Favorite/best X-Men universe?

Cafe Society
1

Having seen X2 today got me thinking about this subject. Like any other major-title comic of this age and stature, there are a lot of different “universes” to X-Men:

There’s the “standard” universe that the comic follows now, and almost always returns to.

There’s the “Ultimate” universe, with the characters set in, and originating from, modern times. The consequences are most visible in Colossus and Storm. With the collapse of Communism, Colossus isn’t a wide-eyed, gentle, artistic kid, but a Westernized, world-weary man who had to join the Russian Mafia to feed his family. Storm, a product of a modern American (rather than 70’s African) street life is similarly altered, especially without the (somewhat silly and arguably a tad racist) life as a goddess her “mainstream” counterpart had.

And there is, of course, the movie universe. Not to mention all the alternate universes that the main X-titles have accomodated.

So which are your favorite? Which do you think has the best potential for development (either generally, or in terms of just the versions of the characters each presents) should someone want to write a fanfic or a movie or just theorize or whatever?

2

Leaper: It’s not enough that I’ve argued that Wolverine is an overrated character, NOW I’m really going to piss off the X-geeks. I thought some of the most interesting stories, including issues 57-59, involved the original five team members in the world where Prof. X was believed dead.

I wish the House of Ideas had left Baldy in the Choir Invisible. I really liked those stories. I don’t know if was Marvel Girl in a green mini-skirt, or Cyclops depicted as an extremely tough, resourceful leader, or the Beast and all his stunts, but those stories rocked.

3

Age of Apocalypse was my fav. Everything was darker, meaner. People died. And stayed dead. It was basically a gigantic “What If…?” saga. What would the world be like if Prof. Xavier never formed the X-men? Magneto forms the X-men instead, and carries out Charles’s dream to the best of his ability. This was all about 8 years ago, IIRC. I loved it. It just seemed like everything was broken somehow.