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This article is about the fictional superhero team. For the primary X-Men comic book title, see Uncanny X-Men. For other uses, see X-Men (disambiguation).

X-Men
The X-Men Art by Salvador Larroca.
Publisher Marvel Comics First appearance The X-Men #1 (September 1963) Created by Stan Lee Jack Kirby Team status Active Base(s) of operations Xavier Institute for Higher Learning
Roster Current roster Astonishing X-Men Cyclops Emma Frost Beast Colossus Shadowcat Wolverine Uncanny X-Men Professor X Darwin Havok Marvel Girl Nightcrawler Polaris Warpath X-Men Rogue Cable Cannonball Iceman Mystique Sabretooth New X-Men Surge Hellion Dust Mercury Rockslide X-23 Notable former members Archangel Banshee Bishop Gambit Jean Grey Jubilee Magneto Psylocke Storm List of X-Men teams

The X-Men are a team of fictional comic book superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they debuted in The X-Men #1, published in September 1963.

The X-Men universe has branched into film and television, including one of the most successful Saturday morning programs, X-Men: The Animated Series. The year 2000 saw the successful debut of the X-Men movie directed by Bryan Singer. Its sequel X2 was released in 2003, and a third X-Men movie, X-Men: The Last Stand, was released May 26, 2006.

Contents 1 Background 2 History 2.1 Beginning 2.2 1970s 2.3 1980s 2.4 1990s 2.5 2000s 3 World of the X-Men 3.1 International characters 3.2 Fictional places 3.3 Alternate universes 4 Reflecting current social issues 5 Other media 5.1 Cartoons 5.2 Films 5.3 Video games 6 References 7 External links

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Background

The X-Men are fictitious mutants who, as a result of a sudden leap in evolution, are born with latent superhuman abilities which generally manifest themselves at puberty. Many ordinary humans (Homo sapiens) harbor an intense fear and/or distrust of mutants (Homo superior), who are regarded by a number of scientists as the next step in evolution and are thus widely viewed as a threat to human society.

The tensions between mutants and the rest of humanity are exacerbated by the many instances in which mutants (including such X-Men archenemies as Magneto and Apocalypse) have used their powers to criminal or violent ends. The X-Men alliance was formed by the benevolent Professor Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X, a wealthy mutant who founded an academy to train young mutants to protect themselves and the world from Magneto, the Brotherhood of Mutants and other mutant threats.

The X-Men comic book series was one of comicdom's earliest and most influential trendsetters in adopting a multicultural central cast; during the 1970s, the roster was diversified, adding characters from Germany, Ireland, Canada, the Soviet Union, Kenya and Japan. Characters representing many other ethnicities and cultural backgrounds have subsequently been added. The stories themselves often touch upon themes relating to the status of minorities, including assimilation, tolerance, and beliefs regarding a "superior race."

The team's name is widely said to be derived from the fact that mutants have "extra" powers due to their "X-Factor" gene (a word which was coined by Professor X). Co-creator Stan Lee recalled in his book Son of Origins of Marvel Comics and elsewhere that he devised the series title after Marvel publisher Martin Goodman turned down the initial name, "The Mutants." In addition to this "official" explanation, the X-Men are widely regarded (both within the Marvel Universe as well as by the readers of the series) to have been named after Xavier himself. In Uncanny X-Men #309, Xavier claimed that the name "X-Men" was never intended to be a self-tribute.

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History

Main article: History of the X-Men comics

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Beginning

The X-Men were founded by the paraplegic telepath Professor Charles Francis Xavier a.k.a. Professor X. Xavier gathered the X-Men under the cover of Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters at a large country estate at 1407 Graymalkin Lane in Salem Center, a small town in Westchester County, New York. The original X-Men consisted of five teenagers whom the professor taught to control their powers: Cyclops/Scott Summers, Angel/Warren Worthington III, Beast/Hank McCoy, Iceman/Bobby Drake, and Marvel Girl/Jean Grey.

Early X-Men issues introduced the team's arch nemesis Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants featuring Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Mastermind and the Toad. Ironically, the cast of this comic book series, which would in decades hence become a vehicle for stories about prejudice and racism, was originally racially and ethnically homogeneous, seemingly comprised entirely of the WASP-type character that was the de facto model for most comic book heroes at that time. Furthermore, their arch nemesis was Magneto, a character later portrayed as a Jewish concentration camp survivor, whose key followers, son and daughter, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were Gypsies (Roma), an ethnic minority in Europe. Only one new X-Man was added, Mimic/Calvin Rankin, but was soon expelled by Xavier due to his arrogance.

In 1969, writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams rejuvenated the comic book and gave regular roles to two characters that had been recently introduced: Havok/Alex Summers (who had been introduced by Roy Thomas before Adams began work on the strip) and Lorna Dane, later called Polaris (created by Arnold Drake and Jim Steranko). However, these early X-Men issues failed to attract sales and Marvel stopped producing new stories with issue #66, although a number of the older comics were later reprinted as issues 67-93.

