.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1100&h=618&dpr=1.5)
The X-Men may have fallen out of the spotlight in the era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there was a time not so long ago when they were some of Marvel’s most popular characters. In the early 2000s, the X-Men films were some of the most popular superhero movies around, rivaled only by Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.
But as popular as it was, the 20th Century Fox X-Men series wasn’t always the most faithful adaptation. Taking liberties with the source material is inevitable with any adaptation, but these movies may have omitted a bit too much in places. Here are just a few fun facts about the X-Men comics that audiences would never learn just by watching the movies.
Wolverine is Great With Kids
Aside from Batman, Wolverine is perhaps the most famous lone wolf in comics. He’s the archetypical gritty, grizzled tough guy who’s seen it all and doesn’t let anyone get too close. But like so many lone wolves in fiction, he never stays alone for long. Take for instance the much-loved Logan from 2017, in which Wolverine’s relationship with his cloned daughter Laura (aka X-23) serves as the emotional core of the film. As the popularity of The Mandalorian shows, audiences love watching hardened warriors become reluctant father figures. And as it happens, this was something X-Men writer Chris Claremont knew back in the 1980s.
The Logan of the 70s was very much the edgy lone wolf one would expect, always keeping his teammates at a distance despite his loyalty. But by the 80s, he’d grown close enough to his new family that he wasn’t afraid to open up a bit more around them. As such, he became a natural protector for the younger, less experienced members of the team. Most prominently, Logan became a mentor to the X-Men’s youngest member Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat, and the two have developed something of a father-daughter relationship over time.
As Kitty got older and more capable, this dynamic was repeated with Logan and Jubilee in the 90s, and later again in the 2000s with the Joss Whedon creation Armor in his Astonishing X-Men run. And of course, Logan also gets along well with his biological kids Laura, Gabby, and Daken — granted, Daken wanted him dead for several years before that, but they’ve thankfully left that grudge in the past. Despite his reputation as a loner, the X-Men truly are Logan’s family, and he’s got the list of surrogate kids to prove it.
Colossus’ Sister Is a Hero Too
One of the most popular X-Men is Piotr Rasputin, aka the steel-skinned Colossus. Despite his small role in the initial run of X-Men films, Colossus received a much more prominent presence in Deadpool and its sequel. However, no movie to date has touched on one of Colossus’ most important traits from the comics — his bond with his sister Illyana, aka fellow X-Men member Magik.
Magik has already made her film debut in the ill-fated 2020 release New Mutants, in which she was portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy — however, no mention is made of any relation between Illyana and Colossus throughout the film. In the comics, Illyana is initially introduced as Piotr’s non-mutant sister, and she stays that way until 1982’s Uncanny X-Men #160, in which she becomes trapped in the hellish dimension of Limbo. While the X-Men rush to save her, a mystical accident leaves Illyana trapped in Limbo for seven years from her perspective. She spent that time tormented by the demon lord Belasco, who she eventually kills upon mastering both her mutant power of teleportation and the dark sorcery of Limbo, which allows her to conjure a mystical blade called the Soulsword.
Using her newfound power, Illyana vanquishes Belasco and takes his place as ruler of Limbo. When she finally returns to Earth, the X-Men barely recognize her — the innocent girl they once knew has been replaced by a young woman burdened by years of trauma and tempted by the allure of demonic power. Yet despite her inner turmoil, Colossus has always kept his sister on the right path. These days, Magik has quite literally conquered her inner demons and grown into a brash, battle-hungry leader who’s trusted by her teammates despite her eccentricities.
They’ve Been To Space
The X-Men films to date have been strictly Earth-based, with very little in the way of space opera adventures. After all, there are no mutants in space, so one wouldn’t expect to see the X-Men rubbing shoulders with aliens the way the Guardians of the Galaxy do.
Even so, the X-Men comics feature quite a bit of space travel, due in no small part to legendary writer Chris Claremont’s love of sci-fi. The original “Dark Phoenix Saga” comic is a sweeping cosmic epic, which culminates in a clash between the X-Men and the interstellar Shi’ar Empire. Later storylines even feature the X-Men going up against the Brood, a horde of insectoid invaders clearly inspired by the Xenomorphs of Alien fame.
Cable is Cyclops’ Son
The time-traveling cyborg Cable was introduced to moviegoers in 2018’s Deadpool 2, in which he was portrayed by Josh Brolin. However, the film makes no mention of Cable’s true identity from the comics — Nathan Summers, the son of Scott Summers, aka Cyclops.
Cable’s comic book backstory is a long and convoluted one, but the basic gist of it is that he’s the son of Cyclops and Jean Grey from a dystopian future, traveling back in time to defeat Apocalypse. Funnily enough, he isn’t even the first time-traveling child of Scott and Jean to join the X-Men. Rachel Summers was introduced all the way back in “Days of Future Past,” and likewise traveled back in time to prevent her own dystopian future.
Apocalypse Used To Be a Hero
2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse stars Oscar Isaac as the titular villain, one of the X-Men’s greatest foes, who’s bent on conquering Earth to create a world where the strong rule over the weak. For most of his history, Apocalypse has been a rather straightforward villain without much in the way of nuance. However, recent stories by writers Jonathan Hickman and Tini Howard have fleshed out the immortal mutant’s history, humanizing him a great deal in the process.
It’s revealed in the epic crossover storyline X of Swords that Apocalypse was once a valiant defender of the ancient mutant civilization of Okkara, fighting alongside his wife Genesis against demonic hordes from the realm of Amenth. Despite his strength, Apocalypse was too weak to save his home — Okkara was split in two, and most of its inhabitants became trapped in Amenth for millennia. Before they parted, Genesis asked Apocalypse to become the judge of humanity, forging it into a force strong enough to finally win the war against Amenth.
With this new backstory, Apocalypse’s “survival of the fittest” ideology is reframed as desperation instead of arrogance. Under Hickman and Howard’s pens, Apocalypse goes from a mustache-twirling supervillain to a weary warrior longing for the family he lost, fighting to protect everything he can — even if his methods of doing so can often be cruel. This new interpretation of Apocalypse elevates him to a truly compelling, nuanced character on the same level as Magneto or Mystique.