Marvel’s X-Men Problem: Do We Really Need Two Alternate Universe Stories at Once?

by

As an ardent X-Men fan, I can’t help but find the upcoming months a bit perplexing. The launch of X-Men of Apocalypse Alpha #1 steers us back into the universe of Age of Apocalypse, a popular alternate reality saga that Marvel has been eager to rekindle since its inception. Coincidentally, 2025 marks the storyline’s 30th anniversary, making this return all the more fitting.

However, what strikes me as odd is that we’re not only diving into the alternate reality of Age of Apocalypse, but also venturing into another X-Men alternate future universe in the upcoming “Age of Revelation” event. This event seems to borrow heavily from the structure of the ’90s classic, as titles are reshuffled, and for a while, we’ll be detached from the primary timeline.

Is it just me, or does this double dose of alternate universe X-Men stories feel a bit unusual?

Review of X-Men Apocalypse Alpha #1 and Age of Revelation

The first issue of X-Men Apocalypse Alpha is generally well-received, and Age of Revelation appears to incorporate some intriguing, albeit familiar, concepts. However, both seem to be revamps of the same fundamental theme, making it the fourth major alternate universe narrative in the past six years. This pattern includes Age of X-Men, another iteration of Age of Apocalypse (AoA), and From Sinister’s Sins in 2019 and 2023 respectively.

The From the Ashes X-Men reboot has been inconsistent, with much of its initial excitement fading away, and simultaneously releasing these two stories feels unnecessary. Is it truly essential to have both narratives running concurrently?

Alternate X-Men Stories Are Great, but There’s a Limit

The legacy of “The Age of Apocalypse” remains significant in comic book history, marking a period when Marvel temporarily discontinued their most profitable series and took a daring risk. Given its success was likely inevitable due to the popularity of the X-Men in the ’90s, it nonetheless holds great significance. Over the past 30 years, Marvel has repeatedly attempted to revisit this concept with varying outcomes. The latest attempt, “Age of X-Man”, is often overlooked or met with negative sentiment. Presently, having two alternate universe stories that revolve around the same concept at the same time feels somewhat inappropriate. “X-Men of Apocalypse” and “Age of Revelation” are expected to perform well independently, yet releasing them concurrently seems like Marvel is relying on nostalgia and curiosity about updated versions of our beloved X-Men characters to boost sales. “From the Ashes” has been leveraging nostalgia since its inception, which has weakened it compared to previous X-Men reboots, such as the Krakoa Era. At present, there’s little incentive to read most X-Men books, and both “X-Men of Apocalypse” and “Age of Revelation” appear to be capitalizing on nostalgia for the former and curiosity about future iterations of our favorite characters to drive sales.

For quite some time now, I’ve been vocal about my criticisms towards “From the Ashes.” There are several valid reasons behind this, and even fans of “From the Ashes” might concede that it leverages nostalgia for an old X-Men timeline to attract readers. Many would admit that this is what drew them back to the X-Men series. Consequently, “X-Men of Apocalypse” and “Age of Revelation” can be seen as repetitive iterations of the same approach. The allure of “From the Ashes” stems from its heavy reliance on past narratives to pique readers’ interest in the comics.

While there is some intrigue surrounding “X-Men of Apocalypse” because it seems to deviate from previous ventures into that alternate reality, it remains deeply rooted in nostalgia instead of offering fresh storytelling. The intention behind “From the Ashes” was to cater to X-Men comic readers who had stopped following the series at some point, but this strategy has caused more harm than good to the line. For instance, “Wolverine,” which previously ranked among the top 25 books, now struggles to maintain a position in the top 50s. Given its historical popularity and status as one of the X-Men’s three main pillars, this decline is particularly noteworthy.

Unfortunately, several X-Men books that initially performed well have since failed. “Uncanny X-Men” and “X-Men” still manage to sell relatively well, but their sales are far from impressive. It should be noted that these storylines were likely planned in advance; Marvel didn’t resort to nostalgia out of desperation at the moment, but rather as part of a calculated strategy. By releasing both “From the Ashes” and “Age of Revelation” simultaneously, however, they appear to have made a significant misstep. Both stories have potential to be good, but their simultaneous release diminishes their unique appeal (not to mention that the original “Age of Apocalypse” took place at the beginning of 1995, so it’s unclear why the anniversary story is being published at the end of the year).

These Stories Happening at the Same Time Won’t Make the X-Men Cool Again

Nowadays, there’s a significant focus on nostalgia in entertainment, which can be problematic. Fresh concepts are scarce, and when they do appear, they often don’t receive as much attention because nostalgic content already has a dedicated audience. Recently, the X-Men series has experienced this issue to some extent. “From the Ashes” initially generated a lot of interest due to the nostalgia factor, but it was overshadowed by DC’s Absolute line release shortly afterward. This resulted in readers shifting their attention from the nostalgic X-Men comics to new titles in the market.

Both “X-Men of Apocalypse” and “Age of Revelation” seem to revolve around nostalgia, and it’s not clear why these specific tales are being told in this manner at this time. Nostalgia hasn’t been beneficial for X-Men comics over the past year, so it seems unusual to present two nostalgic stories simultaneously. A better approach might have been to place “X-Men of Apocalypse” at the start and “Age of Revelation” at the end in 2025, instead of releasing them both at once. Currently, the X-Men series could benefit more from fresh ideas and superior storytelling rather than two back-to-back nostalgic stories.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/comics/news/x-men-brotherhood-of-evil-mutants-members-ranked-power/embed/#

Read More

2025-09-13 14:10