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1970s

Giant-Size X-Men #1, 1975. Art by Gil Kane & Dave Cockrum.

In Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975), writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum introduced a new team that would appear in new issues of The X-Men beginning with issue #94. Rather than teenagers, this group consisted of adults who hailed from a variety of nations and cultures. The "all-new, all-different X-Men" were led by Cyclops from the original team and consisted of the newly created Thunderbird/John Proudstar, Colossus/Piotr Rasputin, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner and Storm/Ororo Munroe, along with three previously introduced characters, Sunfire/Shiro Yoshida, Banshee/Sean Cassidy and, most notably, Wolverine/Logan who would become the breakout character. A revamped Jean Grey soon rejoined the X-Men as the popular Phoenix and Havok, Polaris, Beast and Angel made significant guest appearances.

The revived series was illustrated by Dave Cockrum and later John Byrne and written by Chris Claremont, who would become the series' longest-standing contributor. The run met great critical acclaim and produced the "Proteus Saga", "Dark Phoenix Saga", and later the early 1980's "Days of Future Past", arguably some of the greatest story arcs in Marvel Comics, as well as X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, the basis for the 2003 movie X2. Other characters introduced at this time include Mystique, Multiple Man, the Hellfire Club, and Moira MacTaggert along with her genetic research facility Muir Island.

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1980s

Cover of Uncanny X-Men #227. Art by Marc Silvestri.

In the 1980s, the growing popularity of Uncanny X-Men and the rise of comic book specialty stores led to the introduction of several spin-off series nicknamed "X-Books", most notably The New Mutants, X-Factor and Excalibur and a solo Wolverine title. This plethora of X-Men-related titles led to the rise of crossovers, sometimes called "X-Overs", storylines which would overlap into several X-Books, sometimes for months at a time and usually once per year; including the Mutant Massacre, The Fall of the Mutants and Inferno.

Notable additions to the X-Men were Shadowcat, Rogue, Dazzler, Psylocke, Longshot, Forge, and Jubilee. A controversial move was to have Professor X relocate to space in 1986 to be with his beloved Lilandra, Majestrix of the Shi'ar Empire, making Magneto the head of the X-Men. This period also included the arrival of the mysterious Madelyne Pryor, the villains Mystique, Mister Sinister, Sabretooth, and Apocalypse

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1990s

The multiple, interlocking covers of X-Men #1 (1991) boosted sales. Art by Jim Lee.

In 1991, Marvel revised the entire lineup of X-books with X-Men (vol. 2), the original series of this title having been already renamed to Uncanny X-Men. Its first issues were drawn by mega-popular artist Jim Lee and written by longstanding X-Men writer Chris Claremont. Another new X-book released at the time was X-Force featuring the characters from the The New Mutants led by Cable written by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza.

Internal friction split the X-Men books' creative teams. Chris Claremont left after only three issues of X-Men due to clashes with artist Jim Lee and the Marvel editors, thus ending his sixteen-year run as X-Men writer. Months later, Liefeld and Lee left Marvel with several other popular artists including former X-Men artists Marc Silvestri and Whilce Portacio to form Image Comics. After Claremont left Scott Lobdell took over X-Men, and later would work with artist Joe Madureira.

Notable additions to the X-Men have been Gambit, Bishop, Cannonball, Cecilia Reyes, Maggott and Marrow. This decade saw the return of Xavier and the original X-Men to the team. With so many X-Men Xavier split the X-Men into two strike teams. Cyclops lead the "Blue Team" and Storm lead the "Gold Team"

The 1990s saw an even greater number of X-books with numerous ongoing series and miniseries running concurrently. Generation X featured Jubilee and other teenage mutants who were lead and schooled by Banshee, and former villain Emma Frost. X-Man starred a powerful young mutant Nate Grey. Marvel launched solo series for characters including Cable, Gambit, Bishop and Deadpool, the last a sarcastic mercenary antagonist of X-Force. In 1998 Excalibur and X-Factor ended and the latter was replaced with the parallel world series Mutant X starring Havok.

Notable story arcs of this time are the "The X-Tinction Agenda" in 1990, "The Muir Island Saga" in 1991, "X-Cutioner's Song" in 1992, "Fatal Attractions" in 1993, "Phalanx Covenant" in 1994, "Legion Quest"/"Age of Apocalypse" in 1995, "Onslaught" in 1996 and "Operation: Zero Tolerance" in 1997.

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2000s

New X-Men #114, 2001. Art by Frank Quitely.

In the 2000s, Claremont returned to Marvel and was put back on the primary X-Men titles. He was soon removed from his two flagship titles in early 2001 and created his own spin-off series, X-Treme X-Men. This was part of an event called "Revolution". In the meantime, characters such as Moira MacTaggert, Apocalypse, Psylocke and Colossus were also killed off.

