New X-Men Concept Art Shows An Unused Idea So Cool It’s Still Got To Happen

Comic book characters and teams are notorious for their inescapable status quos. Once something that people like is established, it’s almost impossible for these characters to shrug that off and charge bravely into a new direction. However, that didn’t always used to be the case, and the X-Men were the perfect example. Back in the day, the mutant team was constantly racing into new frontiers and adding new, diverse characters. They still do the latter, but, much like the majority of other big franchises, they tend to play it safe. Typically, major changes don’t get past the pitch room, and comic book writer Cullen Bunn just shared an incredible example of a major change that almost was. 

Bunn is a prolific writer, having credits such as Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe and X-Men: Blue under his name. Today, we’re focused on his work on Uncanny X-Men (2016). This series led up to and concluded the war between mutants and Inhumans in Inhumans vs. X-Men. However, while this series featured Magneto leading his own X-team and Emma Frost’s fall from grace, the original pitch was entirely different. Thanks to a Facebook post from Bunn, we now know that this series was pitched as a space-faring adventure, and we even have some incredible concept art by Brian Hurtt.

X-Men in Space, the Final Frontier

Bunn’s original pitch for his X-Men series followed a new team setting off to the stars to find a new home for mutantkind. It would have starred Rachel Summers as the captain of the spaceship Perilous. Joining her would have been the ever-reliable Beast, the cosmic expert Sunspot, and Betty Braddock as Captain Britain, with other undisclosed mutants filling out the team. With the Terrigen Cloud ravaging the world and leaving a trail of dead mutants in its wake, it was the perfect time for mutantkind to get out of Dodge. While this ultimately didn’t work out, it doesn’t mean that a similar story can’t happen in the future. In fact, now might be just as good a time for it.

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Funnily enough, Betsy wound up becoming Captain Britain during the Krakoan Age and is currently in a relationship with Rachel. The X-Men even expanded to space, colonizing Mars. The seeds that this idea planted bore fruit in entirely unexpected ways, and with things set up as they are, this unused team becoming a reality can happen. The inciting incident could easily be that mutantkind is on the hunt for a new home after the fall of Krakoa. Beast joining would even make perfect sense, as he is dealing with the ramifications of his evil self’s actions, and could want some cosmic distance. All the pieces are in place for this cool story with these incredible designs, which I would personally love to see in action.

Comic books aren’t exactly known for breaking the mold, and this is one story that never saw the light of day because of it. Brian Hurtt’s concept art shows off all the potential and style of this setup. It’s a shame we never got to see it all in action, but there’s always the chance of this idea hitting home in the future.

Which unused comic storyline would you love to see fleshed out? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!