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In two realities revealed in classic issues of What If…, the iconic X-Men roster formed in Giant-Size X-Men never got the chance to become heroes.
The X-Men were a fairly minor part of the Marvel Universe during the Silver Age. It wasn’t until the team was effectively rebooted and received a radically new roster that the concept began to reach its true potential, eventually becoming one of the most iconic corners of the Marvel Universe. But the event that transformed them could have happened differently and played out in radically altered ways across the Marvel multiverse.
Two classic issues of What If…? explored the same event — the original X-Men team facing off with Krakoa, and the subsequent recruitment of a new team in the now-iconic Giant-Size X-Men. But in these worlds, that roster of mutant heroes never came to truly be — either because they didn’t need to be recruited, or they died before they even completed their first mission.
In the core-Marvel Universe of Earth-616 (and most realities where the X-Men are major figures in the world), the events of Giant-Size X-Men #1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum are among the some of the most important in the world. When an early encounter with Krakoa resulted in the capture of all the then-X-Men save Cyclops, Professor Xavier was forced to travel the globe and recruit old allies (like Banshee), powerful rivals (like Sunfire), and a host of new recruits — Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Thunderbird. After successfully saving their fellow mutants, this new roster became the primary X-Men and helped usher in a new period of popularity for the team.
But in two variant realities, things played out differently for the new X-Men. In What If… #9 by Roy Thomas and Rich Buckler, the X-Men ultimately defeated Krakoa by having Polaris throw the living island into space. But in this reality, they were unable to escape the island before it left the Earth’s atmosphere. All of the assembled mutants were killed instantly, breaking Professor Xavier’s heart in the process. His only surviving student was Hank McCoy, aka the Beast — who in this reality had joined the Avengers early and had not been present for the fateful mission to Krakoa. Xavier’s hope was eventually restored though thanks to Beast and a new team (Siryn, Warbird, Wolfsbane, and Namroita, with the assistance of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch), who assembled to carry on the dream of the X-Men.
The original X-Men had a far easier time in 1991’s What If…? #23, by Kurt Busiek and Rodney Ramos, with Marvel Girl and Polaris quickly sending Krakoa into space without the need to recruit other X-Men to save them. The original roster remained together as a result and found themselves entangled in the Phoenix Sage — with Polaris’ magnetic powers allowing her to safely land their spaceship and prevent Jean from bonding with the Phoenix Force. They eventually have to try and contain the unrestrained Phoenix Force within a person and sacrifice them to save the universe. Although Cyclops volunteers, it is the Nightcrawler of this reality — an angry young man who was never given protection and love by the X-Men — who ultimately goes through with the deed, dying and saving the world.
Both worlds feature notable deviations from the same distinct moment, with the idea of the X-Men proving more enduring than any single member of the team. In a way, that’s a powerful lesson to remember about the importance of the team’s legacy and the impact they can have on the collected mutant populations of the world. Even if some of the world’s most iconic mutants hadn’t ended up becoming X-Men as they did in the core Marvel timeline of Earth-616, the team would find ways to survive and allow for Xavier’s dream of a better future for mutants to continue — and potentially reach fruition.
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