This is in part because the X-men were set to be as apart as possible from the rest of the MU due to moving rights, part because it was easier to have the heroes all integrate when they were under the same editorial command at Marvel, when there were a lot less books around.

But the event books involve mutants, so this doesn't work. They can't have citizens hating mutants only to need them to stop evil aliens invading again with Avengers.

[gonnagiveittoya]

Don't hate Krakoa. Not a fan of some of the retcons it took to make it happen.

[Force de Phenix]

The Krakoa era is what we should have always expected from mutants because it's exactly what the inhumans did, and the mutants are basically inhumans that don't need Terrigen and weren't Kree slaves.

The inhumans were sick of how humanity was treating them, so they went to an island in the Atlantic Ocean and stayed away from humans. It wasn't worth it and they developed their own culture and language like the mutants are doing now.

Hickman wrote for the inhumans in Fantastic Four and Avengers, so it's not shocking to see how he adapted it for the X-Men when he got the opportunity.

The eternals did something similar, they went to a city state comprised of eternals away from humans. It's what Marvel's super humanoid races do. Oh, they all also go off planet for a while too.

[Wolfsbane]

Krakoa all the way.

I loved everything before Morrison. I believe Morrison and the Editor in Chief did the most damage. 2000-2019 were dark years for my X-Men.

2000 and up until Hickman was so bad. They only focused on the same ole characters, Cyclops especially. House of M was horrendous and so disrespectful to X-fans. Really started to lose a lot of interest when they renumbered Uncanny and had Fraction and Gillen on the book. Super boring to me. Bendis, Roseburg, and the Terrigen mist stuff were also low points.

I will always be grateful for what Hickman did to this franchise. I was never a Hickman groupie, never read anything he did pre X-Men, but I can certainly say that he is one of the greats to ever write this franchise. I hope we stay in Krakoa for the next 20 years.

[Baron of Faltine]

I prefer the X-men nation building on Krakoa to what we had before.

Just make them less culty and I'm golden.

Same. Before HoX/PoX everything was a complete unpleasant mess. And I mean unreadable unpleasant mess.

[Baron of Faltine]

Krakoa.

I liked the school / Academy X / New X-Men era, and the 80's pre-outback stuff, but that's all long past, and I *still have those stories,* so it's time to move on to new stories, rather than try to endlessly retell the same ones.

There's a dozen things I wish were done differently about Krakoa, but it's just that there's so darn much to unpack, and entirely storylines seem to be getting lost in the weeds. The main frustration for me is that there's so much *not* being done. Huge character developments, just sort of happening in the background, or not at all, and it makes the whole of it feel kind of empty that so few characters are allowed the panel-space to have a reaction to any of this.

You speak the most fundamental truth. Some stories had already been told. Multiple times. And while we all accept a certain level of "re-cycle" in superhero comics that had reached ridiculous levels. And this will eventually lead to either burn out or...you go for the Joker route and push things up to "how do this even work in the context of the story" level

[nnelg]

I prefer the the X-men prior to Krakoa. It was much better.

[Force de Phenix]

Krakoa all the way.

I loved everything before Morrison. I believe Morrison and the Editor in Chief did the most damage. 2000-2019 were dark years for my X-Men.

2000 and up until Hickman was so bad. They only focused on the same ole characters, Cyclops especially. House of M was horrendous and so disrespectful to X-fans. Really started to lose a lot of interest when they renumbered Uncanny and had Fraction and Gillen on the book. Super boring to me. Bendis, Roseburg, and the Terrigen mist stuff were also low points.

I will always be grateful for what Hickman did to this franchise. I was never a Hickman groupie, never read anything he did pre X-Men, but I can certainly say that he is one of the greats to ever write this franchise. I hope we stay in Krakoa for the next 20 years.

You should read Hickman's Fantastic Four and Avengers. They're the reason people were excited to see him for the X-Men. They wouldn't have been so happy if they had put Donny Cates, who's basically a modernized version of Rob Liefeld.

[Force de Phenix]

You speak the most fundamental truth. Some stories had already been told. Multiple times. And while we all accept a certain level of "re-cycle" in superhero comics that had reached ridiculous levels. And this will eventually lead to either burn out or...you go for the Joker route and push things up to "how do this even work in the context of the story" level

Joker was what came into mind when they started teaming up with their versions of the Joker. It's a "What if Batman and the Joker teamed up", but with the X-Men. A lot of people would love it, and for others the status quo would be weird.