The X-Men are a superhero team of mutants founded by Professor Charles Xavier. They are dedicated to helping fellow mutants and sworn to protect a world that fears and hates them.
It seemed in the mid to late 90's they were grooming Marrow for the role.........but then Marvel remembered they have to keep everything the same for decades on end.
Heck, she could probably star in her own videogame franchise if Marvel was smart, and become the equivalent of Conan, Kratos or Link.
I agree that Magik could possibly take over for Wolverine since there's more interest being shown to her. By the way, do you think that Wolverine's popularity is starting to go down because of the new direction he is going?
This is a good question. I think a number of characters "had" a shot at it at one time or another, but as soon as they start to gain popularity, it is as if the character is given to another writer and their personalities change. It is not a character's power that gives them popularity, it is how interesting we, the reader, find them...
For whatever reason, many of us find Wolverine interesting. Others that were becoming interesting but suddenly changed or just sort of dissappeared:
- Rockslide - Santo isn't the brightest crayon in the box, and he has a tendency to be dense, low-brow, and rude, BUT... There's something immensely likeable about him. During the New X-Men series around 2004 - 2006 when it was mostly him, Hellion, X-23, Elixir, Prodigy, Mercury and a few others, he was a great character. Funny, likable in spite of being rude, and ferociously loyal and protective of his friends... But then.. one day... Some time after Siege, he changed.. A new writer... He had great potential.
- Pixie - Pixie used to be very much like her namesake. She was this incredibly sweet, innocent, and naive girl. Take a look at a scene form New X-Men 38 where Santo, Pixie, Blindfold, Mercury, Elixir, X-23, and Prodigy were all in Limbo.
This girl is fun, interesting, and has interesting abilities... But, lately, it is as if someone else has begun writing her. They're giving her more screen time, but she's not longer 'pixie.' She's just another generic typical female type X-Men hero...
There are others I could mention... but you get the point.
This is a good question. I think a number of characters "had" a shot at it at one time or another, but as soon as they start to gain popularity, it is as if the character is given to another writer and their personalities change. It is not a character's power that gives them popularity, it is how interesting we, the reader, find them...
For whatever reason, many of us find Wolverine interesting. Others that were becoming interesting but suddenly changed or just sort of dissappeared:
- Rockslide - Santo isn't the brightest crayon in the box, and he has a tendency to be dense, low-brow, and rude, BUT... There's something immensely likeable about him. During the New X-Men series around 2004 - 2006 when it was mostly him, Hellion, X-23, Elixir, Prodigy, Mercury and a few others, he was a great character. Funny, likable in spite of being rude, and ferociously loyal and protective of his friends... But then.. one day... Some time after Siege, he changed.. A new writer... He had great potential.
- Pixie - Pixie used to be very much like her namesake. She was this incredibly sweet, innocent, and naive girl. Take a look at a scene form New X-Men 38 where Santo, Pixie, Blindfold, Mercury, Elixir, X-23, and Prodigy were all in Limbo.
This girl is fun, interesting, and has interesting abilities... But, lately, it is as if someone else has begun writing her. They're giving her more screen time, but she's not longer 'pixie.' She's just another generic typical female type X-Men hero...
There are others I could mention... but you get the point.
I agree with all this. All of these X-Men characters have potential to be something greater, but it's like those stories are being thrown out the window.
Unfortunately, Wolverine has grown BIGGER than the X-Men. All other X-Men, no matter how popular, are still just X-Men.
There are exceptions... characters like Gambit and Cable had their surges in popularity and could stand on their own, but none have stood the test of time like Wolverine.
Back in the early 90's I thought Gambit was going to be more popular than Wolverine, but i was young and bias as $#!% being a kid from New Orleans......
Unfortunately, Wolverine has grown BIGGER than the X-Men. All other X-Men, no matter how popular, are still just X-Men.
There are exceptions... characters like Gambit and Cable had their surges in popularity and could stand on their own, but none have stood the test of time like Wolverine.
I agree that most of the time, the other X-Men usually have a hard time trying to stand out on their own since some had their own series, but they end up getting cancelled before they really developed the characters.
