Yeah, if she just had the ability, like Tempo, of the MLF, to accelerate herself and allies, and slow enemies, she'd be a perfectly fine character, with a buffing/debuffing powerset not common in the genre.
Throw in a splash of some time-related sensory abilities, like the ability to see (with poor or no control) flashes of the past or future (so that it remains a plot contrivance, usable by the writer to feed her information when it's important to the plot, and not just uses her to answer every question and eliminate every mystery), and the, useful only in the X-universe, ability to sense people from alternate timelines (or tell when the timeline has changed around her and she's now, for instance, in the Age of Apocalypse or House of M or whatever crazy dystopia has happened this week...) and she's extra useful, to the writers.
Once she had the power to just go back and get infinite do-overs, she became essentially unusable, since every story ends only when she gets bored of tweaking it to get the desired outcome...
Broadband telepathy is probably the worst power you can give to fictional protagonists, so it fascinates me that X-Books love to not only add more of it, but also double-down and buff it.
Here’s an idea: mutant powers require a resource or have personal costs. Used to be Kitty had to hold her breath to phase, and Logan’s healing factor would throttle unless he gave his body time to recover.
I like a physical touch requirement for most telepathy. Makes Cerebro technology far more valuable.
God, this would go so far. The longer a mutant stays in a transformed state the longer they risk being trapped in it and/or losing their power entirely. Characters with magnetism can't actually fly or levitate unless they're wearing some kind of metal on their person, etc.
"We come into this world alone and we leave the same way. The time we spent in between - time spent alive, sharing, learning together... is all that makes life worth living." - Jean Grey
Psychic powers should have a HUGE negative stigma among mutants.
Part of my Prodigy reboot idea is that he DOESN’T want to train or explore his power, cause it could turn into telepathy and he doesn’t want to be a telepath.
A vote fore leadership.
The x-men aren't like other teams. They are a people of sort... But their leaders, all mutant leaders, tend to be very undemocratic.
I'd love to have a vote within the x-men who should lead them.
And I'd love to have a vote from all mutants as to who should represent them.
Gimmick: I'd even be for a gimmick of having different writers make their pitch as to why theeir character should win; fans could vote; and not only would their character win, but the writer is rewarded with a book.
I may be wrong but I always felt like it was in the Morrison run (which I generally like) that the franchise really started to go overboard with telepathy. You had three hugely powerful telepaths in the main cast - Jean, Emma, and Professor X - and then Emma got her own group of telepathic mini-mes and Quentin Quire was introduced and the Professor had a telepathic evil twin...
Telepathy probably appealed to Morrison because it allows for lots of freaky mind-bending stuff, but there's just a little too much mental power and maybe not quite enough kicking and punching.
An all New X-Men or student team is probably my most favored idea.
In the last few years the Magneto led teams have been particularly enjoyable for me so I'd probably like another go at that. Even a dedicated Brotherhood of Mutants book.
I think I'd also find interesting an X-Men centric take on some of the things that have been tried for Avengers in recent years. Such as Hickman's Avengers World "machine" or getting mixed up in proxy international politics with other countries' super teams.
Cyclops mutant revolution was pretty interesting to me. I'd like a version of that that delivers in a substantive way. Or at least does Extinction Team type stuff. So I guess surprisingly a lot of recent stuff has worked for me but maybe didn't last or wasn't explored as much or for as long as I might've liked.
Last edited by Rising7; 12-15-2018 at 08:38 PM.
This idea I like very much. I think this would be great, and the stronger a mutant theoretically could be, the greater the cost.
This, on the other hand, is exactly what I do not want to see. If I want to see an after school special, I'll watch one.
I'm not trying to pick on you, CRaymond, but the ideas people are throwing out to age out the characters who actually make money and replace them with the kids seems the quickest way to finish off the franchise. New characters are more of an Indie thing.
For what it's worth, here's my idea:
Retire the "Uncanny" adjective title. No one gets to use it. What Marvel tried to do with the color coded titles and saying there was no flag ship was a good idea in theory, just lousy in execution. They need to hire some real talent to make this happen.
Boot the X-Men out of New York. They've damaged the city enough or maybe just offended with dropping a mansion in Central Park, so they get kicked out.
With as many characters as we have to use, there should be several types of books, and various base locations. It doesn't all have to be glumped together and with the same theme and tone. Give readers a choice in the type of book they want to follow. Tie these books in loosely, but don't make it so you have to pick up all to follow the franchise, unless it happens to be an event. Keep said events to once a year, maybe.
Teams should be from 5 to 6 core members, with two or three rotating in and out. Jean, Wolverine and Cyclops should never be on the same team. Those horses of interaction are dead, let them R.I.P.
Books to choose from:
1. Classic action adventure -- this is just a generic superhero comic. Doesn't matter the team.
2. Something similar to X-Men Red. Taylor had some good ideas, if not pacing. Base it somewhere in the U.S. -- Detroit, San Diego, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami -- any major city other than New York. Keep it in tandem with current events and attitudes in America. I'd put Jean back on it to lead, crew could be any 5 or 6. They would interact with other Marvel superhero groups.
3. Black ops -- dark, gory, gritty. Either Wolverine or Cyclops, but not both together. Fill in roster with any others.
4. Tech/Cop team -- Bishop led, like to see the team working with Tony Stark. This should be a small one, no more than 5. This is more of a mystery type book, rather than large scale fights
5. Southern Hemisphere team, led by Storm. I'd probably base it in Africa, since Storm has strong ties to Wakanda, but Australia or South America could work, as well.
