Ranking the X-Men Events — 2024 Update!
One of the most fun elements of being a member of the comics community are events and crossovers. These are the summer blockbuster films of superhero comics: AAA tentpole stories that serve to drive the events of entire franchises for months and years to come. Plot twists, widescreen action, romance, drama, intrigue! And in all of comics, no one quite does crossovers and events like the great superhero soap opera: the X-Men.
2024 has been a revival year for Marvel’s Merry Mutants. X-Men ’97, the first X-Men cartoon in 15 years, debuted on Disney Plus to mass critical acclaim. Deadpool and Wolverine heralds the official entry of the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Two cameos notwithstanding). Fall of The House of X/Rise of The Powers of X and next week’s X-Men #700 marks the end of the celebrated Krakoa era of X-Men, widely considered a Top 3 run of the X-Men comic book line ever. By the end of the month, From The Ashes will mark one of the most anticipated line relaunches in the history of Marvel.
Over the course of my fandom, I’ve read every X-Men story ever (Literally, there’s an article on here about it that will also be updated soon), and so I got to read every X-Men event as well. Some events are not great, and some events are sublime. Here, I’ll be ranking them worst to best. This list will help you understand the highs and lows of the X-Men franchise throughout its publication history!
This ranking includes every major franchise-wide crossover and event as officially considered by Marvel. So this means that stories like “Magneto War” and “Eve of Destruction” which are crossovers, but not line-wide ones, won’t be considered. Hopefully, you’ll be interested to read these stories yourself once you’re done!
40: Ultimatum (Ultimatum #1–5) November 2008 — July 2009
Jeph Loeb and David Finch are two incredibly talented storytellers who have told some of the most popular and impactful stories in all of superhero comics and television. I’ve been moved to tears by more than one of their stories!
It’s important you know that I hold both in high esteem when I say, in a spirit of charity, that Ultimatum is an unholy abomination of a story, and one of the worst comics to have ever come out of Marvel Publishing. This is an Ultimate Marvel event and therefore not canon, but Ultimatum easily takes the bottom spot on our list, and it’s not even close.
Ultimatum is meant to be read as a biblical disaster: Magneto has stolen the hammer of Thor, and uses it to exact his vengeance upon humanity, killing millions. The heroes do their best to handle the natural disasters and attacks by Magneto’s Brotherhood, and one after another die horrid, cruel, pointless deaths. Dr. Strange gets his head popped open by Dormammu. The Blob eats The Wasp alive, commenting that she “tastes like chicken.” Thor is sent to Valhalla. Most of the X-Men die in a flood. Dr. Doom gets his head crushed in by The Thing. It’s a thoroughly unpleasant and upsetting read, wiping the slate of Ultimate Marvel by disposing of many of Marvel’s most famous characters, including Dr. Doom, Wolverine, Professor X, Thor, Cyclops, Dr. Strange, The Wasp, Magneto, and Daredevil.
The original Ultimate Marvel has been defunct for years now (Though a new iteration of Ultimate Marvel did begin in summer of 2023). Do yourself a favor, and if you revisit the Ultimate Marvel of the 2000’s, stick to the good stuff like Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man. Avoid Ultimatum like the biblical plague it is.
39. Inhumans vs X-Men (Inhumans vs X-Men #0–6, Death of X #1–4 Uncanny X-Men Vol 4 #16–18, Extraordinary X-Men #17–19, Uncanny Inhumans #17–20, All-New X-Men Vol 2 #17–18, Deadpool and the Mercs For Money Vol 2 #7–8) October 2016 — March 2017
Ultimatum is the worst X-Men event ever, but Inhumans vs X-Men is easily the worst canon X-Men event.
The story of Inhumans vs X-Men cannot be told without detailing the larger story of corporate warfare between Disney and Fox at the time. From 2008 to 2019, Disney was actively trying to buy out Fox in order to reacquire some of their licensed properties, most importantly the X-Men. As part of this corporate warfare, Marvel was not allowed to create any new X-Men characters, and former Disney CEO Ike Perlmutter actively tried to make an Inhumans movie to serve as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s mutant replacement. This was accompanied by a comic blitz that saw a plethora of Inhumans books at the cost of cutting the X-Men line. As a result of this, many fans felt the X-Men were being actively marginalized at the behest of Disney, and replaced by the Inhumans.
With this context, Marvel decided after their 2015 event, Secret Wars, to turn fans’ paranoia and anxiety into textual conflict. The entire year of Inhumans and X-Men stories were spent creating mounting tension surrounding the Terrigen Mists. The Terrigen Mists, which give Inhumans their powers and had recently been released into Earth’s atmosphere, were retconned to be both poisonous and sterilizing to mutants, making the Earth literally uninhabitable for mutantkind.
It was cruel of Marvel to turn fan anxieties into a years’ worth of story arcs, but it could have been excused if the story was compelling or interesting. Instead, the story is “Mutants will go extinct and be gassed to death if we don’t get rid of the Terrigen Mists NOW”. The X-Men then launch a preemptive attack on the Inhuman capitol, and six whole issues are spent watching the Inhumans slowly escape the X-Men’s traps until it’s revealed that the whole conflict was orchestrated by Emma Frost, driven mad with grief over the death of her true love, Cyclops. This revelation thus returned Emma to her villainous roots and undid 20 years worth of character growth. Worse, the resolution of the Terrigen Mists situation was Medusa inquiring “why didn’t you tell us?” and immediately resolving the problem. This blatantly contradicted an entire year worth of stories where she knew the problem, actively said on panel she understood the problem, and refused to fix it. Hell, she says as much in the first issue of IvX! And then five issues later the story states she didn’t know.
To add insult to injury, let’s briefly discuss the prelude, Death of X. Since December 2015, Cyclops had done something that caused Scott to be referred to as an irredeemable monster frequently compared to ADOLF HITLER. The readers don’t know WHAT he did, just that it was something supposedly on par with World War II and the Holocaust. This event is finally revealed in Death of X, only for readers to be confronted with the fact that Scott almost immediately died after being exposed to the Terrigen Mists. Instead, Emma Frost, psychically disguised as Scott, destroyed one of two Terrigen Mist clouds to prevent mutants from sterilization and death. That was the crime that led Marvel as a publishing company to label Scott Summers as equivalent to ADOLF HITLER for a full calendar year.
Inhumans vs X-Men is mean spirited, cruel to fans, nonsensical plot-wise, and actively harms the characters involved. The one bright spot is Lenil Yu and Javier Garron’s stellar art, which makes the story at least pretty to look at. Charles Soule and Jeff Lemire fail as writers here, which is a shame as both are very talented storytellers. Only completionists should read this.
38. Onslaught (Onslaught: X-Men #1, Uncanny X-Men #334–336, X-Men Vol 2. #53–56, X-Men Unlimited #12 Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1, Avengers #401–402, Fantastic Four #415–416, Cable #34–35, Incredible Hulk #444–445, Wolverine #103–105, X-Factor #124–126, X-Force #57–58, X-Man #18–19, Iron Man #332, Amazing Spider-Man #415, Spider-Man #72, Green Goblin #12, Punisher #11) June — September 1996
Onslaught’s greatest sin is its bloat. This is a 33 issue story that has maybe 8 or so issues of plot. As a result, the pacing of the series is a jarring starting and stopping and spinning of wheels until things accelerate far too fast.
The real shame of it is that Onslaught has a great premise for a story. Professor X’s dark side takes over Charles’ body and decides to take over the world, kidnapping the most powerful mutants on the planet, X-Man and Franklin Richards, to bolster his power. The X-Men’s founder and guiding light has become their worst nightmare, and it’s going to take the entire Marvel Universe to stop what Onslaught has unleashed. It’s the recipe for a wonderful 90’s action blockbuster of an event, full of cool character moments, team ups, and crazy sci-fi shenanigans.
But as stated earlier, most of the issues of Onslaught are superfluous, and it’s not until the final two issues that things really get moving. At that point you’ve sat through dozens of issues of filler, you likely have reader fatigue, and you just want the story to end. It’s just not a fun time when it should be.
Onslaught is a great concept for a villain, and while it hasn’t happened yet, I’m still convinced there’s a truly great Onslaught story to be told. Unfortunately, this isn’t it.
37. The Twelve/Ages of Apocalypse (Uncanny X-Men #376–378, X-Men Vol 2 #96–98, Cable #75–77, X-Man #59–60, Wolverine #146–148, X-Men Unlimited #26) November 1999 — January 2000
To this day, I don’t think there’s a story that has had as much build up and anticipation only to anticlimax like The Twelve/Ages of Apocalypse. These stories are listed together because even though they were billed as separate stories, they are in fact very much the same story.
For literally over a decade, the concept of “The Twelve” had been teased in X-Men stories. It was a plot thread carefully tended to by Chris Claremont and Louise Simonson. “The Twelve” was the culmination of their original Apocalypse stories, as well as intrinsically tied to the Cable/Apocalypse rivalry that had been built up through the entirety of Cable’s existence as a character. Ostensibly, every plot thread seeded throughout the 90’s heyday of the X-Men was about to be resolved in what was advertised as the biggest X-Men story yet, as Apocalypse’s top secret plan he had been building towards was revealed.
This top secret, centuries old plan is…teaming up with the Skrulls and people dressed up as Ancient Egyptians? Building a big power circuit so you can get a new body?
You see, “The Twelve” was not some ancient prophecy about those who would fight for leadership of mutantkind, or some ultimate master scheme for Apocalypse to take over the world. No, he just wanted to capture 12 mutants to power up a machine so he could body swap with someone. What you end up reading is some X-Men being captured by Apocalypse, and the rest of the X-Men fighting Skrulls and Wolverine, brainwashed to be his Horseman of Death, in order to save the captured X-Men.
Even worse, the story ends incredibly abruptly, as Cyclops is possessed by Apocalypse. We’re left with this tremendous double page spread by Alan Davis, and it looks like all hope is lost, and we’re set for a final showdown. But the showdown never arrives. That double page spread is in fact the LAST PAGE of the story, and then Ages of Apocalypse begins. Ages of Apocalypse is literally a series of one shot “it’s all in your head” potential future scenarios that are in fact distractions the X-Men experience while Cyclopsalypse runs away. We don’t even see him run away as both pages of Cyclopsalypse disappearing are figments of the protagonists’ imagination! We just know that the issue after, the X-Men are sitting around lamenting they couldn’t save Scott and don’t know where he is. This was eventually resolved in the silly Search for Cyclops a few months later.
The issue, of course, is that an event comic, and any story really, shouldn’t have its resolution in a completely separate story. You don’t leave a story on a cliffhanger, pivot to a secondary story, and then sweep what was supposed to be the BIGGEST X-MEN STORY EVER under the rug. It’s still bitterly disappointing 24 years later, and only helped by the fact that the very next year Mark Millar began his run on Ultimate X-Men and Grant Morrison would pen one of the all-time great comic runs in New X-Men.
36. The Black Vortex (Guardians of the Galaxy and The X-Men: The Black Vortex: Alpha,Omega, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 #24–25, Legendary Star Lord #9–11, All-New X-Men #38–39, Guardians Team Up #3, Nova vol 3 #28, Cyclops Vol 3 #12, Captain Marvel #14) February — April 2015
Good news! We’ve made it through all the truly bad X-Men events! Everything from here on is at least worth one read through.
The Black Vortex is ably written, mostly by Sam Humphries and Brian Michael Bendis, but the real star here is the murderer’s row of great artists, including the likes of Ed McGuinness, Paco Medina, Kris Anka, Javier Garrón, Valerio Schiti, Andrea Sorrentino, Mike Mayhew, David Lopez, and David Baldeón. As a result, every issue is a treat to view, with plenty of incredible cosmic visuals to feast your eyes upon.
Story wise, The Black Vortex is the definition of cotton candy fun. Star-Lord and his girlfriend, the X-Men’s Shadowcat, have stolen a very powerful cosmic artifact known as the Black Vortex (it basically gives superheroes a Super Saiyan form) from some bad guys, and now everyone wants it. The Guardians of the Galaxy and the X-Men team up to protect it, along with some friends like Captain Marvel and Nova, and pretty soon everyone from the Kree to the Spartax are caught up in the fight for the Black Vortex.
