The New X-Men inX-Men: Messiah Complex. Art by Humberto Ramos. From left to right: Elixir, Hellion, Dust, Gentle, Rockslide, Prodigy, Anole, Surge, Pixie, Mercury, X-23
After the end ofGrant Morrison's run onX-Men vol. 2 (titledNew X-Men) the title was used for a new series,New X-Men: Academy X during theX-Men Reload event. The title was later shortened to simplyNew X-Men in2006 when the new creative team ofCraig Kyle andChristopher Yost took over the series with issue #20.
Whereas most otherX-Men comics mostly deal with established adultmutants, this series concentrates on the lives of young students residing at theXavier Institute for Higher Learning as they learn to control their powers.
After the2007 crossoverX-Men: Messiah Complex, theNew X-Men title was canceled and briefly relaunched asYoung X-Men for 12 issues. The series was written byMarc Guggenheim. After the first arc ofYoung X-Men, the characters began appearing in the pages ofUncanny X-Men. With the cancellation ofYoung X-Men the characters were folded onto the main X-Men books, appearing most prominently in the pages ofX-Men: Legacy,Wolverine and the X-Men, andX-Men.
New X-Men begins whereGrant Morrison's run on the formerNew X-Men ended. The school is rebuilt andEmma Frost andCyclops are named the headmasters. They organize the students into several battle squads who train together.
Elixir (Josh Foley) - Foley is anOmega-level mutant who possesses healing abilities and is initially a rabid mutant-hater until he finds out he is one himself. Following the events of "M-Day" andWilliam Stryker slaughtering many of his friends and his lover Wallflower, Elixir's powers morph so that he can now kill as well as heal with a touch of his hand.
Icarus (Joshua "Jay" Guthrie) - Guthrie is able to fly, sing hypnotically, and heal himself rapidly. Jay's wings are amputated in issue #20 and he is killed in issue #26 by William Stryker.
Prodigy (David Alleyne) - Alleyne takes on the knowledge and skills of nearby people. After being depowered, he regained the knowledge and talents he had acquired before "M-Day".[1]
Surge (Noriko Ashida) - A Japanese immigrant who constantly absorbs static electricity and can discharge it as electric blasts or bursts of superhuman speed. She becomes a member of theX-Men while attending theJean Grey School for Higher Learning.
Wallflower (Laurie Collins) - Collins exudespheromones that alter the feelings of other people. She is killed in issue #25 by thePurifiers.
Wind Dancer (Sofia Mantega) - A girl fromVenezuela who can control air particles, allowing her to fly and hear distant conversations. Wind Dancer loses her powers as a result of "M-Day". Following her de-powering, she joins a short-lived incarnation of theNew Warriors.[2]
Wither (Kevin Ford) - Ford is a member of the New Mutants for a short time before switching to the Hellions.[3]
Hellion (Julian Keller) - Keller is a mutant with the power oftelekinesis. He joins the X-Men and is a student at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.
Icarus (Joshua "Jay" Guthrie) - Guthrie is a member of the Hellions for a short time before switching to the New Mutants.[3]
Mercury (Cessily Kincaid) - Kincaid is ashapeshifter whose body is composed of non-toxic liquidmercury. She joins the X-Men and is a student at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.
Rockslide (Santo Vaccaro) - Vaccaro is able to manifest a physical body made of solid rock from the immediate environment and launch limbs at great velocity. He joins the X-Men and is a student at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.
Specter (Dallas Gibson) - Gibson is a member for a brief time before being reassigned to the Corsairs squad.[4]
Tag (Brian Cruz) - Cruz couldpsionically "tag" a person so that others are compelled to run from or toward them. He is killed on the bus ambushed by thePurifiers along with several other depowered mutants.[5]
Wither (Kevin Ford) - Ford can destroy organic matter with a touch. He is romantic rivals with Elixir for Wallflower. When Wallflower dies, Wither flees the school and becomes Selene's second-in-command. He is killed by Elixir during the "Necrosha" storyline.[6]
The Advocates squad leader isRogue. This squad consists of:
Boggart (Robin Wise) - Wise possesses superhuman strength and green skin. He is depowered during "M-Day".
Naiad (Aurelie Sabayon) - Sabayon has the ability to breathe underwater. She is depowered during "M-Day".
