The third flagship X-Men book of the All-New, All-Different Marvel Now arrives this week. Uncanny X-Men #1 by Cullen Bunn and Greg Land is a nearly all-villain strike force.
All the teams are facing the wrath of a classic villain in The Apocalypse Wars this Spring. This widescreen collection of all three variant covers by Ken Lashley and Nolan Woodard courtesy Marvel gives you a full look at the new roster for the heroic mutants.
If you’re rejoining or joining the X-Men for the first time here’s a who’s who from left to right. Roll call!
Uncanny Team:
Mystique/Raven Darkholme is the blue-skinned shapeshifter and mutant terrorist. She was most recently arrested and thrown in prison after Magneto shut down her operation selling mutant growth hormone from samples stolen by Dazzler, who later orchestrated Raven’s capture. I guess all is forgiven, for now, between Mystique and Magneto.
M/Monet St. Croix formerly of Generation X, X-Factor Investigations and most recently Storm’s all-female X-Men team. Monet has an attitude but how did she end up with this band of villains? Monet is a powerhouse with various psionic abilities.
Fantomex a mutate survivor of the Weapon Plus program with multiple powers and a “complicated” relationship with Psylocke.
Sabretooth/Victor Creed is Wolverine’s arch enemy. The ruthless killer was one of the villains “morally inverted” during the AXIS event and became a hero even fighting with the Uncanny Avengers. Even before his inversion, Creed reluctantly joined X-Men and X-Factor – to the teams’ regrets!
Magneto – The Master of Magnetism and X-Men’s oldest enemy became their ally and even led a team of “inverted heroes” against the Red Skull in AXIS and was last seen going nova as his magnetic powers manifested with the energy of the Earth’s poles as it died in the beginning of Secret Wars. Magneto is leading a team carrying his pro-active mission to take out mutant threats before they can strike.
Psylocke/Elizabeth “Betsy” Braddock is the telepathic warrior armed with her psychic knife. This X-Woman joined the darker covert X-Force teams so it’s no surprise to see her join Magneto’s new squad even with her tragic romance with Fantomex and past with Sabretooth who killed her but she was resurrected by mystical forces.
Archangel is back. How did Warren Worthington transform from the childlike man who thought he was a real Angel back into the blue-skinned, razor-winged warrior who appears to be a living weapon the team’s unleashes as needed?
Extraordinary Team:
Iceman/Bobby Drake is learning to use his ice powers in incredible ways including a recent iceman army. The Omega level mutant recently admitted he was gay after his younger self from the past made the same realization.
Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner is acting strangely and was seen be hunted by Mister Sinister’s new Marauders. The teleporter is now reunited with his fellow X-Men in battle against Sinister.
Jean Grey was brought into the present where he telepathic powers ignited early showing her the tragic future in which she died (twice) so she decided to stay in the present and tried to live a normal life but a new threat against mutants made he join Storm’s new team.
Colossus/Peter Rasputin made peace with this sister and is back with the X-Men after a series of tragic events that caused a rift with Illyana and the team.
Old Man Logan was tricked into killing his teammates in an alternate future world. During Secret Wars, this Wolverine from an alternate future found his way into the new present and was recruited by young Jean into joining Storm’s mission.
Storm/Ororo stepped up as leader as mutants are now being killed by the Terrigen Cloud which creates new Inhumans, and Cyclops was “killed” after an attack on the Inhumans. The weather controlling mutant is saving as many mutants as she can taking them to X-Haven while having visions of her late mentor, Professor X.
Magik/Illyana Rasputin made peace with her brother, has been studying under Doctor Strange and is in control of her mutant and mystical powers like never before.
Forge and Cerebra (not pictured) The mutant with the power to create is Storm’s go-to technical support running X-Haven while the mutant detecting super computer Cerebra had been downloaded into a giant Sentinel robot who goes out on missions with the team.
All-New X-Men:
Angel/Warren Worthington is a changed man…again. He’s the Warren from the past brought into the present that never became Archangel but was “cosmically” transformed during the Black Vortex event which turned his feather wings into glowing wings. Young Warren is dating Laura Kinney, the All-New Wolverine. It appears the original Warren is back in his Archangel of Death persona when The Apocalypse Wars begin this Spring.
Cyclops/Scott Summers is the young man from the past brought to change his older self from a path of revolution and violence. Young Scott was disillusioned to see how his life turned out (including killing his beloved mentor, Professor X) and left Earth to reunite with his father but now is back with his fellow young X-Men facing a cult devoted to his older and dead older self.
Iceman/Bobby Drake. Yes, it’s Ice, Ice…Icemen. This is the young Bobby from the past who recently admitted he was gay and is learning to use his ice powers.
Wolverine/X-23/Laura Kinney. A born killer, the cloned “daughter” of Wolverine, Laura is now using the code-name of the late father figure who showed her a different path. Laura is starring in her own adventures and on the road with the original X-Men and in love with young Angel.
Oya/Idie Okonkwo is one of the original “Five Lights” mutants born after the decimation. With the power of temperature manipulation, Idie made peace with her power and is now on the road with the young X-Men.
Beast/Hank McCoy is the young X-Man before he became a blue literal “Beast” and still a genius and on the road in the future with this fellow young X-Men.
Evan/Genesis is a young mutant boy who could one day become the evil mutant tyrant Apocalypse. Evan was placed with Wolverine’s School to hopefully choose a different path and now he’s with the All-New X-Men.
That is the X-Men Class of 2016…for now.
Kitty Pryde is a Guardian of the Galaxy, Beast is working with the Uncanny Inhumans, Cable and Rogue are in Uncanny Avengers but we still have several missing mutants in the All-New, All-Different Marvel Now. Where are Emma Frost, Havok, Rachel Grey, Bishop, Warpath, Northstar and Gambit?
What M.I.A. X-Man are you most wanting to see join the 2016 teams?
By Editor