Chris Claremont Defined the X-Men, and I’m Begging the MCU to Avoid His Stories

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When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, a positive outcome was regaining the rights to the X-Men, including the actors known for playing them. Eventually, the X-Men will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Marvel will probably draw inspiration from the comic books, as they often do. While Chris Claremont played a huge role in shaping these characters, I hope the MCU doesn’t directly adapt his storylines.

The first trailer for the X-Men’s appearance in Avengers: Doomsday is now available, and fans are especially excited about Cyclops’ costume. It’s the classic yellow and blue suit from the 1990s and X-Men: The Animated Series, rather than the more modern black leather or colorful jumpsuits often seen in superhero films. Interestingly, comic book writer Chris Claremont once said that bright, spandex costumes look great in comics, but would be awkward on real people. While that might have been true in 2000, audiences have become much more accustomed to seeing characters’ iconic looks faithfully recreated in live-action over the past 25 years of superhero movies and TV shows.

Chris Claremont Is Unquestionably the Most Important X-Men Writer in Marvel History

I first got into comic books through my mother’s collection from the 1960s and early 70s. Along with lesser-known titles from that era, like Silver Surfer and Metal Men, I discovered a few issues of Uncanny X-Men. This was during Chris Claremont’s famous run on the series, and I eagerly followed the new stories, filling in the gaps with older issues and collected editions. Even other titles, such as X-Factor, showed Claremont’s impact, even when he wasn’t the primary writer.

As a huge Marvel fan, I’ve always been amazed by what Chris Claremont did with the X-Men. It’s incredible to think that the series was almost canceled! Apparently, comic sales figures lagged quite a bit back then, and Uncanny X-Men was really on the ropes. Thankfully, sales bounced back, and for a while, they re-released older stories. Then, Chris Claremont, and later John Byrne, really revitalized the whole thing with a fresh, new direction. He wasn’t just a writer; he built an entire world and created so many characters and storylines that have become legendary. He truly shaped the entire mutant saga!

Growing up, the X-Men were the most popular Marvel team – they even sold better than the Justice League. Even when storylines shifted – like when Wolverine lost his adamantium, or with the introduction of villains like Apocalypse and Stryfe – the comics stayed exciting. However, as comic book prices increased and original fans got older, sales began to decline. Eventually, animated series and movies became the main way new fans discovered the X-Men.

The X-Men Film Universe Was Defined by Chris Claremont’s Work in More Ways Than One

Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe became a reality, Stan Lee and others spent years trying to convince Hollywood to make Marvel movies. These efforts began in the 1980s, but no projects were approved. They continued into the 1990s, with figures like James Cameron and Michael Chabon attempting to develop a workable story. Finally, Bryan Singer took on the project and moved it from stalled development into actual production. According to a DVD featurette, Chris Claremont consulted with or advised nearly everyone involved in these various attempts.

Chris Claremont didn’t directly create most of the X-Men movies—only five out of thirteen were based on his specific comics—but his impact is clear throughout the entire series. Characters like Wolverine and Jean Grey, and even redesigned characters like Rogue, all owe a debt to his storytelling. Even when the films tried to reboot with X-Men: First Class, they kept the look and title but largely abandoned Claremont’s style of narrative, including his most recent, and perhaps least memorable, film The New Mutants. His ideas were essentially the core of what made the other films work.

Two out of the three movie sequels closely follow storylines originally written by Chris Claremont in the comics. In both instances, the filmmakers used Claremont’s basic plot but added details to align with the existing X-Men movies from Fox, and sometimes to fix inconsistencies. While the films had varying degrees of success, many comic book fans felt they didn’t quite capture the spirit of the original stories. Having grown up reading Claremont’s X-Men, I can definitely see why fans of my generation feel that way.

In the early X-Men movies, characters like Scott Summers felt one-dimensional, mostly just giving commands and highlighting Wolverine’s rebellious nature. Many other potentially strong characters, such as Colossus and Kitty Pryde, were relegated to minor roles. Important story elements, like the characters’ family-like bonds and the team working together as heroes, were largely overlooked. Now that Marvel Studios is taking over, many fans hope to see storylines and character designs that are more faithful to the comics. However, as a longtime fan of Chris Claremont’s writing, I truly hope they avoid simply recreating the comics panel-by-panel.

Marvel Studios Can’t Use Their Usual Formula to Bring the X-Men into the MCU

There’s a story that when the first X-Men movie was being made, the studio didn’t want anyone involved to read the original comics. However, a then-young producer named Kevin Feige secretly brought copies to set and passed them around to the cast. This was different from how Fox handled X-Men and other franchises, as Marvel wasn’t afraid of the more colorful and imaginative parts of the source material. While others tried to avoid flashy costumes, complex stories, and humor, Marvel embraced those elements, using them to build the incredibly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel Studios consistently finds success by drawing inspiration from comic books. They skillfully adapt stories, even when making significant changes – a great example is how they handled Civil War. They applied this approach with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. While some enjoy the earlier Fantastic Four films, they never reached the same popularity as Fox’s X-Men movies. When Sony allowed Spider-Man to join the MCU through a unique agreement, it worked because Marvel focused on key elements from the comics that had been overlooked. Importantly, recognizing the fondness fans have for previous Spider-Man actors like Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, Marvel didn’t attempt to rewrite those versions.

The plan to bring back original actors feels similar to what Spider-Man: No Way Home did, and it’s a great way to give a satisfying conclusion to characters who are central to the MCU’s history. Looking ahead to introducing the X-Men into the MCU, it would be a mistake to simply recreate storylines like “God Loves, Man Kills” or “Days of Future Past” as they appear in the comics. While fans are very fond of the X-Men films from Fox, even with their differences from the source material, a direct remake would likely fall short due to comparisons. Even though I appreciate both the classic Chris Claremont era of X-Men and the modern MCU, I’m excited to see the franchise move in a fresh direction.

Marvel Studios has already taken liberties with the backstories of Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, recognizing that audiences are familiar with those origins. This is an even bigger challenge with the X-Men, particularly with actors who’ve already played these roles in previous films now appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While any good X-Men adaptation will inevitably reflect the influence of Chris Claremont’s iconic work, Marvel needs to forge a new path to avoid simply repeating familiar storylines from the comics and past movies if they want this new iteration to feel fresh and unique.

The upcoming movie Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release on December 18, 2026, will feature a return of some of the original X-Men characters.

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2026-01-13 01:37