Schools out forever, but which X-Men took the most from their experience?
After The New Mutants turned into X-Force, it left a giant “X” shaped hole in the future of the X-Men. After the events of the [easyazon_link identifier=”0785185496″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Phalanx Covenant[/easyazon_link], a handful of kids were left homeless and exposed for what they were; mutants. Emma Frost and Banshee headed up the new training grounds for the next generation of X-Men, but unlike the New Mutants, these kids actually had class work between their adventures! [easyazon_link identifier=”B00GDHWAK2″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Generation X[/easyazon_link] had two volumes, the first lasting the better part of a decade while the 2nd, only a dozen or so issues. Both of which had members worthy of note. But let’s be honest, one more than the other. Here are our choices for the top 10 X-Men to come out of the Generation X programs.
10. Mondo
Mondo only made this list for one reason. Whether the Generation X TV movie was good or not, millions of people saw it and now have a vague recollection of the character. Very vague. Mondo was among the first kids to join Generation X. He had the mutant ability to absorb the aspects of whatever he touched. If the material was hard and rough, Mondo could be much of the same. Even Jell-O (People who saw the TV movie will get that. Otherwise YouTube– at your own risk.). In a way it made him similar to Husk, but not nearly as useful. In the end, Mondo was revealed to be a clone, planted within the team by the villain, Black Tom Cassidy. Cassidy would later murder his creation while the real Mondo was shown to be a loyal henchman.
9. Skin
Angelo had powers very similar to those of Mr. Fantastic. His 6-feet of additional super elastic skin gave him an odd appearance, not unlike a Morlock. It wasn’t until years later did he learn to draw his skin tighter that he was able to lead a semblance of a normal life. After the end of Generation X, Skin was kidnapped by members of the Church of Humanity. Alongside Jubilee and the New Mutant, Magma, Skin was left crucified upon the X-Men’s front lawn. The girls survived when they were administered a dose of Angel’s regenerative blood, but sadly, Skin was not so fortunate. Like Mondo before him, Skin made the cut for the much-derided Generation X movie. However, Skin had a slightly more illustrious career in comics than his poor teammate.
8. Synch
A long-time fan-favorite, Evert is an original Gen-Xer that debuted before the book during the Phalanx Covenant. Evert has the mutant ability to literally synch-up with another mutant’s DNA and then copy their abilities. The downfall to this is that he has to be relatively close to maintain the link. He wasn’t in the Generation X TV movie, but he was featured in the animated series [easyazon_link identifier=”B003XTUAWI” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Wolverine and the X-Men[/easyazon_link]. For anyone that paid attention, in [easyazon_link identifier=”B00J09AQEC” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]X2: X-Men United[/easyazon_link], his name was listed among others in the computer Mystique was hacking. In the last arc of the original Generation X book, Synch sacrificed himself to save his girlfriend M and the rest of his friends from an explosion. Strangely enough, outside of briefly being spotted among the resurrected on Utopia during Necrosha-X, he’s remained dead. So very un X-Men of him.
7. Nature Girl
The first of the new batch of Gen-Xers on the list, Lin Li, Nature Girl, isn’t a Jason Aaron creation but she’s plenty strange in comparison to the rest on this list. Yep, she’s got antlers on her head, alright. The character itself is only a mere 5 years old and perhaps was the inspiration for Magneto’s murdered daughter in the movie [easyazon_link identifier=”B01G9AXWH2″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]X-Men: Apocalypse[/easyazon_link]. Lin’s powers allow her powers greater than her goofy appearance suggests. She can manipulate all aspects of nature including plant-life, the weather, and animals. Lin can restore nature to its natural state and in some instances fly, when necessary. She debuted in [easyazon_link identifier=”B00EKM8Q4G” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Wolverine and the X-Men[/easyazon_link]. When the book ended, she became background art until [easyazon_link identifier=”1302907379″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Generation X Vol. 2[/easyazon_link]. As of late, she’s one of the only young X-Man being utilized in the Age of X-Man title, [easyazon_link identifier=”1302915754″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]The Marvelous X-Men[/easyazon_link].
6. Bling!
Roxanne “Bling!” Washington has been around for nearly 15 years and got her codename from her mutant powers (and cringey backstory). Her body is made up of and can project diamond-like fragments at high velocity. She was part of the X-Men’s initial shift from action team, to actual schooling. Initially, Bling! got most of her usage by way of being part of Gambit’s group of trainees, the Chevaliers. Yes, that means she was front and center for the whole Mystique-Foxx debacle (let me know in the comment section if you want me to talk about that mess…). From that point on, she’s been seen in and out of X-Men continuity until her inclusion in Gen-X Vol. 2. Recently she was part of the [easyazon_link identifier=”1302914863″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Uncanny X-Men: Disassembled[/easyazon_link] and little before that, created wedding rings for Gambit and Rogue at their impromptu wedding.