Back in the early 90's I thought Gambit was going to be more popular than Wolverine, but i was young and bias as $#!% being a kid from New Orleans......
Yeah, I think that Gambit was one of the few other characters who had a chance of becoming popular. Unfortunately, nowadays he's not as popular as he once was...
@Timandm: I don't know it I'd ever read a solo book about just Pixie or Rockslide, but then, I don't read Wolverine's solo book either. BUT, I would probably check out any team book that had either of them.
@Rabbitearsblog said:
@judasnixon said:
Back in the early 90's I thought Gambit was going to be more popular than Wolverine, but i was young and bias as $#!% being a kid from New Orleans......
Yeah, I think that Gambit was one of the few other characters who had a chance of becoming popular. Unfortunately, nowadays he's not as popular as he once was...
Maybe not, but I've liked him more recently than I ever did in the past. He was actually the first one I thought of, well, him and Storm.
His new series seems decent, and I've enjoyed him a lot in Astonishing. I think getting him away from Rogue has really helped focus what's actually cool about him. And I think it helps that, though he is a pretty classic X-man at this point, he's pretty removed from a lot of the divisive politics of the X-men; he's very much his own man, much like Wolverine used to be.
I like that Wolverine's not like that any more, too, his current role is well deserved, but I like that Gambit still is.
@Timandm: I don't know it I'd ever read a solo book about just Pixie or Rockslide, but then, I don't read Wolverine's solo book either. BUT, I would probably check out any team book that had either of them.
@Rabbitearsblog said:
@judasnixon said:
Back in the early 90's I thought Gambit was going to be more popular than Wolverine, but i was young and bias as $#!% being a kid from New Orleans......
Yeah, I think that Gambit was one of the few other characters who had a chance of becoming popular. Unfortunately, nowadays he's not as popular as he once was...
Maybe not, but I've liked him more recently than I ever did in the past. He was actually the first one I thought of, well, him and Storm.
His new series seems decent, and I've enjoyed him a lot in Astonishing. I think getting him away from Rogue has really helped focus what's actually cool about him. And I think it helps that, though he is a pretty classic X-man at this point, he's pretty removed from a lot of the divisive politics of the X-men; he's very much his own man, much like Wolverine used to be.
I like that Wolverine's not like that any more, too, his current role is well deserved, but I like that Gambit still is.
I agree that it's great that Gambit is not involved with whatever's happening in the X-Men universe at the moment. It would have ruined his character at this point.
Unfortunately, Wolverine has grown BIGGER than the X-Men. All other X-Men, no matter how popular, are still just X-Men.
There are exceptions... characters like Gambit and Cable had their surges in popularity and could stand on their own, but none have stood the test of time like Wolverine.
Agreed. The only possible exception I could think of would be a returned/revamped Nightcrawler.
Oh and Deadpool, but that doesn't really count, does it?
People saying Magik and Pixie are delusional. I don't think any of those character could have their own Movie series like Wolverine which is what you'd have to accomplished to overtake Logan since his star is burning brighter than ever. No way is he getting less popular, he's just so established in pop culture that Marvel doesn't feel the need to shove him down everyone's throats anymore.
Wolverine has reached Spiderman, Captain America, and Hulk levels of popularity where he's one of the first things people think about when you say Marvel comics. IMO the only X-man characters capable of duplicating that and staying popular over years are Storm, Gambit, and Rouge if she still had Ms.Marvel powers.
Deadpool too if you count him as an X-man definitely has the potential to reach Wolverine's level of mass appeal and star in a movie series just about him. He already has his own game.
Unfortunately, Wolverine has grown BIGGER than the X-Men. All other X-Men, no matter how popular, are still just X-Men.
There are exceptions... characters like Gambit and Cable had their surges in popularity and could stand on their own, but none have stood the test of time like Wolverine.
Agreed. The only possible exception I could think of would be a returned/revamped Nightcrawler.
Oh and Deadpool, but that doesn't really count, does it?
I've always wondered if Deadpool should be counted as apart of the X-Men since he's usually on and off every once in awhile.
@Rabbitearsblog: Deadpool doesnt really count coz he's not a mutant.
