Marvel's X-Men ResurrXion: Everything You Need to Know

The X-Men have had a hard couple of years in the comics, having had to continuously fight for mutantkind’s survival.

However all of that’s going to change come spring, when, following the conclusion of its big event series Inhumans Vs. X-Men, Marvel will be launching a whole slew of new titles under the banner of ResurrXion. Instead, the focus will be on what the X-Men are going to do with future they’d spent all this time fighting for.

“ResurrXion is all about embracing the [X-Men’s] original dream of coexisting with humans and fighting together to make a better world. All the books in some way, shape, or form, embrace that idea,” explains Daniel Ketchum, one of the editors overseeing the entire X-Men line up. “We’re going to get back to flights, and tights, and capes, and all the classic X-Men tropes. We very much want to harken back to that era where it’s the most classic iteration of the X-Men.”

One way in which the launch will do this is by leaning into the nostalgia of older series, with titles like X-Men Gold, X-Men Blue, and Generation X.

The other is by featuring new costumes. For Blue, artist Jamie McKelvie is in charge of the designs. For Gold, series artist Ardian Syaf will take the helm. And to welcome the new change, EW has an exclusive first look below at Syaf’s rough sketches as he worked out the final looks of each character’s costume.

“[Syaf] designed all of the costumes to specifically harken back to that classic golden age flavor,” says Ketchum. “They should in some way, feel familiar.

With Marvel launching so many series, EW asked Ketchum and X-Men line editor Mark Paniccia to break down what readers can expect from the rest of the series, as well as X-Men: Prime, a special standalone comic that’s meant to serve as a primer for the X-Men universe going forward. You can look at the exclusive cover reveal below. 

X-Men: PRIME

Ketchum says that this will be a perfect jumping in point for fans looking to get into the X-Men when ResurreXion starts since the single, standalone issue is meant to serve as a primer. With that in mind, Ketchum and Paniccia called on most of the writers who’ll be helming one of the new X-Men series to contribute. “It’s a book that represents the X-Men line going forward, as everyone plants their seeds,” explains Ketchum, of the comic, which will pickup directly after Inhumans Vs. X-Men ends. “We’re just at the tail end of the war. They’re literally picking up the pieces.”

Ken Lashley will be the artist drawing a bulk of the art for the issue. “He’s currently involved in the X-Men, and will be involved moving forward as well, so he was the right guy to pivot us from Inhumans Vs. X-Men to ResurrXion,” says Ketchum. 

Image Credit: Marvel

X-Men Gold

Writer: Marc Guggenheim Artist: Ardian Syaf

Fan favorite and long time X-Man Kitty Pryde will finally be leading her own team of X-Men, consisting of Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Old Man Logan and Rachel Grey. With the X-Men line focusing on more hopeful storylinesâ€"and tapping into some of the nostalgia of older titlesâ€"Ketchum says it makes sense to see Kitty in a leadership position. “She really was the Xavier student,” says Ketchum. “So in a lot of ways, the dream has come full circle. Kitty is now the person picking up the mantle and leading the team forward in the name of Xavier’s dream.” 

X-Men Blue

Writer: Cullen Bunn Artist: Jorge Molina

With their mentor Charles Xavier gone, the original five X-Menâ€"Jean Grey, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, and Angelâ€"will not only be dealing with being stranded in the present day, but they’ll also be aligning themselves with Magneto, one of their greatest former foes. A large part of this has to do with humankind not considering mutants to be as much of a threat anymore. “Magneto sees that as an opportunity he wants to seize,” explains Paniccia of the unexpected partnership. “He makes a deal with them to take down anyone who’s going to pose a threat and disrupt the chance to have a peaceful, if not, neutral relationship with humanity.”

And this is just one of the big changes in the series. Another one is that Jean Grey will lead the team instead of Scott. “[Writer Cullen Bunn] and I just really felt that this is the perfect place for us to see her rise to the occasion and take control of the team. There’s no reason she couldn’t lead the team.” What’s more, Paniccia says that there will be new members joining the team, with the first one being hinted at in the series’ first issue. “As far as Jean goes, she’s the only woman on the team right now. This is a reflection of the fact that these are the original five. But the membership’s not going to stay at five.”

Image Credit: Marvel

Jean Grey

Writer: Dennis Hopeless Artist: Victor Ibanez

Not only will Jean Grey be leading a team of X-Men this spring, but she’ll also be helming her first ever solo series, which sees her taking her future into her own hands in an even more direct way. “Jean’ll get a premonition that the future she feared is actually a lot closer than she thought. The Phoenix is a very real threat,” says Ketchum of the premise for the series. “She realizes she is not where she needs to be to fight that thing.”

