The X-Men universe is coming to TV in two very different ways: first, we’ll get a standalone series called Legion in February on FX, while a second series spun directly out of the X-Men movie franchise is currently in development over at Fox.
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Fox’s X-Men TV series concept revolves around human parents going on the run to protect their mutant child from the government. Needless to say, it’s not a concept that has thrilled X-Men fans by and large. So as the X-Men universe continues to push into the television landscape, we thought it might be a good time to discuss 5 Better X-Men TV Concepts than the one this new Fox series is offering.
Morlocks
The Morlocks are a community of mutants living underground in NYC, and are basically the Freaks and Geeks of the X-Men universe. They shelter mutants too hideous, crazy, or unstable to exist in the world; too unsightly to even be part of Professor Xavier’s beloved X-Men.
What makes The Morlocks perfect for an X-Men TV series is that they are a self-contained world within the X-Men universe with their own mythos and culture. Their race-on-race friction with the X-Men over appearances and status quo is a compelling new point of view, and the show could introduce iconic X-Men foes both directly (The Marauders) and indirectly (Mr. Sinister).
Best of all, the characters are a great metaphor for poverty, mental illness, income inequality, and the social stigmas that come with them.
Marauders
Another great idea for a series (or a sister series) would be to explore The Morlocks and X-Men’s common enemy: The Marauders.
What makes The Marauders such interesting subjects is that they are a team of mutant assassins assigned to kill other mutants. The extra wrinkle of interest is that the Marauders are owned body and soul by Mr. Sinister, who uses the team as pawns and enforcers in his chess-like schemes (from genocidal killings to political manipulation), and clones them back to life whenever they fall in battle.
So, for those counting that’s an X-Men show following a team of mutant assassins who are endlessly cloned and re-cloned and sent back into the fray. As far as espionage thrillers with sci-fi elements set in superhero universes go, The Marauders would be one of a kind.
Hellions
The X-Men Universe’s Hellifre Club as a TV show was a concept that was already put into development around the same time Legion was; however, it ended up being abandoned. That decision may have been premature.
The old concept for a Hellfire Club TV series followed closely along with Moira McTaggert’s storyline in X-Men: First Class (government agent discovers mutant cabal posing as wealthy socialite club). However, a better approach would be to follow later incarnations of the club and its own team of young mutants, The Hellions.
Led by Emma Frost, The Hellions were The Hellfire Club’s answer to The New Mutants. As a TV show concept, the characters would be compelling, as their aristocratic and imperial view of mutantkind’s role in the social hierarchy would be an entirely different way to explore the concept of how mutants should value themselves and use their powers. Throw in a spy in the ranks, and some friction between the team and the Hellfire Inner Circle, and you have a great drama on your hands – with the added potential of a backdoor spinoff into a New X-Men sister show.
Genosha
Since Fox seems to like dipping its toe into X-Men TV series without necessarily risking investment in major characters, this would be an easy-yet-lucrative way to side-step the issue.
The Island of Genosha is a major pivotal locale in X-Men lore: it’s where a mutant population was mentally enslaved as workers and had to break free; it became Magneto’s mutant homeland and beacon of their independence; and after a devastating Sentinel attack, it became a wasteland of ghosts and evil intentions.
A show that jumps between all those time periods would be able to encompass so much of what the X-Men lore is and does, without necessarily having to offer viewers a single iconic character (just a broken statue of Magneto).
X-Factor Investigations
This has always seemed like a no-brainer for an X-Men live-action TV series, and yet it never seems to make it into development.
Picking up with X-Factor Investigations detective agency would be a great way to marry offbeat creative flair (like Legion has) with a more traditional superhero team framework.
The comic is a great pick for adaptation as it is a sardonic and neo-noir procedural, featuring characters previously active in the world of colorful superhero costumes – some of them on government-sponsored teams of mutants. The interplay between comic book fantasy and a bleaker Noir reality is rich with potential for social commentary and geek culture meta humor. Set it in Mutant Town, and you’d have a whole new world to offer viewers and X-Men fans.
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Legion is the story of a troubled young man who may be more than human. It introduces the story of David Haller, who since he was a teenager, has struggled with mental illness. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. But after a strange encounter with a fellow patient, he’s confronted with the possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees might be real.
Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Rachel Keller (Fargo), Jean Smart (Fargo), Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Jeremie Harris (A Walk Among the Tombstones), Amber Midthunder (Hell or High Water), Katie Aselton (The League) and Bill Irwin (Interstellar) star in Legion.
Legion premieres on Feb. 8, 2017, at 10 p.m. ET on FX.
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