Your Dream X-men line: Rise of X edition

[jwatson]

That would be ideal! Would love for Ewing to have a second X-title so X-men Red isn’t so crowded.



Well, Cable is an Agent of S.W.O.R.D. now. So how about an Agents of S.W.O.R.D. book which includes Nathan, Bishop and maybe a few others and they interact with Nova and the Nova Corps? Among others. That could be cool IMO.

I'll take it. lol. honestly it's a much better premise anyway. They could interact with his guardians team too. Could you imagine Agents of S.W.O.R.D having to take down the New Olympians who want to return home to sol and reclaim their worshipers (humanity)

[Jackraow21]

Damn! That would be dope AF. Now I want it.

[Arachne]

Again, no Nova Corps and at least half the Guardians are MIA right now (in their own title), though that might not last.

But yeah, a team up against the Olympians would be cool.

[Thundershot]

My wants are simple and wouldn’t fly in this day and age where everyone wants things complicated… stick them back in a rebuilt mansion or whatever.. Krakoa can exist still but for whatever reason the X-men aren’t there anymore.

UNCANNY X-MEN - Storm, Cable, Thunderbird, Sunspot, Iceman, Rasputin IV

X-MEN - Cyclops, Jean Grey, Gambit, Rogue, Wolverine (Logan), Spiral

Supporting characters for both books would be Destiny, Forge, Sage, and Cecelia Reyes.

[shugahfree]

[PART II]



X-MEN RED

Following Storm and the Brotherhood of Arrakko.
Mutants have reached space and trouble gains epic proportions when the unstable new nation has to protect its status as the voice of Sol.
HQ: Arrakko

MARAUDERS

Whenever enemy nations disrespect mutant interests and firmer hands are needed, Krakoa's Marauders are on call to save mutants from danger.
HQ: A reconstructed portion of Genosha.

HELLIONS

New York's last team of mutants isn't exactly the conventional type. Protecting the barriers between the human world and its various hells, Madelyne Pryor's team of villains and outcasts seek to learn if against demons they too can be heroes.
HQ: Limbo's embassy in NYC.



EXCALIBUR

A team of heroes protecting Earth from the dangers of Otherworld and patrolling its ten realms.
A return to the classic and more light-hearted vibe of the original Excalibur.
HQ: The Lighthouse

ALPHA FLIGHT

Following whatever mess happens in Fall of X, Canada is once again mutantkind's ally.
And to prove it, Canada's government-sponsored team is back to prove that mutants and humans can not only peacefully coexist but also protect a nation while they're at it.
HQ: Department H

EXILES

To protect realities on the verge of mutant extinction events, Blink must gather a new team of Exiles to make sure her Earth's fate isn't repeated.
Reuniting mutants from several popular AUs and incorporaring HOX/POX lore into the Multiverse.
Plus a heroic Moira as the new Timebroker.
HQ: Crystal Palace

Creative teams

For the creative teams, I decided to:
1) change some that I don't think are working so well
2) move others to titles that could better fit their sensibilities (i.e. Duggan's style could be a great fit for an action-oriented X-force run)
3) give chances to new voices that have been recently announced
4) bring back some creators who have done great work in the past

X-MEN: by Mike Carey and Russel Dauterman
IMMORTAL: by Kieron Gillen and Lucas Werneck
X-FACTOR: by Kelly Thompson and Sean Izaakse
X-CORPS: by Vita Ayala and Mahmud Asrar
NEW MUTANTS: by Deniz Camp and Dustin Weaver
MARAUDERS: by Gail Simone and Carmen Carnero
X-FORCE: by Gerry Duggan and Valerio Schiti
X-MEN RED: by Al Ewing and Stefano Caselli
EXCALIBUR by Simon Spurrier and Paco Medina
HELLIONS: by Steve Foxe and Jonas Scharf
ALPHA FLIGHT: by Jim Zub and Andrea Di Vito
EXILES: by Cullen Bunn and Jorge Molina
+ Pepe Larraz and RB Silva on special projects

The image editing is divine but I particularly like that Marauders lineup.

[Kitty&Piotr<3]

Unstoppable X-Men:
When a powerful otherworldly force offers baseline humanity one last chance before utter decimation, Krakoa sends formidable champions to defend a world that hates and fears them in a trial by combat!

Jean Grey
Storm
Wolverine
Iceman
Magneto
Quire
Sunspot
Magik
Oya


Uncanny X-Men:
Something is driving new mutant expressions to run further out of control than ever before! The Uncanny X-Men are tasked with discovering what has gone wrong with the X-gene and saving these young mutants from themselves!

Rogue
Gambit
Beast
Trinary
M
Archangel
Apocalypse
Eye Boy



Street-Level X-Men:
Someone's got to put a stop to lowly criminals and up-and-coming supervillains before they become too much to handle!