5. Husk
Paige Guthrie is the younger sister of founding member of the New Mutants, Cannonball. Which is fitting. Generation X is basically the predecessor class of the original X-Men in training. Paige has the mutant ability to transmute her body into almost any substance. By shedding her skin, she could change into stone, metal, lizard-scales or even diamond. After the first class of Gen-Xers was disbanded, Husk joined the X-Men proper during the early ’00s. She eventually developed a questionable relationship with veteran X-Man, Angel. Even after that very odd pairing died, Husk continued to be used throughout the post-M-Day books. She was utilized in [easyazon_link identifier=”0785152903″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Age of X[/easyazon_link] and Wolverine and the X-Men where she forged a relationship with… the school janitor. Toad.
4. Chamber
Probably the most visually striking member of the original Generation X team, Jono Starsmore was at times the team’s leader. Most likely due to his maturity and he had been portrayed as “older” than the rest. When Chamber’s explosive psionic powers emerged, it blew a hole in his body from his jaw, down to his chest. His body essentially functioned as a living container as he became nothing but sentient energy. To this day, he communicates via telepathic transmission. In battle, he can project intense blasts of psionic energy and survive without air or sustenance. After Gen-X ended, Chamber joined the X-Men as an instructor. Most recently, he’s seen in the new Uncanny X-Men book as the current leader of the Morlocks. Or what’s left of them. He’s also really, really, upset with Cyclops, but who isn’t these days?
3. Kid Omega
Quinton Quire debuted after the first two X-Men movies spurred the comic franchise to follow suit. Originally, he played the disgruntled, anarchist, student leader of the Omega Gang. He helped incite a riot at the school which after taking a drug called “kick” ended with him being left in a state of pure energy, unable to interact with the physical world. After a brief encounter with the Phoenix Force, he recreated his body.
Being basically reborn, Quire’s character maintained his rebellious nature but was more of a harmless upstart than anything else. He played a major role in Wolverine and the X-Men in basically every arc. He became a creator favorite under Aaron and Bendis and it is (even to this day) heavily suggested that he will be a wielder of the Phoenix Force. After being a member of Jubilee’s Generation X squad, he joined the [easyazon_link identifier=”130291345X” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]West Coast Avengers[/easyazon_link]. Kid Omega is one of the most utilized and well-liked young X-Men in the modern era.
2. Jubilee
In most instances that I can think of, Jubilee is the most famous of the Generation X bunch. Heck, the book didn’t even kick-off until she joined it upon the conclusion of the Phalanx Covenant. Strangely enough, despite her usage in the 90’s animated series, and multiple cameos throughout the X-Men movie franchise, you’d think she’d get a little more focus. After the end of Generation X, Jubilee was only sparingly seen.
On M-Day, she lost her mutant power to project plasma globes, which was another strike against her usability. Jubilee would come to be part of the New Warriors for a short time, but would ultimately fall prey to a weaponized vampire-virus. Later, she adopted a young child and then starred in the new Generation X book, which at the end she got herself de-vamped and regained her powers. Over the last few months, she’s been featured in both Disassembled and the Age of X-Man series, [easyazon_link identifier=”1302915789″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]The X-Tremists[/easyazon_link].
1. M
By far, Monet is the most successful of the Generation X class. Her origin is incredibly complex having been blended with magic, alternate forms, parallel dimensions, and shapeshifting siblings. Monet was never an overly emotional character but after the tragic death of Synch, her character was portrayed even colder. But with a distinct sense of dark, “I’m better than you” humor. In many ways, she was used as a poor man’s Rogue. Other than her ability to fly and titan strength, she had superhuman speed, durability, stamina, senses, intelligence, and cognitive abilities as well as limited telepathy, telekinesis, and a healing factor.
M was used simply due to how versatile she was. She easily fit into any team she was included in which is why she was used as part of Banshee’s X-Corps and Multiple Man’s X-Factor (for an extended amount of time). She returned to the X-Men proper for an all-women cast of X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, led by Magneto and Weapon X-Force, under the direction of Sabretooth.
Uncanny X-Men may have been one of her shorter stints, but it left a lasting effect on her. There she formed a pseudo-romantic relationship with Sabretooth and was unfortunately made into an Emplate (Vampire-like mutants created by her brother of the same name). Returned to the pages of Generation X, she fed on mutants while hiding out on the school’s campus, among other locations in the city. With the help of Jubilee and her squad, M is restored to her normal state. She also played a pivotal role in doing much the same for Jubilee, albeit, M was trying to kill her friend at the time.
Who’s your favorite Gen-Xer? Let us know in the comments below!