These mind-bending X-Men time travel tales make for some of the best stories in the Marvel mutant canon.
X-Mencomics have always been about the future.
They are, after all, stories about mutants, the next stage in human evolution.
The son of Reed and Sue Richards, Franklin spins out ofFantastic Fourcomics.
Hes come back for… something.
But theres not much to the storyline beyond the Wolverine reveal.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
His backstory was a secret (or, undeveloped), following in the vein of Wolverine and Gambit.
The 1992-1993 crossover eventX-Cutioners Songclarified things.
Cable was notNathan Christopher Charles Summers, the son ofMadelyne Pryorand Cyclops.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
Rather, Nathan grew up to be the villain Stryfe and Cable was his clone.
At least, thats what we thought.
But later stories have established the opposite, with Cable as the real son and Stryfe as the clone.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
Even before that reversal,X-Cutioners Songconfuses more than it clarifies.
On the surface, its about Stryfe getting revenge on the X-Men, Apocalypse, and Cable.
But for all of the runs high points, it ended on an uneven note.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
If that sounds high-concept, well, it is Grant Morrison.
Between Morrisons oddball ideas and Silvestris unclear pencils, much of Here Comes Tomorrow reads like a mess.
In Hanks defense, things had gotten bad.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
Pushed to the limit, Cyclops became a militant, taking half the team with him.
Of course, it didnt work, as demonstrated byBattle of the Atom.
Well, you should be.
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Really, Bishop did Gambit a favor.
For years, questions about Gambits trustworthiness gave him a new edge of cool among readers.
ButX-Men#8 doesnt get into any of that.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
Bishops mission and Gambits betrayal will later become major plot points.
But in Tooth and Claw, theyre just an excuse for mutant shenanigans.
Well, that happens in the miniseries TheAdventures of Cyclops and Phoenix.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
And clarified might be too strong a word.
Its a strangely sweet story, hidden under complex time travel mechanics.
At least until the end of the third series.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
In an act of desperation, Cable finds his older self, resulting in a delightful and unlikely team-up.
The product ofNeil Gaimanand penciler Andy Kubert,Marvel 1602involves not just the X-Men but the entire Marvel Universe.
And Charles Xavier becomes Spaniard Carlos Javier, who runs a school for the hated and feared witch breed.
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BeforeAge of ApocalypsecameLegion Quest, a six-part story that crossed betweenX-Factor,Uncanny X-Men,X-Men, andCable.
But the most controversial change may have been to Moria McTaggert, a longtime human ally to the X-Men.
In the case of Jamie Madrox, its both!
Photo: Marvel Comics.
The dead Madrox was, of course, a duplicate.
But Bishop comes from a future ruled by the Mutant Messiah, which gives the impression of Hope.
How could not be?
Photo: Marvel Comics.
After all, look again at the headline above.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