The greatest problem The Black Vortex faces is that the well paced and engaging first half of the story is much stronger than the second half, which very much feels like it’s spinning wheels most of the time. This is a 13 issue story where Chapters 8 through 11 feel incredibly superfluous. The good news, though, is that even the most superfluous chapters are fun to look at, and allow characters like Cyclops and Captain Marvel moments to shine they might not have gotten in the main story. In the main story, there’s plenty of great moments for Beast, Shadowcat, Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket Racoon, and more.
If you have a younger sibling in the 9–14 range who’s interested in the Guardians of the Galaxy or X-Men and likes a good fun action romp with one-liners, great art, character team ups, and space action, this is the story for them. This event is the definition of a casual afternoon read.
35. X-Men and Avengers: AXIS (Axis #1–9, Magneto Vol 3 #9–12, Uncanny Avengers #24–25, All-New X-Factor #15–17, Deadpool Vol 3 #36–39, Axis: Revolutions #1–4, Amazing X-Men #14, Wolverine and The X-Men Vol 2 #12, Avengers World #15–16) October — December 2014
AXIS is a great idea hindered by middling execution due to editorial interference. This is an example of a story that was meant to be a normal story arc, but was promoted to a line-wide event perhaps to its detriment.
You see, AXIS’ first three issues are actually the climax of Rick Remender’s Uncanny Avengers saga. The Red Skull, who had stolen the brain and powers of the deceased Professor X, has transformed himself into Onslaught, who makes his second appearance on this list. The final issue of Uncanny Avengers ends with The Red Skull’s transformation, and this event quite literally opens with the climactic final battle against Onslaught. It’s an appropriately high stakes affair that sees Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and more join together to try and stop him. Things get so drastic, in fact, that Magneto recruits the supervillains of the Marvel Universe to rout this threat.
The heart of Axis is, in fact, these very supervillains. In order to save the day, magic shenanigans ensue that inverts the moral compasses of everybody involved, turning the Avengers and X-Men into villains and the villains into heroes. The villains then have to find a way to restore the hearts of The X-Men and Avengers and save the day. As such, it reads very much as Marvel’s response to its’ 2013 contemporary at DC, Forever Evil.
The latter six issues very much feel like a second story entirely that was mashed together with the first in order for Marvel to have its’ 2014 event. The good news is that this separate story has lots to offer. Evil versions of The Hulk, Iron Man, Cyclops, and Falcon are a delight, and good versions of Carnage, Sabretooth, Hobgoblin, and Mystique are compelling to watch. Central to this story as well are the inverted wildcards of Evan Sabahnur, now reborn as Apocalypse, and Deadpool, who has finally found inner peace. Our point of view to all these twisted takes on our favorite characters are the few unaffected heroes such as Spider-Man, Nova, and Captain America.
Lenil Yu, Jim Cheung, and Terry Dodson do incredible work bringing this story to life, but it can’t help but feel like two separate stories smashed into one. Still, if you want to see wonderful bits of comedy, awesome action, and some of your favorite characters play opposite sides, this is the story for you. (Side Note: the title is definitely also read as SIXIS instead of AXIS)
34. Schism (X-Men: Schism #1–5 ) July — October 2011
If you ask X-Fans around the world, perhaps no story elicits as many mixed reactions as Schism. People either love it or hate it, and there’s very little middle ground. It’s a story that at the time of publication felt both inevitable and somewhat contrived. Following House of M, basically all of the disparate mutant factions and evil teams had been defeated, made defunct, or assimilated into the X-Men. Mutantkind has been united and defeated their foes. At some point, the X-Men would have to fracture to reintroduce conflict. Good things can’t last.
Thankfully, Cyclops’ incredibly compelling and dynamic character arc since The Twelve provided plenty of fodder to light the fuse of a schism within the X-Men. As Mutantkind has been moved more and more to the brink of extinction, Cyclops has been forced to make more desperate and ethically dubious choices to ensure survival, including the use of black ops killing squads, the embracing of supervillains into the ranks of the X-Men, and the use of teens in life or death fighting scenarios. As of now, the X-Men are soldiers, not superheroes.
It’s the use of children in potentially fatal combat situations that finally divides the X-Men. Cyclops believes the circumstances don’t allow for children to be on the sidelines, as every fight is literally life and death for the 200 remaining members of the species. Wolverine takes a decisive stand against minors in combat after Quentin Quire uses his telepathy to cause an international incident resulting in the recommissioning of Hellfire Club-built sentinels, and subsequently Oya is forced to kill some Hellfire club goons in order to save civilians.
What makes this story work is that the legendary rivalry of Cyclops and Wolverine had spent most of the last decade on the back burner, as they shouldered the burden of mutantkind’s survival with Cyclops as the undisputed leader, and Wolverine as his most trusted lieutenant. Wolverine’s actions and position in the story, while seemingly at odds with his ruthless persona, are actually quite consistent with his character. Wolverine has a long, storied history as a mentor and paternal figure to teenage characters such as Jubilee and Shadowcat. This stance against children being forced into life and death situations had been particularly catalyzed by Jason Aaron’s work in the Wolverine solo title, where Wolverine had been traumatized after being tricked into murdering many of his own children. That being said, readers shouldn’t be expected to have all of this knowledge going into a story.
Thankfully, Schism on its own still presents a compelling reason for the fracture among the X-Men. While some don’t like the new Hellfire Club, I really enjoy them. Oya provides a wonderful point of view for the children’s perspective. Most importantly, the breakup battle between Scott and Logan is appropriately brutal and personal, and the schism in the X-Men feels earned and not easily reconcilable. In fact, this divide will be the status quo of the X-Men for the next five years. It’s never capitalized on as much as you’d want, but the inciting incident still feels raw and personal.
Carlos Pacheo, Frank Cho, Alan Davis, Daniel Acuña, and Adam Kubert each draw a single issue. While this doesn’t provide the story with much visual consistency, they do make every chapter feel like an event unto itself, and are all a treat to view. As a result, Schism remains a seminal story in X-Men history. This is a must read for any X-Fan looking to make sense of the 2010’s era of X-Men.
33. Age of X-Man (Age of X-Man: Alpha #1, Age of X-Man: Omega #1, Age of X-Man: The Marvelous X-Men #1–5, Age of X-Man: Nextgen #1–5, Age of X-Man: The Amazing Nightcrawler #1–5, Age of X-Man: Apocalypse and The X-Tracts #1–5, Age of X-Man: Prisoner X #1–5, Age of X-Man: The X-Tremists #1–5) January-July 2019
Age of X-Man sits in a very peculiar place in X-Men history. This was the saga that closed out the era of X-Men that Marvel argues stretched from 2001 and Grant Morrison’s New X-Men to 2019’s House of X/Powers of X relaunch (I would personally argue that era ends with Avengers vs X-Men and All-New X-Men #1 in 2012 to Age of X-Man represent a discrete X-Men era). Editorial knew that House of X/Powers of X was being created, and had about a year’s worth of stories to pad out. What the X-Office came up with was a mega-story in the vein of Age of Apocalypse, where an entirely new universe would be explored in order to find out what truly makes the X-Men tick.
This time around, X-Man, the alternate reality clone of Cable, functions as the primary antagonist, and Apocalypse is the hippie savior of this reality, crusading as a free love guru. X-Man, who had been inactive for years as a member of the team, is dying and feels a sense of urgency to “save the world” before he goes. As a child of the late 90’s new age movement, his classic shaman-new-agey-Buddhism-lite argument is that human relationships cause suffering, and therefore the way to create lasting peace is radical individualism, stripping away all familial, sexual, and political relationships from the face of the Earth.
What happens when the X-Men, the superhero group most dependent on relationships, are stripped of those connections? What happens when marginalized bodies are forced to police other marginalized groups? What happens when familial ties are severed completely in favor of radical individuality? How can you live in a world without love or desire? These are the questions Age of X-Man asks, and the answers may surprise you.
Many of Marvel’s best writers of the era got chances to shine in the individual miniseries that make up this story, including Seanan McGuire, Leah Williams, Ed Brisson, Tim Seeley, Vita Ayala, Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler. Marcus To and Marco Failla’s art is also especially worth noting. The biggest knock against Age of X-Man is that in order to fully get the scope of the story you must read 30 issues spread out over six series. Unlike previous stories of similar length like Onslaught, however, each one of these issues is pivotal and makes Age of X-Man a surprisingly contemplative epic worth your time.
32. Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey (Phoenix Resurrection #1–5) December 2017 — January 2018
Phoenix Resurrection is perhaps the most unique X-Men story to be featured on this list, and that’s a very good thing.
After being gone for the better part of 15 years, Jean Grey is returning, but not of her own choice. Rather, the Phoenix Force wants Jean back, and is willing to bend the laws of reality, and of life and death itself, to get its’ other half. The X-Men, Jean’s extended family, have to find her before the Phoenix does. But what does Jean want for herself? This is the question that centers the story.
At its heart, Phoenix Resurrection is a breakup story. It’s about moving on from a toxic relationship, and finding purpose and love in the other people who care for you. It’s about knowing when something has run its course, and the journey of rediscovering yourself when you’ve been singularly defined by one thing for so long.
On art duties are Lenil Yu, Carlos Pacheo, Joe Bennet, and Ramon Rosanas. Each of them choose to move from the kineticism and bombast that’s so associated with superhero comics, and instead choose to give this story a gentle, contemplative, introspective feeling. This is helped by writer Matthew Rosenburg’s Twin Peaks inspired narrative choices, as well as his own tenderness for the characters he’s writing. Phoenix Resurrection is a welcome respite from nonstop action blockbuster events, and instead showcases the heart that makes the X-Men so utterly compelling.
31. X-Men: Hellfire Gala — The Fall of X (Free Comic Book Day 2023: Avengers/X-Men 2023 #1, X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2023 #1, Invincible Iron Man Vol 5 #8–9, X-Men Unlimited Infinity #100–105) May — August 2023
I hesitated to include this particular event on the list. Ultimately, I decided to include it due to its status as one of the major pivot points of the Krakoa era, and the fact that the Third Hellfire Gala was conceived on a publication level as a “event in a single comic.” That is the most apt description of the Fall of X. The ancillary issues, such as the Free Comic Book Day issue and Invincible Iron Man, are simply supplementary point of view events to the main narrative which is wholly encapsulated within the Hellfire Gala 2023 issue.
Over the course of the Krakoa era, cracks in the firmament of the nation-state have become more and more intense. No nation-state is perfect after all, even one run by mutants where the idea of scarcity has been eliminated, everyone has plenty, and security is a non-issue due to the sheer power of the nation. Krakoa had recently made some very public and costly mistakes, and change is needed.
In response to this, the leaders of Krakoa have determined the time has come to release the reins of power and let a changing of the guard occur. Cyclops and Jean Grey, leaders of the X-Men, and the Quiet Council, largely comprised of the most important and powerful mutants in the history of Marvel, are all planning on retiring, allowing for a new team of X-Men to pave the way to the future. The Quiet Council are transitioning the government of Krakoa from an oligarchy to a democracy. But as we know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Orchis, the primary antagonists of the era, have been slowly setting up mutantkind for a fall over the course of the previous four years of publication, and their trap is finally sprung at the Third Hellfire Gala. A LOT happens in quick succession. Ms. Marvel is revealed to be a mutant. Nazi Steve Rogers (a clone of our Captain America, famous from the infamous Hail Hydra meme), disguised as Captain Krakoa, brutalizes Cyclops, breaks his spine, stages an assassination attempt on the president, and bombs Congress. The new X-Men team is elected, only to be swiftly murdered by Nimrod, leaving few survivors. Major powerhouses like Iceman and Juggernaut attempt to defeat Nimrod and repel Orchis’s attack. Having had time to prepare, however, Orchis specifically created countermeasures to take out Krakoa’s biggest guns. Moira Mactaggart assassinates Jean Grey. Finally, holding every human who ever consumed Krakoan medicine hostage via a chemical killswitch, Moira forces Professor X to surrender mutantkind to Orchis in order to save mankind. Charles forces nearly every mutant through Krakoan portals to an undisclosed location off planet, only for the hundreds of thousands of mutants who call Krakoa home to all be collectively murdered on the spot. It’s only through the actions of Rogue that Charles himself survives the night. Krakoa the island may survive, but Krakoa the nation is irreparably fractured and broken. The X has fallen. And I didn’t even spoil half the plot twists in the issue!
