These 5 X-Men Characters Aren’t Well-Known But Would Soar In Solo Comics

The X-Men‘s success really needs to be studied. Writer Chris Claremont, along with artists Dave Cockrum and John Byrne, was able to make fans love them in the late ’70s, which led to miniseries in the ’80s for Wolverine and an all-new series like The New Mutants, as well graphic novels like X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, with the mutants becoming fertile ground for Marvel Comics. Since then, we’ve gotten numerous mini and ongoing series, starring both entirely new X-teams and solo heroes. While the usual suspects like Wolverine, Deadpool, or Cable always get their chance at solo stardom, recent years have seen more esoteric X-characters get to shine in various books.

The X-Men corner of the Marvel Universe has proven to be a great place for characters who have star potential. They’re also a proven sales leader, with their fans often giving new books at least a cursory chance to impress them. There are so many amazing X-characters out there and books starring them could go in loads of astonishing directions, giving readers the one thing everyone wants – novelty. These five X-characters aren’t the most well-known, but if you put them in their own book, they’d shine.

5) Forge

Chris Claremont created boatloads of marvelous mutants. Claremont figured that Marvel would allow him to write X-Men forever, so he made sure to pack characters with various elements that could lead to more stories down the road. So, for example, you have Forge, a Cheyenne mutant with the power to create anything. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War, has worked for the government numerous times over the years, and is a shaman gifted with great magical powers. When you describe him like that, you can see why Forge should one hundred perfect have his own book. You can do so much with him as a character; you can dig into his past in the military or one of the secret missions he went on for the government. You can have him battle mystical forces, with a focus on Native American myths and such. Forge is a character that most creators have sort of ignored for years, and a solo series would show everyone just how cool a character he can be.

4) Gladiator

The Shi’Ar Empire are one of the most interesting parts of the X-Men mythos. For my money, they’re the best intergalactic empire in the Marvel Universe and the Imperial Guard are a big part of that. A superpowered army of warriors fighting for the Empire, they are one of the most formidable forces out there, led by a character who should be a superstar – Gladiator. One of many Marvel Superman pastiches, Galdiator’s power are based on his own self-esteem; if he believes in himself, he’s unstoppable. He’s the ultimate warrior for the Empire and it’s weird that he’s never gotten more focus than he does. A Gladiator book would look a lot like the ’90s Silver Surfer comics; those books followed the Sentinel of the Spaceways battling evil throughout the stars and you could do the same with Gladiator, with the Empire as a the basis of the whole thing. Cosmic Marvel needs a shot in the arm and Gladiator is the right medicine at the right time.

3) Lifeguard

Chris Claremont came back to the X-Men in the year 2000 and in 2001 would be shuffled off into his own series, X-Treme X-Men. This book was Claremont mutant madness of the highest order, with the creator doing what he did best – creating awesome new mutants and putting them in weird psychosexual situations. One of the most interesting was Lifeguard. Lifeguard’s powers allowed her to transform into anything in order to save lives. However, the power was passive; so if someone needed an underwater rescue, her body would take on aquatic elements and the like automatically and she couldn’t decide how her body would adapt. She’s a character with loads of potential. She’s basically tailor-made to be a superhero and her powers have room for growth. She’s a character with a fun premise and powers that are off the beaten the path. She’d do amazing in a series where creators could explore her more. Right now is a great time to be an X-Woman, with more of them getting series than ever, and Lifeguard could be the next big surprise for the line.

2) Shadow King

One place where the X-Men have been particularly successful is in the villain side of things. The team has been gifted with some of the best villains in comic history, with the best of them becoming superstars in their own right. One of the most underrated X-Men villains, and one who would be do amazing in a solo series, is the Shadow King. Amahl Farouk is a powerful telepath who was possessed by the Shadow King, an entity from the Astral Plane that was the sum totality of the darkness in the souls of living things, the two of them spreading darkness through the world for centuries. The Shadow King’s wants to control the minds of everything in existence, all while experiencing the ecstasies of the physical world. The Shadow King and Amahl can be separated, which could lead to a book where Farouk decides to try and destroy the ancient evil once and for all. The Shadow King can travel the multiverse through the Astral Plane, meaning it could become a multiverse book. You could explore its history or have it jump to other hosts. There’s so much potential for a Shadow King book that it would be amazing to see just where creators would take it.

1) Quentin Quire

New X-Men is the team’s finest 21st century moment, with writer Grant Morrison taking mutants in wild directions over the length of their 40-issue run. They introduced numerous great characters, including the young telepathic firebrand Quentin Quire. Quire ended up attacking the school and evolving into psionic energy but he would soon pull himself back together, rejoining the group and ending up under the not-so tender ministrations of Wolverine. Working with Wolvie helped Quentin grow as a person, leading him to become a mouthy yet powerful X-Man and earning the respect of Cyclops and Magneto. Quire is the ultimate rebel mutant, which makes him perfect for his own series. He’s a character who can be amazing when he’s done right and a book about the adventures of the X-Men’s rudest member would be fantastic. Bad boys mutants do pretty well in solo series and a Quentin series could allow him to hit new levels of popularity. The X-Men create stars and Quire could be the next big thing.

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