It goes without saying that the X-Men are one of the most important properties in the history of comics, and for a good reason. The story of the mutants suffering prejudice and still trying to protect a world that hates them is a very compelling narrative that has endeared the team to millions of fans all over the world. That is all well and good, but it does the title a disservice to reduce it to that one aspect, which is something that Marvel Comics editorial has sadly done as well during the last few decades.
Indeed, while the sociopolitical elements have always been intrinsic to the X-Men title, there was also a healthy dose of sci-fi and space opera, which has been slowly losing its place across the franchise throughout the years. This can even be seen in the adaptations, with the stories heavily focusing on mutant crises or mutant suffering while leaving little room for other types of adventures. That lack of balance is something that has hurt the series in recent decades, especially since the turn of the century.
The X-Men Comics Have Undermined The Sci-Fi And Space Opera Elements Of The Franchise
The Dark Phoenix looks angry as she flies through the sky in Marvel Comics’ Dark Phoenix Saga.Image via Marvel Comics
As mentioned earlier, it is all well and good that Marvel Comics wants to heavily explore the many different variables of mutant prejudice and how that takes a toll on the X-Men and their race as a whole. It has been a common trait of the franchise since the glory days of writer Chris Claremont’s run, and the next writers continued in that direction, including the many different adaptations. But ignoring the sci-fi and space opera elements, even if they do resurface from time to time, has sadly made the title a bit more insular and limited when it comes to storytelling possibilities.
This is the same franchise that has the Dark Phoenix Saga, an apocalyptic sci-fi epic, as its most renowned storyline, but the X-Men have slowly lost that trait in their stories. They are mostly focused on mutants suffering prejudice, which is all fine, but it keeps the title from going in other directions. Even during Claremont’s run, there was a small emphasis on fantasy as well, to the point that the spin-off Excalibur was heavily focused on that and cross-dimensional travel as well.
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Reducing the X-Men to just one element is doing them a disservice, since they are capable of so much more. This also includes ideas such as them fighting mutants and other types of villains, which was also another key element of theirs for so long. It is that sense of variety that keeps franchises from stagnating, which is something that has happened to these mutants throughout the years. This doesn’t mean that everything else they have done is bad, but it is an important wake-up call for Marvel editorial.
Variety Is Bound To Make The X-Men A Much More Enjoyable Series
The Shi’ar in Marvel Comics.Image via Marvel Comics.
As mentioned earlier, variety is a key component of storytelling, and readers are bound to feel a bit tired of reading the same type of story over and over again. For the last twenty years or so, the X-Men title has been going heavily into the prejudice side of things, with the Krakoa era arguably being the most divisive, since it removed a lot of the sympathy that readers had for the mutants. At some point, it feels as if the plot has been lost, which is part of the problem as mentioned here.
The X-Men have historically been a lot more than just mutants suffering prejudice. They have been heroes, they have fought all kinds of threats, and did so while having degrees of inner conflict that made them stand out from their competition for a long time. That is one of the many reasons that they became Marvel’s brightest and finest title for several decades, which is why embracing all these different elements makes for a much more compelling franchise.
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