X-Men had its title changed at this time to New X-Men and new writer Grant Morrison took over. This era is often referred to as the Morrison-era, due to the drastic changes he made to the series, beginning with "E Is For Extinction", where new villain, Cassandra Nova, destroys Genosha and killing sixteen million mutants. Morrison also brought reformed villain Emma Frost (previously a teacher for Generation X) into the primary X-Men team and, in a controversial move, had her begin an extramarital affair with Cyclops, splitting apart the iconic marriage between the X-Men leader and his high school sweetheart, Jean Grey. Morrison expanded the number of mutants in the world and opened the doors of the school by having Xavier "out" himself to the public about being a mutant. The bright spandex costumes that had become iconic over the previous decades were also gone, replaced by black leather street clothes reminiscent of the uniforms of the X-Men movies. Morrison also added the new character, Xorn, who would go on to murder Jean Grey and wreak havoc on New York City (Whether Xorn was mind-controlled or not is disputed; see his entry for an insight into the controversy). In the meantime, the Ultimate X-Men were launched, set in Marvel's revised imprint. Joe Casey and Chuck Austen both had short-lived controversial runs on Uncanny X-Men during Morrison's tenure.

Notable additions to the X-Men have been Emma Frost, Sage, Xorn, Stacy X and Marvel Girl. This decade also included former villains becoming X-Men such as Juggernaut, Mystique, Sabretooth, and Warpath. Several short-lived spin-offs and mini-series started including Mystique, Emma Frost, Gambit, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Xavier and Magneto and District X. Cable and Deadpool's books were also rolled into one book, called Cable and Deadpool. A third primary X-Title was also introduced called Astonishing X-Men, written by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, following Morrison's departure. Another X-Book titled New X-Men: Academy X took its place focusing on the lives of the new young mutants at the Institute. Chris Claremont returned for writing duties on The Uncanny X-Men, introducing X-23 from the X-Men: Evolution TV series, as well as bringing Excalibur back.

This period included the resurrections of Psylocke and Colossus, the death of Jean Grey and Cyclops and Emma Frost, now a couple, becoming the new leaders of the Institute. The Institute formerly ran as a large-scale school, until the depowering of most of the mutant population. It now serves as a safe haven to those mutants who are still powered and as the home of the X-Men. In the meantime, Apocalypse and Phoenix returned.

Notable story arcs of this decade are "Dream's End", "Eve of Destruction", "E Is For Extinction", "Planet X", "Gifted", "X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong, "House of M", "Decimation", "Deadly Genesis", and "Civil War".

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World of the X-Men

The X-Men exist in the Marvel Universe with other characters owned by the comic book company. As such, it is unsurprising how they often meet characters, and the global nature of the mutant concept means it is unsuprising how large the scale of stories can be.

The X-Men fight everything ranging from mutant criminals to galactic threats. The X-Men base themselves in the Xavier Institute, Westchester County, NY, and are often depicted as a family. The team is often split into multiple groups to manage the large amount of members. During the 1990s, the comics would focus on a "Blue" team (led by Cyclops) or a "Gold" Team (led by Storm). Today, the distinction is rarely used.

A widely recognized, iconic element of the X-Men universe is the Blackbird (comics) jet they use for transportation.

The X-Mansion is often depicted with three floors and two underground levels. To the outside world, it acts as a Higher Learning Institute, until the 2000s where Xavier is exposed as a mutant and it becomes a full mutant boarding school. Xavier is seen tracking down mutants with a device called Cerebro, and the X-Men train within the Danger Room. First depicted as a room full of weapons and booby traps, it is often more depicted as depicting hologram simulations. During the 2000s, Xavier founded a Corporation aimed at reaching mutants worldwide, though now it is no longer exists following the Decimation.

See also: Mutants (fictional)#Marvel Comics

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International characters

Since Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975), the X-Men have also become famous for their wide cultural and ethnic diversity.

Storm, one of the first black female superheroes.

Long before international characters became popular in the comics world, the X-Men franchise brought in characters from all over the world such as from:

• Africa: Algeria (M Twins), Egypt (Apocalypse), Kenya (Storm), Maasai (Kidogo), Morocco (Jetstream), South Africa (Maggott)
• The Americas: Apache (Thunderbird I, Warpath), Brazil (Sunspot), Cajun (Gambit), Canada (Sabretooth, Alpha Flight, Wolverine, and the Québécois, Northstar and Aurora), Cheyenne (Forge, Mirage, Naze), Chinese American (Jubilee), Japanese American (Hisako Ichiki), Jewish American (Shadowcat), Armenian American (Carter Ghazikhanian), Mexican American (Feral, Thornn, Wraith, Skin), Mexico (Rictor), Puerto Rico (Cecilia Reyes, Tag), Venezuela (Wind Dancer)
• Asia: Afghanistan (Dust, Sage), China (Xorn), India (Indra, Thunderbird III), Israel (Sabra), Japan (Lady Deathstrike, Psylocke/Revanche, Silver Samurai, Shinobi Shaw, Sunfire, Sunpyre, Surge, Yukio and Mariko Yashida), Thailand (Stonecutter, Tyger Tiger), Vietnam (Karma),
• Europe: Austria (Mystique and Destiny), England (Jamie Braddock, Chamber, Psylocke/Revanche, Captain Britain, Mister Sinister, Pete Wisdom and Toad), France (Tarot and Fantomex, a non-native resident), Germany (Nightcrawler, Fenris and Maverick), Greece (Avalanche), Ireland (Banshee, Siryn and Black Tom Cassidy), Netherlands (Beak), Poland (Magneto), Russia (Colossus, Omega Red, Darkstar, Magik, Soul Skinner, Mikhail Rasputin and Alexi Vazhin), Scotland (Wolfsbane and Moira MacTaggert), Spain (Empath), Italy (Unus), Yugoslavia (M II), Wales (Pixie).
• Oceania: Aborigine (Gateway), Australia (Pyro, Slipstream, Lifeguard, Bishop), Hawaii (Loa), Samoa Islands (Mondo), Māori (Kiwi Black)

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Fictional places

The X-Men introduced several fictional locations which are regarded as important within the shared universe in which Marvel Comics characters exist:

• Genosha, an African island near Madagascar and a long-time apartheid regime against mutants. Given control by the U.N. to Magneto until the E is for Extinction story.
• Madripoor, an island in Southeast Asia, near Singapore. Strong evidence from the Ultimate Guide To The X-Men points out that Madripoor is located in the Philippine archipelago situated in Luzon, the country's main island. Associated with Viper.
• Muir Island, a remote island off the coast of Scotland. Primarily known in the X-Men universe as the home of Moira MacTaggert's laboratory.
• Savage Land, a hidden prehistoric location in Antarctica.
• Asteroid M, An asteroid made by Magneto, a mutant utopia and training facility off of the earth's surface.

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Alternate universes

• Days of Future Past, where Sentinels have mutants in concentration camps. Prevented by time travelling.
• Age of Apocalypse, in which Magneto founded the X-Men in a dystopic world ruled by Apocalypse. Created and reverted via time travel.
• House of M, where reality is altered by Scarlet Witch, with her father Magneto as the world's ruler. 2005's crossover event, it concludes with a revert to the normal Marvel Universe, albeit with most mutants depowered.
• Ultimate X-Men, set in the reimagined Ultimate Marvel universe.
• X-Men: The End, a possible ending to the X-Men's early 2005 status quo.
• Marvel 2099, set in a dystopic world with new characters looking to the original X-Men as a history.
• Marvel 1602, where mutants are known as the "Witchbreed".

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Reflecting current social issues

The conflict between mutants and normal humans is often compared to conflicts experienced by minority groups in America such as Jews, African-Americans, Communists, Homosexuals, Catholics etc. Also on an individual level, a number of X-Men serve a metaphorical function as their powers illustrate points about the nature of the outsider.

Quotation

The X-Men are hated, feared and despised collectively by humanity for no other reason than that they are mutants. So what we have here, intended or not, is a book that is about racism, bigotry and prejudice.

Uncanny X-Men writer Chris Claremont, 1982

• Racism : Professor X has been compared to African American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Magneto to the more militant Malcolm X. The X-Men’s purpose is sometimes referred to as achieving "Xavier’s dream", perhaps a reference to King’s historic "I Have a Dream" speech. Magneto, in the first film, quotes Malcolm X with the line "By any means necessary". X-Men comic books have often portrayed mutants as the victim of mob violence, evoking images of the lynchings of African-Americans in the age before the American civil rights movement. Sentinels and anti-mutant hate groups such as Friends of Humanity, Humanity's Last Stand, Purity and Stryker's Purifiers are thought to often represent oppressive forces like the KKK giving a form to denial of civil rights and amendments. In the 1980s, the comic featured a plot involving the fictional African island nation of Genosha, where mutants were segregated and enslaved by an apartheid state. This is widely interpreted as having been a reference to the situation in South Africa at the time.

• Diversity : Characters within the X-Men mythos hail from a wide variety of nationalities (see "International Characters" section above). These characters also reflect religious, ethnic or sexual minorities. Examples of Jewish characters include Shadowcat and Magneto, whilst Dust is a devout Muslim, Nightcrawler a devout Catholic and Thunderbird III is a follower of the Hindu faith. Karma was portrayed as a devout Catholic who regularly attended Mass and confession when she was introduced as a founding member of the New Mutants. This team also included Wolfsbane (a devout Scots Presbyterian), Danielle Moonstar (a Cheyenne Native American) and Cannonball (a Baptist), and was later joined by Magma (a devout Greco-Roman classical religionist).