6. European X-Men -- world politics, world stage, working with Nato, etc. as a diplomatic ambassador team. Led by Nightcrawler, have the Braddocks involved, the rest of the roster as it makes sense
7. Young adult or lighter toned. Here's where the younger generation go. I'd base them somewhere in the US, but not the same place as the other teams. Let them do their thing. They aren't students, because there is no real school any longer. Maybe they could be in space as a setting.
None of the books should feel more like it's carrying the X-Men narrative than any other. They each can succeed or fail on their own merits and line-ups, without being pushed or propped up. One group won't replace or cancel out another.
I'd also mix and match some rosters, to create new interactions and stories, rather than relying on all the old ones.
Most important is that these teams are written as teams, not solos with supporting!!! Enough with that already.
Last edited by Sundown; 12-15-2018 at 11:07 PM.
Tempus is fine. I don't know why people pretend this is first powerful mutant ever added to the X-men. How simple is it to fix her
Tempus: So what about these headaches I have been having
Beast: It is your power,The more use them the more dangerous it is for you, I would guess going back more than 15 min in time would start to hurt cause intense pain, 1 hour you start doing real damage to your body and about 1 day is probably most you can go back and that would be pushing it.Go back any further and you risk dying.
Tempus: So I can't use my powers at all?
Beast: You seem to be fine slow dowing local time but long distance time travel will kill you eventually
Between butterfly effects and killing herself that is more than enough reason not travel back in time. It is not that hard to put limits
Cyclops,Wolverine and Xavier were all dead. Jean Grey is dead for large chunks of time. Storm went off and was married to Black Panther. There is no major character who hasn't been dead or in limbo. Pretending that characters being gone is to kill the franchise is hilarious. If the franchise isn't dead now after losing Cyclops,Wolverine and Xavier then nothing is going to kill it. And also when people are talking about aging out characters it isn't a stupid plan of throwing out everyone of course you keep Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Jean Grey,Nightcrawlers around a little longer. The best example is a show like Grey's Anatomy they have switch most of the big name name stars on the show keeping on a couple stars as a bridge. But elevating character in importance give weight to characters and some become stars in their own right.
Last edited by Killerbee911; 12-15-2018 at 11:55 PM.
How to fix the X-men
1. Replace Magneto- Not literally replace Magneto but Magneto is probably the most important character in the whole franchise. He has no good replacement and the franchise is at best when they are three compelling arguments Peaceful coexistence, By any means necessary protect yourself and Mutants represent a threat. Those three things interacting with each other you can write comics on forever. Without compelling mutant threat, the X-men fall apart. While the X-men have Cyclops and Jean Grey, or even Wolverine, Storm and Kitty. Magneto has no who can step in and fill that void. Now that Magneto is "Bad" again the need an heir to the throne so to speak.
2. Humans need a "Magneto"- The Zealot groups like the Purifiers and Reavers work. But it would even better with a group you would understand or sympathize with and kinda root for them. It is easy when humans are the villains. But what happens when they have a legit point? Legit human group that clash with X-men and Mutants they are not bigoted, but practical would be interesting and compelling sympathetic person leading would help.
3. Fix all the other big villains- Apocalypse and Horseman/Clan Akkaba, Stryfe and Dark Riders, Mr. Sinister and the Marauders, Mystique and Mutant Liberation Front and Hellfire Club. Yup, you see what theme of fixing the X Men is so far compelling threats. The big villains should have their henchmen and compelling members of the group.
4. Separate the School and X-Men. Mutant Hogwarts is a great idea and X-men as a Superhero team is a great idea. The X-men should always have a book that is a school, The X-men should always have a book where they are being superheroes. What does that mean some X-men will permanently become Teachers it doesn't need to be something crazy but people like Beast, Forge, Celia Reyes, Karma, Emma , Banshee and some new humans and mutants staff would be good. The biggest problem with students is that we don't get closure. A book where students come, grow into characters we like graduate from school and move on fixes one of the biggest problems with the franchise. Great character concepts can be graduated to the X-men, The Eye Boys and Shark girls can move on into limbo.
How I see it
X-men school- Students come to learn to control their powers and only a small percentage go on to become X-men
Gen-X - Is the training/Intermediate squad that school graduates go on before they go on the big squad. This would be the most important book in the franchise would be a testing ground for the big stars before they reach in the main books. Whenever some "gets called" up to X-men it has the feel of draft pick in sports. Also, fans would care what student is joining the squad.
X-men- The real teams
5. X-men are superheroes- With Avengers not being favored by the US in their stories, it is a perfect time. For the X-men to be seen as real heroes in the universe. Nice stretch of X-men being loved and appreciated as heroes would be nice.
6. Hated and Feared- Every time there is horrible future for the X-men it makes the dream of coexistence look more and more stupid. If every outcome is doom at some point Magneto becomes right. Racism needs to be more subtle and world needs reflect that X-men are legit good superheroes. Racist people will cheer for their football team with black people but wouldn't let a black person date their daughter. Save the extreme points of views for the extremist or when humans have a legit reason to be angry at mutants.
7. Fresh Blood in the big spots- Remember I mention graduation from the school. That also means retirement from the teams as well. Characters get stagnant and they get stuck in certain roles and types of stories. Plus sometimes just better characters come along but they get stuck behind stagnant characters. Sometimes characters can't grow because they are someone ahead of them in an archetype. Characters like Surge, Prodigy, Moonstar, Sunspot, Jubilee, Cannonball don't reach their full potential because they never get to lead and that is what character design is built to do. The X-men can have an ecosystem. 2 or 3 character graduate from school go on Gen-X, stay there a couple years eventually make it to "the big team" when someone leaves "the big team" to become a teacher at the school.