What Do The X-Men, Mutants & Their Mythos Mean to YOU as a Fan?!

[CJStriker]

A General like the Thread Title Says;

The X-Men Mythos is VAST, HUGE, One of the Biggest in All of Comics Devoted to the History of X-Men & the History of Mutants!

Since the Early 1960's, The X-Men started from Comics & Expanded their Mythos Into TV Shows, Movies, Video Games, Book & More! The X-Men Mythos has come in So Many Forms, Varieties & History.

So for You as a Fan of X-Men & Their Mythos, with All you Know, Enjoy & Love about it, What Makes you a Fan of The X-Men, Mutants & Their Mythos?!

What Brings you to The X-Men, What makes you a Fan, What makes you keep Coming Back, Things you Enjoy, Events & Themes that Effected you Personally, How does this Franchise Speak to You & Much More!

Please give details, no limit on amount of reasons or length, just True, From the Heart Fandom!

[ZNOP]

I don't need to write a book or use some "metaphoric" crutch just to say that I am a fan of the 60's through the mid 90's (not so much now as then, but the "Marvel Now!" line is growing on me) writers. Now, as for what the "X-Men" mean to me can be summed up with a quote from a poster of the X-Men I once owned...

Children of the atom, students of Charles Xavier, mutants feared and hated by the world they have sworn to protect, these are the strangest heroes of all!

The Uncanny X-Men!

And, yes... That quote predates "X-Men: First Class" (the movie), by several years!

[Goddess]

It's the only thing from my childhood that will remain with me until I die. One simply can't out grow the X-MEn. They represent more than superheroics (well... they did). Writers like Claremont and Morrison made them the most sophisticated group of powered beings comics has ever seen.

I'll type more later.

[RLAAMJR.]

The x-men are awesome characters with awesome stories and I can say they have influenced my life a lot. They're actually a part of my life and they've touched my life especially on my craziness towards my favorite character of all time, Ororo Munroe aka Storm. They inspired me because we are mutants on our own ways. We have differences. Each of us are unique and we should not be ashamed but carry on and live life to the fullest.

I also am grateful to meet and talk to other Storm fans from around the world ( through comic sites and such ) and I am really happy to be a big big fan of the X-men.

They're the best. They're the greatest.

[CSTowle]

Feeling like an outsider as a kid, seeing this group of people forced to live outside of humanity and finding a family together spoke to me. It was always different from the Avengers or the Justice League (outside of the "Bwahaha" era) in that way. Sure, they've got powers (and superhero comics are sort of a power fantasy, in a way) but there's always that hatred and judgment they have to deal with. And in the Marvel tradition, they also weren't like "normal" heroes.

There was the drunken aggressive (dangerous even) guy with claws in Logan, the kindhearted and lovable but at first glance scary guy in Kurt, a Goddess/thief/leader mother figure in Storm, the plucky young woman with smarts and guts who ended up getting into more trouble than they probably should have been able to handle (first Kitty, then Jubilee), and dozens of others with distinctive personalities. There were also more women and minorities in the franchise, and as a kid I never thought about it as being different. It just was, and 20-30 years the rest of the industry is attempting to catch up.

The comics have seen ups and downs, and lately it seems like some of those downs are being pushed by the company that wouldn't exist in its current form if it weren't carried on that franchise's back through the dark years, but I'll always have an affinity for the franchise and even if the Complexers are right and someday we don't have X-Men comics I'll still go back from time to time and relive the adventures. Even watching the latest movie, seeing Blink and Bishop and the others gave me chills I'll never have watching Captain America or the Avengers, despite how good the movies have been. I'll never have that same connection.

[Ricochet Rita]

The X-guys and gals (I mean, from Second Genesis on out) are my friends. They've been my friends for 25 years. I appreciate them because they're individuals of flesh and bone to me, each one different to the others, who interact and develop, who are imperfect and human. I appreciate them because they're not above 'average' people, as many other elite 'heroes', but on the contrary: they gotta exert themselves to prove they're as good as anyone. I appreciate them because they can understand people who feel alienated for whatever the reason (belief, ethnics, sex, politics, health, appearance, economy...).

I appreciate them because I grew up by their side, and, I think, because right from the start there are so many females among them --and it makes no difference at all!