Pinpoint (Gerard Cooper) - Cooper possesses telescopic vision. He is depowered during "M-Day".
Trovão (Pedro de Noli) - De Noli has the ability to create sonic booms. He is depowered during "M-Day".
Umbra (Patrick Nesbitt) - Nesbitt has the ability to manipulate darkness. He is depowered during "M-Day".
Xenon (Shaun Kennedy) - Kennedy has the ability to generate light. He is depowered during "M-Day".
TheAlpha Squadron squad leader is initiallyNorthstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier), but he is later replaced byKarma. The squad consists of:
Anole (Victor Borkowski) - Borkowski has reptilian mutations that give him enhanced strength, speed, durability, reflexes and stamina. He also has a prehensile tongue, wall crawling abilities, the ability to blend into his environment and regenerative powers. He joins theX-Men and is a student at theJean Grey School for Higher Learning.
Indra (Paras Gavaskar) - Gavaskar can create an exoskeleton and weapons from his skin. He is the youngest mutant at the school.[7] He joins the X-Men and is a student at theJean Grey School for Higher Learning.
Kidogo (Lazaro Kotikash) - Kotikash can shrink to four inches tall. He is depowered as a result of "M-Day".
Loa (Alani Ryan) - Ryan can disintegrate matter by phasing through it. She is enrolled at theAvengers Academy.
Network (Sarah Vale) - Vale has the ability to communicate with machinery. She is depowered during "M-Day" and killed on the bus ambushed by thePurifiers along with several other depowered mutants.[5]
Rubbermaid (Andrea Margulies) - Margulies can turn her body into a rubber-like substance. She is depowered during "M-Day" and killed on the bus ambushed by the Purifiers along with several other depowered mutants.[5]
The Chevaliers squad leader isGambit. This squad is introduced inX-Men vol. 2, #171. The squad consists of:
Flubber (Nick Shelley) - Shelley's body is made of a rubbery substance. This grants him great strength and the ability to leap great distances. He is depowered during "M-Day".
Foxx (Raven Darkholme) - Darkholme has the ability to shapeshift. She uses the alias of Foxx to infiltrate the X-Men, claiming later that she was testing Gambit's commitment to Rogue. She becomes an instructor at the Hellfire Academy and the leader of theBrotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Onyxx (Sydney Green) - Green's body is made of a rock-like substance that gives him superhuman strength and durability. He is killed by Wither duringSelene's attack onUtopia.
Rain Boy (Carl Aalston) - Aalston's body is living water that is held together by a containment suit.
The Corsairs squad leader isCyclops. The squad consists of:
Dryad (Callie Betto) - Betto can communicate with and control plant life. She is depowered during "M-Day" and killed on the bus ambushed by the Purifiers along with several other depowered mutants.[5]
Quill (Max Jordan) - Jordan's body is covered with quills, which he can fire as projectiles. He is shot and killed by one of Stryker's Purifiers when the mansion is attacked.[8]
Specter (Dallas Gibson) - Gibson can merge his body with his shadow, granting him superhuman strength, speed and durability. He can see in complete darkness and is immune to allDarkforce attacks. He is depowered as a result of "M-Day".
Three-In-One (Celeste, Mindee and Phoebe Cuckoo) - The Cuckoo sisters are able to combine their telepathic abilities and they possess the ability to transform into an organic diamond form. They join the Extinction Team as students of the New Charles Xavier School for Mutants.
The Paladins squad leader isKitty Pryde. The members that are named are:
Blindfold (Ruth Aldine) - Aldine possesses telepathy, the ability to see the future as well as the past, and clairvoyance. She joins the X-Men and is a student at theJean Grey School for Higher Learning.
