To hearStan Leetell it, theX-Mencame to be precisely because he was tired of making up origin stories.
Whatever Lee intended when he andJack Kirbycreated the X-Men in 1963, the franchise became anything but simple.
As crazy as things were on the page, they were often just as absurd behind the scenes.
Here are some of the most notable backstories behind some ofMarvels Merry Mutants.
Wolverine
Wolverineis the best at what he does.
But what he does is really confuse readers.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
Cockrum first extended the wings on Wolverines mask, making the small points from Trimpes design more exaggerated.
While the changes came as a surprise to Wein, they shouldnt have shocked anyone following Cockrums work closely.
With the exception of the warlord Tyr, none of the Devastators made it to print.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
The name of this character?
But the more important contributions involve characters Cockrum never got to realize at DC.
Among the Outsiderswas a character originally called the Intruder, a demon-like creature who could teleport anywhere he wanted.
Credit: Marvel Studios
Even with that change, DC editorial deemed Nightcrawler too weird, and rejected the character.
One of the most striking examples is the evil geneticist Mister Sinister.
Hes got sharp teeth, thigh-high boots, and a ridiculous cape.
Photo: Marvel Comics.
He bellows at his minions and, you know, calls himself Mister Sinister.
Such broad characterizations arent completely out-of-bounds for superhero comics.
Why would he introduce a new villain that feels like an 11-year-olds idea of a bad guy?
Photo: Marvel Comics.
Well, because Mr. Sinister was supposed to be an 11-year-olds idea of a bad guy.
Claremont initially tied Sinister to a little boy who befriended Scott Summers in the orphanage where they lived together.
Why does Sinister look the way he does?
Claremont rhetorically asked inan interview from 2022.
He kind of seems like an 11-year-olds vision of a super cool guy.
Once again, thats because Gambit is an 11-year-olds vision of a super cool guy.
The same 11-year-old, in fact.
After being defeated by the X-Men a few times as Sinister, the boy tried a new tactic.
And what better way to do that than with the most charming of rogues and thieves?
Cable
Cables on the page origin story is already confusing enough.
Its almost overkill to describe his genesis behind-the-scenes.
The long answer is… way too much to get into right now.
Behind the scenes, the Summers baby and Cable were too different people.
We dont have time for that!
InX-Force, it began to appear that Nathan grew up not to be Cable, but the villain Stryfe.