Cable
Kitty Pryde
X-23
Armor
Hellion
Pixie
Fantomex
Nehzno

[Amacent]

I feel like the X-Men line is missing a series where the team actually feel like a family. This is my idea to fill that void.

The X-Men

Cyclops forms a group of individuals that just want to make the world a better place. They might argue and fight with one another at times but throughout the series they learn to grow and rely on each other as a family does. While there might be some drama, it will be more of an upbeat book with lots of fun moments and action

- Cyclops
- Iceman
- X-23
- Frenzy
- Magik
- Banshee
- Hellion
- Scarlet Witch

[Uncanny X-Man]

My take would be a direct continuation of the current events, with a new status quo following the events of Fall of X beginning with next year's Uncanny X-Men #700.

The ongoing conflict between the mutants and Orchis reaches a dramatic climax in a fight that destroys a number of cities on Earth, causes Krakoa to flee to space and ultimately ends on Arakko which gets completely obliterated as a result. The losses on the X-Men side are considerable: Charles Xavier brings back Magneto against his will to use him as a weapon against Orchis but they both pay the ultimate price in the final battle; the Five are all killed and mutants are cut off from resurrection; Nimrod uses a version of the Cerebro helmet to connect to every mutant on the planet to use their powers to itself ascend to Dominion levels before a mutant can - every mutant's X-gene gets broken in the process and everyone gets nerfed to their 80s power levels. Why? Because everyone still gets to be powerful and formidable in their own right but not "terraforming another planet"-powerful, because why bother living on Earth if you can make another planet viable?

In order to stop Nimrod in its Dominion form, Jean summons the Phoenix Force and ascends to her White Phoenix role, however it's Moira MacTaggert who gets to be the hero ultimately by sacrificing her 11th life to stop the machines. Krakoa's story has been Moira's story after all so I thought it would be fitting for Moira to take center stage in the climax.

Status quo at the end of Fall of X:

A number of mutants are dead (Professor X, Magneto, the Five, Psylocke, Havok, Vulcan, the Sinisters, Apocalypse, Monarch, Kid Omega, Exodus, Mister M and all the Arakkis) between Orchis' orchestrated attack on Omegas and reality warpers and the final battle on Arakko.

Resurrection is impossible as of now and the above players are dead for the time being. Nobody stays dead forever obviously but I would let them all rest for a bit.

As a result of the energies released during the fight between the Nimrod Dominion and the White Phoenix, the 616 reality phases out everyone who's from another timeline and prevents access to time-travellers and alternate-reality visitors going forward. To prevent her daughter from getting lost in the timestream again, Jean gifts Rachel with half of the Phoenix Force, which coupled with her own abilities as Askani, allows her to anchor herself to other realities, except for 616. Enter Rachel Summers, Askani... Exile.

As a result of the havoc wrecked on Earth, the fleeing of Krakoa and the destruction of Mars, Earth's governments revoke Krakoa's sovereign status and enact the Mutant Registration Act and Project Wideawake. The world is on the brink of a mutant-human war and in a pre-Days of Future Past scenario, with the mutants on the back foot with their powers weakened, their leverage gone, their leaders dead and fraught with internal strife over their next move.

Unbeknownst to everyone at least at the start, as a result of the exposure to the energies released by the mutant-powered Nimrod-Dominion, Moira XI got her own powers back and as a result, with her death reality reset again... we are now living in Moira XII's reality! With her sanity and humanity back and with the knowledge of her previous lives, this time around Moira decides not to mess with the new timeline and let things play out as they did in her 10th life, with the only difference being that she works to create strong political connections and influence over the US government. Why? Her aim is to soften the government's stance against mutants, keep the Sentinels/Nimrod construction and evolution in check and prevent the rise of the machines and the Days of Future Past reality.

Moira is successful in preventing the government from enacting Project Wideawake and letting the Days of Future Past reality from coming to pass at least for the time being, but the Mutant Registration Act still goes ahead: mutants are allowed to live on Earth, have their school, teach young mutants and operate as superheroes as long as they register and accept accountability for their actions. Not everyone is onboard with this but the majority of the "good" mutants accept, also driven by guilt over the destruction of Mars and the damage to Earth.

And as for the last players on my chessboard... having always expected the mutant/human conflict to escalate again, Tobias Messenger re-emerged from the shadows and has been quietly assembling a large number of mutants who wouldn't sign up for the new Mutant Registration Act and would rather fight for mutant supremacy instead. I'm positioning Tobias as the new Magneto here, with his team, the Promise, effectively standing in for the original Brotherhood. His longtime ally and original Marvel mutant Tad Carter has always been a loyal soldier to his cause... but in Moira XII's reality, she showed him another path, sharing how the human/mutant/machine conflict can only result in destruction for everyone involved. Moira effectively does for Tad what she did for Charles in her 10th life, but instead of radicalising Tad, she puts him on a path to become the next leader of mutantkind and guide them towards a peaceful co-existance with humanity. As Marvel's first published mutant and the original telepath/telekinetic, Tad Carter assumes his new role as the X-Men's leader under his new codename. Tad Carter is... X-Man!