Ketchum says that writer Dennis Hopeless’ pitch for the series was that in between her adventures with the team Jean Grey will also be traveling the Marvel Universe in preparation for this encounter. “She’s going to study with Doctor Strange and maybe have an adventure alongside Ghost Rider,” says Ketchum. “Anyone who knows something about other forces or being possessed, or speaks to the mission she’s undergoing she’s going to have an adventure with.” 

Iceman

Writer: Sina Grace Artist: Alessandro Vitti

“The book is primarily focused on older Iceman, because it’s really his journey, informed by the younger Iceman’s journey,” explains Ketchum of the aim of Bobby Drake’s first solo series. “Younger Iceman is a hero who knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be as a hero. He’s completely well adjusted in many ways that adult Bobby is not.” It’s recognizing this that inspires the older (and now, openly gay) X-Man to reconsider his legacy beyond being known as “The X-Man who tells jokes” while also fully exploring his Omega-level powers. Ketchum says that the series will see the character “focus on him getting his act together both in his superhero life and also as a human being.” 

Cable

Writer: James Robinson Artist: Carlos Pacheco

The third and final character getting his own solo book as part of ResurrXion is none other than Cable. “With Xavier, Scott Summers, and Logan fallen, Cable is now the patriarchal figure of the X-Men line,” explains Paniccia. “The big man gets the big solo series.” The seriesâ€"which Paniccia says is one of the darker of the ResurrXion line upâ€"will see the X-Man traveling back and forth through different time periods in order to fix time itself. “It’s one of the best things about Cable in one book,” says Ketchum. “Cable jumping through time, and kicking ass, with preposterously huge guns and even bigger shoulder pads.” 

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

Generation X

Writer: Christina Strain Artist: Amilcar Pinna

“Not all mutants are created equal,” says Ketchum of series writer Christina Strain’s pitch for the series. “When you look at the line of X-Men, not every mutant is destined to be a world-saving X-Man. Some are just kids with a bunch of extra eyeballs.” And it’s exactly these young mutants that the series will focus onâ€"a group of “lovable losers” led by none other than Jubilee, and includes Nature Girl, Eye Boy, Bling, and Quentin Quire just to name a few.

“You’re going to see these kids go through all the growing pains of finding their way, finding out who you love, trust, or don’t,” says Ketchm of what you can expect from the series “[They’ll be] learning those hard lessons and fighting for their lives all along.” Ketchum adds that part of the fun of the book is watching these inexperienced teens encounter villains they’re not really equipped to go up against. “What does a girl who talks to squirrels do against a sentinel?”

And just like Blue and Gold, the series will pay homage to the series from which its name comesâ€"and not just be continuing to be a book about Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Teases Ketchum, “One of the villains is actually from the original series because we wanted to make sure we paid homage to the predecessors.” 

Weapon X

Writer: Greg Pak Artist: Greg Land

“Weapon X is back as a reaction to [mutants’] resilience to extinction. It’s like bringing out a can of industrial Raid,” explains Paniccia of the titular program. “They’re going to wipe [mutants] out for good this time.” And as part of the program’s bid to extinguish mutants forever, they’ll primarily be going after the mutants they know are going to “fight dirty,” including Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, Warpath, Lady Deathstrike, and Domino.

And with the series’ core group being a mix of heroes and villains, the team’s dynamic is going to definitely be interesting. “Logan and Sabretooth have no love for each other, so it speaks volumes for how effective and dangerous the Weapon X program is for him to end up seeking out Sabretooth and forming an alliance with him,” says Paniccia. “It’s going to be a dark book. It’s arguably our darkest book out of the line, and is going to have some really shocking moments in it.” 

X-Men: PRIME will be released Spring 2017. You can look at the rest of the series’ covers below.

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

Image Credit: Marvel

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James Chen on Marvel vs Capcom Infinite:

James Chen is one of the FGC's most widely known personalities. He's been an avid competitor, the author of countless fighting game guides, a tournament organizers, and he now regularly commentates at high-profile events.

With such a rich portfolio, how could we possibly pass up the chance to get his thoughts Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite? As you've discovered from our recent featured player interviews, avid fans are ready for Mahvel to be reignited in 2017. Here's what he had to say.

There was a real air of shock with the Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite reveal. WHat was your reaction to the announcement trailers last weekend?

I was just surprised. There was no way, in my mind, that they could have a game in any form of present-ability in the time frame that I'm picturing in my head, unless they've been working on it long before Disney announced that they would stop making games in-house.

So it was a shock to me. I was one of the super skeptical people, but all the leaks and talks definitely tempered the complete shock value. Which makes me sad in a way. I would love for it to have been announced with no idea it was coming, because that would have seriously blown my mind!

Infinite looks like it will be the first crossover fighting game that’s more accessible for casual players. What do you think the game’s biggest challenge will be in maintaining enough depth for veteran players?