This event is built to capture the sense of shock and awe that our heroes experience as they are swiftly scattered and defeated by the forces of bigotry and xenophobia. To that end, Gerry Duggan writes a VERY tight and compact script that feels like watching a perfectly executed plot twist. That script is brought to life by a murderer’s row of the best artists in the business, including Adam Kubert, Pepe Larraz, Valerio Schiti, Russel Dauterman, R.B. Silva, Kris Anka, Joshua Cassara, Luciano Vecchio, Matteo Lolli, Javier Pina, and Juan Frigeri. Many of these artists have successfully carried entire event comics on their own, and every page is immaculately crafted and executed. There isn’t a sloppy or rushed page in sight! The gala feels lavish and opulent, the violence impactful and visceral, the heroes and villains full of character and internal life. It’s truly one of the best “jam issue” comics in the history of Marvel from an art perspective.
If you’re someone who LOVES a good “all is lost” moment in a larger story, enjoy the “Red Wedding” of X-Men stories and give Fall of X a shot!
30. X Lives/X Deaths of Wolverine (X Lives of Wolverine #1–5, X Deaths of Wolverine #1–5) January — March 2022
Like the previous entry, I hesitated to include this particular story in the ranking list, but it’s both an absolutely vital story to the larger Krakoa era saga and officially marks the beginning of the 2nd act of era, and was explicitly treated as such by Marvel as a publishing company. Like when House of X/Powers of X launched, nearly every X-Men comic in the publishing line was cancelled, and the line was relaunched following the conclusion of X Lives/X Deaths of Wolverine.
The premise itself is pretty simple: Mikhail Rasputin, brother of Colossus and current puppet-master of Russia, has sent Omega Red back in time to assassinate Professor X and his various ancestors throughout modern history to prevent the founding of Krakoa. Wolverine is sent by Professor X and Jean Grey to combat his old rival through the timeline and ensure the survival of mutantkind’s future! Meanwhile, in the present, Moira Mactaggart is on the run from Mystique, who is planning to assasinate her in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, with a surprise third party joining the hunt. By the end of the story, the chessboard of the Krakoa era has been completely rearranged, and the stakes for the 2nd act of this epic have been fully established.
Benjamin Percy proves he’s one of the best Wolverine writers of all time as he hits the halfway point of his 100+ issue run on Wolverine. On art duties are two of the newly minted superstars of the modern era of Marvel: The hyper-detailed and painterly Joshua Cassara, and the kinetic and anime-inspired Federico Vicentini. There’s a real thrill seeing Wolverine chase one of his greatest rivals through time as he revisits many of the most iconic moments in his life, from World War I to the Cold War and beyond. The Moira side of the story plays out as an action thriller in the Jason Bourne tradition, and climaxes with some of the most iconic scenes of the past decade of X-Men stories. Ultimately, by having Wolverine revisit his entire past and take stock of his unnaturally long life, X Lives/X Deaths of Wolverine has cemented its’ legacy as one of the best character studies of Marvel’s most important mutant.
This is a VERY good Wolverine story, but this is SO Wolverine-centric that even though it’s absolutely necessary to understand the larger X-Men narrative and considered a linewide event, I still have to dock it in the overall rankings of X-Men events. The story itself is absolutely better than several other ranked higher. (Wolverine has been my favorite character in fiction since I was five, so don’t let anyone accuse me of playing favorites!)
29. Battle of The Atom (X-Men: Battle of The Atom #1–2, X-Men Vol 4 #5–6, Wolverine and The X-Men #36–37, All-New X-Men #16–17, Uncanny X-Men Vol 3 #12–13) September — October 2013
Battle of the Atom was constructed as a 50th Anniversary celebration for the X-Men. As such, it was built upon all the tropes that have come to define Marvel’s mutants over the years. X-Men vs Brotherhood. X-Man vs X-Man. Time Travel. More Time Travel. Sentinels and soap opera. It’s deliberately attempting to remix the greatest hits of the X-Men into a worthwhile story that celebrates the disparate eras of the franchise.
To that end, Battle of the Atom is maybe a bit TOO focused on time travel shenanigans. We have the present day X-Men broken into two factions. We have the Past X-Men broken into factions. We have the Future X-Men broken into multiple factions. The main thrust of the story is the present-day X-Men want to send the past X-Men back to the past after receiving warnings from the future X-Men. Instead of returning where they belong, Teen Scott and Teen Jean go on the run, and all the other teams of X-Men chase after them, with plenty of twists and turns upon the way.
This event also has another set of incredible artists, including Esad Ribic, Chris Bachalo, Frank Cho, Stuart Immonen, David Lopez, and Giuseppe Camuncoli. Bachalo and Immonen especially shine, as they convey big moment after big moment. It’s remarkable stuff to look at.
The biggest critique I have of Battle of the Atom regards its epilogues. The last page heel turn of Kitty Pryde is incongruous and comes out of nowhere, and it VERY MUCH FEELS like Bendis wanted his waifu and wrote an excuse to get her into his books. It’s tacked on and sends Shadowcat on a few years of bad decisions until she would be saved by Marauders.
Despite that ending, Battle of The Atom is a story that revels in the excesses of the X-Men’s unique brand of soap opera. Xorn is Jean from the future, who is actually Jean from the Past. The grandson of Xavier secretly leads a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Past Iceman and Present Iceman both meet Future Icemen who are Hulks and ice wizards. Mind control, romance, and giant robots trying to kill everyone, oh my!
What keeps things from getting completely out of control is the very grounded and real stakes for the past X-men, who are desperate to stay in the present and try to do some good here for their present counterparts. Between the set piece battles, the constantly shifting allegiances and factions, and last minute revelations, there are tons of lovely character moments that remind you why the X-Men are so enjoyable in the first place. Battle of the Atom is serialized comics at their most fun and chaotic.
28. Phalanx Covenant (Uncanny X-Men #316–317, X-Men Vol 2 #36–37, X-Factor #106, X-Force #38, Excalibur #82, Wolverine #85, Cable #16) July — August 1994
1994’s Phalanx Covenant has a unique structure among the X-Events: It’s three separate X-Men missions all taking place simultaneously across the titles. Here, the X-Men are introduced to a brand new threat: The Phalanx, who are essentially just The Borg, aka robot-like beings who want to assimilate all of humanity. Much, MUCH later, Jonathan Hickman would reconceive the Phalanx into something more, but here, they’re just a powerful threat for the X-Men to face.
The Phalanx have managed to capture most of the X-Men, and it’s up to teen member Jubilee, Banshee, and houseguests Emma Frost and Sabretooth to stop the Phalanx from kidnapping some newly discovered mutant children and save the day. The second mission of the story sees Professor X rallying the ancillary X-Teams of Excalibur, X-Factor, and X-Force to fight the source of the Phalanx threat and defeat it. Finally, Wolverine and Cable team up with Cyclops and Jean Grey, fresh off their honeymoon, to rescue the X-Men captured by the Phalanx.
This story, while fun on its own, is equally remembered for what it brought to the larger X-Franchise. The main story sets up Emma Frost to officially join the extended X-Family, reopening her Massachusetts academy to teach the next generation of mutants. The new kids would join Jubilee to become Generation X. Generation X would go on to be one of the most fondly remembered series of the era, with characters like Monet and Chamber remaining fan favorites to this day. And of course, the Phalanx would go on to become primary antagonists of the Krakoa era of X-Men.
Classic X-Men writers such as Larry Hama, Scott Lobdell, and Fabian Niciezia get to take the helm of writing duties, with superstar artists Joe Madureira, Adam Kubert, Andy Kubert, and Tony Daniel all getting to showcase their abilities at the height of their careers. Each page is a treat, especially the Kubert’s portrayal of the Phalanx Hive. Phalanx Covenant took a big risk in sidelining the main X-Men teams in order to let the side teams and secondary characters their moments to shine. If you’re a fan of Emma Frost, Banshee, Jubilee, Wolfsbane, Forge, or Cable, this is a can’t miss story. For everyone else, this is another great action caper.
27: Extermination (Extermination #1–5, X-Men: The Exterminated #1) August — December 2018
The swan song of the O5 saga that ran from late 2012 to 2018, Extermination is the X-Men equivalent of Mad Max: Fury Road, in that it’s a masterclass in action storytelling.
The story is simple enough: It’s time for the Original X-Men to finally return to the past, and mutant hunter and concentration camp enthusiast Ahab hopes to murder the children before they can. It’s up to the X-Men to set things right and get the Original X-Men back where they belong. There’s a few twists in there, but that’s the gist of the entire plot, as the bulk of the story is spent on non-stop, high octane action.
Ed Brisson pens a surprisingly moving story, but the real star of this series, and the main reason to read this story, is superstar artist Pepe Larraz. Larraz helms his first major X-Men story here, and you can see exactly why he’d become arguably the biggest artist in comics today. With colorist Marte Gracia as his partner in crime, Larraz puts on a masterclass in keeping a reader interested in people punching and blasting each other for 5 issues straight without getting bored. This is largely thanks to his impeccable choices in his composition and layouts. Every panel and spread is smartly used, moves the story forward, or informs about character.
As someone who initially wasn’t a fan of the 05 era and was patiently waiting for them to go when this was initially released, I was shocked at how much I enjoyed Extermination. Returning to read it with time for retrospection, it’s a fitting end to the Original X-Men’s time in the present, and reinforced that the time spent here was not in vain, and had meaning. Every reader owes it to themselves to give this a read, if only to see Larraz let loose to do what he does best: draw really, REALLY pretty pictures.
26. Fall of The House of X/Rise of the Powers of X (Fall of the House of X #1–5, Rise of the Powers of X #1–5, Resurrection of Magneto #1–4, X-Men: Forever #1–4, X-Men Vol 6 #30–35/700, Dead X-Men #1–4, Invincible Iron Man Vol 5 #14–20, Cable Vol 5 #1–4, Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace #1–4, Avengers Vol 9 #1–2) January-June 2024
Ranking a story that culminated less than a week ago is a tall order, so consider this an “immediate reaction” initial placement. Time provides perspective, and Fall of the House of X/Rise of the Powers of X could very well rise OR fall in the rankings.
After the Fall of X, mutantkind has been scattered to the winds as Orchis attempts a genuinely fascist takeover of Earth. In response, the remaining X-Men have slowly been regrouping and putting together a game plan. Nearly every Earth-based hero from the Avengers to the Fantastic Four have given the X-Men aid and support, and with all their efforts coordinated and preparations completed, the heroes of Earth, led by the X-Men, declare war on Orchis. Meanwhile, Professor X leads a handpicked team of X-Men outside of reality itself to defeat the AI God and the threat behind Orchis: Enigma, the original Nathaniel Essex and the culmination of Mr. Sinister’s eugenicist efforts. Fall of the House of X/Rise of the Powers of X details that war across Earth, time, and space.
This story is appropriately epic in scope, as nearly every character you can think of participates in some shape or fashion. the legendary trio of Wolverine, Colossus, and Nightcrawler function as the frontline of the assault on Orchis. Emma Frost coordinates a war across multiple fronts. Iron Man stages a war against Sentinels co-opting his technology. Magneto and Storm venture across the afterlife to provide the calvary. Apocalypse rallies the mutants of Arrako to invade Earth. Professor X is taken to the brink physically, mentally, and ethically as he holds the fate of the entirety of existence in his hands. Moira Mactaggart faces the ultimate Faustian bargain. Characters like Firestar, Rachel Summers, Synch, Polaris, Ms. Marvel, Manifold, Storm, Phoenix, and Cyclops get pivotal scene-stealing moments in the narrative. Entire space stations war across the atmosphere as mutantkind makes its final stand. These are all remarkably cool ideas and moments that readers have been waiting years to see fulfilled.
