Gail Simone, the exceptionally talented and critically acclaimed writer behind hit series such as Birds of Prey and Uncanny X-Men, loves engaging with her community and, more specifically, their rampant crushes on some of comics’ hottest characters. So when Simone challenged Twitter/X followers to share which X-Men character they would consensually kiss if given the chance, the comic fans did not disappoint.
This isn’t the first time Gail Simone has posed a similar steamy question to her fans. In 2021, the comic writer reached out on reveal their first comic crush. This go around, fans poured into the comment section with hundreds of responses about their most kissable X-Men choices.
Some of mutantkind’s most obvious bombshells, like Nightcrawler and Storm, are frequently mentioned, but a few fans itted some interesting choices that even the most experienced shipper would take a second glance at.
The Good: Classic Yet Dependable 'Desirable' X-Men Choices
They're Obvious, But They Make Sense
The X-Men have always felt especially romantically charged, to the point that romance could be considered a critical theme within the franchise. From obvious power couples like Mystique and Destiny, to complicated love triangles, such as Xavier and Magneto, romance has to be a critical factor for stories made to humanize “non-humans.” And of course, along the way, why wouldn’t fans wish they could end up in a superpowered match made in heaven, or a messy mutant fling?
As the replies were filled with mountains of salacious fanart and emioned choices, many common names appeared throughout the thread. Strangely enough, some approached their most kiss-able crushes for their unique personalities first. @Belinda_McBride makes the commonly agreed argument that what Wolverine lacks in height, he makes up for in “feral chaos.”
The Rad: Adventurous & Thoughtful X-Men Choices
Some Fans Have Thought About This Question for a While
Some fans have tried to slyly dance around the “one character only” rule by making the most use of their kissing partner’s powers. psychic affair with Cyclops when she mentally assumed the form of Jean Grey. With a psychic, imagination is the only thing that stands between one fan’s romantic interest and a sloppy superheroic smooch.
Mystique’s natural blue beauty, sorry Stevie, but the Tweet says only ONE kiss, so you have to pick one. However, many fans struggled to pick between everyone’s favorite power couple, Rogue and Gambit, although both sides were completely prepared to either have their energy absorbed by, or take a beating from Rogue, depending on their choice. Then there’s @JamesSilvester1 who really wants to try to kiss both.
The Ugly: The Dangerously Concerning Choices
These Choices May Be Questionable but Apparently They're Still Kissable
It’s never cool to shame someone for their ethically hypothetical consensual comic book kissing partner, but some fans really pushed it with their choices. If only Beast or Toad were the most controversial picks, but instead there’s Kid Omega. Kid Omega is a formidable mutant hero who valiantly held the front lines during the final Sentinel invasion of Krakoa, fair enough @JaniToad. However, it’s hard to forget his overwhelming ego and his anti-human hate crimes. Oh, and @ComicsNvinyl is actually making a great point on this one.
Comic book writers who actively engage with not only their fanbase, but especially with the characters and content they are charged with creating, as Gail Simone frequently does, will always be the ones who create the best content. These little Twitter/X hypotheticals are an important expression that shows readers that the writers who create their favorite characters care about those characters and the fans’ emotional relationships with them. Fans should continue to expect more great content from the current Uncanny X-Men writer both on the page and off.
Source: Gail Simone, @Belinda_McBride, @steviecoolest, @JamesSilvester1, @JaniToad, @ComicsNvinyl