• Homosexuality: Another metaphor that has been applied to the X-Men is that of LGBT rights. Comparisons have been made between the mutants' situation, including the concealment of their powers and the age they realize these powers, and homosexuality. This was illustrated in a scene of the second X-Men film, directed by openly gay director Bryan Singer, in which Bobby Drake "came out" as a mutant to his parents. Specifically, Bobby's mother asks him, "Have you tried not being a mutant?" In addition, the first film featured a scene in which Senator Robert Kelly questioned whether mutants should be allowed to teach children in school, mirroring such debates as that over Section 28, in which Sir Ian McKellen (who played Magneto in the film) was involved. Homosexual and bisexual characters include Northstar, Karma, Ultimate Colossus, a minor student character known as 'Anole' and longstanding X-Men antagonists Destiny and Mystique.

Northstar, one of the first gay superheroes, in the cover for Uncanny X-Men #392, by Salvador Larroca.

• AIDS: The comic books delved into the AIDS epidemic during the early 1990s with a long-running plotline about the Legacy Virus, a seemingly incurable disease similarly thought at first to only attack mutants. A similar storyline appeared in the X-Men animated series that aired in the 1990s.

• Red Scare : Occasionally, undercurrents of the "red scare" are present. Senator Robert Kelly's proposal of a "Mutant Registration Act" is similar to the efforts of United States Congress to effectively ban Communism in the United States. In the 2000 X-Men film Kelly exclaims "we need to find out who these mutants are and what they can do," even brandishing a "list" of known mutants (a reference to Senator Joseph McCarthy's list of Communist Party USA members who were working in the government).

• Anti-Semitism : Explicitly referenced in recent decades is the comparison between anti-mutant sentiment and anti-Semitism. Magneto, a Holocaust survivor, sees the situation of mutants as similar to those of Jews in Nazi Germany. At one point he even utters the words "never again" in a 1992 episode of the X-Men animated series. In the comic books, Magneto has routinely sought to establish a "mutant homeland" which may be a parallel to modern day Israel. The mutant slave labor camps on the island of Genosha, in which numbers were burned into mutants’ foreheads, show much in common with Nazi concentration camps, as do the internment camps of the classic Days of Future Past storyline. Another notable reference is in the third X-Men film, when asked by Spike and co: "If you're a mutant, then where's your mark?" Magneto shows his concentration camp branding, whilst mentioning that he will never let another needle touch his skin again.

• Anti-Catholicism : Within the X-books there is a metaphorical connection between anti-Catholic prejudices and the X-Men's maligned, outcast status. Just as Catholics were often mistrusted and feared in early United States history because of their loyalty to a foreign Pope, so are the X-men suspect because of their double loyalties both to the same laws as all other citizens and to the "mutant cause." Individual members of the X-Men (and related teams) who have been overtly identified as Catholics include: Nightcrawler, Havok, Gambit, Siryn, Banshee, Sunspot, Skin, and Karma.

• As a subculture: In some cases, particularly in Grant Morrison’s stories of the early 2000s, mutants were portrayed as a distinct subculture with “mutant bands” and a popular mutant fashion designer who created outfits tailored to mutant physiology. Also the series District X takes place in an area of New York City called "mutant town." These instances can also serve as analogies for the way that minority groups establish specific subcultures of their own that distinguish themselves from the broader general culture. Director Bryan Singer has remarked that the X-Men franchise has served as a metaphor for acceptance of all people for their special and unique gifts. The mutant condition that is often kept secret from the world is analogous to feelings of difference and fear usually developed in everyone during adolescence.

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Other media

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Cartoons

A scene from Pryde of the X-Men.

• The X-Men made their first ever animated appearance on the 1960s Marvel Super Heroes TV series with the original X-Men line-up (Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Jean Grey). Since Grantray-Lawrence Animation didn't have the rights to the Fantastic Four, they substituted them with the X-Men. Interestingly enough, the X-Men were never referred to as the X-Men. They were instead, referred to as Allies for Peace. The characters kept their original looks and individual names from the comics though.
• The X-Men occasionally guest-starred on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. Spider-Man, Iceman and Firestar were the three regular heroes. The X-Men first appeared on the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode The Origin of Iceman. Appearing in this particular episode (in a flashback sequence only) are Professor X and the five original X-Men: Iceman, Cyclops, Angel, Marvel Girl and Beast. The next appearance on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends was in the episode A Firestar is Born''. Making appearances in this particular episode are Professor X, Cyclops, Angel, Wolverine, Storm, and Juggernaut (plus Magneto in a cameo appearance). The X-Men would return the following season in the episode entitled The X-Men Adventure. Making appearances there were Professor X, Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Sprite, and Thunderbird. The X-Men Adventure was meant to be a pilot for an X-Men cartoon, featuring the X-Men characters in the episode, plus Lady Lightning (animated version of Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel) and Videoman as members. Needless to say, the cartoon never happened.
• In 1989, Marvel Productions produced a pilot X-Men episode for NBC called Pryde of the X-Men. The series was never picked up but the single episode aired infrequently in syndication during the Marvel Action Universe series and was later released on video. In 1991, a 4-6-player arcade game was based upon this failed series starring Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler. Professor X and Kitty Pryde also appear.
• In 1992, the Fox Network launched an unrelated X-Men animated series with the roster of Beast, Cyclops, Gambit, Jean Grey, Jubilee, Professor X, Rogue, Storm and Wolverine with Bishop and Cable frequently guest starring. The two-part piloting episode, "Night of the Sentinels" set off what would become a five season series. It was an extraordinary success, becoming one of the most watched animated series in television history and helping widen the X-Men's popularity. The five seasons ended in 1997. It was put back in Fox's line up for several months after the first movie was released.
• In 2000, Warner Brothers Network launched the television show X-Men: Evolution, which portrayed the X-Men as teenagers attending regular high school in addition to the Xavier Institute. The series ended in 2003 after its fourth season.
• In 2007, Marvel Studios will put out a new X-Men animated show that will primarily feature Wolverine, this time using a mesh of 2D/3D animation for characters and backgrounds. Avi Arad, CEO of Marvel Studios, stated "X-Men is one of Marvel's crown jewels and it makes sense to focus on the popular Wolverine character for our second animation project."

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Films

Teaser poster for X-Men: The Last Stand

The first attempts to make a film version of the X-Men began in the late 1980s along with Spider-Man and Hulk films. James Cameron, director of Aliens and The Terminator, was rumored to have been selected as director, but the project never came to fruition. In 1996, FOX produced a television movie based on the X-Men spin-off Generation X.

• In 2000, 20th Century Fox released X-Men, directed by Bryan Singer.The $75 million adaptation was an instant hit and took in over $296 million worldwide.
• In 2003, the sequel X2 also directed by Singer, was released and became the sixth highest grossing film of the year. This film was loosely based on the 1982 graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills.
• In 2006, a third movie X-Men: The Last Stand directed by Brett Ratner was released. Singer was originally slated to direct the film but left the project to work on Superman Returns. Matthew Vaughn was then selected to take Singer's place but dropped out in June 2005 due to "personal issues", resulting in the project being given to Ratner. X-Men: The Last Stand became the most successful movie of the franchise, making over $451 million, and holds the record for biggest Memorial Day opening of all time, $122.9 million.[1]
• Spin-offs: Lauren Donner, producer for the first two movies, has said the movie studio is interested in producing two spin-off films. One film will star Wolverine, in which Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as the clawed warrior. Screenwriter Sheldon Turner is currently working on bringing Magneto to the big screen in his own spin-off film. The plot will deal with the character's friendship turned sour with Charles Xavier. Turner has stated that "It's going to take place from 1939 Auschwitz up to 1955 or so." Although it at first appears unlikely that Ian McKellen will reprise his role, recently he stated that he would actually be playing a younger incarnation of his character due to a CGI effect which is able to make him appear younger.^[1] Rebecca Romijn, who plays Mystique in the X-Men franchise, has been approached about a Mystique film. Reputable movie news site http://www.superherohype.com has reported that X-Men: The Last Stand screenwriter Zak Penn is now writing a third X-Men spin-off film as well.

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Video games

X-Men: The Official Game cover (GameCube version)

The first X-Men video game was released by LJN for the NES and was called Marvel's X-Men. That same year (1989) a computer game was also released based on the X-men. In the 1990s Sega of America released two popular X-men video games for its Sega Genesis; X-Men and X-Men 2: Clone Wars.

There are several video games for various platforms starring the X-Men. Many of them are 2D fighting games such as 1994's X-Men: Children of the Atom, 1996's X-Men vs. Street Fighter and 2000's X-Men: Mutant Academy. There was also a 3-D fighting-game called X-Men: Next Dimension the most recent in the series are the role-playing games X-Men Legends (2004) and its 2005 sequel X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. The characters also appeared in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. Konami also created n 1992 an X-Men (arcade game) which featured 6 playable X-Men characters: Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus, and Dazzler.

To coincide with the release of the third film, Activision has released X-Men: The Official Movie Game which will fill in the gap between X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand.

Many X-Men characters will have leading roles in the upcoming major Marvel video game, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

A full list can be found here.

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References

• Fecteau, Lydia (July 12, 2004). Mutant and Cyborg Images of the Disabled Body in the Landscape of Science Fiction Available online as a Word document. Accessed on September 29, 2005.
• Morrison, Grant. (August 10, 2000) "The geek shall inherit the earth". The Evening Standard. Accessed on September 29, 2005
• Weinstein, Simcha. Up Up and Oy Vey : How Jewish History, Culture And Values Shaped The Comic-Book Superhero (Baltimore : Leviathan, 2006) has a chapter on the X-Men, with special emphasis on Jewish characters Magneto and Shadowcat.