It's a funny question in the first place, because the Marvel games are DESIGNED to be beginner friendly, they always have. One button special moves (assists), easy Chain Combos, hitting two buttons to unleash three Supers at the same time, etc. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is arguably one of the most beginner-friendly intended games ever made.

Having said that, it's the players who really broke the games wide open, and hopefully they leave a lot of room for creativity open. Marvel games are great examples of easy to pick-up yet still high levels of execution, and I do hope they maintain that idea. That's a key factor, IMO.

If the game ends up being too watered down, it won't be "Mahvel."

How important is it that Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite includes the X-Men and other popular mutants?

I would be very sad if X-Men weren't in the game, but I don't think they are crucial. The MCU is wildly popular right now, so if they bank on that, MvCI will be perfectly successful without the X-Men.

However, what would be sad for me personally is that Wolverine is the ONLY character who has been in 100% of the Marvel games by Capcom. If he was not in MvCI, that would be a really shame to break that streak!

Do you believe that Infinite will create the same following from the community?

I believe it will, largely because the Marvel community now has experience jumping from game to game. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 veterans were really cautious and wary about going to MvC3, but MvC3 players will understand it a bit more, especially now having gone through a lot of the resistance from MvC2 players.

I think many MvC3 players will be willing to move forward to MvCI so that they can continue to build their scene. But they should definitely NOT stop playing UMvC3. Keep that community alive as much as possible as well.

As a caster, do you personally find it more challenging to commentate a crossover title than say, Street Fighter V?

It can be tougher, but really you just have to be faster and concentrate less on minor details. Also, you do have to be more energetic and hype for Marvel games, it's just their nature. I never really got to commentate UMvC3 late in its life because I just never kept up with it enough to be a good commentator for it, so I'm not sure how it would have turned out if I were still commentating it today.

But I definitely know I would approach it entirely different than how I commentate Street Fighter V, definitely trying more to be energetic and more briefly analytical.

Any chance that you'll consider potentially getting back into the competitor's seat to play Infinite?

Doubtful. [laughs]

I'll play it, for sure, so I can be a good commentator for it. But there's very little possibility of me becoming a competitor again. Commentary is my focus, and it's hard for me to play games in a casually competitive fashion. I get too angry when I play, so I'd have to dedicate every bit of my faculty to playing if I were a competitor, so my commentary would suffer greatly.

Many seem concerned about the lack of X-Factor and the assist system. What are your thoughts on Infinite reintroducing the Gems to be used as a groove a la CvS2?

I think Gems are a cool idea, but I am VERY wary about lack of Assists. Assists are what make team composition really important. The combo tagging is neat and all, but really the "team synergy" that makes Marvel so special isn't as important in that regard.

A lot of people have made Street Fighter x Tekken comparisons, and it's a good one because SFxT combos weren't as reliant on synergy as Marvel games. The synergy also goes beyond combos and plugs holes in your character's game.

Having Doom Missiles or Doom Beam really changes the way a character plays. Without Assists, that will be lost. I'm hoping they can find a good way to make up for that with the Gems, so I can't wait to see what they have in store.

What features do you feel Infinite must include to guarantee it will resonate with veteran players and new players alike?

Franticness. Energy. Speed. Crazy Combos. Hype.

If they can pull that off regardless of what characters or game systems are in place, that will be important to pull from the existing fanbase. Interestingly, just judging by how the UMvC3 community has grown and changed over time, they seem really open to playing a different game so long as those things are intact.

Are there any creative, special modes that you’d like to see included along with the confirmed Story and Mission Modes?

Proper tutorial modes done through mini-games. A really robust online mode, with progress beyond some arbitrary ranking points.

What additional characters would you like to see added to the roster?

From Capcom: I've been wanting Linn Kurosawa of the Alien vs. Predator games forever, but she's a tough one due to licensing. From the Marvel side: Black Panther would be sick.

Some purists are still on the fence about supporting Infinite following its debut. What insight would you offer for anyone that feels skeptical?

Every game is different, and they should be. If they made Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite just a clone of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, I'd think it'd be boring. We already have Marvel 3. Players have been going through this forever now, with huge changes between games.

Alpha 3 was VASTLY different than Alpha 2. UMvC3 was different than MvC2 which was different than MvC. Street Fighter V is very different from Street Fighter IV. It's part of the circle of Fighting Game life. Embrace it, and you'll actually find that you'll have MANY fighting Games you love to play and enjoy.

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Cort Lane Shares the Story Behind the Delightful Marvel/Funko Pop! Animated Shorts

Marvel and Funko have collaborated to create the first-ever Funko animated shorts, which are just so charming, cute and fun that you’ll want to watch them over and over again. Each of the three shorts â€" Spellbound, Bait N Switch and Chimichangas (that last premiering December 14^th) â€" are 90 seconds in length and feature some of Marvel’s most popular superheroes and villains, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Loki, Rocket, Groot, the Collector, Deadpool and Venom.

