Brian Michael Bendis announced he will leave the X-Men franchise with Uncanny X-Men #600 this May leaving X-fans to wonder who will take over the Children of the Atom after Secret Wars?
Yes, we firmly still believe Marvel is not cancelling the X-Men.
With the Universe changing events of Secret Wars it’s a perfect time for change much like after Avengers vs. X-Men.
Who might be the next writer to pen, “To Me, My X-Men!” as the lead of the flagship X-books?
Let’s examine potential candidates:
G. Willow Wilson is now a Marvel exclusive writer after her phenomenal success launching Ms. Marvel. The new Inhuman Kamala Khan is a fan, critical and commercial hit representing what attracts readers to the mutants: youthful energy and uncertainty, celebrating diversity and accepting differences and fighting for equality and identity.
Wilson is currently a four-part X-Men arc starring Storm and the all-female team. Marvel just announced Wilson and Marguerite Bennett will co-write A-Force, an all-female Avengers during Secret Wars. Could this be a precursor to Wilson writing the X-Men flagship book too?
Charles Soule is Marvel’s exclusive creator given what might have been two biggest writing jobs of last year:
#1 Inhuman, launching a new franchise ahead of a major expansion of the characters in television and a feature film. With Inhuman Soule made Medusa into a major power player in the Marvel elite and is set to do the same for Black Bolt in Uncanny Inhumans in April. Soule created a growing cast of fascinating NuHuman heroes and villains fans. (Inferno and Frank McGree are breakouts.)
#2 Kill Wolverine. Soule took Logan on his final adventure and introduced a new generation of Weapon X survivors and launched Wolverines, a new weekly conspiracy series starring Logan’s greatest enemies and X-23.
Sam Humphries is another Marvel exclusive who just launched the first big event of 2015. Humphries (Legendary Star-Lord) wrote Black Vortex: Alpha and will write the other bookend of this crossover co-starring Guardians of the Galaxy, All-New X-Men, Nova, Captain Marvel and Cyclops.
Before taking on Star-Lord’s solo book, he wrote a Storm led Uncanny X-Force, Ultimates and Avengers A.I. Collaborating with Bendis on the major Black Vortex crossover could be a sign he’s next in line for the mutants or more of Marvel’s cosmic cast.
Peter David is legendary writer with acclaimed runs on Incredible Hulk and X-Factor – could Marvel give him the keys to the X-mansion, underground bunker, island or wherever the mutants end up?
David’s latest version of X-Factor didn’t survive and his Spider-Man 2099 will evolve with Secret Wars. David’s long-running plots, conspiracies and romantic entanglements were the foundation of his Madrox led X-Factor run.
Chris Yost returned to the X-Men last year after a long absence. Yost has co-written New X-Men (the Academy X version) and the first Wolverine led X-Force. He brought back Colossus to Amazing X-Men in World War Wendigo and is now chronicling The Once and Future Juggernaut. After years on and off writing satellite X-books is it time to become the headmaster of the franchise?
Chris Claremont is the all-father, the man who turned the X-Men into the powerhouse franchise. Claremont’s stories were the first comics of my youth and the inspiration for most of the X-movies.
Claremont’s Nightcrawler series with artist Todd Nauck is a thrilling, nostalgic joyride that captures the Excalibur and Claremont/Paul Smith X-Men era while still feeling exciting and fresh. There will always be a welcome spot for any X-book by Claremont on my list.
And then there’s the Marts factor…Mike Marts.
The X-Editor who once recruited Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely of the radical New X-Men then Joss Whedon and John Cassaday for Astonishing X-Men came back to Marvel as X-Men Group Editor after years as Batman Group Editor at DC Comics.
Since his return Marts oversaw the Death of Wolverine, launch of Logan Legacy (with several Batman family writers writing chapters) and the new weekly Wolverines series. Marts also recruited DC editor Katie Kubert.
Could Marts be working on a DC or Vertigo writer or a big out of the box move on the level of when Joss Whedon made the X-Men Astonishing?
Given the success of X-Men solo books (Nightcrawler by Claremont, Storm by Greg Pak and Cyclops by John Layman) we could be in store for more X-Man books.
The X-Men franchise is filled with a history of bold creative moves and we can expect nothing less than a creative that team will Astonish, Amaze and send the Children of the Atom on an Uncanny new evolution.
Is there a writer you want to see take over the X-Men flagship book? Leave us a comment or via twitter.
By Editor