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External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

X-Men

• X-Men bio in Marvel character wiki
• MarvelDirectory.com
• Mutant High
• UncannyXmen.net
• Big Comic Book DataBase list
• Marvel X-Men: 40 Years (DVD-rom)

X-Men
Comics Bibliography	Uncanny X-Men | X-Men vol. 2 | Astonishing X-Men | Exiles | Generation X | New Excalibur | New Mutants | New X-Men | X-Factor | X-Men Unlimited | Ultimate X-Men | X-Force
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Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

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This article or section contains information about a computer or video game under development. It is likely to contain information of a speculative nature, and the content may change dramatically as the game's release approaches and more information becomes available.

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Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Developer(s)	Raven Software Vicarious Visions Beenox Studios Barking Lizards
Publisher(s)	Activision
Release date(s)	Oct 24, 2006 (PC, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, GBA) Nov 7, 2006 (PSP) Nov 17, 2006 (PS3 Launch) Nov 19, 2006 (Wii Launch) Dec 4, 2006 (DS)
Genre(s)	Action RPG/ Adventure
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer, Online
Rating(s)	ESRB : Teen (T) ESRB: Everyone +10 (E+10) (Game Boy Advance version)
Platform(s)	PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, Game Boy Advance
Media	CD, BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, UMD
System requirements	Wifi support, Xbox Live, PNP, Internet

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role-playing game announced by RavenSoft and Activision for Fall 2006. The companies said the game, previously referred to as Marvel Legends features 24 playable characters and more than 140 cameo appearances.

Contents 1 Story 2 Features 3 Characters 4 Voice actors 5 Music 6 Versions 6.1 Wii 6.2 PSP 6.3 GBA 7 Locations 8 See also 9 External links

[edit]

Story

Dr. Doom has formed a new Masters of Evil in order to steal Odin's power. They then launch an attack on a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. Nick Fury sends out a distress call to all available meta-humans. Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man and Wolverine respond and proceed to eliminate Doom's forces. The heroes then travel to various locations in order to stop Doom's plan and, of course, save the world.

[edit]

Features

• Over 140 characters from Marvel Universe
• Team customization
• Battling in mid air, underwater and on ground
  • Fully destructable and interactive environment
• Online and Co-operative mode
  • Up to 4 co-operative
  • In co-operative mode, featuring both online and offline play, players will have to fight for the most kills in order to get the experience points at the end of the level. Unlike X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, in which players can only play danger rooms that have been unlocked or single player progress, players can now play through the whole level from start to finish.
• 17+ locales
  • Players will travel around the Earth and universe back and forth by the end of the game
  • Special comic book missions, revisiting a moment in a character's past and facing a classic arch rival.
• Decision Making - Alternative Endings
  • Decisions made will affect the ending result.
• Special Skins
  • Different costumes will alter stats of characters.
• Controllable Powers
• Extra characters are unlockable for the PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3.

[edit]

Characters

Playable Characters
Blade Captain America Deadpool Dr. Strange	Elektra Ghost Rider Human Torch Iceman	Invisible Woman Iron Man/War Machine Luke Cage	Mr. Fantastic Spider-Man Spider-Woman Storm	The Thing Thor/Beta Ray Bill Warbird Wolverine
Unlockables	PSP Exclusive
Black Panther Daredevil Nick Fury Silver Surfer	Hawkeye
NPCs
Black Bolt Black Widow Bruce Banner Corsair	Clea Crystal Cyclops Dum Dum Dugan Gorgon	Heimdall Jean Grey Karnak Lilandra	Lockjaw Namor Nightcrawler Odin Professor Xavier	Triton Uatu the Watcher Volla Wong
Villains
Arcade Attuma Baron Mordo Blackheart Bullseye Crimson Dynamo Dark Phoenix	Deathbird Dr. Doom Dormammu Empress S'ybll Enchantress Executioner Fin Fang Foom	Galactus Gladiator Grey Gargoyle Kraken Kurse Loki Mandarin	Mephisto MODOK Radioactive Man Rhino Scorpion Shocker Super-Skrull	Tiger Shark Titannus Ulik Ultron Winter Soldier The Wrecking Crew Ymir
Heroes (Status Unknown)
Siryn

• A voice for the mutant super-hero known as Siryn has apparently been revealed during an Irish television program, but her actual status in the game is unknown.

• Storm also briefly appeared in the newly released The Thing trailer found on the official Marvel website. IGN has also recently released two Storm wallpapers that confirm her status as a playable character and the inclusion of her much anticipated Mohawk costume and a capeless version of her most recent Uncanny X-Men outfit. Why her status as a playable character and two of her many wallpapers were revelead on IGN before the official site is unknown. New screenshots have shown her to be able to ride upon a tornado and summon multiple lightning strikes.

