Every comic book fan is naturally protective of their favorite characters and stories, and that fact couldn’t be more true than for X-Men fans. X-Men is one of the longest running properties under the Marvel banner and, as such, has accumulated a dedicated, loyal, and wholly passionate fanbase over the course of 61 years.

The X-Men fanbase is a beautiful fanbase and this list is dedicated to them. At the same time, the passion behind the fanbase has led to some questionable opinions and takes that even the most unabashed fan of the franchise would squint an eye at. This list is going to analyze some common, questionable takes in hopes of disproving their merit, offering a different counter-argument to every hot take. If not to prove anyone wrong, these counter-arguments hope to get fans to at least see a new perspective that they may not have thought to consider before reading.

10

Laura Kinney Shouldn’t Be Wolverine, Just X-23

Counter: Her Sticking With the “X-23” Name Would Be Wrong on So Many Levels

Not everybody is a fan of the idea of Laura Kinney’s turn as Wolverine. The disapproval isn’t necessarily rooted in gender in most cases, but mostly because these readers only envision Logan as Wolverine, with readers thinking Laura should stick to her “X-23” code name. The sentiment would be understandable if Laura choosing to keep the name X-23 wasn’t borderline distasteful.

Readers can’t forget that the name X-23 is derived from a time when Laura was horribly experimented on as part of her own Weapon X program and practically tortured into becoming a monster. Her keeping the name X-23 would be a constant reminder of the trauma behind the name. It would be the equivalent of Wolverine keeping the name “Weapon X.” She has many names to choose from already. Call her Wolverine, call her Laura, even call her Talon, but X-23 just would be in poor taste.

9

Mystique Shouldn’t Be Nightcrawler’s Father

Counter: No One Cared About Nightcrawler’s Previous Father

Retcons are never an easy thing for readers to accept. To tell anyone to forget or flat out ignore information that has been the standard for years, and to then replace it with completely new, contradicting information is a difficult thing for readers to accept. So, naturally, not everyone took it well when Mystique was retconned into being both Nightcrawler’s mother and father, birthing Kurt by using her shapeshifting powers to impregnate Destiny. Loyalists to the original explanation positioning Azazel as his father need to understand that this isn’t so much a retcon as it is canonizing Chris Claremont’s original plans for the character 40 years after those plans were scrapped.

Plus, honestly, for a character whose so-called fanbase was incredibly quiet (maybe non-existent) for years, a lot of people suddenly became invested in Azazel when Mystique became Nightcrawler’s father. Wonder why…

8

The Jean/Scott/Wolverine Triangle Is Boring

Counter: Love Triangles Are Boring, But Not This One

The love triangle trope has become quite a popular one in storytelling and, by proxy the trope is so overused that fans are tired of seeing this particular love triangle. What many fans don’t know or realize is that, while the mainstream X-Men media has overplayed the love triangle dynamic between Logan, Scott and Jean, the comics have taken things in a spicier direction. Cyclops and Wolverine are no longer feuding over Jean, but all three are able to exist in perfect harmony with each other.

While the all-ages family-friendly comics can only explicitly say so much, it’s strongly implied the relationship is open – and even more strongly implied that Wolverine and Cyclops are just as involved with each other as they are with Jean. X-Men‘s editor was quick to shut down any polyamory theories, but the panels of the creative team tell a different, more interesting story.

7

The Krakoa Era is the Worst X-Men Era

Counter: It Refreshed the Franchise at a Time It Needed It

As the Krakoa Era of X-Men finally comes to a close, some fans are jumping for joy right now. The Krakoa Era was, understandably, an acquired taste. It was so exceedingly different from what came before it that, for X-Men purists especially, it made for an off-putting sight. That’s fair, but to say that the era might be the worst in the franchise might be taking it far.

Love it or hate it, the Krakoa Era came at a time when the franchise desperately needed something different. For a half-century, staying at the school – whether it’s called the Xavier Institute or the Jean Grey Institute – had constricted X-Men storylines to following the same basic formula. For some readers, that’s comforting, but for others, it’s boring. The Krakoa Era at least shook things up a bit in a way that changed the status quo for once, enough to leave a lasting impact in its lore.

6

Cyclops Is Boring

Counter: The Movies Did Scott Summers a Disservice

Speaking of boring, no character has been given the shaft in the mainstream consciousness worse than Cyclops. The most popular version of Scott Summers arrives in the original FOX movie trilogy, where he’s hardly featured as a prominent or respectable figure beyond being the biggest boy scout. Anyone who’s read the comics knows that isn’t the case.

