Over the course of a weeklong vacation I read three to four different eras of the X-Men. Amid some rather dull 60s-tinged plots from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s run, there were a few surprises. While this early series are better known for setting the stage for other creators to take over, the series had some surprising highlights that aren’t talked about.
Side note, I will be including Roy Thomas bits as well.
Jean Grey: Surprisingly Egalitarian
Let’s start with Jean Grey who along with Beast was something of a heart in the X-Men. Most people will probably know that Jean was something to be desired by everyone else including Professor X and Bobby Drake later down the issue… and more.
(Yeah, Stan and Kirby flew by the seats of their pants most of the time)
But Jean compared to most female characters created by Lee and Kirby was something unique. Unlike the flirtatious Wasp or the doting Invisible Girl, Jean was an everywoman. She definitely spent most of the time following Professor X’s instructions and rarely landed the finishing blow, but she had her own life and interests. Unlike the others who spent most of their time worrying about the little things or trying to get dates, Jean genuinely enjoys being a superhero. I mean she did redesign everyone’s costumes, twice when Roy Thomas took over writing. But like a lot of people, she struggles to balance that life with a civilian identity. Never anything as dramatic as Spider-Man but the call to adventure never ends.
Not that her budding romance with Cyclops isn’t important. Their powers perfectly complement one another in this aspect. Scott has to hide everything about him less his optic blasts hurt people. While Scott can control a small amount of force behind it, he’s basically handicapped. It’s part of what led to his insecurities. While Jean can use her powers with subtlety, growing with versatility as things move forward at the same rate as the rest of the X-Men as they develop their powers and abilities. In this way, Jean was their equal rather than the latent powerhouse most people know her as. But that’s also why Jean thought Scott was slow with his approaches to open to her. For a while…
Professor X Invented The Orthosis
Professor X meanwhile wasn’t just the know-it-all commander, he was a brilliant scientist in fields other than evolutionary biology. He did invent the first Cerebro before it got its helmet models. But the most surprising invention was one way ahead of its time.
A full thirty years before it was patented, Professor X invented electronic leg braces so that he could walk. While they didn’t show up often, this was a pretty neat thing. The only other time something like this happened was in the Wolverine & The X-Men show.
Juggernaut: The First Real Threat
Next to the Sentinels, Juggernaut was probably the best villain of this run with how Jack presented him as a genuine threat. It was a real test of skill for the X-Men and with a few genuine stakes between him and Professor X. This was a character who just hated the professor, not for being a mutant like so many, but just for existing.
He was unlike so many other villains like the Blob who were practically just gangsters or burglars. Not even Magneto was that interesting since he was just your typical megalomaniac at this point, didn’t even have a history with Chuck yet. It’s no wonder Juggernaut was the first villain to be in Roy Thomas’ followup.
Lucifer: The First Shadow King
Has anybody watched Legion and it’s villain Amahl Farouk… Shadow King? Well here’s something new to learn, the Shadow King is actually a revised edition of what got Charles to found the X-Men. Lucifer was another megalomaniac out to conquer whatever lands. Charles foiled him as a young man but became paraplegic in the process. Unlike the Shadow King or Magneto, Lucifer was a rather bland villain whose ionic powers and influential domination via a supercomputer weren’t used to its full dramatic effect. Even then he got overshadowed by more compelling antagonists. Including another villain who like him turned out to be an alien invader. …What’s his name? I don’t remember.
Take Home Some Appreciation
Stan and Jack’s X-Men will never reach the heights of what came after it. But at the very least, they have some of the things people like about comics. From inventions and characters ahead of their time to characters and concepts that stand the test of time.