The biggest issue with Fall of the House of X/Rise of the Powers of X surrounds the cardinal rule of any primarily visual medium like comics: “show, don’t tell.” Gerry Duggan largely takes the inverse approach, as he TELLS us about a bunch of very cool things that aren’t necessarily reflected in the art, or are completely glossed over visually, relying on the reader to read and imagine the moments being described instead. There simply isn’t enough page space to let all these moments have the time and impact they deserve. For comparison’s sake, House of X/Powers of X got a full year of lead time (the comic book equivalent of pre-production to put it in movie terms) in order to ensure quality and cohesion. Fall of House of X/Rise of Powers of X were very clearly being written and drawn month to month, and that feeling of hurriedness and rush permeates the narrative.
The vast majority of the final battle with Nimrod, for instance, is completely glossed over visually, and the images and text are frequently at odds. Thankfully, the final issue does a pretty solid job of sticking the landing of the overall story and the Krakoa era at large, as the Phoenix unleashes its’ full potential in a battle taking place simultaneously across all space and time throughout the entire multiverse. Too many other moments lack the space to breathe, however, and so the most of the impact of these plot culminations and climaxes is lost, instead feel like checking off a to-do list instead of a series of anticipated catharses, like an Avengers: Endgame or the Raid of Onigashima in One Piece. The plots beats are there, but never fully realized.
The bigger structural issue, however, is that many of the issues of the event, feel either completely superfluous or so pivotal to the narrative that they should have been included within the main 10 issue story. X-Men: Forever, in particular, is absolutely necessary to understand the context of what’s happening in Rise of the Powers of X. And unlike House of X/Powers of X, which felt remarkably intertwined and influential on the other, Fall of House of X feels entirely perfunctory to the events of Rise of the Powers of X, which is where most of the real culminations of the 5-year Krakoa saga take place.
The main series is co-written by the main architects of the latter half of the Krakoa era, Gerry Duggan and Kieron Gillen. They are joined by writers such as Fabian Nicieza, Al Ewing, Jed Mackay, Steve Foxe, Sabir Prizada, and Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel herself!). On main art duties are Lucas Werneck whose art, while usually immaculately intricate and literred with fine line work, can’t help but look much more rushed and rough than usual, and Powers of X superstar R.B. Silva. Luciano Vecchino, who in the latter part of the Krakoa era became a mainstay of X-Men comics, takes the reins for the final issue, and delivers what is already being considered amongst his finest work as an artist. The ancillary titles are handled by artists such as Joshua Cassara, David Baldeon, Vincenzo Carratu, Bernard Chang, Jonas Scharf, Scott Godlewski, Patch Zircher, Creees Lee, Francesco Mortarino, and Luca Maresca.
These criticisms aside, Fall of the House of X/Rise of the Powers of X succeeds at showcasing the X-Men at their most competent and dominant, as they once again save Earth and all of reality from a planet that hates and fears them when the stakes have never been higher. While it may not live up to the heights of earlier Krakoa era events, neither does it disappoint the way a story like The Twelve did. Ultimately, Fall of the House of X/Rise of the Powers of X is a good encapsulation of the themes of the Krakoa era: The power of community, the power and danger of dreams, and the power of choosing understanding over fear of the other.
25. House of M (House of M #1–8) June — November 2005
“No More Mutants”. With three words, Wanda Maximoff forever altered the trajectory of the X-Men franchise.
House of M functions as the first major event of both the Astonishing X-Men era and the New Avengers Era, both of which would last from 2004 to 2012, and would see both franchises go through radical changes. Here, the X-Men and the Avengers meet at a summit to decide the fate of a mentally unstable Scarlet Witch, who has been responsible for several mass casualty events, and whose reality warping powers are growing out of control.
Fans of Wandavision got to experience a massively scaled down version of the havoc wreaked by The Scarlet Witch as she seemingly makes the choice to rewrite reality, creating a world where mutants are the majority, ruled by Magneto and his family, and humans are the minority. As the newest member of the Avengers and the most popular X-Man, Wolverine takes center stage here as the main character of the story. Surprisingly, despite his popularity, Logan is rarely THE main character of an X-Men event. But here, due to his fractured mind, Wolverine is the only superhero to remember life before Wanda altered the world. It’s up to him to find the Avengers, X-Men, and the various heroes scattered throughout the House of M, in order to defeat Magneto and his family, and find a way to restore the world.
Very few stories have ever shaped the Marvel Universe the way House of M did. Mutantkind would go from a population of millions to an endangered species of 198. Mutantkind would not recover from this decimation until the Krakoa era began in 2019. The next 14–15 years of X-Men stories would be singularly driven by this event. In addition, Wolverine, the most famous amnesiac in pop culture, finally regained his centuries of lost memories, setting off years of plotlines. The Avengers’ response to Wanda’s illness would cause a significant wedge between the Avengers and X-Men which wouldn’t be truly repaired until 2021’s The Trial of Magneto. Professor X and Magneto would move off center stage to the sidelines for the next decade, only returning to their leadership positions in the mutant community following House of X/Powers of X.
A comic book event isn’t just its consequences, however. Thankfully, Brian Bendis and legendary artist Oliver Coipel are both at their absolute best here, and there’s much to recommend in the journey taken in House of M. Coipel’s work in the climatic siege of Magneto’s Castle in particular remains one of the most spectacular action setpieces ever put to page at Marvel. The biggest critique I have of House of M is that it suffers from a second act that drags more than it should, which is a common issue with Bendis’s event comics.
Many comics claim nothing will ever be the same after, but House of M is the rare example where that isn’t mere hyperbole. Any Avengers or X-Men fan owes it to themselves to read this landmark in Marvel history.
24. Utopia (Uncanny X-Men/Dark Avengers: Utopia/Exodus, Uncanny X-Men #513–514, X-Men Legacy #226–227, Dark Avengers #7–8, Dark X-Men: The Beginning #1–3, Dark X-Men: The Confession) June — September 2009
In many ways, Utopia is the crowning achievement of Matt Fraction’s tenure on Uncanny X-Men. It’s another event that plays out differently than your standard action blockbuster. Instead, we get a political drama, with San Francisco caught in the middle.
Here, we see Norman Osborn (The Green Goblin), recently appointed to Nick Fury’s position in national security, turn his attention to “the mutant problem”. Bigoted politicians have started another anti-mutant bill, and protests by famously progressive San Franciscans and mutants eventually erupt into a night of full blown riots.
Osborn, smelling blood in the water, institutes martial law and begins a PR blitz in order to sideline the X-Men from his larger machinations. What follows is an incredibly fun story about Cyclops and the Green Goblin waging political campaigns against each other, trying to win the battle of public opinion. Osborn creates his own team of X-Men, led by Cyclops’ partner, Emma Frost, and Professor X, seemingly returning from sabbatical. Cyclops sends out mutants such as Dazzler and Northstar to earn goodwill. Younger mutants continue to protest and somehow Sentinels are in this again. It all culminates in a knockout fight between the dozens of X-Men and the combined forces of the evil Avengers and X-Men, led by Norman Osborn.
In an era where The Avengers, Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four and more failed to stop Norman’s ascent or topple his regime, it’s the X-Men who hand Norman his first significant defeat, and sets off the chain of events that leads to the swift unraveling of his empire. It’s rare that the X-Men get such a complete and utter victory, and watching Cyclops unfold his long con is incredibly fun to watch. It also introduced the island of Utopia, which would remain the X-Men’s home all the way through Avengers vs X-Men.
Mike Deodato, Luke Ross and Terry Dodson lead the art on this story, while Matt Fraction pens the whole thing, wrestling Dark Avengers away from Brian Bendis for a few issues. This is the X-Men being explicitly political, with themes of police brutality, marginalization, and self determination for the oppressed. It’s a great time.
23. Necrosha (X-Necrosha #1, X-Necrosha: The Gathering #1, X-Force Vol 3 #21–25, New Mutants Vol 3 #5–8, X-Men: Legacy #231–234) December 2009-March 2010
Necrosha was part of the zombie craze of the late 2000’s, along with things like the Walking Dead and Blackest Night. You might be forgiven for thinking you’re just getting a ton of issues of zombie hordes. There IS a lot of that. Thankfully, that doesn’t stop Necrosha from being a wild ride.
Like Phalanx Covenant and Fall of the Mutants before it, Necrosha tells three separate stories all taking place simultaneously. The main story serves as the climax of the Craig/Yost run of X-Force, as immortal goth vampire Selene makes her play for godhood. In order to make this happen, she unleashes an army of dead mutants, including many of the X-Men’s closest friends and foes. Secondly, the New Mutants have to face off with their dead teammates, as well as their deceased rivals, the Hellions. Finally, Rogue and Nightcrawler head to Muir Island to stop the reality warper Proteus from unleashing hell upon the world.
Necrosha wouldn’t work nearly as well if Clayton Crain’s dark, inky, scratchy art didn’t absolutely showstop. Shadows and nocturnes pervade every page of this story, and it feels like a true night of the living dead. That being said, watching the entire island of Utopia marshall its forces to push back an oncoming army is always a blast. This doesn’t even mention how Clay Mann makes his superstar turn in his portion of the epic, or Diogenes Neves’ great character work watching the New Mutants come face to face with all their fellow students who died in the line of action.
Necrosha is at its strongest when letting the decimated, endangered species of mutants deal viscerally with those they’ve lost over the years. Warpath in particular gets to shine here in ways he rarely gets to, as do Wolfsbane and Rogue. Even if this run of X-Force is overshadowed by Remender’s Uncanny X-Force immediately following it, Necrosha is a strong case for why no X-Fan should ignore the Kyle/Yost run either.
22. The Muir Island Saga (Uncanny X-Men #278–280, X-Factor #69–70) May — July 1991
In many ways, the Muir Island Saga is the true climax of Chris Claremont’s legendary 17 year run on the X-Men. Following this story comes the first three issues of X-Men Volume 2, to this day the best selling comic of all time. During the writing of that story and this one, Claremont was unceremoniously fired after turning X-Men into the biggest comic in the world. As a result, the rest of the Muir Island Saga was finished by the greatest workman in comics history, Fabian Nicieza, along with Peter David. Paul Smith, Andy Kubert, and Whilce Portacio cover art duties.
At a relatively breezy five issues, this is one of the shortest events on this list. That being said, dozens of issues of Uncanny X-Men had been spent building up to this story. In fact, the original version of this story was meant to be the capstone to every dangling plot thread lingering in Uncanny X-Men since 1980’s Dark Phoenix Saga. Early on in the Claremont run, our villain, the Shadow King, had been set up as the dark mirror of Charles Xavier, and now, we finally get to see him tip his hand.
Originally, The Shadow King was going to be the main architect of the “mutant wars”, and the puppet master that had pitted the X-Men, Hellfire Club, Brotherhood, Morlocks, and various other mutant factions against each other throughout the history of the X-Men. This story, however, was nixed by Marvel editorial, and Claremont had to pivot to an abbreviated version of his concept.
Even in this truncated form, Claremont and Nicieza do an incredible job positioning The Shadow King as an all-encompassing threat, and one very likely beyond the scope of the X-Men’s ability to defeat. Very few times has an X-Men villain ever felt so intimidating, and this is largely thanks to Andy Kubert’s stellar design. Also welcome is a focus on Professor X and his role as founder and figurehead of the X-Men. Professor X is rarely a major player in these events, and watching him take charge after being absent for most of Claremont’s tenure is a welcome change of pace.
It’s not just Charles who gets welcome attention. Characters like Polaris, Forge, Banshee, Mystique, and Psylocke also get great moments to shine. Many long simmering relationships, rivalries, and character arcs get resolutions here. That being said, a reader’s enjoyment of the story is also heavily dependent on having read the preceding Claremont era of the X-Men, and that does take away from its standings on this list. The Muir Island Saga is a bittersweet bow on the Claremont run, and the key transition to the 90’s era of the X-Men.
21. Ultimate War (Ultimate War #1–4) December 2002 — February 2003
Ultimate War is the original Avengers vs X-Men event, set in the Ultimate Marvel Universe that ran from 2000 to 2015.
The premise is very simple and straightforward: Magneto, in this universe very explicitly a mutant supremacist and terrorist in the vein of Al Qaeda, has bombed the Brooklyn Bridge (this comic came out only 15 months after 9/11), and demanded the surrender of every government to mutantkind in six months. If they fail to meet his demands, Magneto will systemically slaughter every human on the planet. The plot twist is that Magneto, presumed dead by the American government, has learned Magneto was instead held at the Xavier institute as Professor Xavier hoped to rehabilitate him. Therefore, in the eyes of the American Military and their main strike force, The Ultimates (aka The Avengers), the X-Men are complicit in his act of terrorism and are to be brought into custody. Meanwhile, the X-Men are looking to locate Magneto and bring him to justice before the Ultimates do, in order to clear their name and prevent a government crackdown on all of mutantkind.