Oh yeah...
Often times I consider him in the discussion, not based on whether or not he's a mutant, but because his titles fall under the X-Men editorial office.
That's true that Deadpool is heavily involved with the X-Men universe, so I guess he could be counted as one of those characters that occasionally plays a role in the situations the X-Men gets into.
Not only has she got a famous legacy thanks to her older counterpart, she also doesn't have to suffer the burdens of that same counterpart. She's really grown on me and Bendis makes it believable for someone so young to have the maturity to lead an X-Men team. Rather than backing down, she's stepped up.
All Marvel has to do is say "Jean Grey" and they're pretty much guaranteed money.
Heck, she could probably star in her own videogame franchise if Marvel was smart, and become the equivalent of Conan, Kratos or Link.
I'd love this.
Or maybe...
Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost. They're like the female counterpart of current Wolverine(Kitty) and Cyclops(Emma). And I'd like to see those two become rival headmistresses
Heck, she could probably star in her own videogame franchise if Marvel was smart, and become the equivalent of Conan, Kratos or Link.
I'd love this.
Or maybe...
Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost. They're like the female counterpart of current Wolverine(Kitty) and Cyclops(Emma). And I'd like to see those two become rival headmistresses
I wonder if the Kitty/Emma rivalry will ever be shown in All New All Different X-Men?
I agree that Magik could possibly take over for Wolverine since there's more interest being shown to her. By the way, do you think that Wolverine's popularity is starting to go down because of the new direction he is going?
I think Marvel is making sure to cover all bases: "Wolverine and the X-Men" shows a version of the character that is not cool in the traditional sense and "Savage Wolverine" should keep the version of the character that is rough around the areas in circulation. They're simultaneously making him bland and cool at the same time (the version of Wolverine we see in most other titles tends to be the cool version). I can't really say if this is going to have a long term effect on Wolverine's popularity: it does seem to me that Marvel is trying to go in the direction where he is all things to all readers.
I think Marvel is making sure to cover all bases: "Wolverine and the X-Men" shows a version of the character that is not cool in the traditional sense and "Savage Wolverine" should keep the version of the character that is rough around the areas in circulation. They're simultaneously making him bland and cool at the same time (the version of Wolverine we see in most other titles tends to be the cool version). I can't really say if this is going to have a long term effect on Wolverine's popularity: it does seem to me that Marvel is trying to go in the direction where he is all things to all readers.
..or whatever the story needs him to be, which, personally, I'm fine with.
Well in terms of a similar personality I like the ones listed very much. In terms of popularity? None of them have a chance. Not until one of them gets a solo movie, and ends up on several different teams/books a week/month and has a couple ongoing titles.
Not only has she got a famous legacy thanks to her older counterpart, she also doesn't have to suffer the burdens of that same counterpart. She's really grown on me and Bendis makes it believable for someone so young to have the maturity to lead an X-Men team. Rather than backing down, she's stepped up.
All Marvel has to do is say "Jean Grey" and they're pretty much guaranteed money.
yes but she cant take wolverines place as a hero who kills bad guys
I'd give my vote to Cyclops. Now days he has been getting much more attention from my side! He's maybe not the strongest one around, but it's all about his attitude.
Unfortunately, Wolverine has grown BIGGER than the X-Men. All other X-Men, no matter how popular, are still just X-Men.
There are exceptions... characters like Gambit and Cable had their surges in popularity and could stand on their own, but none have stood the test of time like Wolverine.
Agreed. The only possible exception I could think of would be a returned/revamped Nightcrawler.
Oh and Deadpool, but that doesn't really count, does it?
Well... I think Deadpool is one of the X-Men whether they like it or not... And they DID issue him an X-Men's uniform one time. Remember this?
Well in terms of a similar personality I like the ones listed very much. In terms of popularity? None of them have a chance. Not until one of them gets a solo movie, and ends up on several different teams/books a week/month and has a couple ongoing titles.
I agree that the other X-Men characters can become more popular if they get their own solo series. I guess it would all depend on the fans beyond that point.
