Marvel’s X-Men Problem: Do We Really Need Two Alternate Universe Stories at Once?

X-Men fans are in for a weird couple of months. X-Men of Apocalypse Alpha #1 takes readers back to the Age of Apocalypse universe. Age of Apocalypse is one of the most popular alternate universe storylines of all time, and Marvel has been trying to recapture its success ever since. 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the storyline, so it makes sense that Marvel would revisit it. However, strangely enough, it’s not the only alternate universe X-Men story that is going to close out 2025. The X-Men books are going to an alternate future universe in the next big X-Men event — “Age of Revelation”, which borrows heavily from the structure of the ’90s classic, as titles are retitled and we spend the next few months away from the main timeline. Am I the only one who thinks it’s a little weird that we’re getting both of these at once?

X-Men of Apocalypse Alpha #1 is pretty good and “Age of Revelation” seems to have some good, albeit recycled, ideas behind them. Overall, both of these are rehashes of the same overall idea, and collectively, they’re the fourth time in the last six years that we’ve been getting major alternate universe stories (there was Age of X-Men, yet another AoA rehash, and “Sins of Sinister” in 2019 and 2023 respectively). “From the Ashes” has been an uneven X-Men reboot, most of the heat of its debut completely gone, and putting out these two stories at the same time feels foolish. Do we really need both of these stories at the same time?

Alternate X-Men Stories Are Great, but There’s a Limit

The Age of Apocalypse has an interesting legacy. It was a major moment in comic history, as Marvel cancelled their most profitable line and took a massive chance. The fact that it succeeded isn’t exactly surprising — they were still X-Men books in the ’90s and probably would have sold regardless of quality — but it will always be a big deal. Marvel has tried to pull out the concept multiple times over the last 30 years, with very mixed results. The last time Marvel tried was Age of X-Man, a story that isn’t remembered fondly when it’s even remembered at all. So, right now, having two different alternate universe stories, both of them cashing in on the same concept at the same time, feels wrong. X-Men of Apocalypse is going to sell well regardless, as will “Age of Revelation”, but getting both of those stories at the same time honestly feels like Marvel has given up on trying to make fans like the X-Men books with original new stories and characters, instead going for the one-two nostalgia punch. “From the Ashes” has been coasting on nostalgia ever since it started, and this has made it much weaker than the previous X-Men reboot, the Krakoa Era. There’s very little reason to pick up the vast majority of X-Men books right now, and X-Men of Apocalypse and “Age of Revelation” both feel like Marvel is hoping that nostalgia for the former and curiosity about the future versions of all of our favorite X-Men characters will drive sales.

I’ve been a big critic of “From the Ashes” for a lot of valid reasons. I think even the fans of “From the Ashes” will admit that it’s trying to use nostalgia for a long ago X-Men status quo to get fans in the door. Some of them will admit that’s why they came back to the X-Men book. So, from that perspective X-Men of Apocalypse and “Age of Revelation” are more of the same. “From the Ashes” has built itself on borrowing heavily from the past to make fans want to read the books. There is some interest when it comes to X-Men of Apocalypse because it feels like it’s going in different directions than the previous returns to that alternate reality. However, it’s nostalgia all the way down, not new storytelling. “From the Ashes” was meant to appeal to fans who stopped reading X-Men comics at some point, and this has actually done a lot of damage to the line. Wolverine was a top 25 book before “From the Ashes”, but now it’s lucky to stay in the top 50s. Wolverine is supposed to sell better than this — it was always the third tent pole of the X-Men line. Multiple X-Men books that sold well at first have failed. Uncanny X-Men and X-Men still sell relatively well, but not amazing. Now, obviously, stories like this are planned far in advance, so Marvel didn’t just them right now out of actual panic; this was the plan the whole time. Marvel wanted to use nostalgia to sell the new X-Men line, and these are just two more weapons in its nostalgia arsenal. Putting them both out at the same time, though, feels like a huge mistake. Both of these stories could be good, but putting them out at the same time makes neither one special (and that’s before we get to the fact that the original Age of Apocalypse happened in the beginning of 1995, so why is the anniversary story happening at the end of year?).

These Stories Happening at the Same Time Won’t Make the X-Men Cool Again

Nostalgia is a pretty big problem with entertainment nowadays. New ideas are few and far between, and when they are, they’re not pushed as hard because nostalgia has a guaranteed audience already. The X-Men have suffered a lot from this lately. “From the Ashes” started out like a house on fire, the nostalgia helping sell the books. However, it also just so happened that DC’s Absolute line was dropping a few months later, and everyone forgot about the nostalgia driven X-Men comics for books that gave them something new.

X-Men of Apocalypse and “Age of Revelation” are all about nostalgia. There’s really no other reason to do either of these stories in the way they’re being done. Nostalgia hasn’t helped the X-Men books very much in the last year, so dropping a double dose of nostalgia doesn’t feel like a good move. It would have made more sense to bookend 2025 with them, X-Men of Apocalypse at the beginning and “Age of Revelation” at the end, instead of dropping them both at the same time. The X-Men don’t need two nostalgia bait stories right now, the line needs more new ideas and quality storytelling.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

The 10 Most Powerful Brotherhood of Evil Mutants Members Ranked (Including One You Probably Forgot)