In a new Screen Rant interview with acclaimed artist and writer Peach Momoko, the creator of Marvel’s iconic “Momoko-verse” discusses her upcoming relaunch of Ultimate X-Men, and the decision to not include some of the most popular X-Men heroes, like Wolverine or Cyclops, in her story. Momoko’s Ultimate X-Men will focus on the Japanese heroes Armor and Maystorm, highlighting the struggles of adolescence, while the new X-Men roster contends with “urban legends” that are springing to life.
Fans were incredibly excited when Marvel revealed that Maystorm – a creation of Momoko’s that was introduced as a “sidekick” to Storm as part of the “New Champions Variant Cover” series – would be joining the cast of Ultimate X-Men, hinting that this new mutant roster would include fresh faces to the franchise.
The Ultimate Universe has adult adaptations of iconic X-Men, like Magik, Colossus, Omega Red, and Storm, while Peach Momoko’s Ultimate X-Men takes place in a Japanese high school with an entirely new roster of mutant heroes, a team where mega stars like Cyclops and Wolverine wouldn’t necessarily fit in. Read below for Momoko’s full quote on her new X-Men roster:
Jonathan and C.B. kind of just let me do whatever, they just gave me… “What if X-Men… but in Japan?” but with a whole new roster of X-Men, not Wolverine, not Cyclops, not the popular ones, that’s why its Hisako (Armor) and more centrally Japanese. Although it is shared, but because there is not too much that overlaps between Hickman’s story and my story, I kind of believe that Jonathan Hickman chose me to just go wild with how I wanted to tell the story.
But also, I have always enjoyed – even though Demon Days and Demon Wars is completely Momoko-verse – but there are those rules that it has to be like “Marvel wants Psylocke in Momoko-verse” or “Marvel wants Wolverine in Momoko-verse,” even though it is Wolverine as an actual wolf in Demon Days. There are still those small rules that I still have to go through so it still represents Marvel.
Ultimate X-Men Is A Brand New Vision Curated By Peach Momoko
There are many reasons why Peach Momoko may have decided not to include major X-Men heroes like Wolverine or Cyclops on her Ultimate X-Men roster – at least in the beginning – but a main one seems to be that she is interested in writing about adolescence, and setting the story in Japan. While Ultimate X-Men is a part of Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe, Momoko has also revealed that there is not a lot of overlap between her X-Men tale and other Ultimate titles like Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate Black Panther. This means that she has more flexibility in her unique, fresh take on the X-Men, as well as the characters she highlights.
In the interview, Momoko makes sure to acknowledge that there were still editorial guidelines set by Marvel so that her X-Men story is aligned with the greater Ultimate Universe and feels like an X-Men story in its essence. A core part of X-Men stories since their debut has focused on young mutants learning to control their powers and become heroes, something Momoko will highlight in her Ultimate X-Men story. Utilizing lesser-known heroes like Armor, or new mutants like Maystorm, also allows Momoko to flexibly adapt the characters through a uniquely Japanese lens, without transforming iconic heroes like Cyclops into a potentially unrecognizable version.
X-Men’s Most Iconic Heroes Will Appear In Other Ultimate Titles
Peach Momoko was also given the honor of designing the new Ultimate Storm for the Ultimate Black Panther series, what she calls a “dream come true” in the interview. It is clear that Marvel is using iconic mutant heroes in other Ultimate titles, and put limits on some of the characters Momoko could use in Ultimate X-Men. Momoko’s new vision of Marvel’s X-Men is inspired by Japanese manga, body horror, and the creator’s own experience going to school in Japan, and will offer readers an unparalleled adaptation of the mutant mythos.
With a new, fresh roster of X-Men – excluding some of the franchise’s most popular heroes like Cyclops and Wolverine for the time being – Peach Momoko will boldly lead Ultimate X-Men in an exciting new direction, focusing on lesser-known heroes like Armor and brand-new characters, like the electric Maystorm. Make sure to keep your eyes open for the full Peach Momoko interview, where the Ultimate X-Men creator goes into even more detail about the upcoming series!
Ultimate X-Men #1 from Marvel Comics debuts on March 6th, 2024.