TheParagons squad leader is originallyRahne Sinclair, who is replaced byMagma (Amara Aquilla). The squad consists of:
DJ (Mark Sheppard) - Sheppard changes music into energy blasts, blinding lights, flight or a force field. The style of music determines the ability. He is depowered during "M-Day" and killed on the bus ambushed by the Purifiers along with several other depowered mutants.[5]
Match (Ben Hammil) - Hammil has the ability to create and control fire. He joins the X-Men and is a student at theJean Grey School for Higher Learning. Amutant, Hammil attended theXavier Institute before its closing. While at the institute, Hamill was the field leader of theParagons training squad. Match appeared inDark Phoenix portrayed byLamar Johnson. The character, created byNunzio DeFilippis andChristina Weir, first appeared inNew Mutants Vol. 2 #7. DeFilippis revealed that while he and Weir created the character, he was based on a background mutant fromNew X-Men: Academy X, #7. "We saw a cool bit of artwork in the background of a panel (I think it was Carlo Barberi who first drew him) and thought for a few seconds about a name, codename, and power set."[9]
Pixie (Megan Gwynn) - Gwynn is a hybrid mutant and fairy. She can fly and her wings create a hallucinogenic dust. She also has magical powers. She joins the X-Men and is a student at theJean Grey School for Higher Learning.
Trance (Hope Abbott) - Abbott has the ability to create an astral projection of herself. This form is capable of flight and producing energy blasts. She joins the X-Men and is a student at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.
Wolf Cub (Nicholas "Nick" Gleason) - Gleason possesses wolf-like physiology that gives him enhanced strength, senses, speed, agility and endurance. He also has razor-sharp claws. He is killed byDonald Pierce.[10]
Preview (Jessica Vale) - Vale has the ability to see minutes into the future. She is depowered during "M-Day". She isNetwork's sister.
The Excelsiors, led byIceman, are mentioned but the members are never named. The Exemplars, led byBeast, are unknown as well with the exception ofAngel Salvadore.Storm's squad, mentioned inNew X-Men, has one survivor,Gentle.
In the aftermath of theDecimation event known as M-Day, the mutant student body in the academy dropped from 182 to 27. At least 45 depowered students were killed and, of the remaining students,Emma Frost picked a select group to train as New X-Men. These new X-Men wereDust,Elixir,Hellion,Mercury,Rockslide,Surge (appointed leader), andX-23. As time progressed, several members were added or earned the right to be on the team, such asAnole,Gentle,Pixie, andProdigy. The rest of the students were instructed to remain on school grounds, some providing assistance to the currentX-Men teams and trainees. Some M-day survivors and depowered students either left the mansion or were killed off during villainous attacks byWilliam Stryker and his men, or various other enemies.
TheYoung X-Men series launched as part of theX-Men storyline "Divided We Stand" in April, 2008. Written byMarc Guggenheim and pencilled byYanick Paquette, it featured a line-up ofBlindfold,Dust,Rockslide,Wolf Cub, and three new characters:Graymalkin,Ink, andCipher. The first arc involved the group being formed byDonald Pierce, who thanks to changes inflicted upon him by thePurifiers, impersonatesCyclops as part of an elaborate plot to kill the young mutants who he sees are the last generation of mutants born prior to M-Day. The group are manipulated into fighting members of theNew Mutants before Pierce is ultimately exposed. In the end, per Blindfold's prediction at the start of the series, Donald Pierce murders Wolf Cub before being captured by the group and taken into custody by the X-Men.
When the X-Men franchise is relaunched with the relocation of the X-Men to San Francisco following the events inUncanny X-Men, the characters relocate to California.[11] The series is ultimately canceled with issue #12 and many events of the series (such as Dust being mortally wounded during the team's fight with the New Mutants) would be ignored by later writers.
Most of the characters (most notablyPixie, who was granted full X-Men membership)[1] appear sporadically following the events ofUncanny X-Men #500 and the cancellation ofYoung X-Men.Elixir andX-23 are incorporated into the roster of a newX-Force series. The characters are ultimately given a new home in the pages ofX-Men: Legacy, written byMike Carey starting withX-Men: Legacy #226. Now a loose collection of students, the kids are led byRogue, who serves as the team's teacher. Following the events ofX-Men: Schism, many of the New X-Men members followWolverine back East as he reopens theXavier Institute as a school and sanctuary for young mutants named the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. As ofX-Men: Regenesis, several additional X-Men join Rogue and Wolverine in serving as teachers for the young mutants:Cannonball,Gambit,Rachel Grey,Husk, andShadowcat. The group has also accepted non-mutant members, such asBroo (a youngBrood hatchling who is a pacifist) and Kid Gladiator, the son ofX-Men enemyGladiator. Another member of the student body isKid Omega, whose involvement with the school is involuntary in an effort to reform him.[12]