• Silver Surfer was confirmed by Raven as playable for at least a portion of the game in an interview in the May 2006 issue of Game Informer. The preorder code offered by several retailers is not required to access him in this portion of the game.

• Recent screenshots (seen here http://www.xboxworld.nl/news/8368/nieuwe-screenshots-uit-activisions-marvel-ultimate-alliance) confirm MODOK, Loki, Fin Fang Foom, Arcade, Mandarin, Ymir, Mephisto and Blackheart as villains. Also, in these screenshots Storm, Luke Cage and Iron Man are reconfirmed.

• Silver Surfer, Nick Fury, Black Panther, and Daredevil have all been confirmed as unlockables at [1]. Also, the website that showed the 4 unlockables showed Tiger Shark, Attuma, Kraken, Grey Gargoyle, Executioner, Enchantress, Gladiator, Mandarin, MODOK, Fin Fang Foom, Ymir, Mephisto, Arcade, Loki, Dr. Doom, Galactus, Blackheart, Deathbird and Titannus as villians on the website as gamer points that shows you how many points you get if you defeat one or many more of them or even all of them.

• According to the VIP section of the website, In fact, one of Iron Man’s costumes turns him into a different playable character entirely… if you’ve been clamoring for an exclusive piece of information only the VIPs know, now you have it. Iron Man can become War Machine in the game! [2].

• At the VIP section, one of the administrators revealed that some non-playable characters will be unlockable at some point of the game.

[edit]

Voice actors

• Gabrielle Carteris - Elektra
• Phil LaMarr - Uatu the Watcher, Black Panther
• Quinton Flynn - Spider-Man
• Steven Blum - Wolverine
• James Arnold Taylor - Iceman
• Danica McKellar - Invisible Woman
• Amanda Braym - Siryn
• Robin Atkin Downes - Dr. Bruce Banner, Crimson Dynamo
• Cam Clarke - Thor

[edit]

Music

Activision has announced that the game will be scored by award-winning composers Chance Thomas (King Kong, Lord of the Rings), Cris Velasco (God of War) and Mark Griskey (Various LucasArts Games). [3] Each area of the game will most likely have its own unique music style based on location.

[edit]

Versions

The game is due to be released for 6th and 7th generation consoles, as well as the PC. The graphical engine and looks will differ between the various platforms. For the 6th gen consoles, characters models will be similar to X-Men Legends: cel-shaded and almost cartoonish. The 7th generation versions will feature more detailed character models and environments. It is not known how advanced the engine will be on the PC.

Screenshot from E3 2006's 7th generation build.

[edit]

Wii

The Wii version will feature:

• Specific motion-sensitive controls for normal moves
• Motion-sensitive controlled Special attacks, unique for each character
• There is no online play, but there is normal multiplayer
• Access to any special move at any time, which is unavailable for any other build. (Menu selection must be used for other builds.)

[edit]

PSP

The PSP version will feature slightly simplified graphics, different characters, and extra features:

• 4 exclusive playable Marvel characters.
• 6 special comic book missions
• Microphone support (voice chat), via which players can speak with other players online
• Player Statistics
• Exclusive prequel missions

Characters, from left to right: Spider-Man, a Skrull Warrior, Elektra, another Skrull Warrior and Ghost Rider. Screenshot from E3 2006's 6th generation build.

[edit]

GBA

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance's graphics will be reduced to a much lower graphics quality for the GBA version. Also note that GBA games can be played on Nintendo DS so these apply to Nintendo DS as well.

• Just like the other versions, players can switch between any character during the game. Players can also create their own team involving only 3 characters.
• The same exact gameplay as in other versions; players can do major upgradings on characters and tactics, as well as build their reputation points.
• Exclusive to the GBA version: players can call in a striker, which performs devasting attacks on-screen enemies.
• Interactive environments; players can take advantages and use this to track their enemies.
• Some additional gameplay modes added including: Shield Simulator, Time Challenges, Scavenger Hunts, and a Survival mode.

[edit]

Locations

From the early screenshots and preview provided through out the early stages and works, certain locations are already confirmed:

• Atlantis
• Skrull Throneworld
• Helicarrier (S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ)
• Latveria
• Attilan
• Asgard
• Mandarin Palace
• Murderworld
• Quentin Carnival
• X-Mansion
• Shi'ar Empire
• Hell (Mephisto's realm)

[edit]

See also

• X-Men Legends
• X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse

[edit]

External links

• Marvel Ultimate Alliance's official site
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance's VIP section
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance hub on Marvel.com
• Gamespot trailer for the game
• IGN: PS3
• 1up look into M:UA
• Gamespy information on M:UA
• Marvel Legends: An Unofficial Forum for M:UA
• Screenshots at Game Sector

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel:_Ultimate_Alliance"

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