How will the X-Men be introduced into the MCU? The Multiverse makes anything possible, and it could open the door for an adaptation of Age of Apocalypse and its unique take on classic X-Men characters.

Say what you will about 1990s comics, but the artwork was superb. The characters had a cinematic quality with an unprecedented level of detail. And, of course, practically every character down to Professor X had the physique of bodybuilders who sprinkles steroids on their breakfast cereal. Were the ‘90s excessive? Absolutely, and that’s what many of us love about the era. 

One of the most famous events of the ‘90s is still talked about today, the Age of Apocalypse. In the spirit of Days of Future Past, this story presented an alternate future for the X-Men with its own unique aesthetic. All the X-Men characters were reimagined with a post-apocalyptic flare. These redesigns have been so popular that we still see statues and action figures depicting the event. 

After the success of the DOFP movie and the advent of the MCU Multiverse, this is the perfect time to introduce the AOP timeline. No doubt, it would be hugely popular with both the comic faithful and mainstream X-Men fans alike. 

What’s great here is that you have a resoundingly entertaining story with big-screen potential. For that matter, an adaptation could land in the cartoon MCU either on a new season of What If…? or the upcoming X-Men ‘97. That should have you looking at these issues.

X-MEN #41

With all the X-Men film and television characters crossing into the MCU, Legion’s name has not been mentioned in the conversation. Legion, aka David Haller, is Charles Xavier’s son. Like his father, Haller is an omega-level mutant with telepathic powers on par with his famous father. The problem is that he suffers from dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personalities.

Legion inadvertently kicks off AOP when he travels to the past to kill Magneto. However, Professor X intervenes, and Legion stabs his father with a psychic blade. Without Xavier, the present is altered into a horrific world in which Apocalypse is exterminating mankind. 

This is one of the more expensive issues in the AOP story. The 9.8 had been a $100-$120 comic up until March 11 with a record-breaking $250 sale.

X-MEN ALPHA #1

Here we are, nearly 30 years after the fact, and AOP continues to influence modern comics.

Over the years, we’ve seen several characters from the event crossover into the Marvel-616.

One of those happens to be Dark Beast, a version of Hank McCoy that feels more like Mister Sinister than the original Beast.

This issue also features the debuts of three original characters, Holocaust, Abyss, and the son of Magneto and Rogue, Charles Lehnsherr. This issue generally sells for around $100, though it earned as much as $150 on March 11.

X-MAN #1

One of the most enduring original characters from the AOP timeline is the X-Man, Nathaniel Grey. In many ways, he is a Cable variant, and they share the same father, Cyclops. Where Cable’s mother is Jean Grey’s clone, Madelyn Pryor, X-Man’s mother is the AOP version of Jean Grey. Think of Nathan Grey as Cable without the techno virus restricting his psychic powers. 

Not much has been heard from X-Man in recent years, but he was the most popular original creation to appear in AOP. In fact, he was the first character from the alternate timeline to crossover into the main Marvel-616 universe with his own ongoing series. He could be in for a resurgence if he appears in an episode of X-Men ‘97, where he would fit like the proverbial glove.

A year ago, this comic suddenly rose to the $150 range. This year, it has become more affordable and generally stays near $100.

THE AGE OF APOCALYPSE IN THE MCU

For any fan of classic ‘90s X-Men, I highly recommend getting the trade paperbacks simply for the fun story and the beautiful artwork. The bigger picture is definitely the MCU, and there’s so much potential there.

It may be worth taking the gamble and investing in those AOP issues on the chance that we see it either in the live-action or animated universes.

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not reflect investment advice on behalf of GoCollect.