Earlier this week, Marvel revealed the new teams and the new creative lineups for X-Men: Gold and X-Men: Blue. Surprisingly, several popular mutant heroes and heroines didn’t make the cut this time, as the original X-Men from the past will join Magneto in X-Men: Blue; while Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rachel Grey, and Old Man Logan will follow Kitty Pryde in X-Men: Gold.
To a certain extent, it’s understandable why incoming writers Marc Guggenheim and Cullen Bunn may have wanted to cut down the size of the cast. But the problem that created is that many fan-favorite characters are seemingly going to be left out of the equation. That includes a few characters who have been associated with the team for decades!
While we are definitely excited to see where Resurrexion takes Marvel’s mutant heroes, we’ve put together a quick list of six mutants who we believe deserve a slot on one of the two main X-Men teams.
Rogue
While we’re happy to see Rogue headlining Uncanny Avengers as the leader of that particular team, she’s been gone from the X-Men books for far too long. There’s no reason why Rogue can’t pull double duty, and appear in the X-Men while maintaining her role in the Avengers. Wolverine used to pull off that trick all of the time! And if he could, then why not Rogue?
Gambit
Amazingly, Gambit has also been out of the X-Men books for a few years, aside from a stint in X-Factor and a few cameos here and there. Just because he theoretically still has a live-action movie on the way doesn’t mean that Marvel is fully utilizing its favorite Cajun.
Let’s face it: Gambit is never more entertaining than when he’s playing off of the other X-Men. He’s softened over the years, but Gambit still has a bit of the rebel swagger and an occasionally shady side that can lead into interesting directions. That said, we’re over the whole Rogue and Gambit angst…for now. If they end up on the same team again, let’s see them have some fun!
Wolverine
We’ll give Marvel this: Wolverine has been dead for two years, and they haven’t brought him back yet! That’s a lot longer than we expected his death to last, and Marvel has introduced Old Man Logan from an alternate Earth to essentially fill his role on the team. But damn it, we want the original model back!
The good news is that whenever Marvel eventually decides to bring back Wolverine, his body should be well preserved inside that hardened adamantium shell. Now, someone just needs to get him out of there!
Psylocke
Thanks to X-Men: Apocalypse, even casual X-Men fans know who Psylocke is. It sure would be a good time to feature her in a comic book. And yet, Psylocke is conspicuously absent from the new lineup at the height of her mainstream popularity. Crazy, right? That’s like giving Psylocke a potentially big part in the last movie and then not giving her much to do. Wait a minute…
Havok
Do you remember Cyclops’ younger brother? Because sometimes, we wonder if Marvel does! After all, there was a perfectly good set up after Axis that left Havok “inverted,†and potentially no longer the hero he once was. But that was pretty much ignored during Havok’s cameo during Death of X. And considering the ignoble way that Cyclops went out in that story, an upgrade for Havok would be the least Marvel could do!
Even if Havok wasn’t a member of the X-Men, he could still play a large role as one of the keepers of his brother’s legacy. He’s lived in the shadow of Cyclops for most of his life, so this would be the right time for Alex Summers to find his own path.
Phoenix (Jean Grey)
If you’ve ever complained about characters coming back from the dead in superhero comics, keep in mind that Jean Grey was killed off over a decade ago and she still isn’t back! The annoying thing is that she’s the Phoenix, so she should be all about resurrection and renewal. Teen Jean and the young X-Men from the past are still running around in the Marvel Universe, but there’s also very good reason why the adult Jean should make a comeback.
Out of all of the original X-Men, Jean Grey is only one who could legitimately step up and take on a leadership role not only for her team, but also for mutant rights in general. Without Professor Xavier, Wolverine, or even Cyclops to fall back on, it’s time for Jean to be the keeper of the flame, as she carries the dream of peaceful co-existence with humans into a new era.
Which mutants would you like to see get a comeback in the X-Men titles? Activate Cerebro and share your thoughts below!
Images: Marvel Comics
