Peach Momoko’s Ultimate X-Men has been one of the sensational hits of the new Ultimate Universe. Taking place in Hi no Kuni, a setting that takes the place of East Asia, the book has a more manga-like influence than traditional western comic books. Out of all of the Ultimate books so far this one has taken the most liberties and has paid off exponentially. While this title and Ultimate Wolverine have a somewhat joint custody on the mutants in terms of characters, there are many still missing from both.
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Ultimate X-Men is one of the most different X-Men teams we’ve ever had so it fits they have more unique threats compared to Ultimate Wolverine, and that means there’s plenty of opportunity for new versions of iconic villains. Here are the ones we want to see in Ultimate X-Men based on how the books have been built up thus far.
7) Mr. Sinister
While not the main antagonist, the side villain the Maester has been heavily hinted to be Nathaniel Essex aka Mr. SInister. While he’s second fiddle to the Shadow King, his threat has been built up and we’re patiently waiting at this point. Having one of their deadliest enemies as a cult leader here could be the way to kick off more mutants joining this title.
Whether he’s the brilliant geneticist or not in this timeline remains to be seen but he could torment the characters more than he has so far. While he leads the Children of the Atom cult, we haven’t seen him in action quite yet. We still have another arc on the way before Ultimate Endgame so there is definitely time to see him rise up as Sinister after the girls defeat the Shadow King.
6) Daken
Daken Akihiro is the evil son of Wolverine on Earth 616 because of course he has an evil son. Daken is half Japanese and has his father’s abilities but with the bone claws instead of adamantium. In Ultimate X-Men, we have the character captured by the Children of the Atom cult called Akhirio and who was hinted to be Wolverine, but it is likely Daken here. Having an evil Wolverine in Japan would be a nice way to mix it up from the heroic in Russia.
He’s been more of a plot device as of late, but the potential to cause havoc for the girls is right there. Hopefully we see more of him and his chaos that’s likely to ensue.
5) Cameron Hodge
The once-human lawyer and publicist of Warren Worthington III, Cameron Hodge is a mutant hunting cyborg now. An often underutilized X-Men villain. he could have an amazing surge over on Earth 6160 for longtime X-fans. You have endless possibilities here, such as a cyborg hunting mutants in Hi no Kuni before going into Eurasia or have him stalking the girls via their social media presence.
A core aspect of his character has been his connection to Angel. While not in this book and barely in Ultimate Wolverine, you can wipe his slate clean here. Remove the connection based off a personal hatred and make it for all mutants and you’ve got something more vile with Hodge.
4) Magik
A classic New Mutant who should have that team in 616, Magik is the secondary villain in Ultimate Wolverine. Why should she jump over here? Colossus has planted his foot firmly as the main antagonist in Ultimate Wolverine while Magik is playing second fiddle. Ultimate X-Men has been a bit more mystical rather than sci-fi and that fits her Magik a lot more closely, too. Why not have her jump over here as a mutant hunter in tandem with her brother?
It’s already a controversial take having her be evil in this universe but why not make full use of the idea? I know we have Silver Samurai and Sunfire in Hi no Kuni but they could easily trade spots. It already feels like the two books should be connected so this would be a perfect crossover opportunity. Magik could be the key to it all, all we have left to do is find a place for Omega Red.
3) Reverend Stryker
I’m going to assume most of you know William Stryker is a Reverend and not a clone of Gyrich? If not, well now you know. In the comics Stryker has been a anti-mutant televangelist wanting to eradicate mutant kind. Taking matters into his own hands with his followers killing them under his name as an act of God, why not bring him back in Ultimate X-Men and give him his proper background?
There are plenty of elements that can be added or changed to make him a good fit. It might be redundant to take him back to his Reverend roots, but honestly doing that in a universe for new fans may help the case for all the younger readers who might not be ready for “God Loves, Man Kills”.
2) Mojo
Hailing from Mojoworld, the alien broadcast mogul Mojo is one of the most annoying yet popular X-Men villains of all time. Carrying him over to Hi no Kuni with the game show culture being much more popular over there than Russia could work super well for this universe. It’s a bit on the nose and corny, but Mojo as a character would fit into the style of Ultimate X-Men wonderfully with little to no changes.
1) Mystique
While a freedom fighter with backstory we’ve barely touched, Mystique’s story in Ultimate Wolverine came to a short and infuriating end. With Maystorm being inspired by Wind-Rider aka Storm, there can easily be two Mystiques running around. Having another girl among the group as this team’s version of Mystique would add so much more to the dynamic this team already has and fleshes out the team more too.
If she would go rogue, she could become a great enemy to the team and, much like Daken, have the evil one here and the other one in Russia as a hero. Whether she’s connected to Mystique or Irene Adler at all or not can factor in much later but all we know is Mystique would be a strong character to see in Ultimate X-Men.
What classic X-Men villain do you want to see in Ultimate X-Men? Let us know what you’re thinking in the comments.
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