“They Wanted Something Completely New”: X-Men’s New Era Is Doing 1 Thing the Franchise Has NEVER Tried Before

Marvel recently released its all new Ultimate X-Men continuity, with writer and artist Peach Momoko explaining that the series is doing something totally new. Set on the alternate Earth-6160, this is a world without Xavier’s school or any of the franchise-leading faces like Cyclops, Wolverine, and Jean Grey that fans know and love. However, this is no accident – it’s exactly what Marvel wanted.

In a recent AIPT interview, Ultimate X-Men creator Peach Momoko explains that she isn’t drawing any direct inspiration from the franchise’s past. Momoko explains that Marvel was looking for a totally new approach, and that her pitch ticked all the right boxes. Asked if she is taking inspiration from classic X-Men stories, Momoko replies:

My Ultimate X-Men isn’t directly influenced by classic X-Men stories. I like to believe C.B. and Jonathan Hickman chose me because they wanted something completely new and different, so I think sometimes no influences is a good thing!

Ultimate X-Men #1 (written and drawn by Momoko with letters by Travis Lanham) has only one connection to classic X-Men – the main character is a reimagined Hisako Ichiki, aka Armor. Otherwise, the story is more influenced by Japanese mythology and culture.

Peach Momoko Is Taking “No Influences” from Past X-Men Story

Marvel Asked for Something Completely Different

So far, Momoko’s lack of reliance on – or even familiarity with – classic X-Men comics is a great thing for the book and the larger Ultimate Universe line. While X-Men fans love the franchise in part for its convoluted, self-referential nature, it can be understandably confusing to an outsider wanting to get into the comics. Momoko’s mandate to make something new means she can create her story unburdened by the pressure of what’s come before and can approach the series from the same perspective as a new reader, making story decisions and changes that adherence to decades of franchise lore wouldn’t allow.

Momoko’s Prior Work Proves Her X-Men Formula Works

Marvel’s Momokoverse Gave Ultimate X-Men‘s Creator Free Rein

This approach is one that should be familiar to fans of Momoko’s previous Marvel Comics. Her best-known work until now is the universe beginning with Demon Days, which similarly uses the characters of the X-Men and the wider Marvel universe to tell a story entrenched in Japanese mythology. What’s different now is that Ultimate X-Men is working in the same universe as the other new Ultimate titles and the modern day of the recently introduced Earth-6160. Besides hints of a Momoko-designed Storm in Bryan Edward Hill and Stefano Caselli’s Ultimate Black Panther #1, Armor is the first Mutant seen in this universe.

Ultimate X-Men Is Still an X-Men Story

Adolescent Angst, Mutant Powers, and a World That Hates and Fears

However, this doesn’t mean that Momoko’s vision is X-Men in name only. Ultimate X-Men #1 has some clear thematic links to other X-Men tales of the past. In centering the life and struggles of Armor, the issue taps into the same themes of isolation and outsider-status that have defined the journeys of so many classic X-Men, especially younger mutants. So many X-Men stories are coming of age dramas, and Momoko’s vision deals with similar themes in a refreshingly new way. What’s most exciting though is that with Momoko at the helm, there’s no way to predict where this X-Men story will head next.

Ultimate X-Men #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics