Now joined by the teenage Kitty Pryde and the reformed villain Rogue, the X-Men soon adopted Rachel, a time-traveler from the alternate world depicted in Days of Future Past. The daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, she was believed to be from an alternate timeline and possessed the powers of the Phoenix. Pursued by Selene, energy vampire and Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, Rachel found sanctuary with the X-Men until leaving with Nightcrawler and Kitty Pryde to form Excalibur.
As the series became darker, the X-Men were regarded more as outlaws and the racial tension underlying the mutant metaphor became more pronounce. Moral grey areas became the norm as the Brotherhood of Mutants were forced into serving the government to capture mutants as Freedom Force. Alongside other spin-offs like New Mutants and X-Factor, crossover events soon became the norm. The Mutant Massacre decimated the Morlock population, introducing the Marauders and beginning the tragic fate of Angel. This story also introduced Captain Britain supporting character Betsy Braddock as Psylocke, Wolverine's rivalry with his archnemesis, Sabretooth, and the evil master geneticist, Mr. Sinister. The Fall of the Mutants saw the X-Men unite behind Forge to face a demon known as the Adversary while in X-Factor, the original X-Men first encountered Apocalypse and his demonic transformation of Warren Worthington (later known as Archangel). The machinations of Mr. Sinister came to ahead with Madelyne Pryor and the story of Illyana Rasputin and Limbo in Inferno, the crossover event which saw the city of New York transformed into hell on Earth. The trauma of the event caused the team to disband and reform in X-Tinction Agenda, a crossover event featuring the battle over the mutant-apartheid state Genosha. Now joined by the cajun thief Gambit and Psylocke dramatically transformed into a ninja assassin, the X-Men's battle with the Shadow King on Muir Island required rescue by Professor X and X-Factor, resulting in a brand new era for both teams. Although largely regarded as the beginning of the end of the classic era of the X-Men, it is fondly remembered for the artistic quality brought by Marc Silvestri and particularly Jim Lee, who made his dramatic introduction on this series. This dynamic, visceral style defined comic books in the 1990s making this title a forerunner for artist development in this period. |
MEMBERS
Storm Wolverine Colossus Nightcrawler Kitty Pryde Rogue Psylocke Dazzler Longshot Havok Gambit VILLAINS
Hellfire Club The Brood Morlocks Selene Marauders Freedom Force Mr. Sinister Goblyn Queen Genosha The Adversary Reavers Shadow King Mojo SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Moira MacTaggert Phoenix II Forge Roma Jubilee |
Collected Editions
X-Men: Mutant Massacre
Uncanny X-Men #210-214, X-Factor #9-11, New Mutants #46, Thor #373-374, Power Pack #27, Daredevil #238 Paperback |
|
X-Men: Fall of the Mutants - Vol. 1
Uncanny X-Men #220-227, Incredible Hulk #340, New Mutants #55-61 Paperback |
|
X-Men: Fall of the Mutants - Vol. 2
X-Factor #18-26, Incredible Hulk #336-337, Power Pack #35, Daredevil #252, Captain America #339, Fantastic Four #312 Paperback |
|
X-Men: Inferno
Uncanny X-Men #239-243, X-Factor #33-40, Annual #4, X-Terminators #1-4, New Mutants #71-73 Hardcover |
|
X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee Omnibus - Vol. 1
Uncanny X-Men #244-269, Annual #13, Classic X-Men #39 Hardcover |
|
X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda
Uncanny X-Men #235-238, 270-272, New Mutants #95-97, X-Factor #60-62 Hardcover |
|
X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee Omnibus - Vol. 2
Uncanny X-Men #273-280, X-Factor #63-70, X-Men (Vol. 2) #1-11, Ghost Rider (Vol. 2) #26-27 Hardcover |
|