Of course, after viewing these shorts, we wanted to learn more about them and how they came about, so we got on the phone with Cort Lane, Marvel’s Senior Vice President of Animation & Family Entertainment. During the exclusive interview, we talked about how the idea for this collaboration evolved, how they decided on which characters to feature, which figures he’d like to see in future shorts, balancing the action and comedy, why they chose not to have any dialogue, and the future possibilities for these characters. He also talked about being a life-long Marvel fan, his journey to working at the company, and what’s it like to get to have a hand in developing and producing shows within the Marvel universe.

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Image via Marvel

Collider: These shorts are just ridiculously cute and so much fun!

CORT LANE: Well, I’m glad you think so. Obviously, we feel the same. I do feel there’s really something special here.

Who came up with the idea for this partnership between Marvel and Funko, bringing to life the Marvel Funko Pop! figures?                     

LANE: This is going to sound very corporate, but I have these big summits, once or twice a year, for Marvel Animation, with all of the lines of business that we engage with and collaborate with, and we talk about what we’re doing with our franchises and our strategic plan, over the next five years. And the products people mentioned that they’re really excited about Funko, as a partner, and the aesthetic is really popular and has a huge fan base. As part of the creative conversation, we said, “Is there something that we could do there?” It brings in a broad range of Marvel fans and Funko fans, and it’s a really unique aesthetic. We’ve had a lot of luck with Marvel/Lego animated content. It drives a really huge audience because it’s special, it’s humorous, it’s different, and it’s got a unique aesthetic. We felt there was something similar, but really different here, too. Funko is even more stylized and cuter and funnier. That was earlier this year in the spring, and Funk was not only game, but they were very excited to do it, so we made it happen. Rarely do things go that well.

Anybody who has or gets one of these figures knows that you can’t just have one, as they become a bit of an addiction. Do you have a big collection of them, yourself?

LANE: I’ve just started because I’m collecting the figures in the shorts. But I have a much more expensive collective hobby, so I have to limit myself. I collect original comic art, and I have a lot of really expensive stuff from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. That limits me on starting new collections, or I’d be living in my mom’s basement.

At least they don’t take up a lot of room.

LANE: They don’t, but then you have to decide whether to leave them in the box or take them out of the box. I like to display them all together and create these scenes.

Is there criteria for deciding when to do a feature-length animated movie, a full animated series, shorts for Disney XD, or web shorts, and how did you decide how this project would be presented?

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Image via Marvel

LANE: This was truly an experiment. The first one went live on November 30^th, and so far, the reception is huge. It’s very timely because I have another one of those big animation summits, starting on December 7^th, and I will tell all of the lines of business that we collaborate with how successful these are. And then, the conversation is really, what’s next? I think Funko is very open to it. I think there needs to be more, in some capacity. What that looks like, there’s a lot of work to do. The audience reception is phenomenal. If I’m ever having a bad day over the next several months, I’m just going to go back to the Facebook and read the comments because they’re so glowing. Fans love you, but they’re also your harshest critics, deservedly so. It’s rare when you work in a business where you create content for fans that the reception is so joyful, and that’s been kind of neat.

With so many characters to choose from, how did you decide which characters would be in these shorts?

LANE: It was really easy. It seems like it would be a hard choice, but we know the characters that are important to fans right now. As we were starting this, Deadpool had just hit really big. I love Venom and I know Venom is probably the favorite villain of most comic fans. We see that, in terms of the audience and the merchandise. Obviously, Iron Man and Spider-Man are really popular right now, and them teaming up seemed really organic because that’s a component of Civil War and everyone knows that Iron Man will appear in a new Spider-Man movie. So, those two connecting with each other and playing off of each other is important. And then, Rocket and Groot are so important for us. There’s the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel coming, and everybody loves those characters. Quite simply, it was very easy.

Are there any characters that you’re particularly looking forward to seeing or teaming up together, if you make more shorts?

LANE: That’s a really good question. I like the vibe between Hulk and Thor. That’s a big component of the next Thor film, so I think that’s one I’d like to see. I’m an old school Avengers fan, so I’m a big Hawkeye fan. I’d like to see Hawkeye playing off of either Captain America or Black Widow. I think Black Widow is the most kick-butt heroine out there, so I would like to see her, in some capacity. Those are some of my favorites, but obviously, I’m not the only decider. Funko has characters that they would like to elevate, and Marvel has characters that they would like to elevate, but there’s really no bad choices. It’s hard to pick, really. These first three shorts were the easiest to see opportunities. I think the next batch, if we do more, will be tougher choices.

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