The
Dark X-Men are a
Marvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
comic-bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
team. They made their debut during the
crossover"Utopia" is a 2009 comic book crossover story arc written by Matt Fraction and published by Marvel Comics, starring the X-Men and the Dark Avengers...
between
Dark AvengersDark Avengers was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is part of a series of titles that have featured various iterations of the superhero team the Avengers...
and
Uncanny X-MenUncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
written by
Matt FractionMatt Fritchman, better known by the pen name Matt Fraction, is an Eisner Award-winning American comic book writer, known for his work as the writer of The Invincible Iron Man, The Immortal Iron Fist and Uncanny X-Men for Marvel Comics and Casanova for Image Comics.-Career:Fraction wrote two...
, as part of the broader
Dark Reign"Dark Reign" is a 2008–2009 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. It deals with the aftermath of the "Secret Invasion" storyline, which led to a shift of power in the Marvel Universe toward Norman Osborn. The title "Dark Reign" refers to Osborn's rise to national power and the...
storyline. Each member but Namor has been handpicked by then–
H.A.M.M.E.R.H.A.M.M.E.R. is a fictional espionage and law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe led by Norman Osborn. The organization is formed in Secret Invasion #8 to replace S.H.I.E.L.D.. The organization plays a large part in Marvel's "Dark Reign" and Siege events.What H.A.M.M.E.R. stands for,...
director
Norman OsbornThe Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
for his own criminal agenda.
The team was never officially called the "Dark X-Men" (which was the name of the comics series, not the team). Instead, they were simply called the "X-Men" and were a government-sponsored team trying to take advantage of the name recognition of
Charles Xavier'sProfessor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
X-Men, to which they had no official connection (much like Osborn's
AvengersDark Avengers was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is part of a series of titles that have featured various iterations of the superhero team the Avengers...
team was pretending to be the real
AvengersThe Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
).
Publication history
At the 2009
Emerald City ComiConThe Emerald City Comicon is an annual comic book convention taking place in Seattle, Washington. Originally taking place at the city's Qwest Field , the venue changed to its current home at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center since 2008...
, writer Matt Fraction confirmed that the Dark X-Men would not be featured in a title of their own, but would rather be featured in
Uncanny X-Men during the crossover with
Dark AvengersDark Avengers was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is part of a series of titles that have featured various iterations of the superhero team the Avengers...
.
In an April 16 interview with
Comic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, Fraction explained the whole idea behind the Dark X-Men was to create three teams; Norman Osborn's
Dark AvengersDark Avengers was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is part of a series of titles that have featured various iterations of the superhero team the Avengers...
, Scott Summers's X-Men, and Emma Frost's new "Dark" X-Men.
Comic book writer
Jason AaronJason Aaron is an American comic book writer, known for his work on titles such as The Other Side, Scalped, Ghost Rider, Wolverine and PunisherMAX.-Early life:Jason was born in Jasper, Alabama...
stated recently that
MystiqueMystique is a fictional character associated with the Marvel Comics' franchise X-Men. Originally created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms...
will have a short story in the
Dark X-Men: The Beginning mini-series, but did not confirm whether or not she would join the team; it was later shown that Mystique was impersonating
Professor XProfessor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
to make the media believe Charles Xavier supported Norman Osborn's decisions. Similarly,
Dark BeastDark Beast , sometimes known as the Black Beast, is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an alternate reality evil version of the X-Men’s Beast...
was mentioned as featured in the first two issues of
Dark X-Men: The Beginning, but was not confirmed as member of the Dark X-Men. However, both of them were actually revealed as members of the team (with Mystique impersonating Professor X) in Uncanny X-Men #513, released on July 1, 2009.
Other members of the team Fraction chose include Cloak and Dagger, neither of which have had strong ties to any of the
X-MenThe X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
books. "They're here presented with a chance to have their reputations exonerated and their records sealed [if they join the Dark X-Men]," explains Fraction in an interview with Marvel.com. "Osborn presents it to them as the ultimate public service, [where] they can work off their past indiscretions—[such as] Cloak's dealings with the Avengers during the [Skrull] invasion." Fraction reveals the more appealing part of Dark X-Men was to see how Cloak and Dagger react in a real superhero team scenario. Cloak and Dagger's involvement with the Dark X-Men has put their proposed miniseries on hold.
Another team member worthy of note is Mimic, who sees joining this team as a chance to do some good. Writer James Asmus explained: "To actually be invited onto a team—and one working for the government, no less—gives him a vote of confidence that was sorely needed in his life. Unfortunately for Cal, he doesn't realize he didn't sign up with the good guys." The first issue of
Dark X-Men: The Beginning will feature stories about Namor, Mimic and Dark Beast. The second featured stories about Cloak & Dagger, Weapon Omega and Daken. The third featured stories about Emma Frost & Namor, Mystique & Norman trying to recruit
AuroraAurora is a fictional character, a Canadian superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the twin sister of Northstar and the former lover of Sasquatch. She has also been in a relationship with Wild Child....
.
Following the conclusion of
Utopia a 5-issue mini-series titled
Dark X-Men, written by Paul Cornell and illustrated by Leonard Kirk, was published. The team roster consisted of Dark Beast, Mimic, Mystique (no longer impersonating Charles Xavier), and Weapon Omega, and showed the re-emergence of
Nate GreyNathaniel "Nate" Grey is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those related to the X-Men franchise...
.
Collected editions
The different series are being collected into individual
volumesIn comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Dark X-Men: The Beginning (collects Dark X-Men: The Beginning #1-3, and X-Men Legacy #226-227, 176 pages, hardcover, December 2009, ISBN 0-7851-4230-4)
- Dark X-Men (collects Dark X-Men #1-5, 120 pages, premiere hardcover, June 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4526-5)
As are other appearances:
- Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia (Collects X-Men #513-514, Dark Avengers #7-8, Dark X-Men: The Beginning 1-3, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia, and Utopia Finale, 368 pages, hardcover, December 2009, ISBN 0-7851-4233-9, softcover, April 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4234-7)
External links
- Marvel unleashes — Dark X-Men, Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
blog, April 2, 2009
- X-Position: Nick Lowe, Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, April 15, 2009