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  1. Entertainment
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30 Greatest X-Men Moments

Features
By Simon Kinnear published 15 February 2011

The mutant arcs Hollywood should adapt

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Night of the Sentinels

Night of the Sentinels

The Moment: The X-Men discover that the Mutant Registration Program is deploying robot killers - Sentinels - to eliminate newly 'out' mutants. [From the X-Men animated series two-parter Night of the Sentinels .]

Cinematic Potential: X-Men versus killer robots. What's not to like?

Key Scene: Cyclops goes mano-a-mano with a Sentinel.

Page 1 of 30
Page 1 of 30
Days Of Future Past

Days Of Future Past

The Moment: Timey-wimey shenanigans as Kitty Pryde travels back from the future to warn of a impending assassination. [From The Uncanny X-Men #141 and #142.]

Cinematic Potential: A parallel universe means parallel stories. While 'our' X-Men race to stop a killing, those in the future face a pitiless existence.

Key Scene: The alt-future shows the X-Men hunted down and slaughtered. Including Wolverine.

Page 2 of 30
Page 2 of 30
Living Island

Living Island

The Moment: The original comics' introduction of Wolverine and Nightcrawler saw them recruited to save a team of X-Men trapped on Krakoa, a living island. [From Giant-Size X-Men #2.]

Cinematic Potential: Forget the origins story and dive in for all-out action. This is an "X-Men on a mission" movie.

Key Scene: Krakoa reforms its terrain into an island-sized rock monster.

Page 3 of 30
Page 3 of 30
No More Mutants

No More Mutants

The Moment: The Scarlet Witch, incensed by the X-Men's civil war, casts a spell that strips the powers from all but 198 of the Earth's mutants. [From House of M .]

Cinematic Potential: Think Superman 2 - the chance to redefine the humanity behind the heroes, by showing what happens when they have to adjust to civvie life.

Key Scene: Magneto, without the defence of his powers, breaks down in panic and horror.

Page 4 of 30
Page 4 of 30
Morlock Massacre

Morlock Massacre

The Moment: Mentalist Mr Sinister sends a team of mutant assassins - the Marauders - to slaughter New York's mutant underclass, the Morlocks. [From Uncanny X-Men #210-213, plus crossovers.]

Cinematic Potential: A dark tale of ethnic cleansing, it's the kind of vision that we hope Darren Aronofsky will bring to the X-Men universe.

Key Scene: Angel is crucified and loses his wings to gangrene.

Page 5 of 30
Page 5 of 30
Phalanx Covenant

Phalanx Covenant

The Moment: The X-Men battle against the Phalanx, mutant-hating humans who have used alien tech to (ironically enough) mutate themselves strong. [From Uncanny X-Men #316 and crossovers.]

Cinematic Potential: The chance to see an enemy that out-weirds the mutants. The Phalanx can assimilate organic matter to aid freakazoid shape-shifting.

Key Scene: The final infiltration of the Phalanx base, scope for an FX blow-out.

Page 6 of 30
Page 6 of 30
Fools' Paradise

Fools' Paradise

The Moment: Mutants are travelling to African island Genosha, which promises a mutant-friendly home - but those who arrive are turned into bomb-collar-wearing slaves. Cue the X-Men to save the day. [From X-Men animated series episode Slave Island .]

Cinematic Potential: A bit like Lost , with mutants: an Apartheid allegory in the tropical heat.

Key Scene: Storm blows up the dam that the X-Men have been forced to build.

Page 7 of 30
Page 7 of 30
Fall of the Mutants

Fall of the Mutants

The Moment: When Storm goes missing, the X-Men head to Dallas to find her... only for a precognitive vision to reveal they'll all be killed. [From The Uncanny X-Men #225-227, plus crossovers.]

Cinematic Potential: A mental storyline mixing magic and parallel universes, but chiefly the shocking images of our heroes being wiped out.

Key Scene: Dinosaurs appear in the streets of Dallas. WTF?

Page 8 of 30
Page 8 of 30
Riot At Xavier's

Riot At Xavier's

The Moment: After a mutant is murdered by humans, militant pupil Quentin Quire leads a violent protest at the mutant school. [From New X-Men , #135-138]

Cinematic Potential: High-school movies are always best when they're playing at being something else. This one's If... with amazing special effects.

Key Scene: The riot, predictably.

Page 9 of 30
Page 9 of 30
Mutant X

Mutant X

The Moment: Moira MacTaggart's mutant son, Proteus, has been kept in isolation due to his excessive power. When he breaks free, the race is on - but how do you catch a mutant who can disguise himself by possessing other bodies? [From Uncanny X-Men #125-128.]