Bush-era and War on Terror symbolism and rhetoric permeate every single panel of this four-issue comic. For some, this will be a turn-off, but narratively it ultimately fosters this incredible game of cat and mouse and spycraft with the X-Men and Ultimates. For my money, as far as actual Avengers vs X-Men throwdowns go, this is still probably the best executed fight between them in Marvel history in terms of action, with Colossus, Iceman, Wolverine, Hawkeye, Captain America, and Thor being standout characters in the fight itself. It’s a late 90’s- Early 00’s action blockbuster in comic book form.
The script is tightly written and executed by the king of blockbuster action comics, Mark Millar (writer of The Ultimates, The Authority, Civil War, Old Man Logan, Kick-Ass, The Kingsman, Wanted, and Superman: Red Son among others) and drawn by X-Men legend Chris Bachalo, my personal favorite comic book artist. Ultimate War is a masterclass in composing and executing a political action-thriller in comic book form. If you like stuff like The Hunt For Red October, this is the comic for you.
20. Messiah War (X-Force/Cable #1, Cable Vol 2 #13–15, X-Force Vol 3 #14–16) March — June 2009
The middle chapter of the Messiah Trilogy, Messiah War is also the least. That doesn’t mean it’s bad though. Rather, Messiah War shows the lengths the X-Men will endure to protect Hope and Cable.
Sent to the future in the middle of a life or death mission, Wolverine’s black ops squad is tasked with locating Cable and the newborn mutant baby and returning them home to the present. While only a few months have passed for our X-Men, Cable and a preteen Hope have spent the better part of a decade trying to survive a nuclear wasteland, hunted at the hands of their former friend Bishop. And now, he’s teamed up with Stryfe, the ruler of earth thousands of years in the future, to kill Hope once and for all. It’s up to Cable and X-Force to protect Hope from the forces of Stryfe and Bishop.
Messiah War is a tightly paced, high intensity thrill ride of a story, in the vein of something like 1999’s The Matrix. What gives the series heart, however, is seeing how Hope, having grown up on stories of the X-Men, reacts to the most vicious and least aspirational of them. Her interactions with X-23 are especially touching, as she represents the only major female presence in her life since her mother’s death.
Art-wise, this is Clayton Crain’s show, as his future is a cold, steel infused, techno organic wasteland. This is the stuff of Cable’s nightmares, and now his adoptive daughter is caught in his old war. Watching Cable negotiate his evolution from soldier to father is moving, leading to a high-intensity showdown with his clone. The fight against Stryfe at the climax is particularly brutal, and reminds us what Cable could be capable of when fully unleashing his power.
Messiah War shows the cost of mutantkind’s fight for survival, and the toll it takes on the most vulnerable. No reading of this era is complete without it.
19. Operation: Zero Tolerance! (Uncanny X-Men #346, X-Men Vol 2 #65–69, X-Force #67–69, Generation X# 26–27, 29–31, Cable #45–47 Wolverine #115–118, X-Men Unlimited # 16) June — September 1997
Operation: Zero Tolerance, in many ways, is the swan song of the 90’s heyday of the X-Men. After this story, the franchise becomes largely directionless until 2001’s New X-Men. If this is the end of the Golden Age of the X-Men, then it ends with the X-Men directly confronting an existential threat from the systemic and cultural forces of America.
Operation: Zero Tolerance deals with the fallout of the assasination of an anti-mutant presidential candidate (who happened to be the bastard human son of Sabretooth and Mystique), and the government response of attempting to round up all the mutants in the country. Led by the mutant hunting Bastion, the X-Men are largely captured and contained, and it’s up to Iceman to pick up a ragtag group of mutants and defeat Bastion. Meanwhile, Wolverine and the rest of the X-Men go on a mission to rescue the captured victims of Bastion. Finally, Cable leads X-Force on a mission to prevent Bastion from getting access to the X-Men’s data and Cerebro.
Here, we get to see the X-Men really confront in a real way the bigotry and prejudice of the world that hates and fears them. Iceman’s confrontation with Bastion is arguably his finest hour as an X-Man. The bad guy is the United States government itself, taking steps to make the persecution and marginalization of mutants official policy. To this day, mutants have rarely been so singularly targeted. Here, we see what the stakes of standing up for the existence of mutants can look like for our heroes and those they care about.
Carlos Pacheo is the main artist of this event, and he does wonderful work, especially in introducing characters such as Cecilia Reyes and Marrow, both of whom would become cult-favorite members of the X-Men. And as mentioned earlier, the confrontation between Iceman and Bastion might be Scott Lobdell’s best moment as steward of the X-Line.
This year, X-Men ’97 adapted Operation: Zero Tolerance to mass acclaim. If you want to see the X-Men very directly confront an attempt at systemic oppression and marginalization, this is the story for you!
18. X-Cutioner’s Song (Uncanny X-Men #294–297, X-Men Vol 2 #14–16, X-Factor #84–86, X-Force #16–19, Stryfe’s Strike File #1) September — December 1992
Ah, X-Cutioner’s Song. This is the Peak 90’s X-Men event. It’s goofy, full of insane continuity and retcons, nonsense action, and pouches galore. This is the X-Men at their most fun, in my opinion.
At a mutants right rally, Professor X is shot by none other than X-Force Leader Cable! X-Men and X-Factor join forces to capture Cable and his renegade X-Force, but all is not as it seems, as Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister, and Stryfe are also unleashing their own devious plots on the X-Men and each other. The X-Men must solve the mysteries and save Professor X in order to save the world!
X-Cutioner’s Song is a classic 12-parter. Tons of fights based on misunderstandings. Cool, unique never before seen character pairings. Villains vs villains and heroes vs heroes. And of course, lots and lots of Summers family drama delivered in soliloquy. Brandon Peterson, Jae Lee, Greg Capullo, and Andy Kubert take charge of art duties, as Fabian Nicieza, Peter David, and Scott Lobdell take charge of writing. Greg Capullo and Andy Kubert’s chapters are especially worth mentioning, as they deliver some of the best action showcases of the era.
As the first major crossover of the post-Claremont era, X-Cutioner’s Song had the mandate of showing off the new, reinvigorated era of X-Men, and it certainly accomplishes that. Of all the stories in the list, this is the definition of a summer blockbuster story. It’s always entertaining to reread. If you want to know the X-Men that took over Blockbuster, Fox Kids, and Pizza Hut, and enchanted a generation of kids in the process, this is the X-Men story for you.
17. Sins of Sinister (Sins of Sinister #1, Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1, Immoral X-Men #1–3, Nightcrawlers #1–3, Storm and the Brotherhood of Mutants #1–3, Immortal X-Men #9–10) December 2022 — April 2023
In the middle of the overarching Krakoa era, we were treated to one of the best alternate timeline tales in the X-Men’s storied history of time travel and dimension hopping. The title Sins of Sinister is both explicit and implicit, as we are exposed to ten issues of sin and sacrilege, as well as the internal failures and sins of Mr. Sinister, the most personally odious of all X-Men antagonists.
Mr. Sinister, through cloning various mutants, has essentially savescummed his way through our timeline hundreds of times to ensure that he can manipulate events on Krakoa in pursuit of his ultimate goal of achieving Dominion Status, a being unconstrained by time and space with Godlike powers. Now, he’s managed to create a virus transmitting himself into the psyche’s of anyone he wants, and he has possessed Professor X, Emma Frost, and Hope. Soon, he’ll infect the entire world like a cancer, and after that? The Universe. The only people standing in his way are Mother Righteous, a sorceress clone of Mr. Sinister playing her own gambit, and Storm, leader of the few X-Men left standing against a world of Mr. Sinisters.
There’s a LOT to love about Sins of Sinister. No one makes Mr. Sinister, as our main character, as entertaining to follow as Kieron Gillen. He’s a right proper bastard throughout. Storm gets to really flex her character muscles here. She’s everything from rebel leader to genuine Goddess as she embodies life, community, and meaning in the face of Mr. Sinister’s cancer, individualism, and nihilism. The Sinisterized versions of each of the various Marvel characters we know and love as well provide a lot of genuine insight into the core of these characters while ALSO being hilarious or horrifying. In addition, we get to see the concept of mutant circuits (basically comboing powers to get crazy feats) really explored to it’s fullest potential as we see mutantkind slowly conquer the galaxy once they’re united.
The story is mostly written by superstar writer Kieron Gillen, with some assistance by Si Spurrier and Al Ewing, two other Brits who have proven themselves as incredible writers of science fiction and have become acclaimed X-Men writers in their own right. Lucas Werneck (here in peak form), Paco Medina, Andrea Di Vito, Alessandro Vitti, Lorenzo Tametta, and Phillip Savi trade issues as artists with remarkable cohesion and consistency. Paco Medina and Lucas Werneck in particular deserve credit for their work. Various A-list artists provide a single page in the initial jam issue including Marco Checchetto, Juan José Ryp, David Baldeón, Travel Foreman, Carlos Fomed, Federico Vicentini, and Stefano Caselli.
Sins of Sinister is a story about hubris, faith, ambition, and confronting our worst selves and most selfish desires for the sake of others. This is a story that miraculously delivers incredible comic set pieces while still doing deep character work with real narrative and thematic weight. It’s an X-Men all-timer.
16. Age of X (Age of X: Alpha #1, X-Men: Legacy #244–247, New Mutants Vol 3 #22–24, Age of X Universe #1–2, Age of X Historical Logs #1) January — May 2011
Age of X is one of the great alternate universe tales at Marvel, and a cornerstone of Mike Carey’s criminally underrated X-Men tenure. Here, we get a wonderful look into the psychology of the X-Men, and what the toll of being an endangered species has taken upon our favorite heroes.
In terms of plot, this story is relatively straightforward. The X-Men find themselves in an alternate reality where everyday, from morning until night, the X-Men are under siege from the military might of humanity. In Age of X, Magneto leads the remnants of mutantkind in a never ending battle, with characters such as Cyclops, Cannonball, Frenzy, and Rogue in radically different positions and with different personalities.Of course, things are not as they seem, and watching Rogue puzzle her way into solving the mysteries of the Age of X is the true delight of this series.
What makes this series work so far is two things. First, Clay Mann and Steve Kurth do an amazing job showcasing the different designs and siege-like wasteland the X-Men call home. Clay Mann is one of the biggest artists in the business, and Age of X is where he made his name. Secondly, seeing the mental toll living in a true neverending battle takes on X-Men such as Pixie, Cyclops, Cannonball, and Rogue. Watching as they try to deal with the trauma of constantly being on the verge of death highlights the importance of the X-Men’s mission in a way few stories get to.
Age of X takes 8 issues and crafts a gorgeous widescreen mystery that explores the psyche of the X-Men and those they protect. Anyone who wants to understand why Mike Carey is such a fan favorite writer, look no further.
15. The Hellfire Gala (Marauders #21, X-Force Vol 6 #20, Hellions #12, Excalibur Vol 4 #21, X-Men Vol 5 #21, Planet-Size X-Men #1, New Mutants Vol 4 #19, X-Corp #2, Wolverine Vol 3 #17, S.W.O.R.D. Vol 2 #6, Way of X #3, X-Factor Vol 4 #10) June 2021
The Hellfire Gala is one of the most pure fun events in the history of Marvel. The concept is really as straightforward as this: “What if The X-Men threw the Met Gala?” Mutant fashion and culture meets mutant geopolitics as the new mutant nation-state of Krakoa throws a party to welcome the rest of the international community onto mutant soil for the first time. Everyone from Captain America to Conan O’Brian is there to see what the mutants will reveal to the world. New political alliances are formed, romance is had, and everyone is treated to a night they’ll never forget in the Mighty Marvel Manner!
