5 Best Things 2010s X-Men Comics Brought To Marvel’s Mutants

by

Being an X-Men fan in the 2010s was frustrating for many. It wasn’t necessarily that the storylines were poor – though some weren’t great – but rather the choices Marvel made regarding the team. Because the X-Men’s movie rights were tied up elsewhere, Marvel focused more on characters they could use in films, and this impacted the comics. Some of the resulting ideas weren’t the best for the X-Men, but things started to improve towards the end of the decade.

The X-Men movies of the 2010s definitely had their flaws, and many fans have valid criticisms. However, it’s a mistake to dismiss everything from that era. Some truly innovative ideas emerged during that time, pushing the X-Men franchise in exciting new directions. Here are five of the best ideas from the ’10s, offering a bright spot in a decade many X-Men fans would rather forget.

5) Uncanny X-Force

The X-Force team was revamped in the late 2000s, becoming a covert strike force led by Wolverine and operating under Cyclops. While the initial X-Force series (Volume 3) was well-received, it was the follow-up, Uncanny X-Force, that truly stood out as one of the greatest X-Men comics ever. Written by Rick Remender and featuring art from Jerome Opena, Mark Brooks, Phil Noto, and others, Uncanny X-Force (Volume 1) took the concepts introduced in the previous series and amplified them. Story arcs like “The Apocalypse Solution,” “The Dark Angel Saga,” and “The Final Execution” refined the idea of a black ops mutant team, delivering a truly exceptional run. It’s a classic X-Men title that deserves recognition, especially considering some of the less memorable ideas from that decade.

4) House of X/Powers of X

When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, Marvel regained the rights to the X-Men characters for movies. Although Marvel previously claimed this didn’t affect their comic books, shortly after regaining those rights, they brought acclaimed writer Jonathan Hickman onto the X-Men team, launching the incredibly popular Krakoa Era. This all began with the groundbreaking series House of X/Powers of X, illustrated by Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva. The two interconnected books were a massive hit with readers and became one of the most discussed comics of the 2010s. While the Krakoa era has faced criticism, its impact on the X-Men’s history is undeniable.

3) Undoing House of M

While often considered overhyped in terms of storytelling quality, the House of M event was significant for the X-Men. It led to Scarlet Witch diminishing the powers of most mutants, resulting in seven years of stories focused on their struggle for survival as a smaller population. This storyline culminated in Avengers vs. X-Men, a 12-issue arc that positioned the Avengers as dominant – and arguably portrayed the X-Men negatively – during the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ultimately, Scarlet Witch and Hope Summers used the Phoenix Force to restore mutant powers. This was a major moment for the team, creating excitement for what came next, though Marvel soon shifted focus to the Inhumans, which unfortunately stalled the mutants’ momentum.

2) X-Men: Schism and Its Aftermath

The five-issue X-Men event, Schism, dramatically ended the long-standing friendship between Wolverine and Cyclops. This caused a major split within the X-Men: Cyclops and some team members remained on Utopia, while Wolverine led others back to Westchester to found the Jean Grey School. This division launched two highly acclaimed X-Men comic series, Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 2) and Wolverine and the X-Men (Vol. 1), revitalizing the franchise. Ultimately, the events of Schism paved the way for the large-scale Avengers vs. X-Men storyline and represented a peak in X-Men storytelling until 2019 with House of X/Powers of X.

1) The Utopia Era

As a big X-Men fan, I always thought the ‘Utopia’ era was seriously underrated. It really started for me when the X-Mansion was destroyed and the team moved to San Francisco in the late 2000s. That led into the Avengers/X-Men: Utopia storyline, where they clashed with Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers. The whole thing culminated in the creation of Utopia – this awesome island where the remaining 198 mutants could finally live together peacefully. It officially kicked off around the end of 2009 and lasted until the Avengers vs. X-Men event. Honestly, there are some fantastic X-Men stories from this period, and I wish more people would check them out!

https://comicbook.com/comics/list/the-10-best-x-men-stories-in-marvel-history/embed/#

Read More

2026-01-04 01:16