Marvel Just Introduced the Best Mutant Team Ever and I’m Already Hooked

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For a while, Marvel Comics wasn’t handling the X-Men very well. They seemed to focus on the Inhumans instead, likely because they had the movie rights to that team. Things changed in 2019 when Disney regained the rights to the X-Men, and Marvel brought on writer Jonathan Hickman to give the team a fresh start. This led to a five-year period called the Krakoa Era, which was full of innovative and thought-provoking stories. These stories explored the political themes within the X-Men’s world and resonated strongly with readers from marginalized groups. However, the recent “From the Ashes” reboot largely abandoned those ideas, aiming for a more traditional, 1990s-style portrayal of the mutants.

Despite general dissatisfaction among X-Men fans lately, Uncanny X-Men has been a bright spot. It’s avoided the problems that have plagued other recent X-Men titles and delivers strong, character-driven stories that acknowledge the franchise’s history of tackling social issues. Writer Gail Simone has made this series particularly noteworthy for its diversity, openly exploring LGBTQ+ themes and introducing a wide range of new and interesting mutants. Her story, “Dark Artery,” which cleverly incorporates the history of racism in the United States, is one of the best X-Men stories of recent years, adding depth to the new X-Men base, Haven, and the St. Junior family. The Uncanny X-Men Annual #1 builds on that story and introduces a fantastic new mutant team, the Regulators – exactly what the X-Men comics have been needing, and it’s already captivated me.

The Regulators Are Everything a Mutant Team Can Be

Haven is one of the most compelling additions to the modern X-Men stories in the Marvel Universe. Originally owned by the St. Junior family – friends of Gambit – its history touches on both anti-mutant prejudice and the legacy of racism against Black people in the United States. Haven was established by Black mutants as a safe burial ground and community. They developed a secret symbolic language, similar to the codes used during the Jim Crow era, to guide travelers to safe locations – a system only understood by those ‘in the know’.

The story continues from “Dark Artery,” expanding on Wolverine’s past connection to Haven. We meet the Regulators, and a new character named Slaughter Freedman, a former black lawman, arrives in Haven with his deceased son. After killing a group of racists who were attempting to bury Wolverine alive, Freedman finds himself in a difficult situation when two black children are wrongly blamed for his actions. He then joins forces with Logan, and characters introduced in “Dark Artery” – Mother Witchfire, Michael St. Junior, and Lady Henrietta – to fight the prejudiced group and clear the children’s names, becoming known as the Regulators.

What makes the X-Men special is that they represent more than just typical superhero action. While they battle villains and save the world, the core of their story has always been about fighting prejudice and championing those who are different. Many fans feel this important message of diversity and standing up for the underdog has been lost in recent X-Men comics, particularly since Tom Brevoort became editor. The current portrayal feels overly moderate and simplistic, echoing a more outdated, ’90s-era approach to the team’s struggles – a version many find frustratingly shallow and out of touch.

The Regulators are a compelling idea because they directly confront the racism that has harmed mutant lives – and that’s precisely what a mutant team should do. The concept of Haven, and the Regulators within it, draws inspiration from real-world history, specifically how Black Americans built their own support systems to combat racism and oppression. This group embodies that spirit, offering a powerful fantasy of marginalized people rising up against their oppressors. And right now, when injustice seems to be gaining ground, that’s a fantasy we really need.

The Regulators Show the Direction the X-Men Should Always Be Taken

The X-Men comics haven’t been living up to their potential lately. It feels like the current creative team, particularly Tom Brevoort, doesn’t grasp what makes the X-Men unique – they’re more than just another superhero group. We’ve been getting stories that only superficially touch on the core themes of the X-Men, resulting in bland and uninspired books. This is reflected in the poor sales and disappointing event storylines. The recent team, The Regulators, showcased a great direction for mutant teams, and that’s the kind of thing fans want to see more of.

The Regulators successfully captures the spirit of classic X-Men stories in a really compelling way. Although the writer, Brevoort, likely won’t change his style or listen to fan requests, this kind of team dynamic is exactly what the X-Men series needs. It perfectly represents what the X-Men are all about, and hopefully we’ll see more teams like this to make Marvel’s current X-Men run more exciting.

Uncanny X-Men Annual #1 is on sale now.

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2026-04-12 20:11