Artists were allowed to REALLY flex their creative muscles here, as nearly every X-Man of note were given haute couture redesigns of their iconic looks. Fans and cosplayers went absolutely feral over these costumes. social media was flooded with fan designs and commentary, and the fashion reveals became the single most anticipated event of all three Hellfire Galas of the Krakoa era, even over the story itself! This concept was so fun and popular with the fans that Disney even threw a real-life Hellfire Gala at 2023’s D23 conference.
Plot wise, the event was constructed in a brilliant manner. Rather than have one overarching narrative, every comic book in the X-Men line spent exactly one issue showcasing the night of the Gala from the point of view of their main cast. X-Force is running security, Excalibur is trying to salvage diplomatic relations with the UK, The Hellions aren’t invited and decide to drunkenly crash the party, and son on. As the month of June 2021 went on, readers pieced more and more of the puzzle together to figure out what the important plot points were for the world of the X-Men moving forward. And once the month was over, readers could finally figure out the chronological order of the night and read the Hellfire Gala in a linear fashion. The focal point, however, was Planet-Size X-Men, which showcased the true potential of Krakoa as the omega mutants unite for the first time to terraform an entire planet.
The creative talent here is absolutely overflowing. Writers included Jonathan Hickman, Gerry Duggan, Al Ewing, Tini Howard, Vita Ayala, Si Spurrier, Benjamin Percy, Zeb Wells, Joanna Estep, David Baldeón and Leah Williams. Art was handled by every major artist of this era of X-Men: Matteo Lolli, Joshua Cassara, Stephen Segovia, Marcus To, Nick Dragotta, Russell Dauterman, Lucas Werneck, Frank Martin, Matthew Wilson, Sunny Gho, Nolan Woodward, Alberto Foche, Alex Lins, Joanna Estep, David Baldeón, Scot Eaton, David Messina, Israel Silva, Bob Qinn, Mike Henderson, Nico Leon, Emilio Laiso, Diego Olortegui, Davud Messina, Valerio Schiti, and Pepe Larraz.
Soap Opera and drama are at the narrative core of X-Men, and perhaps no X-Men story has allowed for the spectacle of mutantkind to be placed at the forefront of its’ narrative in such a brilliant and productive manner as The Hellfire Gala. It’s one of the true highlights of the Krakoa era.
14. Avengers vs X-Men (Avengers vs X-Men #0–12, Avengers vs X-Men: Infinite #1–3, AVX: Vs #1–6, Wolverine and the X-Men #9–18, Uncanny X-Men vol 2 #11–20, X-Men: Legacy #266–270, 274–275 Avengers Vol 4 #25–30, New Avengers vol 2 #24–30, Avengers Academy #29–33, Secret Avengers #26–28) March — October 2012
Avengers vs X-Men is one of the largest stories Marvel has ever told, rivalling the size of Civil War and Secret Wars. It’s a massive, blockbuster event, and reading all the tie-ins will get you to about 70 issues of story. And for the amount of story being told, all that space is needed.
The set up is simple enough: the Phoenix Force is returning to Earth, and it’s gunning for Hope Summers, the mutant messiah. The Avengers want to stop it before it reaches Earth, given the Phoenix’s habit of blowing up planets. The X-Men want to harness the power of the Phoenix to save mutantkind from extinction. When the Avengers show up to take Hope into custody, an all-out war breaks out, with just about every major Marvel character created at the time taking part in the conflict.
Avengers vs X-Men serves at the climax of an entire era of Marvel which I refer to as the “New/Astonishing Era”. This era runs simultaneously in the X-Men and Avengers titles, beginning with 2004’s Astonishing X-Men and 2005’s New Avengers, and running through House of M, Civil War, Secret Invasion, Messiah Complex, Second Coming, and Fear Itself. After this story, Marvel begins the “Marvel Now!” era that would run throughout the 2010’s. As such, it has to serve as the culmination of Bendis’s Avengers saga and the X-Men’s post-Morrison struggles and transformation from school into army under the leadership of Cyclops.
Due to what’s asked of this story, there are two ways to evaluate this story. One is just by judging the main 12-issue miniseries, which serves as the ultimate blockbuster tale, drawn by Adam Kubert, Olivier Coipel, and John Romita Jr., and written by Ed Brubaker, Brian Bendis, Matt Fraction, Jason Aaron, and Jonathan Hickman. This version is full of crazy, big moments, but is very light on characterizations, which can make actions feel odd and out of character.
This issue is helped immensely by the tie in issues, especially Kieron Gillen’s Uncanny X-Men. Here, you can see the thoughts, actions, and motivations of all the major players, especially those of Cyclops and Wolverine, who along with Hope, Captain America, and Iron Man make up the core leads. Cyclops and Wolverine both reach the culmination of their decade-long development from brothers in arms to bitter rivals, the successors to Magneto and Xavier respectively. Cyclops’ final battle to secure mutantkind’s survival made many lifelong fans or haters of Scott.
Avengers vs X-Men is a great story to hand to your teenager who just wants to see his favorite superheroes fighting each other. Of course, you couldn’t quite help but shake the feeling that the X-Men are written as the “heels” of the conflict because the Avengers had to look good to coincide with the release of the 2012 movie. But this is THE defining X-Men story of the 2010’s, which would dictate the direction of the franchise for the next decade. If you can take the time to include the tie-ins, especially those of Kieron Gillen, you’ll be rewarded with the biggest war in Marvel’s history.
13. Fall of The Mutants (Uncanny X-Men #225–227, X-Factor #24–26, New Mutants #59–61) September — November 1987
Fall of the Mutants is one of the more unique events in X-Men history. Instead of being one overarching story, this is a thematic crossover, with each separate narrative following a “Fall” of some kind for our mutants, whether it be symbolic or literal.
First, the X-Men and Brotherhood of Mutants confront the magical threat of the Adversary in Downtown Dallas, and are forced to make significant sacrifices in the name of protecting a world that hates and fears them. Secondly, the New Mutants fight a villain named the Ani-Mator and are forced to grow up fast as they experience losing one of their own. Finally, X-Factor has their first major confrontation with Apocalypse, and witnesses the fall of two of their own to the forces of Apocalypse.
Mark Silvestri and Claremont do incredible work on the X-Men side, as does Bret Blevins and Louise Simonson on New Mutants. That being said, the standout segment of this tale is easily the husband and wife duo of Louise and Walt Simonson on X-Factor, chronicling the rise of Apocalypse and his Four Horsemen. Watching X-Factor’s dread at realizing how they’ve been played by Apocalypse, and the loss of Caliban and Angel to his sway. It’s one of the best tales in the X-Men canon all on its’ own, and it’s still linked to the X-Men and New Mutants tales!
Fall of The Mutants represents a metaphorical and real fall for the X-Men that they wouldn’t fully recover from until 1992’s X-Men Vol 2 #1, which closed the Claremont era and opened up the 90’s era. In many ways, it feels as the last of the halcyon days of the X-Men. X-Factor leaves the comfort of their hidden agenda. The X-Men move from the X-Mansion to Australia, and wouldn’t return for half a decade. The New Mutants leave the tutelage of Magneto, and strike out on their own, basically directionless until they’re taken in by Cable and transformed into X-Force. That transition begins here.
12. Second Coming (Uncanny X-Men #523–525, New Mutants Vol 3 #12–24, X-Force Vol 3 #26–28, X-Men: Legacy # 235–237, X-Factor #203–206, X-Men# Second Coming #1–2, Second Coming: Prepare, Second Coming Revelations: Blind Science #1, Second Coming: Hellbound #1–3) February — July 2010
The climax of the Messiah Trilogy is one of the most high intensity stories in the X-Men’s history. Second Coming sees Cable and a grown up Hope Summers finally return to the present, and it’s all hands on deck as the united forces of mutantkind face an onslaught by Bastion and a who’s who of mutant-hating humans, all allied to wipe out the few hundred mutants left alive. In the process of getting Cable and Hope home, secrets are revealed, heroes are killed, and mutantkind is put through the ringer as wave after wave of Purifiers, Sentinels, Reavers, and all manner of danger is brought to the doorstep of Utopia. Characters such as Cypher, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, and Wolverine get great moments to show off their place in the larger army of mutantkind.
Second Coming, in many ways, is the ultimate test of Cyclops’ abilities as a leader, and as the figurehead of mutantkind as a species. Everyone from Magneto to Professor X is looking to Scott for leadership, and the choices he’s been forced to make to ensure mutantkind’s survival finally bear their fruit, for both better and worse. Just as compelling, however, is the story of Hope’s return to the present after spending her childhood in the most nightmarish of conditions. Dealing with the expectations of the X-Men, her relationship to her father, Cable, and the conditions of the 21st century give Second Coming a beating heart, and one that makes the final moments of the story all the more intense.
In terms of art, this is one of the weaker lineups, which dings it a little. David Finch, Mike Choi, Terry Dodson, Greg Land, and Ibraim Roberson share duties. Each on their own is adequate, but none of the art styles necessarily go too well together. Choi and Roberson in my opinion turn in the strongest work, with the textless battle on the Golden Gate Bridge being a particular highlight on the action front. That being said, the writer lineup on Second Coming is exceptionally strong, with Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, Matt Fraction, Mike Carey, and Zeb Wells all turning in exceptional issues. Nightcrawler’s Funeral in particular is incredibly poignant.
Second Coming is a fittingly epic conclusion to the Messiah Trilogy, a wonderful story about the relationship of Cable to his father and daughter, and a showcase for the X-Men as a united army of mutants under Cyclops’ leadership.
11. X-Tinction Agenda (Uncanny X-Men #270–272, X-Factor #60–62, New Mutants #95–97) September — November 1990
The X-Men have functioned as an allegory for the marginalized for decades, but X-Tinction Agenda remains perhaps the story that most directly deals with legalized, systemic injustices perpetrated against minorities. The X-Men battle the magistrates of Genosha, a literal mutant caste and slave society. Genosha was a not-so-thinly-veiled analogue for Apartheid South Africa, and the brutal injustices inflicted upon the black community there. It’s brutal and intense in a way not many X-Men stories are, but given the subject matter it feels like appropriate gravitas.
Unlike the previous X-Men crossovers, there aren’t multiple storylines for the disparate X-Teams. Instead, this is a showcase for the combined might of the X-Family at the time, including newest member Cable. Warlock. Wolfsbane, Havok, Storm, and plenty of others get great moments to shine as well. These character moments are juxtaposed with the systemic enslavement and legal system of Genosha, whose cruelty and inhumanity are chilling to witness, even 30 years later.
X-Tinction Agenda is an event largely driven by the art of Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee. Here, you can see exactly how both would become industry-shaping superstars as they showcase the horror of the Magistrates and Cameron Hodge. Moreover, the barbaric treatment the X-Men receive is appropriately upsetting to look at.
If you’ve been upset by recent events in American politics and want to see some superheroes blow up the system, X-tinction Agenda is a great bit of catharsis. And it’s a reminder of why the X-Men are so necessary in the Marvel Universe. The tragedy of Genosha would continue through Bloodties to Magneto War to Eve of Destruction, all the way to Morrison’s New X-Men. No X-Men fan should miss this story.
10. Inferno (2021) (Inferno #1–4) September 2021 — January 2022
Jonathan Hickman is arguably the most critically acclaimed writer at Marvel over the past 15 years, and Inferno is a succinct showcase of why Hickman is so beloved.
When Krakoa was founded, like any nation, it committed an original sin. Professor X and Magneto strung Mystique along on a promise to return Destiny to her in exchange for her spywork during Krakoa’s founding. However, Moira Mactaggart, the lynchpin of the nation, has warned that returning Destiny will ensure the failure of the nation. And Destiny told Mystique if she’s not returned, to burn Krakoa to the ground. Two years of publication later, it’s time to have a reckoning.
After writing acclaimed multi-year runs on S.H.I.E.L.D., Fantastic Four, and The Avengers, Jonathan Hickman decides to preemptively end his run on X-Men as “Head of X”, entrusting the future of his saga to his collaborators. Instead of culminating in a cataclysmic cosmic battle with the multiverse at stake, Inferno is instead a narrative and thematic conclusion, examining the leaders, the “great men” of mutantkind, and taking stock of the deeds, both good and evil, as they’ve transformed from heroes and villains into political actors and collaborators. It’s a meditation on the cost of power and the value of maintaining a community as large as a nation in the name of a dream.