More recently, X-Men ’97 viewers are seeing a new side of Cyclops and the show has done wonders for his popularity. However, in the comics, not only does Cyclops have numerous cool moments to choose from, but he’s emerged as a complex, compelling leader. He’s far from the bootlicking dullard the movies made him out to be. He’s given complicated storylines to partake in, often ones that see him standing up to Xavier.

5

Wolverine Is Boring

Counter: An Immortal Billionaire Has Endless Storytelling Potential

Even Wolverine – who is by far the franchise’s most popular X-Man – isn’t immune to being viewed as boring. If “boring” is a strong word, some accuse him of being one-dimensional. This might be another unfortunate side effect of the majority of his mainstream portrayals, but some readers view Wolverine merely as an angry, feral, hack-and-slash brute. Those are, indeed, attributes to his character, but to say they’re his only attributes does such a surprisingly sophisticated character a disservice.

At the end of the day, Wolverine is a fallen samurai and a virtually immortal would-be billionaire who is trying to prove he can be more than just a weapon, if only to prove it to himself. Even when he is convinced he’ll only ever be a living weapon, he works hard to point that weapon at people who deserve it in hopes of atonement.

4

Magneto Is Better As a Villain

Counter: It’s a Natural Progression of His Character

Similar to Wolverine, Magneto is at his best when he is trying to atone, not aimlessly destroy. Yes, he was Marvel’s most compelling villain in his heyday, but Max is far more compelling when he’s working toward heroism. Seeing him dealing with the repercussions of being evil is what makes for natural progression.

In addition, him and Professor X being on the same page is a natural progression of their relationship, especially when keeping in mind the Malcolm X/MLK comparison that fans love to bring up (and do so falsely by claiming they were based on such characters). Near the end of their lives, despite differing beliefs, even Malcolm and Martin Luther King Jr. started to collaborate and become friends. It makes sense for Magneto and Xavier to do the same after everything.

3

Mutants Are Too Powerful

Counter: It Merely Offers a New Challenge for Creative Teams

One of the most common misconceptions in superhero stories, period, regardless of whether they’re published by DC or Marvel, is the idea that anyone can be too powerful. Truthfully, there is no such thing as making someone – mutant, hero, villain, or otherwise – too powerful.

Stories revolving around powerful heroes are all about posing a challenge to the writer and creative team, and more often than not, creators rise to the challenge. Sometimes, it’s as simple as challenging the powerful hero on an emotional level rather than a physical level. DC readers saw it with All-Star Superman and, more recently, Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, where the former gets his greatest moment when forced to come to terms with his mortality and the latter unlocks his true power by understanding his power as a queer man. Sticking to Marvel, in the last year, Storm became a god while still being challenged on every level besides power levels.

2

X-Men Is Too Woke

Counter: It Always Has Been

The phrases “woke” and “politically correct” are more or less synonymous with each other, and the X-Men franchise has been both since before either term existed in the modern vernacular. Wokeness typically refers to acknowledging awareness surrounding topics like racism, sexism, gender, sexuality, and general injustices. If that’s the case, X-Men has commented on such injustices since its premiere issue.

Mutants have always been positioned as stand-ins for victims of bigotry, and their stories always reflected how such bigotry is wrong. In more recent years, many X-stories have traded subtly for more overt commentary on injustices, such as with Iceman’s coming out. Speaking of, the Krakoa Era took the X-Men into an especially queer direction. Maybe that’s why readers are starting to dub the X-Men as woke all of a sudden, but the truth is they always have been.

1

It Costs Too Much to be an X-Men Fan

Counter: …You Know What? You Win This Round

The one take that’s a little more valid and agreeable is the idea that it’s getting expensive to be an X-Men fan. For several years now, there have been several X-stories running congruently against each other. Most of these series are interconnected to each other in ways that almost demand readers to pick up every single issue from each series in order to understand what’s going on in the current event or storyline.

Even with the end of the Krakoa Era, the list of X-books remains lengthy, with more on the way. Those who have the funds and the means to keep up with all of these books are still struggling to do so because it’s so much to keep up with. On one hand, it’s certainly a gold mine for X-Men fans, but not without taking time and money to enjoy the spoils.