Cinematic Potential: A chase thriller with a difference, as Proteus decides to hunt down his politician father.

Key Scene: A revelation borrowed from Ultimate Marvel's alternative Proteus storyline - Proteus' dad is Charles Xavier!

Page 10 of 30
Page 10 of 30
Red Dawn

Red Dawn

The Moment: Omega Red, a Soviet super soldier created from a convicted serial killer, is resuscitated by power-mad generals. [From X-Men animated series episode Red Dawn .]

Cinematic Potential: A powerful threat based on real-world politics, for that classic X-Men blend of action and social comment.

Key Scene: Omega Red battles the X-Men with his carbonadium tentacles.

Page 11 of 30
Page 11 of 30
Planet X

Planet X

The Moment: Xorn - a Chinese X-Man with a "star for a brain" - is revealed to be Magneto in disguise, reveals his plan to repopulate Earth with mutants. [From New X-Men #146-150.]

Cinematic Potential: A twisty thriller with a dark Nazi allegory, as Magneto attempts to commit genocide.

Key Scene: Seeing Magneto lose it big-time thanks to his addiction to mutant power-enhancing drug Kick.

Page 12 of 30
Page 12 of 30
The Trial of Magneto

The Trial of Magneto

The Moment: Magneto is put on trial for his crimes, but terrorist sympathisers begin a reign of terror to ensure his release. [From Uncanny X-Men #200.]

Cinematic Potential: A courtroom drama with a difference.

Key Scene: Despite all the evidence stacked against him, Magneto is... acquitted.

Page 13 of 30
Page 13 of 30
The X-Men Adventure

The X-Men Adventure

The Moment: Spider-man, Iceman and Firestar visit the X-Mansion to use its facilities, only to bring an old foe along for the ride. [From Spider-man And His Amazing Friends episode The X-Men Adventure .]

Cinematic Potential: Spin-off alert! With The Avengers introducing the idea of crossovers to the Hollywood blockbuster, putting Spidey into the mix seems like a sound move.

Key Scene: The villainous Cyberiad tries to poison Spidey and the X-Men with nitride gas.

Page 14 of 30
Page 14 of 30
Ghost Box

Ghost Box

The Moment: A dimensional portal brings a group of invading mutants from another dimension. [From Astonishing X-Men #25-30.]

Cinematic Potential: A globe-trotting adventure that leads the X-Men to an abandoned temple in China.

Key Scene: Fighting a cool new mutant...who can fire lasers from his fingers.

Page 15 of 30
Page 15 of 30
Age of Apocalypse

Age of Apocalypse

The Moment: When Charles Xavier's son botches a time-travel assassination, he creates a parallel universe that allows immortal mutant Apocalypse to rule the Earth. [From the Age of Apocalypse comic books.]

Cinematic Potential: An epic 'wartime' actioner, as the X-Men - led by a non-evil version of Magneto - plot to overthrow Apocalypse's fascistic regime.

Key Scene: The shocking event that kickstarts the alt.universe - Xavier's death as a young man.

Page 16 of 30
Page 16 of 30
The New Mutants

The New Mutants

The Moment: Five teenage recruits - Karma, Cannonball, Wolfsbane, Psyche, Sunspot - begin their training at the X-Mansion. [From Marvel Graphic Novel #4.]

Cinematic Potential: A complete spin-off, concentrating on a new bunch of kids.

Key Scene: The kids realise that the school has been infiltrated by the alien Brood.

Page 17 of 30
Page 17 of 30
Reunion

Reunion

The Moment: Mister Sinister kidnaps Professor X and Magneto to lure the X-Men into a trap. [From X-Men animated series two-parter Reunion .]

Cinematic Potential: An epic set in X-Men 's weirdest location, Savage Land - a tropical pre-historic nightmare hidden in (of all places) Antarctica.

Key Scene: The X-Men lose their powers in Sinister's Savage Land, and are attacked.

Page 18 of 30
Page 18 of 30
Unstoppable

Unstoppable

The Moment: The X-Men travel to the alien Breakworld, whose inhabitants intend to destroy the Earth with a giant bullet. [From Astonishing X-Men #19-24.]

Cinematic Potential: Based on a story by Joss Whedon, this one's got sleek sci-fi moves with smart characterisation and sharp dialogue.

Key Scene: Kitty Pryde saves the Earth but dies in the process, fusing with the bullet and flying off into space.

Page 19 of 30
Page 19 of 30
Fatal Attractions

Fatal Attractions

The Moment: Magneto wreaks havoc on Earth from an orbiting space station, Avalon. [From Uncanny X-Men #304, plus crossovers.]