Art is passed between Valerio Schiti, R.B. Silva, and Stefano Caselli, each turning in career-best work. Standout sequences from each include Silva’s revelation of Omega Sentinel’s origins, Schiti’s Showdown between Professor X and Magneto against Nimrod and Omega Sentinel, and Caselli’s reconciliation between Mystique and Destiny.
The whole deck of cards in on the verge of collapse. Will Mystique and Destiny burn Krakoa to the ground? will the secret of Moira Mactaggart be revealed? What is the purpose of Orchis and the Phalanx really? What does Emma think should happen? Who has betrayed Krakoa already? And do the citizens of Krakoa even have a say? Can a nation-state made up of the marginalized and oppressed ultimately escape the cycle of violence and failure their oppressors inflicted, or are they doomed to repeat the mistakes of their oppressors? All these questions and more are explored and answered in a four issue barnburner of a story.
9. Fatal Attractions (X-Factor #92, X-Force #25, X-Men Unlimited #2, Uncanny X-Men #304, X-Men Vol 2 #25, Wolverine #75, Excalibur #71) May — September 1993
Magneto has long been the X-Men’s greatest foe, and one of the great characters in comics. Despite being THE X-Men villain, he spends so much time in morally grey areas that he rarely spends significant time in full-on villain territory. Fortunately for those who want to see a full-on X-Men/Magneto battle, Fatal Attractions is here to serve as THE “Magneto as supervillain” story.
Central to this story is Colossus, who has just been through the emotional ringer. In swift succession he has lost his brother, sister, and parents in the crossfire of the X-Men’s battles, and watching him struggle with near incomprehensible grief serves as the heart of this story. Magento, due to these events, decides the time for Mutant supremacy has arrived. Unleashing the full extent of his powers and those of his Acolytes, the world has been brought to its knees. It’s up to the X-Men to stop Magneto before he conquers the world.
This is a real “on hands on deck” situation as the Acolytes attack X-Factor, Excalibur, and X-Force, leaving only a ragtag army of X-Men to storm Magento in his new asteroid base of Avalon. Professor X himself elects to lead the X-Men in battle, allowing him to actually take part in the climactic battle. Wolverine’s confrontation of Magneto in particular remains one of the most memorable moments in the X-Men canon, as Magneto unleashes the full extent of his rage on Logan.
This was the first story that Fabian Nicieza and Scott Lobdell got to plot on their own, and they did incredible work. As with many 90’s events though, the artists are the real stars, as Andy Kubert, Adam Kubert, future Batman superstar Greg Capullo, Future Marvel EIC Joe Quesada, Ken Lahsley, and John Romita Jr. all turn in career-best work here. Kubert and Romita’s work in particular in the creation of Avalon is worth noting. This is peak 90’s in a good way.
Fatal Attractions remains THE showcase for Magneto as a supervillain instead of an anti-hero. It’s the X-Men at their most operatic, and the X-Men ’97 adaptation of this storyline appropriately served as the finale of the first season. Any X-Men fan should take the time to track this story down.
8. Inferno (Uncanny X-Men #239–243, X-Factor #36–39-Annual #4, New Mutants #71–73, X-Terminators #1–4) August — December 1988
The X-Men have always had a difficult relationship with magic, and never has that been more tested than in Inferno. Hell comes to earth, and the X-Men must confront their darkest demons in order to say the day.
The story is broken into three main parts. First, the X-Men and X-Factor interact for the first time in years, as they confront the dual threats of Madelyne Pryor, transformed into the Goblin Queen, and Mr. Sinister. Secondly, the New Mutants must save one of their own as Magik finally becomes the Darkchilde and unleashes the hordes of Limbo on Manhattan. Finally, a new group, the X-Terminators, must save some children from the demon hordes of Limbo. Excalibur also briefly ties in, but it’s not part of the main story.
Inferno represents the climax of a number of Claremont’s and Louise Simonson’s longest running plot threads. Madelyne Pryor’s marriage to Cyclops and her similarity to Jean Grey. Mr. Sinister’s reveal as leader of the Marauders and orchestrator of the Morlock Massacre. Magneto’s tenure at the Xavier School and the Hellfire Club. The X-Men and X-Factor’s confrontation of multiple lies told by both teams. Most poignant and beautiful, however, is the New Mutants section of the story, which is the climax of the Magik saga
Inferno works so well because it’s the payoff that long standing fans of the X-Men had been waiting for since the 80’s began. Moreover, it’s a showcase for the evolving character dynamics of the X-Men. Watching Wolverine and Storm reunite with Jean Grey is touching. Havok and Cyclops’ long simmering tensions come to a head. Magik and Dani Moonstar both come into their own as heroes. And of course, Mr. Sinister would go on to be one of the great X-Men foes. Watching the disparate parts of the X-Universe truly unite for the first time since the Mutant Massacre is a treat, one that pushes Claremont’s run into its final era. This makes Inferno one of the most memorable X-Men stories. (Side note, if you’re a die-hard X-Men fan, I cannot recommend enough the Cerebro podcast’s 4-part look at Madelyne Pryor’s treatment in the narrative.)
7. A.X.E.: Judgment Day (A.X.E.: Judgment Day #1–6, Immortal X-Men #3–7, X-Men Vol. 6 #12–14, Avengers Vol. 8 #54–59, Eternals Vol. 5 #10–12, Eternals: The Heretic #1, A.X.E.: Eve of Judgment #1, Free Comic Book Day 2022: Avengers/X-Men #1, X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2022) #1, A.X.E.: Judgment Day Omega #1, A.X.E.: Avengers #1, A.X.E.: X-Men #1, A.X.E.: Eternals #1, A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants #1–3, A.X.E.: Iron Fist #1, A.X.E.: Starfox #1, Amazing Spider-Man Vol 6 #10, Avengers Vol 8 #60, Captain Marvel Vol 10 #42, Fantastic Four Vol 6 #47–48, Legion of X #6, Marauders Vol 2 #6, Wolverine Vol 7 #24–25, X-Force Vol 6 #30–33, X-Men: Red Vol 2 #5–7) July — November 2022
In a rare move for Marvel, the X-Men were placed at the very center of a company-wide even in the vein of Civil War or Secret Invasion. AXE: Judgment Day chronicles the war between the mutant nation of Krakoa and The Eternals, with the Avengers caught in the middle. As events unfold, a Celestial known as the Progenitor arrives to judge the Earth. The test is simple: It will individually judge each and every person on Earth as “Good” or “Evil”. Simply put, if there are more bad people than good, everyone dies. Just about every superhero of note scrambles to find a way to make sure more people pass judgment than not, and honestly? The odds are not looking great.
Valerio Schiti has blossomed into one of the top 10 artists in superhero comics today, and AXE: Judgment Day makes a strong case for being his finest work yet. From frozen tundras to tropical beaches and everything in between, every panel is immaculately constructed. The war between the Eternals and X-Men is brought to mythic scale, matching the imagery of any MCU movie. The fight against the Progenitor feels appropriately apocalyptic in scope and feel. There is a real sense of tension, desperation, and high stakes that is just too rare in event comics. The fact that we think there’s a genuine chance our heroes could LOSE is a storytelling miracle in superhero comics.
Part of this unusual level of focus and scope comes from writer Kieron Gillen. In addition to writing the entire main series, he wrote 12 of the tie-in issues himself, meaning even the ancillary titles had real narrative purpose, elevating this company-wide event above the sum of its’ individual parts. Perhaps the most ingenious move in the structure of the narrative is providing us six civilian point of view characters to follow throughout the story. Each of them has a unique perspective on the events unfolding, and these perspectives are interwoven with the heroes we’ve come to know so well through our years reading comics. Some may change for the better, and some may change for the worse, as is true to life, but we only really know the character of these characters once they’re put to test. It’s rare for an event comic to carry true thematic weight and heft, and manage to evoke real introspection in the mind of the reader, and AXE: Judgment Day manages to do just that.
The full lineup of writers showcases Kieron Gillen, Gerry Duggan, Si Spurrier, Al Ewing, Steve Orlando, Benjamin Percy, Zeb Wells, Mark Russell, Kelly Thompson, David Pepose, and Alyssa Wong. Full artist credits go to Valerio Schiti, Ivan Fiorelli, Dustin Weaver, Pasqual Ferry, Guiui Vilanova, Federico Vicentini, Francseco Mobili, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Stefano Caselli, Michele Bandini, Lucas Werneck, C.F. Villa, Rafael Pimentel, Andrea Broccardo, Robert Gill, Nick Dragotta, Greg Land, Andrea Di Vito, Juann Cabal, Michael YG, and Marika Cresta.
Just about every superhero you can think of gets moments to showcase them at their absolute best, doing cool things, making saves, getting incredible one-liners, etc. Particular character highlights include Captain America, Iron Man, Sersi, Ajak, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Mr. Sinister, Magneto, Storm, Destiny, Druig, and Starfox. Additionally, a great new powerhouse threat is introduced in the Eternal Uranos, the grandfather of Thanos. His battle against Magneto and Storm is a major highlight of the story.
Honestly, A.X.E.: Judgment Day just rules. It’s one of the very best Marvel stories ever told and an easy top 10 company-wide event of all time. Every superhero comic fan deserves to read this one.
6. X of Swords (X of Swords: Creation #1, X of Swords: Stasis #1, X of Swords: Destruction #1, X-Men Vol 5 #12–15, Excalibur Vol 4 #13–15, Cable Vol 4 #5–6, New Mutants Vol 4 #13, Hellions #5–6, Marauders #13–15, X-Force Vol 6 #13–14, Wolverine Vol 7 #6–7, X-Factor Vol 4 #4) September — November 2020
The first X-Men crossover of the Krakoa era is also one of the longest X-Men stories ever at a mammoth 22 issues. Thankfully, it’s also one of the best X-Men stories of all time, serving as a climax of the Dawn of the X section of the Krakoa era.
Here, the true plans of Apocalypse are finally revealed as the mutant nation of Krakoa comes into conflict with the lost mutant nation of Arakko. Arakko is the sister nation of Krakoa, forced into a hellish dimension thousands of years ago, and governed by the long-lost family of En Sabah Nur. Over the millenia, they have turned into a brutal society governed by conquest and the religion of Amenth, and they have decided to claim dominion over not just Krakoa, but all of our dimension.
Caught in the middle of this war is the fae magical realm of Otherworld, the nexus of all realities. Otherworld, governed by Opal Luna Saturnyne, has been a fixture in X-Men lore since Excalibur debuted in the late 80’s, but never has it been so fleshed out here. In order to avoid an all-out war between Krakoa and Arrako, a contest of champions is called, each chosen by a specific sword of note. On the neutral ground of Otherworld, mutants new and ancient will clash swords, with the fate of the multiverse on the line.
X of Swords is an absolute blast to read, broken into two halves: The claiming of swords, and the Tournament in Otherworld. The claiming of swords allows individual characters such as Storm, Cypher, Wolverine, and Apocalypse to shine. Storm’s chapter is the best story she’s had in years. Wolverine’s descent into Hell is also a blast. The real heart of this story, however, is Apocalypse, finally turned into a fully fleshed out character decades after his debut. His quest to reconnect with his family is absolutely heartbreaking, and the lengths he goes to for the future of mutantkind will surprise even the most jaded reader.
Vita Ayala, Leah Williams, Ed Brisson, Gerry Duggan, Tini Howard, Benjamin Percy, Zeb Wells, Jonathan Hickman, Lenil Francis Yu, Mahmud Asrar, Pepe Larraz, R.B. Silva, Phil Noto, Marcus To, Rod Reis, Jose Baldeon, Victor Bogdanovic, Joshua Cassara, Carmen Carnero, Carlos Gomez, and Matteo Lolli all come together in a relay race of plotting and art that weaves the dozens of X-Books better than just about every story in X-History. This is one of the most beautiful stories ever drawn at Marvel.
X of Swords is the end of Dawn of X, and act 1 of Jonathan Hickman’s larger X-Men Saga, just like Infinity was to his Avengers Saga. Infinity would go on to be the inspiration for the massive hit Infinity War, and X of Swords is equally epic. Furthermore, the addition of Arakko and the Arakki mutants has been one of the most welcome additions to the larger Marvel Universe in ages. This is a can’t miss X-Men story.
