These 10 Iconic X-Men Storylines Will Always Work Better in Animation

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Ever since the official announcement of major X-Men characters arriving in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, fans have wondered how the mighty mutants will factor into an already-established MCU. Although there are iconic X-Men storylines yet to be adapted during the 20th Century Studios years, that doesn’t mean they’ll fit into the on-screen world Disney has built.

With some of the most famous X-Men storylines already beautifully realized between X-Men: The Animated Series and the revival X-Men ‘97, it would seem animation might be the better medium for some of the mutants’ most complex adventures. Animation would do the following X-Men storylines proper justice, even if they might not work for the MCU.

10

“The Dark Phoenix Saga”

Written by Chris Claremont, Art by John Byrne

Often cited as the most famous storyline in X-Men comics, “The Dark Phoenix Saga” has received more attention than possibly any other plot that doesn’t involve Wolverine getting into a bar fight. When a space trip bonds Jean Grey to the cosmic force known as Phoenix, she slowly loses herself to the overwhelming power at her disposal. Manipulation by the Hellfire Club transforms Jean into the Dark Phoenix, an entity that will destroy civilization across multiple galaxies unless the X-Men can reach the woman they once considered an ally.

“The Dark Phoenix Saga” has been told twice now in live action, and they both sucked, so perhaps this incredibly important chapter of the X-Men remains in animation. It would be more compelling at this moment in time to see Jean grow into a character that fans actually connect to, and then maybe ten years from now, the MCU pulls the trigger on Jean’s transformation.

9

“Inhumans Vs. X-Men”

Written by Charles Soule and Jeff Lemire, Art by Leinil Francis Yu and various artists

When the mutants discover that the Terrigen Mist, vital to the Inhumans’ development, is poisonous to mutants, tensions begin to brew between the two factions. With the X-Men fighting for their survival and the Inhumans defending their future, the conflict quickly escalates to violence. With neither side inherently wrong about their position, readers were offered an interesting story that does not define clear-cut heroes or villains.

When the Inhumans made their debut in the MCU back in 2017, they were presented as the next big team to shake up the Marvel universe. A quick jump to present day, and The Inhumans have been scrubbed from the official MCU canon, a misfire that the company now wants everyone to forget. The likelihood of bringing back the superpowered royals to live-action is slim, but if the fans demand it (they won’t), it would work better as an animated feature.

8

“Deadly Genesis”

Written by Ed Brubaker, Art by Trevor Hairsine

“Deadly Genesis” tells the story of previously unknown events that transpired during the time of Giant-Size X-Men #1. Although the original X-Men were saved by the newly introduced international team, they were not aware that Charles Xavier had sent a team before their rescuers, who did not survive. When Cyclops learns that the fallen team included his brother Vulcan, Xavier mind wipes his original team leader to spare him the grief of his loss.

It’s going to be important to establish a status quo for the X-Men within the MCU, so any storylines that see notable heroes like Xavier commit morally ambiguous acts will have to wait so long that they likely won’t ever materialize on the big screen. However, if there were an animated special that existed outside the continuity of the MCU, “Deadly Genesis” would be an interesting companion piece for fans.

7

“The Brood”

Written by Chris Claremont, Art by Dave Cockrum and Paul Smith

The X-Men get up close and personal with an alien race of insectoid creatures during the Brood storyline. The X-Men are travelling through space when they come in contact with the Brood, who seek to implant embryos into the team in order to create strong Brood warriors. The Brood ultimately infects the team, but Wolverine’s healing powers help him overtake his embryo and save his teammates.

Considering how badly the MCU fumbled the Skrulls plotline with productions like Secret Invasion, the wise thing will be to avoid anything that reminds audiences of the green shape-shifters. If the MCU chooses to focus on other stories, the X-Men battling the Brood would make for an excellent animated movie that exists outside of canon. There’s a horror element that could be explored for a fantastic Halloween special that should already exist within the MCU anyway.

6

“Age of Apocalypse”

Various Writers and Artists

The death of Charles Xavier creates an alternate timeline of chaos and surprising alliances in the “Age of Apocalypse” storyline. When Legion, the son of Charles Xavier, misses his target in a time-traveling execution, Magneto is forced to step up and lead the mutants against a play for power by the ancient villain Apocalypse. The popular storyline went across all the monthly X titles and is considered one of the most iconic adventures in the X-Men’s substantial history.

