With the X-Men’s 1990s boom came a slew of new mutants, and the series’ outgoing Senior Editor has revealed that one of the most ‘90s mutants – Maggott – almost had a huge new role in the most recent era. This oft-derided hero would have risen to prominence as a politician and leader in his own right, but his opportunity was cut short by shifting plans for Krakoa’s future.

Per AIPT’s latest X-Men Monday interview, exiting X-Men Senior Editor Jordan D White explained how oft-forgotten X-Man Maggott was at one point, at least jokingly, consider to become the new president of Krakoa.

White is obviously being facetious with his example, but it’s fascinating to see how he and the writers were considering the potential post-Krakoan era during their tenure. In the end, Krakoa remained a fixture of the franchise up until the era’s end in June 2024, even after the Fall of X forced most mutants to abandon it.

Marvel’s Plans For Krakoa Almost Included “President Maggott”

Editor Jordan D. White On The Character’s Potential Role

As Jordan D. White stated:

There was a time when we were talking about how we were going to pivot away from Krakoa. When I would talk about the future of Krakoa, I would be like, “But then it’s being run by President Maggott.” That was my code for “someone is running Krakoa who we don’t have to do comics about.” [Laughs] So I would always be like, “President Maggott is handling that, we don’t have to worry about that anymore.” But that did not come to pass.

For his part, Maggott would actually be a fascinating character to lead a country. As established in X-Men (Vol. 2) #76, Maggott grew up in Apartheid South Africa; once he left the country, he signaled he didn’t have any interest in returning, even post-Apartheid. It’d be interesting to see someone with this upbringing forced to grapple with running their own nation, especially one on shaky ground with the larger world. However, because of Marvel’s sliding timescale, Maggott would now be too young to have grown up under apartheid, unless he was aged up.

It’s also easy to see why Maggott might by the ‘joke’ character thrown around as a potential Krakoan political candidate. There’s a subset of mutants, especially those introduced in the 1990s, who’re often relegated to funny cameo appearances. Whether it’s Maggott – with his literal Maggots for a digestive system – Adam X, the totally radical blood-burning half-Summers brother, or Stacy X the mutant sex worker, some characters aren’t always treated with respect. However, all of these characters have untapped potential and the opportunity for further pathos, character development and depth, waiting for Marvel writers to recognize it.

“President Maggott” Was A Placeholder Idea In The Constantly Shifting X-Men Landscape

Marvel’s Krakoan Plans Evolved Significantly

The idea of shifting away from Krakoa during Jordan D. White’s tenure as Senior X-Office Editor also isn’t as surprising as it might sound. Writer Jonathan Hickman, who started and originally spearheaded the era, has talked publicly about how his original plan was for Krakoa as it existed originally to only be the ‘first act’ of his larger X-Men run. Hickman has also stated that the decision to keep Krakoa around past what he’d originally expected was due to the other writers in the X-Office having so many more ideas for the nation that he also wanted to see play out.

For his part, Hickman has been complementary of these continued stories, as well as those that came after his departure, a far cry from the conspiratorial theories of some fans who claim that Hickman was ‘forced’ to make every change from his original vision. It’s an object lesson in how many different plates are spinning in the air when it comes to ongoing Marvel Comics stories. Plans are constantly changing and the reality that readers end up in isn’t always the one where Maggott is leading his own X-Men nation.