Although it was announced as being in the pipeline some time ago, it’s now official: Thanks to Deadline, we’ve learned that an X-Men-themed Marvel drama from Burn Notice creator Matt Nix has an official go for a pilot, and very likely, a series order as well. According to the original report, the drama “focuses on two ordinary parents who discover that their children possess mutant powers. Forced to go on the run from a hostile government, the family joins up with an underground network of mutants and must fight to survive.”
Aside from the synopsis above, we still don’t know too much about this show, which is still in its earliest stages and doesn’t even have a title, but it is said to take place within the X-Men film continuity as set up in the Bryan Singer movies (so much for reports that the Singer-verse is being retconned any time soon). The only hints we’ve had as to how it will fit in is that the family with mutant children will be being hunted by mutant-hunting Sentinel robots, a longtime staple of the X-Men comics.
Now, this itself creates a bit of a conundrum. If you’ve seen X-Men: Days of Future Past, you know that the apocalyptic future run by Sentinel robots was actually averted by Wolverine and Mystique. Meaning that if this show takes place roughly in the present, it’s going to be in the timeline where mutants are still not accepted, as the “happy ending” of Days of Future Past suggests. Man, the X-Men movie timelines are as confusing as the ones in the Terminator series. Maybe worse.
Another thing we can be certain to expect: It’s highly doubtful any A-list X-Men are going to be starring in this show. So don’t expect Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Beast, Nightcrawler, or Rogue to be leading characters. And I think it goes without saying to not expect Wolverine to pop up. Other characters very unlikely to be main characters are Colossus, who seems to be in the domain of the Deadpool guys, or any of the New Mutants, since they have a movie on the way from director Josh Boone. If the show is popular, then maybe we can expect to see guest appearances from some of these guys, but that would be it.
So who does that leave? Luckily, the X-Men universe has a TON of mutants who could be used, and would in fact be a perfect fit for a show about an underground mutant resistance. Here are but a handful who we hope could be making the jump to the small screen soon.
Callisto
The basic premise of this new show seems to be a family taking their mutant kids “underground.” Well, in the X-Men world, the mutant underground is figurative and literal, as beneath the streets of New York, there is the underground mutant population known as the Morlocks. The leader of the Morlocks is Callisto, who has the mutant gift of enhanced senses.
A truly badass character, Callisto is an eye-patch-wearing warrior type who often came into conflict with the X-Men, but was also an ally on many occasions. Callisto would certainly be an ideal character for this series based on the description of the show we have so far. A character called Callisto showed up in X-Men: The Last Stand, but she didn’t really come off as the character from the comics, so I say we ignore that iteration and go for a more comics accurate version for the show. Eye-patch and all.
Rictor
A Mexican-American mutant who has the power to cause earthquakes and tremors, Julio Esteban Richter was a member of various mutant teams like the X-Terminators, the New Mutants, X-Force, and finally X-Factor Investigations. Never having been a member of the actual X-Men, this probably makes him free for use on any mutant related TV series.
Rictor is also of an LGBT hero, and actually his kiss with boyfriend and fellow mutant Shatterstar was the first male/male kiss in a mainstream Marvel title back in 2009. Now Shatterstar has a way too complicated origin to probably make the transition to television, but the television writers can then develop Rictor romantically any way they want if Shatterstar isn’t around. Also, earthquake power won’t break the bank on a TV series that doesn’t have the budget of an X-Men film.
Polaris
One of the few actual X-Men team members who has yet to appear in any form on film, Lorna Dane has the power of magnetism, and is actually the daughter of Magneto (although he didn’t raise her, and this was not revealed for years). In the comics, she was the seventh member to join the X-Men, and although she didn’t stick around for long, she later joined spin-off series like X-Factor. Her inclusion in the show would make a ton of sense, because magnetism is simply a cool power that can be used inventively on a regular basis, and as Magneto’s daughter, she carries a certain weight story wise. Also, she has green hair, and green hair is just cool.
Forge
Forge is a Native-American mutant, who has the mutant ability to basically invent almost anything that comes to mind. Never really a full member of the X-Men, he nevertheless invented much of their equipment like their high-tech jets, and aspects of their Danger Room. Most of his storylines involved him as the romantic interest of either Storm or Mystique, but with both of those characters almost certainly not appearing on the show, this leaves Forge all kinds of room for character development outside of his relationships with the well known X-Women. And having a mutant MacGyver-type is certainly a handy plot device on a weekly show.
Karma
One of the founding members of the New Mutants, for reasons unknown, she won’t be showing up in the upcoming New Mutants film, which should leave the character free and clear for use on the show. The Vietnamese-born Xi’an Coy Manh is a mutant who has the ability to take control of another’s mind, though she has sometimes been depicted with other psionic abilities. Not only is it good for team member to have a resident character with mental abilities, the inclusion of Karma would allow for an Asian-American hero to become a main character on the series. Like Rictor, she is also an LGBT character, but who says you can only have one per show?
Which X-Men universe character would you like to see in this new series? Give us your choices down below in the comments.
Images: Marvel Comics