She used to be his sidekick... so why not push her into the direction of her mentor:
I think this is one of the most interesting ways to handle Jubilee; ley's face it, she wasn't really that cool or distinct until Generation X, that's where she really came into her own, and it was as his obvious successor. I don't really think she could come to be as iconic as the Wolverine, but, more than any other character, she's been groomed for the position.
She used to be his sidekick... so why not push her into the direction of her mentor:
I think this is one of the most interesting ways to handle Jubilee; ley's face it, she wasn't really that cool or distinct until Generation X, that's where she really came into her own, and it was as his obvious successor. I don't really think she could come to be as iconic as the Wolverine, but, more than any other character, she's been groomed for the position.
I agree that Jubilee was in the position of being Wolverine's sidekick of the 90s. Can't believe they messed up her character over the years...
Nobody. Wolverine is one of the most popular characters in the entire Marvel U, there are currently no characters that could duplicate that. Though there are a few that could make a decent run at it, if Marvel really got behind the character and didn't mess anything up. I'd say Magneto, Storm, or Iceman have the potential.
Gambit is a character that I once thought that he is the most popular X-Men character and I believe that if he is used more he may replace Wolverine if he gets out of the spot for a moment.
Gambit is a character that I once thought that he is the most popular X-Men character and I believe that if he is used more he may replace Wolverine if he gets out of the spot for a moment.
I agree that Gambit might have the most potential in taking over Wolverine's popularity, but Marvel would really have to try to promote Gambit's popularity to the public to be more effective.
Gambit is a character that I once thought that he is the most popular X-Men character and I believe that if he is used more he may replace Wolverine if he gets out of the spot for a moment.
I agree that Gambit might have the most potential in taking over Wolverine's popularity, but Marvel would really have to try to promote Gambit's popularity to the public to be more effective.
I think Gambit may be one of the best candidates too, but I think one of the things that he (and a lot of the X-men) probably has working against him is his lack of iconic quality. Sure, most people probably recognize Gambit, and he works better on his own than most X-characters, due to having been an adventurer prior to joining (ie, having a past), but he's not the sort of consummate superhero that Wolverine is.
Which is a lot of what I like about him, really, but I don't see him representing mutant kind on the Avengers, for example. His appeal is that he's a wild card, where as Wolverine is more of a rock, more of a core character, more representative of something besides himself.
For all of these reasons, I would have to consider characters like Storm, Cyclops, or even Rogue, to have a bit more of a better chance.
She used to be his sidekick... so why not push her into the direction of her mentor:
I think this is one of the most interesting ways to handle Jubilee; ley's face it, she wasn't really that cool or distinct until Generation X, that's where she really came into her own, and it was as his obvious successor. I don't really think she could come to be as iconic as the Wolverine, but, more than any other character, she's been groomed for the position.
This is a good point. But there's a trend. Consider this list. Kitty Pryde, Jubilee, Armor... At one point or another they have all been Wolverine's sidekick. And each time, it worked well... But, unfortunately, they eventually get tossed aside and replaced. Now, Kitty currently is getting quite a bit of on panel time... but there were a number of years where she seemed to just... not be around... And of course, she did get shot into space inside a giant bullet for a long while....
With Jubilee, I think Marvel has tried a couple of times to bring her to the forefront, but it hasn't 'taken.' The story with the vampires was, IMO, rather stupid but still kewl on some level and what they did with Jubilee, making her a vampire... I think that was another shot at bringing her to the forefront. Personally, I'd like to see her come back to the X-Men as a vampire WITH her mutant powers restored....
Who knows, maybe a mini-series with Kitty, Armor, Jubilee, and Pixie... Pixie was 'almost' a Wolverine Sidekick...
The thing about Wolverine, like him or hate him, is that he is just so cool on the surface. You know nothing about the X-Men, but the first time you see all of them, they're showing off their powers. One guy shoots lasers from his eyes, another tells the wind to blow and lightning to fall, a redhead dies and comes back five times, a guy has wings, whatever, then there's this short, gruff dude. Suddenly, three claws spring from his hands and he lunges forward, cutting stuff up. The first thing any kid will do after seeing the X-Men is go "SNIKT!" and there's nothing wrong with that. Hell, it makes sense. It's a power that is fun to reenact, and very exciting.
