Marvel is bringing back the 1992 era X-Men Continuity

March 17, 2015March 15, 2017 Christopher James 0 Comments Comics, Secret Wars (2015), X-Men

When I was in grade school I had never read a comic book before Fox’s X-Men cartoon came on the scene in 1992. I was hooked after the first episode. To be pretty honest, that first episode is one of the best, and it’s something that you probably can’t do in modern children’s television: kill off a main character.

I nearly lost my head earlier this week when Marvel announced the Secret Wars tie-in title X-Men ’92. Not much info has been given except the title and a teaser:

X-MEN ’92 #1
Chris Sims & Chad Bowers (w), Scott Koblish (a)
Cover by PEPE LARRAZ

Everyone’s favorite version of the X-Men from the ’90s is back!

When Baron Kelly charges the Clear Mountain Project and it’s mysterious new director with “mutant rehabilitation,” it’s up to the X-Men to investigate!

PLUS: Free Range Sentinels?!?

Fox’s 1992 X-Men was my introduction to the world of superheroes. I had been vaguely aware of Superman and Batman but as an eight-year-old (yes, that means I’m 30 now) that show opened my mind to the world of comic book heroes. I’ve seen literally every episode of that show.

The show itself was not without its flaws. I never really bought the whole Jubilee thing; to be honest I wasn’t a fan of the child-warrior type of X-Men and I prefer the stories that focus on the now adult characters. Which X-Men was, mainly; apart from the roughly 16-year-old Jubilee all of the other characters were adults.

The 1992 series had everything you would want from a animated version of X-Men: Gambit, Centinels, Magneto, Days of Future Past, Mr. Sinister and finally, my favorite ultimate evil: Apocalypse. I can’t get out of my head how perfect the voice actor for Apocalypse was (and Wolverine). Although there were a few bad things about the show, the Hellfire Club episode, and the last season was basically phoned in by the new production company. All in all it’s a treasured childhood who that turned me into the adult nerd I am today.

I’m not sure what to expect from X-Men ’92. Obviously the character design is based off of the show, and I’m assuming it will be a continuation of where the series ended in 1997. When the show ended Professor Xavier was flying off to the Shi’Ar Empire with Lilandra to cure a life threatening disease. Magneto had been on the verge of launching an attack on the world with his mutant army. Not really a cliffhanger as Magneto appears to repent his ways when he learns of Professor X’s ailment. The series ended on a high note but with a few cliffhangers that I’m hoping will be explored in this new series, namely:

The Future of the X-Men Team’s Conflict with Magneto

In the final episode Magneto was poised to conquer Genosha before he decided to visit Professor X on his deathbed. Does he return to Genosha and finish what he’s started, or does he have a change of heart and decide to work together with humans?

What is Apocalypse’s Next Move?

The last episode to feature Apocalypse (episode 71: The Fifth Horseman) ends with Apocalypse, who had been cast out to the astral plane at the end of the series’ original finale (episodes 53-56: Beyond Good and Evil) attempting to take over Jubilee’s body (because what evil megalomaniac monster of nearly infinite power hasn’t secretly wanted to be a 16-year-old girl?). This plan fails, but Apocalypse is able to take control of Fabian Cortez’s body instead. This means that Apocalypse is alive and well in the mortal realm, so to speak, and we can assume he’s returned to his old ways of trying to destroy literally everything.

The Resolution of the “Dark Phoenix” Saga

In the show Jean Grey survives her time as the Dark Phoenix (but then again, she does in the comics eventually). Of course, it was a kid’s show and it’s pretty hard to kill off a major character, or to have that character go from being a hero to a villain without everything going back to normal in the end. Still, I’d love to see if this gets resolved, if Jean gets taken over by the Phoenix force again and what happens.

Of course, there’s probably not enough time for any (or possibly even one of these) to be resolved; it all depends on what the author(s) have in store for us, but I can’t wait. I was on the fence with this new Secret Wars for a while but everything I’ve been reading about it so far is making me truly excited for it.

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