TheX-Menfranchise’s iconic 1970s-era costumes almost never happened, according tolegendary Marvel author and editor Roy Thomas, because the publishernearly rebooted its mutant heroes early in the decade as a “more realistic” book, with the team in “plainclothes,” years before the groundbreakingGiant-Size X-Menone-shotwhich revitalized the franchise and made it what it is today.
As reported by Popverse, the newX-Men Companionhardcover published by Fantagraphics contains an interview with Thomas, in which he reveals a piece of previously unknown behind-the-scenes information about the franchise’s pivotal turn in the ‘70s.
Len Wein and Dave Cockrum’sGiant-Size X-Menintroduced some ofMarvel’s most iconic mutants, and it inaugurated the era ofdistinct costumes for individualX-heroes, something that would not have come to pass if Marvel had followed through on its earlier relaunch attempt, which would have gone in a very different direction.
Before The X-Men’s Era Of Colorful Costumes, Marvel Almost Made Them “Plainclothes” Characters
Giant-Size X-Men#1; Written By Len Wein; Art By David Cockrum; Color By Glynis Wein; Lettering By John Costanza
1975’sGiant-Size X-Menintroduced characters such as Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Storm to theX-Menfranchise, as well as bringing Wolverine into the mutant fold, after hisintroduction to Marvel canon as an adversary of the Hulkthe year before. What many casualX-fans might not realize is that no newX-Menstories were produced by Marvel between 1970 and 1975; though the series debuted in 1963, it had stopped publication with its 66th issue, with the book relegated to reprints for the first half of the 1970s.
Giant-Size X-Menbrought the team back, and essentially marks the beginning of the modern history of the franchise. However, as revealed by Roy Thomas, the was only the case because earlier attempts to reviveX-Mendidn’t get off the ground. Popverse quotes Thomas as saying:
It sort of gestated for a number of years as a reprint book, with my plan to bring them back as plainclothes heroes and various things. I always liked the X-Men, so there I was trying to revitalize them by putting them in plainclothes and making them more realistic, revitalize them and make them an original group.
Thomas was the Editor-in-Chief of Marvel during this era, and so it isespecially noteworthy that his initial plan to bring back the X-Men was so diametrically opposed to what was ultimately successful withGiant-Size X-Men.
It Is Hard To Picture The X-Men Franchise Today Without The Team’s Defining 1970s Costumes
A Major Marvel Comics “What If?”
Superheroes in general are associated with colorful costumes, and this is especially true for the X-Men. This wasn’t the case in their earlier years, however; it wasn’t untilGiant-Size X-Men#1 that individualized costumes became the norm for the series, and in time, it became of the franchise’s calling cards. Yet, in an all-time great behind-the-scenesMarvel “What If?",there is a version ofX-Menhistory in which the opposite is true, where Roy Thomas’s idea to make them “plainclothes” characters became a reality.
It might be hard to imagine theX-Menof the 1970s without their beloved costumes, but it is fascinating to know that was very nearly the case.
It is worth debating whether this version ofX-Menwould have had the same success, short and long-term, as theversion birthed byGiant-Size X-Men. Without question, though, it is fair to say that even if the answer is yes, decades of franchise history would look significantly different, and significantly less colorful, than it does today. It might be hard to imagine theX-Menof the 1970s without their beloved costumes, but it is fascinating to know that was very nearly the case.