So there you have it. I tried to resist the urge to do a reboot, trying to work with established continuity while still doing a bit of a back-to-basics, reconfiguring the mutant world to a more classic setting but with a number of twists and without scrapping what's been established in canon, with Moira back to an important role, mostly in the shadows at least at the start but firmly on the side of angels, and Tobias Messenger and Tad Carter as a twist on the classic Magneto/Professor X dynamic.

Next... my take on the X-line of books based on the above premise with full character rosters and creative teams.

[Uncanny X-Man]

Now that we set the table for the new X-line... here's what I would do in terms of characters, books and creative teams.

Generally speaking, I'm a big believer in "less is more" and would aim to keep a very tight, very cohesive X-line with a limited number of books and a limited number of writers working closely together. At the same time, I would increase the publishing frequency of the 2 main books in my line to account for the large number of characters I aim to feature on those 2 and to make up for the smaller-than-usual roster of books. I also believe a "Head of X" figure is fundamental for the books' cohesiveness and success, someone to set the overall direction of the line and work closely with all the creative teams in addition to writing their own books.

In my take below, I picked Geoff Johns as the new Head of X. Surely to be a controversial choice here, I always find him an excellent writer and most importantly a great team-book writer who's also used to working with other creators. And so here it goes...

Uncanny X-Men
The core book in the line obviously, to be published weekly. In order to keep up with the increased publishing schedule, I selected 4 different writers to pen it and a host of some of the best comicbook artists in the industry. In my take, each writer would be assigned to a specific group of characters so that every character in the book gets focus, and most issues would feature a few different storylines and characters with different creative teams similar to DC's 52 book, alternating with issues focused on just one sub-group/mission/creative team.

Writers: Geoff Johns, Joshua Dysart, Kyle Higgins, Devin Grayson.
Artists: Jorge Jiminez, Pepe Larraz, Russell Dautermann, Jim Cheung, Olivier Coipel, Steve McNiven, RB Silva, Valerio Schiti.

Premise: the book is set at the new Xavier Institute with Tad Carter (X-Man) as its new headmaster. The school houses all mutants who still believe in a peaceful co-existence with humanity, with the X-Men as their strike force team. A small number of mutant leaders is aware of Moira XII's role and works with her to prevent the human-mutant conflict from escalating... a smaller Quiet Council if you will. They're also aware of her shaping Tad's path and accept him as the new headmaster. These are Cyclops, Phoenix, Storm, Wolverine, Cable and Mirage.

Characters: Cyclops, Phoenix (Jean Grey), Storm, Wolverine, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Rogue, Psylocke (Betsy Braddock), Mirage, Cannonball, Sunspot, Wolfsbane, Magik.

The Promise
To be published bi-weekly, this is the other core book in the line and home to all mutants who refused to sign the Mutant Registration Act. Most aren't necessarily moustache-twirling villains but have just grown disenfranchised with humanity and would rather live as fugitives instead. I see characters moving from the X-Men to the Promise and vice-versa as time and events progress.

Writers: Geoff Johns, Gail Simone
Artists: Andy Kubert, Adam Kubert, Jerome Opena

Premise: Tobias Messenger managed to woo the X-Men's very legacy by recruiting Polaris as the team leader of the Promise as well as Legion. I was initially thinking of having Lorna and David as the new Magneto/Xavier until it dawned on me Tobias and Tad would be an even bigger twist, but I still wanted to give an enhanced role to the first 2 so I made them focus characters in the Promise book. Other mutants who are part of the team: the White Queen, Penance, Mystique, Destiny would all be focus characters, with the background being most traditionally villain characters from the X-books.

X-Force
The X-Men signed the Mutant Registration Act and accepted accountability for their future actions... however they still need a small team to operate from the shadows and strike where they can't. Monthly book.

Writer: Michel Fiffe
Artist: Bruno Redondo

Premise: Cable assembles a team focused on stealth, intelligence and grey morals.
Characters: Cable, Domino, Deadpool, X-23, Sage, Gambit.

Exiles
Rachel Summers was about to get lost in the tinestream following the events of Fall of X until her mother shared half of the Phoenix Force's power, enabling her to traverse the Multiverse with the exception of Earth-616. Monthly book.

Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Nicola Scott

Premise: Askani sets out on a mission to retrieve other exiles from the 616 reality and at the same time prevent the rise of the machines, as a nod to her own Days of Future Past origins, across other realities.
Characters: Askani, Bishop, Shard, Bloodstorm, Old Man Logan.

Wolverine
As the only X-Man who can sustain an ongoing solo book for indefinite time, Logan should have his solo monthly adventures in close coordination with what's happening on Uncanny X-Men.

Writer: Christopher Priest
Artist: Jae Lee

[danielsan52]

X-Factor:
Mimic
Lightbright
Changeling
Omega
Auric & Silver
Timeslip

[ChronoRogue]

Not exactly a dream team I would say, just a team I thought could be a lot of fun with a theme of past villain-y to reformed heroes. and full of drama

Rogue, Gambit, Mystique, Emma Frost, Magneto, Frenzy, Daken, and Namor (or Juggernaut).

It'd be a very powerful team but very "shades of grey" in terms of ethics. Maybe even a potential incarnation of the Brotherhood, but I don't think all of them would be on-board with the mutant supremacy concept anymore lol.

[nx01a]

Uncanny X-Men by Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen
Mandate: The flagship, the premiere X-team standing side by side with the FF and Avengers.
Roster: Cyclops, Phoenix, Storm, Wolverine, Archangel, Emma Frost, Rogue

Hellions by Cullen Bunn and Jerome Opeña
Mandate: Defend against magical threats.
Roster: Magik, Madelyne Pryor the Goblin Queen, Meggan, Pixie, Forge, Juggernaut, Havok (& special guest star Selene)

S.W.⨂.R.D. by Al Ewing and Russell Dauterman
Mandate: Defend against extraterrestrial and technological threats.
Roster: Beast (regressed to his 90s non-evil persona), Abigail Brand, Darwin, Lila Cheney, Manifold, Mentallo, Dr. Nemesis, Cypher, Warlock, Danger, Box, Zero, Adam X the X-Treme!, Lifeguard, Slipstream

X-Corps by Zeb Wells and Pepe Larraz
Mandate: Global humanitarian response force.
Roster: Banshee, Nightcrawler, Iceman, Dr. Cecilia Reyes, Jubilee, Triage, Blink, Gateway, M, Hellion, Unveil, the Stepford Cuckoos, Armor, Warpath

X-Force by Gerry Duggan and Jesús Saíz
Mandate: When dealing with the more insidious threats to mutants and Earth in general, murder isn't their first option but it *is* an option.
Roster: Kwannon, Bishop, Cable, Domino, X-23, Gambit, Thunderbird, Dani Moonstar, Frenzy

[Uncanny X-Man]

Uncanny X-Men by Kurt Buseik and Stuart Immonen
Mandate: The flagship, the premiere X-team standing side by side with the FF and Avengers.
Roster: Cyclops, Phoenix, Storm, Wolverine, Archangel, Emma Frost, Rogue

This is an inspired choice. I was always curious about Kurt Busiek writing an ongoing X-Men book and Stuart Immonen would be amazing as the artist.

[Jackraow21]

Definitely a cool choice and lineup for Uncanny X-men. With the rumors currently circulating, however, it’s sounding like it’s going to be written by Gillen with Jean Grey as the leader. I like the latter part, but would prefer Ewing to Gillen. Regardless, here’s my dream artists and lineup if these rumors do indeed end up being true…

Uncanny X-men by Kieron Gillen and R.B. Silva / Jorge Molina w/ covers by Greg Capullo
- Phoenix (Jean)
- Wolverine (Logan)
- Bishop
- Rogue
- Gambit
- Jubilee
- Penance (Monet)
- Archangel

[blinkingblah]

Revengers
This would be a book that focus on one or more mutants trying to accomplish what they feel will bring them closure. Whether it's the right thing to do is for them to decide. This will be a rotating cast and each arc could last one issue or 5 depending on the writer. This would be a good place to test new artist and writers talent and tell stories that have been begging to be told.

-Fatale, Abyss, Reaper
-Lourdes Chantel
-Typhoid Mary
-Phantazia
-Emplate
-Forget Me Not
-Kwannon
-Dazzler

Emma Frost and Magneto had backup plans which included buying up a bunch of land and islands for mutants to start anew. She has handpicked a team with loyalties to her. This team in its inception will deal with threats and anyone trying to do harm to their new home and soon to be nation.

Hellions
-Synch
-Shinobi
-Negasonic
-Catseye
-Miguela Torres
-Maggott
-M-Twins which I feel like are in their later teens now.

Characters also to be focused on amongst the 100's of mutants soon to be coming.
-Salene
-Kwannon and Greycrow
-Beast and Cecelia Reyes
-Ebony Agatha Harkness's cat.
-Warbird

That's it for now.