5. Mutant Massacre (Uncanny X-Men #210–213, X-Factor #9–11, New Mutants #46, Thor #373–374, Power Pack #27) July — October 1986
The X-Men’s first major crossover remains one of their all-time best. 1986’s Mutant Massacre has endured longer than most X-Men stories period, with the events of the saga still influencing the X-Men to this very day. The X-Men really were never the same again. In many ways, this was the final loss of innocence for the X-Men.
The plot is right on the title, as the X-Men, X-Factor, and the New Mutants deal with the massacre of the Morlocks, a group of disenfranchised mutants that live in the sewers of New York. At the center of this genocide are a group of new villains, the Marauders, who would go one to become some of the X-Men’s most enduring foes. These villains are unlike anything the X-Men had faced at the time: a group of cold-blooded, murderous mercenaries who were unafraid to kill civilians or the X-Men. They didn’t waste time grandstanding: They were professionals.
The X-Men’s confrontation with the Marauders would have lasting impacts on the entire team. Nightcrawler, Rogue, Colossus, and Shadowcat would all be severely injured, with Nightcrawler and Shadowcat in particular being forced to take a leave of absence that would last over a decade. Angel would have his wings amputated, which would forever define the future of the character, ultimately leading to the birth of Archangel. Psylocke would also join the team in this story.
The biggest addition to the X-Men lore, however, has to be the beginning of the Sabretooth-Wolverine rivalry. While the characters obviously have a much longer history that would be fleshed out later, their first on-page interactions and fight would serve as the climax of this story. The fight remains one of the most vicious and brutal in X-Men history, gorgeously drawn by Alan Davis. The bulk of the series, however, is drawn by John Romita Jr, who is beginning to earn his status as one of the all-time greats in comics history.
Following the Mutant Massacre, things never got lighter again for the X-Men. Things would continue to get more intense, and the threats more bleak and dire. The X-Men’s era of lightness and innocence would never fully return. Mutant Massacre is a turning point in the comics industry and the X-Men, one that set the stage for every crossover to follow.
4. Age of Apocalypse (Uncanny X-Men #320–321, X-Men Vol 2 #40–41, X-Factor #109, Cable #20, X-Men: Alpha, Amazing X-Men #1–4, Astonishing X-Men #1–4 X-Men Chronicles #1–2, Factor X #1–4, Weapon X #1–4, X-Man #1–4, X-Calibre #1–4, Gambit and the X-Ternals #1–4, Generation Next #1–4, X-Universe #1–2, X-Men: Omega) December 1994 — April 1995
Nothing was the same after the Age of Apocalypse. Nothing as audacious and bold had ever been attempted by Marvel in terms of their publishing schedule. In the era before solicitations, internet rumors, or advance notices, Marvel suddenly cancelled EVERY X-BOOK IN THE LINE. Their cash cow property and the source of the majority of their income all of a sudden disappeared. In their place were strange, twisted, alternate versions of Marvel’s Mutants, living in a dystopian world where Apocalypse reigned supreme. Was this a shameless marketing gimmick? Absolutely. But by God, it worked.
Here, we see just how necessary Charles Xavier and his dream are to the world. Following Legion Quest and Legion’s accidental murder of his father, The X-Men never form, and so there is no one to stop the rise of Apocalypse following his reawakening. It is only after En Sabah Nur has successfully conquered North America that Magneto takes it upon himself to form the X-Men. The only man who remembers the world as it was is a time displaced Bishop. Now, it’s up to him and the Amazing X-Men to right the wrongs of the past, and undo the Age of Apocalypse.
Age of Apocalypse is told over 8 titles, with four issues each, bookended by opening and closing chapters. It’s positively gargantuan in length, but this gives the story space to truly realize the world of AoA. Heroes and villains have radically different status quos, romances, and relationships. Seeing how our heroes stay the same or are entirely different is one of the great joys. There are many alternate universe and dystopian tales in the canon of comic books, but none are so well realized and well executed as the Age of Apocalypse. To this day it is the standard by which all alternate universe tales are judged.
In the end, few stories showcase the importance of a world with the X-Men as Age of Apocalypse does. It’s a story about hope in the face of the greatest adversities. It’s a huge investment of time, but one weekend of your life is worth a visit to The Age of Apocalypse.
3. Messiah Complex (Uncanny X-Men #492–494, X-Men Vol 2 #205–207, X-Factor Vol 3 #25–27, New X-Men #44–46, X-Men: Messiah Complex #1) October 2007 — January 2008
The first chapter of the Messiah Trilogy serves as both an opening salvo and a closing chapter on the Astonishing era of the X-Men. Since House of M and the Decimation, the X-Men were stuck in a place of creative stagnation. No creative team knew exactly how to handle this dire new world that the X-Men found themselves in. And then the first mutant born since the Scarlet Witch rewrote the rules appears, and an incredible free-for all chase begins.
After the child are multiple factions, all with their own agenda. The Purifiers and the Reavers form an alliance to kill the child. The Acolytes and the Marauders form an alliance with Mr. Sinister to capture the child. The X-Men and their extended family unite for the first time in years to protect the child. And multiple wildcards with their own agendas are also major players in the fray.
Messiah Complex thrives on being the kind of all-out brawl for the future of mutantkind stories like X-Cutioner’s Song and other 90’s stories were, but with the benefit of modernized storytelling techniques, and a decade to reflect on the excesses of such stories. The result is a giant 12-part tale that still feels sleek, honed, and filled with blockbuster moments that any X-Fan would salivate to witness.
On top of all that wonderful action though, are the culmination of several plot points that had been percolating, marking Messiah Complex as the transitory story between two eras of the X-Men. Following the fall from grace of Charles Xavier, Cyclops finally takes his place as the undisputed leader of mutantkind. In the face of extinction and the threat of genocide, X-Force is once again sanctioned for the first time in years, with a deadly new mandate. The machinations of Sinister, Mystique, and several others that had been playing in the background of the X-Men comics finally make themselves known. The New X-Men, children forced into situations more adult than any previous generation of students, take their place as true peers of the X-Men.
Once again, you are treated to an all-star lineup of great artists. Marc Silvestri, Billy Tan, and Scott Eaton all turn in wonderful pages. The true highlights, however, are Humberto Ramos and Chris Bachalo, both at the peak of their creative prowess, and showcasing some of the all-time great X-Men battles. The siege of the Marauder’s base and the final battle at Muir Island stand tall in the pantheon of great comic battles.
Following Messiah Complex, the X-Men leave Westchester for San Francisco, where they would remain until 2012’s Avengers vs X-Men. The Messiah Trilogy would be the dominant plotline through the next few years of X-Men stories, and characters such as Cyclops, Hope, Wolverine, and Cable would never be the same. This free-for-all over the fate of Hope Summers has absolutely everything you want in an X-Men crossover, and Messiah Complex receives the highest recommendation from me.
2. House of X/Powers of X (House of X #1–6, Powers of X #1–6) July — October 2019
House of X/Powers of X is the most exciting and radical change to the X-Men since 2001’s New X-Men. For years, the metaphor of mutantkind had been in stagnation, spending decades endangered, sterilized, hunted, murdered, and things just never got better. Two decades of stagnation and dourness. No more. The X-Men had spent their time in the wilderness, and now it was time to deliver them to the promised land.
Moira Mactaggart, Charles Xavier, and Magneto decided it was time to change all the rules. What follows over the next 12 issues is the story of the radical reinvention of Charles Xavier’s Dream. Jonathan Hickman has a vision for mutantkind, and it’s exciting, bold, and visionary. The 12 issues are broken up into past, present, and future segments, as more and more of the puzzle is put into place, and the full scope of their ambitions is revealed.
The hinge upon which this entire story is Moira Mactaggart and the Concept of “The Five”. To delve any further into specifics would be to deprive readers of one of the all-time great twists in comics history. What I can divulge, however, are the twin threats of Orchis and the Phalanx, who will become the primary antagonists of the 5-year long Krakoa era. Orchis is an anti-mutant organization comprised of the worst of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, A.I.M., S.W.O.R.D., The Hand, and basically every major acronymed organization in Marvel history. They’re led by Dr. Alia Gregor and Karima Shapandar, an Omega Sentinel and former X-Man. The Phalanx, on the other hand, have been presciently reconceptualized into the AI Gods that people have been freaking out about since the advent of ChatGPT, ready to consume humanity in a never-ending quest for knowledge. Humanity and Artificial Intelligence join in an unholy alliance against mutantkind, very explicitly placing natural biological evolution against artificial evolution via posthumanity across time and space.
By the end though, Mutantkind is in a brave new world, never more united, more excited, or more hopeful. Every major character in the history of the X-Men has joined hands, and all of a sudden the world’s greatest superpower is no longer the United States or Wakanda, but Krakoa. It’s a joyous celebration of a community finally realizing its potential.
Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva, in collaboration with colorist extraordinaire Marte Gracia, deliver what is a strong contender for the most visually stunning story in the entire canon of Marvel, and certainly in X-Men history. This is work that is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Jack Kirby, Osamu Tezuka, Herge, and all the other titans of the medium. Seeing the near-incomprehensible cityscapes of the future, to the ancient past of mutantkind, or the space station siege that serves as the climax of the story are utterly extraordinary, as are the quieter moments. The work surrounding Charles Xavier, Magneto, and Emma Frost is especially noteworthy.
Jonathan Hickman launched the most dynamic and exciting era of the past 20 years with House of X, and five years later, its reputation has only grown. A modern classic, House of X has become one of the best-selling graphic novels in the history of Marvel Comics. Given time, this story can easily take the number 1 spot on the list, but it feels just a bit too soon to let House of X/Powers of X take the crown as THE X-Men story. There’s still one story that holds the title. That being said, this is a must read not just of any X-Men fan, but of any Marvel fan. House of X/Powers of X is the here and now, and it’s the best of what Marvel currently has to offer.
- The Dark Phoenix Saga (Uncanny X-Men #129–137) October 1979 — July 1980
The seminal X-Men story is also one of the landmark moments in all of comics, period. However, somewhat lost to time is the fact that The Dark Phoenix Saga, while a wonderful story even standing alone, is really best read as the Avengers: Endgame of Claremont’s X-Men run up to this point. Every story beat, every character arc, every story had been building up to this moment for over 40 issues and about 4 and a half years.
Claremont had spent his entire tenure on Uncanny X-Men turning the ragtag international team of misfits and loners into a group that is second to none in all of fiction. He had spent the last 40ish issues putting them through their paces, getting beaten by villain after villain, slowly molding them into a superhero team to be proud of. Over the course of these experiences, friendships and romances formed, and strangers came to love each other as found family. Now they have to deal with the worst possible scenario, as one of their own, a person all of them would die for, loses control and becomes the biggest threat they’ve ever faced.
In the process of The Dark Phoenix Saga, we get introduced to enduring characters such as Dazzler, the Hellfire Club, Emma Frost, and Jean Grey. Wolverine transitions from secondary loose cannon to the badass that came to be one of Marvel’s most popular and enduring characters. The Phoenix reveals the extent of its capabilities as it eats a star, destroying a planet of billions in the process. As the X-Men desperately try to help, every character from Nightcrawler to Professor X gets a moment to shine, culminating in the X-Men’s legendary showdown with the Imperial Guard on the surface of the moon for the life of Jean Grey.
More than anything, the Dark Phoenix Saga is focused on the love of Cyclops and Phoenix, who for the last 140 issues of X-Men have been the main characters of the series and whose romance has been the beating heart of the team. In the end, Scott stands against the entire universe for the sake of the woman he loves, and Jean chooses to sacrifice herself rather than lose herself to the power of the Phoenix and the possibilities of Godhood.
Ultimately, this is a story that every comic fan should read at least once in their life. It’s Claremont and Byrne at the height of their capabilities, and absolutely stands the test of time. However, I highly recommend taking the journey from Giant Size X-Men all the way to here, as the story was meant to be experienced as a climax, rather than a standalone story.
And that’s our list! I hope that you’ll give these stories a try. The X-Men are a wonderful group of characters, and you’ll absolutely find something to love in them.
Christián Thrailkill is a graduate of Southern Methodist University and University of North Texas, musician, and columnist. He lives in Dallas, Texas. Follow him on Threads @Wolvie616