Characters like Apocalypse, who has many complicated powers and an equally involved backstory, are better off staying within animation like X-Men ’97. Apocalypse is such an important villain, and the proper interpretation would be a huge cinematic event, but if X-Men: Apocalypse is any indication of how that storyline looks in live action, it’s best to move on to other classic plots to adapt.

5

“House of M”

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Olivier Coipel

A storyline that dominated Marvel comics in 2005 was the massive hit “House of M.” The storyline followed the heroes of the Marvel universe debating whether to kill the Scarlet Witch before her unstable mental condition leads to catastrophe with her reality-altering powers. Before a decision can be made, the Scarlet Witch creates a world where everyone has their deepest wish granted.

Enough of “House of M” was plucked for WandaVision that it seems improbable for the MCU to attempt such a large and impactful storyline. If the MCU did the hardest of resets to the entire timeline, it’s possible to introduce the House of M, but even then, it’s too soon to revisit the concept. The best solution is to adapt this for X-Men 97 or make a standalone film in the vein of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

4

“Onslaught Saga”

Created by Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, and Andy Kubert

A powerful confrontation between Charles Xavier and Magneto creates a psionic entity that will eventually develop into a vengeful physical form named Onslaught. The arrival of the new villain would slowly pull multiple comic books into its orbit, with heroes like The Avengers and the Fantastic Four jumping in to stop the reality-warping supervillain.

If the MCU decided to move away from the Avengers being the large team-up movies and shift to X-Men to carry the weight, then the “Onslaught Saga” would potentially be a great concept to build towards. Otherwise, trying to rush all the story elements is going to be unfulfilling to fans, confusing to the casual audience, and lead to a high-profile flop. Either X-Men ’97 or a new cartoon would give the story room to breathe and be the epic it needs to be.

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3

“Old Man Logan”

Written by Mark Millar, Art by Steve McNiven

An alternate version of Wolverine ages in obscurity in the instant classic storyline of “Old Man Logan.” The story takes place in a world where the supervillains had banded together to take over the world, successfully defeating the heroes. Desperate for money to support his small family, Logan agrees to a job offered by Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye, that will send him on a dangerous adventure.

The closest audiences will probably ever get to seeing Old Man Logan on the big screen is the intended retirement vehicle for Hugh Jackman, 2017’s Logan. If Marvel ever jumped into the straight-to-video model of animated films like DC Comics was known for, Old Man Logan would be a perfect candidate. The storyline’s adult themes will be unattractive for a big-budget feature, but a straight-to-streaming release would be a hit among adults and children whose parents don’t pay attention to what they watch.

2

“Inferno”

Various Writers and Artists

Traffic has always been hell in New York City, but for the Inferno storyline, the sentiment becomes literal when demons open a portal to Earth and get comfortable in The Big Apple. Inanimate objects come alive to devour their owners, civilians become possessed, and chaos slowly takes over the city. The X-Men and X-Factor join forces, along with cameos from other famous heroes, to return New York to the manageable hell it’s known as.

The “Inferno” storyline is most likely too expansive for X-Men 97, but if a cartoon designed for older crowds were introduced, the ultimate team-up with Marvel’s heroes against a demon attack on New York City would be fun to watch. A live-action adaptation requires the full cooperation of all the other heroes living in New York, which is probably too much of a hassle for a film that wouldn’t have a marquee villain at the heart of it.

1

“Avengers Vs. X-Men”

Various Writers and Artists

The impending arrival of the Phoenix force turns the X-Men against the Avengers when they disagree about its danger. The X-Men feel it will return them to their former glory, while the Avengers feel Phoenix is too dangerous for any one person to bond with. When neither side backs down, their struggle will turn old friends against one another with surprising results.

It’s reasonable to expect some version of the X-Men to face off against the Avengers in the MCU, but at this point in the franchise, large integral pieces of Earth’s Mighiest Heroes are missing from the lineup. A crossover where the two teams battle doesn’t have as much appeal if members like Iron Man and Steve Rogers are missing from the equation. An animated version of the storyline can allow all the top stars from both groups to be present without bringing people back from the dead.

NEXT: 10 Forgotten X-Men Who Need To Be in the MCU

“}]] Iconic X-Men storylines, like the Dark Phoenix Saga and Avengers vs. X-Men, will always thrive in animation because live-action can’t do them justice.  Read More