The Class of 75 With all due respect to the original team and to the great characters that would join the team in the future, I dont think its even remotely a stretch to say that the five main X-Men that joined the team in the 1975 relaunch is the best class of new team members. Wolverine and Storm are so synonymous with the team for most that it comes across as a shock to find out that there were X-Men comics that didnt have them on the team. Nightcrawler and Colossus, while not quite as iconic, are beloved mutants in their own right who have been pillars of the X-Men. Even Banshee, easily the least prolific of the new class (that actually stayed on anyway) is a relatively popular character. There were great additions before (Cyclops, Beast, Jean Grey) and there would be great additions later (Shadowcat, Rogue, Gambit), but there was never a better cast of X-Men brought to the team at the same time as these five. So, in alphabetical order by code name, Im going to give a brief spotlight to each of these characters in much the same way I spotlighted the original five X-Men. Sean Cassidy originally encountered the X-Men as their enemy, coerced into working for the villainous Factor Three. An Irish mutant with the ability to project his voice into a sonic scream that allowed him to fly, Sean jumped at the chance to join Xaviers second team of X-Men to make up for his crimes. Sean is the heir of a small fortune and Cassidy Keep in Ireland, and has a rather vicious rivalry with his cousin Black Tom Cassidy. Banshee retired from the team after damaging his vocal chords preventing an earthquake in Japan, though he would make sporadic returns and became a teacher at one point. He also fell in love with Moria MacTaggart, presumably on the basis that they could make more babies with poorly written Irish accents. Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin would deserve the name Colossus even without his mutant ability to transform into a nearly indestructible metal. Physically the strongest X-Men in this form, Piotr (often called Pete or even Petey by his English speaking comrades) is strong enough to take on even Juggernaut by himself. The youngest and most idealistic of the new X-Men, Piotr is a gentle giant with strong emotional bonds to his family and friends. As the X-Men are subjected to many tragedies over the years, Piotr becomes more and more cynical and even has stints as a villain. However, Petey always is a peaceful soul at heart, despite having two siblings who are complete sociopaths (older brother Mikhail and younger sister Illyana). Colossus is also noted for his relationship to Kitty Pryde, who Ill get around to discussing in tomorrows blog. If you read my first blog, you probably know about my love of Nightcrawler, or Kurt Wagner. While Kurts mutant power is the ability to teleport, disappearing with a puff of smoke and the coolest sound effect in comics (BAMF!), what made Kurt unique among the X-Men was his physical appearance. Covered in blue fur and possessing a prehensile tail with a spearpoint, Kurt resembles a demon from hell, and was in fact being pursued as such by a mob before Xavier rescued him and recruited him into the X-Men. While shy around normal humans because of his appearance, Kurt is both a flirt and a joker when around his friends. Kurt is also a devout Catholic, although some writers like to pretend this is his only character trait. Kurt also has some really awful parents: Mystique is his mother and abandoned him to save her own skin, while his father is Azazel, an immortal demon mutant. Amazing he turned out so well. Ororo Munroes mutation allows her to manipulate the forces of the weather, able to do anything from causing a light shower to a mighty hurricane (making her one of the most ridiculously powerful members of the X-Men). Young and a bit naive when she first joins the X-Men, Ororos kind and graceful personality make her a fierce friend. Of course, shes also very protective of her friends and about the last person you want to piss off. Ororo experiences a lot of personality growth, as she learns to control her emotions (which often effect the weather despite her wishes) and gradually matures into becoming a second leader for the team. In the often tumultuous world of the X-Men, Ororo is the calm in the middle of the storm, reminding her teammates what they stand for and helping them to be better as a team than they could be as individuals. And then theres Wolverine. If youve never read a comic and cant name half a dozen X-Men, you still know who Wolverine is. Hes the mutant with the really cool metal claws. Of course, theres a lot more to Logan than this, but in the early days very little was known about the character as much of his personal history was shrouded in mystery and Logan was hardly willing to share what he did know with the other X-Men. While he would eventually become the breakout star of the team and the face of the franchise, in the 1970s Logans purpose was to be an edgier, more violent and almost obnoxiously confrontational foil to the leader Cyclops. Wolverine was impulsive and aggressive and didnt like to follow the rules, while Scott was more cautious, contemplative and straight-laced. We did get some backstory on Logan as he was confronted by Guardian and the Canadian group of mutants known as Alpha Flight for leaving Department H for the X-Men. But it would be a while before Logan truly broke out. And trust me, Ive got plenty more to say about him as well, and will get to that when the time comes. These five characters have been central to the X-Men and really made the team what it is: a family of diverse people coming together because of a common problem and having a common goal. They were diverse not just in personality and powers, but in ethnicity, age, gender and culture. They were fun to read when they were fighting and often even more fun to read when they werent. For me, this is the most important team in X-Men history, and my personal favorite.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 03:14:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015