[Ricochet Rita]

The comics have seen ups and downs, and lately it seems like some of those downs are being pushed by the company that wouldn't exist in its current form if it weren't carried on that franchise's back through the dark years, but I'll always have an affinity for the franchise and even if the Complexers are right and someday we don't have X-Men comics I'll still go back from time to time and relive the adventures. Even watching the latest movie, seeing Blink and Bishop and the others gave me chills I'll never have watching Captain America or the Avengers, despite how good the movies have been. I'll never have that same connection.

This. Plus: it may seem stupid, but some things I read in X-Men have been useful in my life, still are. Cheap philosophy for sure, but when you're young and you meet certain problems for the first time, those little wise bites could become relevant. I still remember what a profound impression made to me that Ororo's speech to Kitty, telling her that -in spite of some people who may walk beside us- all of us go over our (vital) way alone till the end.

[synthetik]

To me the X books meant escapism , but tinged with issues I saw growing up , those on both sides , good and bad mutants reflected for me that ethnic minorities , something I didnt have much in common with , bot stood up for that which I had seen as good and bad growing up.
Chris Claremont also intoroduced a new level of superhero , a black woman , a Russian , a germanic demon like creature and wrote them as people , even Wolverine was written as a person , before he became this go to guy that every comic would feature!

The stories as well , the mutant massacre , inferno were they allegories for thr Holocaust, maybe not as we Have Erik Lensherr , a survivor of the holocaust , which maybe now isnt feasible as he is over 80 years old ? But then it made sense , it put into context the stories that were being told , almost modern day parables.

Recent stories , have picked up for me , but there have been swathes of times I just read them superfically , The morrison era , the auston period , not much of interest there.

But recently , with some interesting ideas , albeit some poor execution , I have and will always read them , but not at a level I once got.

[sifighter]

The X-men as a comic reader mean a lot to me since the X-men is what first got me into comics as a whole, so that definitely has an impact for me when it comes to them.

Other then that, I just love the level of weirdness that comes with the group with the huge cast of different characters and sometimes literally out of this world stories. The X-men have gone to space, alternate dimensions, hell, Heaven, time, and who knows what else and it is always a lot of fun to read. That's why I like them.

[Innocent Bystander]

The X-men I grew up with were this big diverse family to me. The fights may have been cool, but it was the downtime stuff that seemed to truly resonate for me. How they cared for one another, even when one of them would screw up. How they had one another's backs. That many of the characters true superpower was heart.

No, I really don't read much anymore, why do you ask?

[Arfguy]

The best group of characters in comics!

They were the characters that intrigued me the most in my formative years as a comic fan.

[AHall88]

Growing up I had some random X-Men comics and I watched the cartoon of course, but my first time really getting into X-Men comics, and comics period, was during Grant Morrison's run. I feel in love.
I loved the idea of them just being teachers and occasionally doing some search and rescue along with saving the world once in a blue moon.
Of course thanks to House of M that could no longer really be a thing for awhile, so I went and read Claremont's original run and liked it almost as much as Morrison's take.
I didn't get back into the present comics until Fraction's run. I loved how sort of different that era was, with them being in San Francisco/Utopia but of course that couldn't last thanks to another big event.

To me the core of the X-Men should be about how they're teachers while also being super heroes despite the public hatred, and lately it just seems like they're... I'm not really sure.


Can we get Morrison back?

[dragonmp93]

Because they teach me that you have to accept yourself with the good and the bad; and that how long you are not a child rapist or a serial killer, you have to stick to do what you believe is the right thing to do.

[Darth Phoenix]

To me X comics are the ultimate family of Sci Fi. Fighting to save a world that hates and fears them is such a noble cause.
The mythos touched me in personal ways by having some of the 1st and best Native American and nonstraight superheros.
And the main reason is pre Schism they felt like a family trying to reach a destination of peace with many diff views on how to get there.

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[harashkupo]

The 2 big reasons for me are:

1. Variety - Whether I'm in the mood for big space opera sci-fi, teen drama, or just want some mindless action, it doesn't matter because I can find all of that and more in the many different collections of this franchise.

2. Relationships - I absolutely love the familial aspect of the X-men. Everybody is somebody's big or little sister/brother. Even rivals amongst the ranks care for each other and would put everything on the line to save that person. Each one has a rich history with several characters playing important roles for one another. Simple issues like Jean and Storm chatting at the mall followed by dancing at a club are nice reminders of the affection these people share.


EDIT: Oh yeah, art. The X-men have had the best artists. Can't be beat.