Cinematic Potential: X-Men...in space! Think Moonraker , only better.

Key Scene: Magneto tears the adamantium from Wolverine's back. Ouch.

Page 20 of 30
Page 20 of 30
E is For Extinction

E is For Extinction

The Moment: Xavier's evil twin, Cassandra Nova, sets in train a plan to wipe out the mutant island of Genosha. [From New X-Men #114-116.]

Cinematic Potential: A new villainness, and a disaster-movie set-piece.

Key Scene: The destruction of Genosha after an assault from Sentinels.

Page 21 of 30
Page 21 of 30
Onslaught

Onslaught

The Moment: A new, but strangely familiar, threat for the X-Men: a psionic entity created from the brainwaves of both Professor X and Magneto. [From X-Man #15 plus crossovers.]

Cinematic Potential: A crossover featuring the Hulk and the Fantastic Four, this one's an epic.

Key Scene: The deaths of Bruce Banner and the Fantastic Four.

Page 22 of 30
Page 22 of 30
Time Fugitives

Time Fugitives

The Moment: Sequel of-sorts to Days of Future Past , in which it turns the X-Men prevented one possible future Earth only to cause another one. [From X-Men animated series two-parter Time Fugitives .]

Cinematic Potential: A Back To The Future Part II-style sequel, flipping back on itself with much head-scratching in between battles.

Key Scene: Having already seen the X-Men get incinerated, time-travelling mutants join the fatal mission again in order to stop it.

Page 23 of 30
Page 23 of 30
Inferno

Inferno

The Moment: Manhattan falls siege to an invasion of demons, uniting the X-Men with fellow Marvel crimefighters. [From New Mutants #71, plus crossovers.]

Cinematic Potential: A crossover that brings Spider-man, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four into the fray.

Key Scene: Wolverine's soul becomes twisted under demonic influence.

Page 24 of 30
Page 24 of 30
Broody

Broody

The Moment: Battling against the alien Brood, the X-Men realise that Professor X has been infected. [From Uncanny X-Men #167.]

Cinematic Potential: A huge fight between two evenly matched foes takes on a new dimension when the enemy can defeat the heroes' leader. Gulp.

Key Scene: Xavier transforms into a Brood.

Page 25 of 30
Page 25 of 30
Operation: Zero Tolerance

Operation: Zero Tolerance

The Moment: The assassination of a Presidential candidate, apparently at mutant hands, provokes a Government crackdown against the X-Men. [From X-Men vol. 2 #65-69, plus crossovers.]

Cinematic Potential: A conspiracy thriller with political overtones - think 24 with superheroes.

Key Scene: Government-sanctioned Sentinels take the X-Mansion.

Page 26 of 30
Page 26 of 30
Whatever It Takes

Whatever It Takes

The Moment: Storm's godson is possessed by psychic foe the Shadow King. [From X-Men animated series episode Whatever It Takes .]

Cinematic Potential: Based around Mount Kilimanjaro and African folklore, this is an unusual twist on X-Men that underlines how strange their world really is.

Key Scene: Storm reveals that she was once a slave to the Shadow King.

Page 27 of 30
Page 27 of 30
X-Cutioner's Song

X-Cutioner's Song

The Moment: An assassination attempt on Professor X kick-starts a deadly battle against Stryfe, Cyclops' unhinged son. [From Uncanny X-Men #294-297, plus crossovers.]

Cinematic Potential: A huge story, devised to bring together several teams of mutants, provides a broad canvas for a movie.

Key Scene: The sequel-setting twist, as Stryfe unleashes a deadly plague, the Legacy Virus, into the mutant world.

Page 28 of 30
Page 28 of 30
Messiah Complex

Messiah Complex

The Moment: Sequel to the House of M storyline, as the first 'new' mutant for years is born. The X-Men are up against various rival factions to be the first to reach the baby. [From X-Men: Messiah Complex , plus crossovers.]

Cinematic Potential: Children of Men reimagined as a mutant brawl.

Key Scene: The X-Men arrive at the newborn's home, only to find it's been destroyed.

Page 29 of 30
Page 29 of 30
Mutant Agenda

Mutant Agenda

The Moment: Struck by a mutation, Spider-man seeks out the help of the X-Men. [From Spider-man animated series two-parter The Mutant Agenda / Mutant's Revenge .]

Cinematic Potential: Yet another cross-over, but one where Spidey is the enemy of the X-Men, which presents all kinds of movie magic.

Key Scene: Spider-man versus Wolverine? Fuck yeah.

Page 30 of 30
Page 30 of 30
Simon Kinnear
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