The X-Men are one of the most recognizable and franchise-friendly teams in entertainment. Their cinematic legacy is legendary and it introduced new generations of fans to beloved characters, breathing new life into comic books and starting a beneficial cycle for several industries. But as with everything, X-rated films are not without their flaws.
In almost twenty-five years, many mutants have appeared on the big screen. Adapting comics into films requires certain changes, and some arcs have to change to accommodate runtimes, meaning many mutants aren’t portrayed appropriately. Some portrayals are worse than others, completely changing the characters and damaging their reputation with casual fans.
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The mutilation of Wade Wilson
Gavin Hood X-Men Origins: Wolverine took a lot of big swings and missed several. It was his portrayal of Gambit that took the longest to correct, but the film’s treatment of Deadpool was a spark that fans of the trilogy recognize today. Wade Wilson’s early appearances and comic book origin are arguably much less cool than the popular trilogy interpretation. However, anything is better than the mutant Frankenstein of which he has become the big bad Origins of the X-Men.
A mutant with all the powers of other popular mutants is a good idea, but not completely original. Wade’s healing factor derives from Wolverine’s DNA in the comics, but they didn’t give him Scott Summers’ sword arms or eye beams. Fans might have been receptive if the film had used one of the many mutants whose mutations allow them to copy others, like Morph or Rogue. Instead, they removed the Merc’s mouth, and no wishful post-credit scene was cool enough to fix that.
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Nightcrawler had pros and cons
Alan Cumming’s introduction as Nightcrawler at the start of X2 is widely recognized as one of the trilogy’s best sequences. It’s a perfect setup for casual viewers who aren’t familiar with Kurt, as it shows them the scary side that humanity sees before revealing the sweetheart beneath his macabre facade. Unfortunately, the accuracy and freshness of this depiction of Nightcrawler begins and ends there.
Cumming’s Wagner doesn’t quite capture the charm of the furry blue elf. He jumps and displays his hands and three-toed tail, but his physique and personality don’t capture Kurt’s lightness. Kodi Smit-McPhee’s portrayal resembles the swaggering Nightcrawler that fans know and love from the comics. Cumming’s version was fun and cool, but the comic version is way cooler.
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Sabretooth is not a stupid beast
Victor Creed is a bad man and a monster, but he is not a mindless idiot. Creed’s predatory spirit makes him such an imposing and deadly force. He stalks Logan from the shadows because it’s more fun for him to play mind games than launch a full assault on Xavier’s school, but even when he changes his mind, he still uses his cunning like a weapon.
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The X-Men belong to a separate universe
The X-Men would shine more if they could star in their own universe in Marvel Comics. Screenplay by Max Pishny and video edited by Gonzalo Lugo.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine showed a more intelligent and vicious side of Creed than previous film adaptations, but it wasn’t perfect. The most casual Sabretooth moviegoers remember is unfortunately the portrayal of Tyler Mane. The aptly named Mane is not responsible for the script he conscientiously performed and his appearance in Deadpool and Wolverine establishes him as a popular and well-received version of the villain. Yet he’s cooler and way scarier in the comics.
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Azazel died off-screen
The Wagner family’s hellish legacy is complicated and fragile at best, but using Azazel as background material was a mistake of the prequels. He may not be Nightcrawler’s true father, but he is still a member of an ancient subrace of mutants whose appearance and very existence are the basis of mythologies about demons. The Neyaphem are demonic mutants occupying the Brimstone dimension, and Azazel is their leader.
It makes sense that he’s dealing with evil humans looking to change the world, but he’s not the kind of mutant who would die without cataclysmic circumstances. Promotional material for X-Men: Days of Future Past detail the shootout that killed him and another Brotherhood member, but his comic book counterpart is basically immortal and backed by a legion of demonic mutants, which is way cooler than an off-screen death.
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The Jubilee was a non-speaking role
Jubilation Lee is not a founding X-Man and she is not considered one of the most powerful mutants in Xavier’s school, but she is incredibly important to the team and to Wolverine. Logan is arguably the main character of the original trilogy, and Fox hasn’t entirely omitted her from its story. Instead they gave him a few lines Apocalypse and moreover reduced her to a non-speaking role.
Kea Wong, Katrina Florence and Lana Condor failed to portray her well. In the comics, Jubilee resembles Wolverine’s adopted daughter. His explosive fireworks are useful in many situations, but his fighting spirit and positive attitude are powerful assets. She also spent extended periods as a vampire, dealing with her bloodlust and adopting new powers, so it’s safe to say she’s a lot cooler in the comics.
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Iceman is a founding X-Man
Bobby Drake was always the youngest of the original X-Men, but Fox’s trilogy widens the age gap in a way that dishonors Iceman. Bobby was the second official member of the team, and the film’s inability to accurately depict him as a leader to the rest of his community goes hand in hand with the oversimplification of his powers. The films also never explore his sexuality, which makes for a touching and interesting journey.
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All of Marvel’s Omega-Level Mutants, Ranked by Power
From Magneto to Iceman to Jean Grey, Marvel’s omega-level mutants have a reputation for their life-saving abilities and/or destructive powers.
He may not always be able to freeze time, but sometimes he is. His body can drop to absolute zero almost instantly, and his control over cold and humidity allows him to levitate, travel quickly through water, regenerate, expand in size, and create individually functioning snow golems . Silla Grace Iceman #6 explores the unexplored facets of Bobby’s character and shows that he and Kitty are younger than the rest of the team, but they are his peers and not his former teachers.
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Deadpool’s X-Force were parodies
The X-Force team featured in the David Leitch film Deadpool 2 is a far cry from the comedic versions of the team. Each incarnation features misfit characters working under generally false or misguided pretexts, but each of the mutant heroes who meet their gruesome ends are much cooler in the books.
Bedlam was barely able to use his electromagnetic manipulation powers before crashing into a bus. Zeitgeist led a version of the team that likely inspired the misadventure heroes’ untimely demise, but his history as team leader isn’t a one-time blunder. Shatterstar’s comedic legacy is a mess, but it’s cooler than being mixed up by a helicopter. Deadpool and Domino are perfectly portrayed and the team has been technically resurrected, but their comic counterparts are still way cooler.
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The multiple man is more complex
Jamie Madrox is more than a servant of the Brotherhood, despite his appearance in X-Men: The Last Stand suggests. The Multiple Man can split into a large number of duplicates, each capable of thinking and acting independently. He can absorb the memories and feelings of each double into himself, but it doesn’t always happen this way.
Jamie spends more time in the comics as a temperamental anti-hero than as a straight-up villain. The films take advantage of his self-replication and play up his potential as a villain, but they don’t have time to dissect his character. Rogue duplicates and conflicting experiences and feelings are what create the best Multiple Man stories. His wardrobe is a fun adaptation and he has Jamie’s attitude, but his comic book counterparts have more to offer.
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Cyclops has become a total idiot
Scott Summers is notoriously injured, but FoX-Men The franchise seemed to fully embrace Wolverine’s view of the team’s greatest leader. His eye rays are an unexplored plot tool for solving problems, and his rigid personality helps him fulfill the loyal boyfriend archetype needed to bring the “Phoenix Saga” together into three films.
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X-Men: Cyclops’ 10 Coolest Comic Fights, Ranked
As Cyclops, Scott Summers has always been one of the X-Men’s best fighters, and he has fought some superb battles dating back to the team’s beginnings.
The problem with Cyclops is the same as the problem with Jean Grey: fans weren’t able to see them as real children. Their incessant training caused them to behave the way they do, but the films didn’t attempt to explore this until it was too late. Marsden is generally considered terrific casting for Summers, but the way the character was written for the film had too much black leather and not enough real freshness.
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Darwin Can’t Die in Comics
Killing off an unkillable character to show off a villain’s power might seem like a decent idea on paper, but with Darwin it was a travesty. In the comics, his mutation makes him completely invincible via spontaneous adaptation. Taken to the extreme, this can reduce him to energy or turn him into a true god, but in X-Men: First Classthe main villain unceremoniously kills him with a raw energy pellet.
The sequence is an affront to the character. The film could have implied any number of alternative outcomes. Instead, they chose the one outcome that the comics say cannot and will not happen. It was a superficial attempt, at first, and some fans could guess that keeping such a powerful mutant around would hurt his more popular, franchise-friendly teammates. Darwin never got his time to shine and is undoubtedly much cooler in the comics.
X-Men
Since their debut in 1963, Marvel’s X-Men have been more than just a team of superheroes. While the team really hit its stride as the All New, All Different X-Men in 1975, Marvel’s heroic mutants have always functioned as super-outcasts, protecting a world that hates and fears them for their powers. .
Key members of the X-Men include Professor X, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Wolverine, Iceman, Beast, Rogue and Storm. Often touted as the second most powerful superheroes in the world, after the Avengers, they nonetheless remain one of Marvel’s most popular and important franchises.
- First TV show
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X-Men: Pryde from the X-Men