Emma Frost Has Outgrown the X-Men (And She Knows It)

Emma Frost has had one of the most entertaining journeys in comics. Frost first debuted as the villainous White Queen, and since then has grown in ways that no one could have guessed. Emma Frost was always pretty popular, but her popularity was cemented when she joined the X-Men. Emma joined the X-Men in 2001 and became one of the most popular characters on the team for close to 20 years. Emma Frost was positioned as one of the most important X-Men, working with Cyclops to help lead the mutant race. However, some of the best parts of these stories were when Emma associated with characters outside the X-Men. This showed readers something that you can’t say for other X-Men characters — Emma Frost can work away from the X-Men in ways that other characters can’t.

Emma Frost is a character who doesn’t need the X-Men like other members of that team do. Looking at Emma Frost’s history, it’s plain to see that she can easily move out of the X-Men sphere and become one of the most popular Marvel characters. One of the coolest things about Emma Frost in the comics is that she knows she’s bigger than the X-Men. The only people who don’t seem to know are Marvel itself, and it’s about time we got more of the former White Queen away from the team.

Emma Frost Is a Perfect Fit for the Greater Marvel Universe

Emma Frost was an excellent X-Man, but the moment that really made me see how far she could go was Civil War #3. Tony Stark was trying to recruit the X-Men to the pro-registration side, and he and Emma discussed it because they had once had a secret relationship with each other. The way Emma played off Tony Stark was so entertaining, and it showed that there was more to her than just the X-Men. Sure, Emma Frost and Cyclops had an amazing relationship, but there was something about Emma and Tony that just clicked with me and a lot of other fans. The next glimmer of the greatness of Emma Frost outside the X-Men came when she joined Norman Osborn’s Cabal during “Dark Reign”. Emma hadn’t been a villain in a while, but she just fit in the more pragmatic world of the Cabal, playing her own games.

Emma Frost has always been portrayed as one of the shrewdest players in comics, so she knows what her value is to the superhero community. Look at what Emma did during the Krakoa Era — she was not only the glue that held the Quiet Council together, working to keep the disruptive elements of the council in check, but also worked with governments around the world on trade deals with the nation. Emma Frost became a world leader, and she was very good at it. She would later team back up with Iron Man, and the two of them made a perfect team against the Orchis Initiative and their corporate power player, Feilong.

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Other than Wolverine, very few X-Men characters can work outside of the X-Men. It’s one of the curses of the team’s success; it’s created such a fertile ecosystem for characters that many characters can’t operate outside of it. However, Emma Frost can. Her history as a corporate mastermind fits in with the feel of old school Marvel, which was populated by multiple characters with power in the world.

Emma is a character who doesn’t need to be teaching mutants how to use their powers like she is right now in Exceptional X-Men; she can be hanging out with the heroes of the Avengers and working to make the world a better place for everyone. Emma knows this; her ego can be a bit extreme, but she can back it up. At this point, it seems that only Marvel doesn’t trust that Emma can exist outside of the X-Men, which is honestly a bit ludicrous. Marvel has put Emma in situations where she has shone brightly even while away from the X-Men, and they’ve built a past for the character that shows her relationships with characters outside of the X-Men. There’s no reason to keep Emma in a “flagship” X-Men title that keeps her out of the spotlight.

Emma Frost Should Be Leading the Avengers

Starting with Beast way back in the ’70s, X-Men have become Avengers and fit in pretty well. Wolverine, Storm, and Rogue all have had some pretty great tenures with the Avengers, so there’s no reason why more X-Men shouldn’t get a chance with the big team. Emma Frost is one of those characters. Emma Frost has grown into one of the most intriguing characters in the X-Men side of the Marvel Universe, and keeping her in the young mutants’ book, the same place she was 30 years ago, is a waste of the character.

Emma Frost can have her own solo book away from the X-Men, as a member of the Avengers. Emma is one of those rare characters who can walk away from the X-Men and get more popular than she was before. She is ready for the brightest spotlight; she knows it, and readers know it. The only people who don’t seem to know it are Marvel’s editorial board.

Do you think Emma Frost is bigger than the X-Men? Sound off in the comments below.