After that, well, most people are going to keep loving the guy. Those that don't are likely to gravitate to other characters for whatever reason, rather than standing behind that one "super-cool" character.
None of them. The thing about Wolverine, like him or hate him, is that he is just so cool on the surface. You know nothing about the X-Men, but the first time you see all of them, they're showing off their powers. One guy shoots lasers from his eyes, another tells the wind to blow and lightning to fall, a redhead dies and comes back five times, a guy has wings, whatever, then there's this short, gruff dude. Suddenly, three claws spring from his hands and he lunges forward, cutting stuff up. The first thing any kid will do after seeing the X-Men is go "SNIKT!" and there's nothing wrong with that. Hell, it makes sense. It's a power that is fun to reenact, and very exciting. After that, well, most people are going to keep loving the guy. Those that don't are likely to gravitate to other characters for whatever reason, rather than standing behind that one "super-cool" character.
I feel like placing a crown on your head. Spot on.
This is a good point. But there's a trend. Consider this list. Kitty Pryde, Jubilee, Armor... At one point or another they have all been Wolverine's sidekick. And each time, it worked well... But, unfortunately, they eventually get tossed aside and replaced. Now, Kitty currently is getting quite a bit of on panel time... but there were a number of years where she seemed to just... not be around... And of course, she did get shot into space inside a giant bullet for a long while....
With Jubilee, I think Marvel has tried a couple of times to bring her to the forefront, but it hasn't 'taken.' The story with the vampires was, IMO, rather stupid but still kewl on some level and what they did with Jubilee, making her a vampire... I think that was another shot at bringing her to the forefront. Personally, I'd like to see her come back to the X-Men as a vampire WITH her mutant powers restored....
Who knows, maybe a mini-series with Kitty, Armor, Jubilee, and Pixie... Pixie was 'almost' a Wolverine Sidekick...
Though she may be the first and most classic example of this trend, I don't think Kitty should be counted with those other characters for one main reason; when Kitty first developed her relationship with Wolverine, she was the main character of the X-men, a role that Wolverine wouldn't really take, despite his popularity, until after she left (to become the main character of Excaliber).
Jubilee, on the other hand, definitely started out as Wolverine's sidekick, and eventually became a more central character by the time she left to join Generation X, but she was rarely as central to the stories stories as Kitty had been. For the first half of the 80's, X-men was largely Kitty's story.
And, yeah, all X-men leave the team at some point, but the only time when Kitty was strictly "not around", was when she went to college. Other than that, she's spent most of her existence as the main character of whatever book she's in..
I also say, if given the chance and the right push, that this guy could definitely be the most popular face of the X-Men. He's already the most distinctly featured, the most easily recognizable, and the BAMF! is already so iconic. Plus, everyone loved his fight scene in the X2 movie. Hell, growing up he was one of my favorite X-Men, I would always play as him on my Sega Genesis game after reading some comics.
Gambit is a character that I once thought that he is the most popular X-Men character and I believe that if he is used more he may replace Wolverine if he gets out of the spot for a moment.
I agree that Gambit might have the most potential in taking over Wolverine's popularity, but Marvel would really have to try to promote Gambit's popularity to the public to be more effective.
I think Gambit may be one of the best candidates too, but I think one of the things that he (and a lot of the X-men) probably has working against him is his lack of iconic quality. Sure, most people probably recognize Gambit, and he works better on his own than most X-characters, due to having been an adventurer prior to joining (ie, having a past), but he's not the sort of consummate superhero that Wolverine is.
Which is a lot of what I like about him, really, but I don't see him representing mutant kind on the Avengers, for example. His appeal is that he's a wild card, where as Wolverine is more of a rock, more of a core character, more representative of something besides himself.
For all of these reasons, I would have to consider characters like Storm, Cyclops, or even Rogue, to have a bit more of a better chance.
I agree that Wolverine will always have the Weapon X storyline that will make him stand out from the other characters, although Storm has the back story about her encounter with the Shadow King and Rogue had a past history about being a villain and stealing Ms. Marvel's powers.
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