X-Men 2099 Character Designs Feature Future Versions of Cyclops, Phoenix, Kid Cable and More

June 27, 2022, 9:52pm

X-Men 2099 is making a comeback for the 30th anniversary of Marvel’s 2099 imprint, and character designs for Spider-Man 2099: Exodus give a look at future versions of characters like Cyclops and Phoenix. August’s Spider-Man 2099: Exodus #5 from writer Steve Orlando and artist Kim Jacinto highlights X-Men 2099, with other issues in the limited series focusing on new 2099 iterations of Black Widow, Loki, and Winter Soldier. The new mutants join classic X-Men 2099 characters like Cerebra, Krystalin, and Bloodhawk, though their codenames and visual designs are an homage to their predecessors.

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Marvel shared Kim Jacinto’s design sheets for X-Men 2099’s Cyclops, Phoenix, Northstar, Tulkas, and Kid Cable. Five of those names belong to modern-day heroes, while Tulkas appears to be a new creation. Cyclops sports a blue costume and half mask, though he only appears to shoot red beams out of only one artificial eye; Phoenix is a Black woman warrior who could possibly have ties to Wakanda’s Dora Milaje; Northstar is a heavyset gentleman who looks more like a technological genius than an air-soaring hero; Tulkas has a muscular upper body whose tattoos burn bright red; and Kid Cable looks very similar to the time-traveling younger Cable who came from the future to the present during 2018’s Extermination event series. The final character sheet features returning characters Cerebra and Krystalin.

“From the comics to the toys, X-MEN 2099 was nothing more than the coolest stuff for me when I was just dipping my toe into reading monthly comics, launching right as I switched over from reading whatever I could from flea market back issue bins, to finally having a comic store and following books month to month,” Orlando explained when asked about his love for 2099. “The world was desolate and engrossing, the team was both familiar and different — a ragtag chosen family of mutants just struggling to survive. So, to celebrate that for 2099’s 30th Anniversary is just kickass. To get to work with some of the first X-Men I ever met? Just kickass. And to add to that family, with faces both old and new? That’s like some cross temporal electricity jolting back to whatever part of my brain holds my childhood. It wouldn’t be 2099 without the X-Men, and here? We’ve got a team built to nod to the past but also dive headlong into the future!”

“It’s such a great honor to design these characters! My design choices are inspired by different artists like Greg Baldwin and Dave Guertin from CreaturBox, Sean Galloway, Segi Brosa just to name a few. Looking at their designs helped me to envision and create these X-Men 2099 characters,” Jacinto added. “This is a dream come true for me! I would like to thank my editors Mark Paniccia, Danny Khazem, and, one of the best writers out there, Steve Orlando! Such a great pleasure working with them! I am very thankful!”

You can check out the character designs for the new X-Men 2099 below. Make sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments! Spider-Man 2099: Exodus #5 goes on sale August 3rd.

Spider-Man 2099: Exodus #5

Written by STEVE ORLANDO

Art by KIM JACINTO

Colors by JAY DAVID RAMOS

Letters by VC’s CLAYTON COWLES

Cover by RYAN STEGMAN, JP MAYER, & ARIF PRIANTO

2099 Frame Variant Cover by KEN LASHLEY & JUAN FERNANDEZ

Connecting Variant Cover by RON LIM & ISRAEL SILVA

At the epicenter of the Celestial’s Garden is a mutant, somehow fallen from the stars. The nomadic X-Men fight to claim the Garden as their new home but will Spider-Man respect their claim? Or will he try to take the Garden for humans? And even if they can co-exist, what’ll Spider-Man and the X-Men do about the Cabal Sentinels breathing down their necks?