Summary

  • X-Factor #1 explores a new direction for the X-Men franchise, signaling a renewed focus on character-driven storytelling and a return to the classic aspects of the franchise.
  • The reimagining of X-Factor as a for-profit social media marketing campaign highlights Marvel's commentary on the importance of caring about the characters, rather than just plot.
  • With its current relaunch, Marvel acknowledges past missteps in the X-Men franchise, and aims to recapture the essence of what made the mutants relevant and impactful in the first place.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for X-Factor #1

It’s no secret that the Beginning with House of X, the franchise steadily lost its grasp on the most important part of the X-Men – caring about the characters. With the X-Men’s recent soft reboot, there’s a new chance for Marvel’s rich repertoire of mutants to retake their place at center stage.

X-Factor #1 - written by Mark Russell, with art by Bob Quinn - follows the fall of the mutant nation of Krakoa, as mutantkind as whole, and the X-Men in particular, have been scattered across the globe once more.

The newest version of the X-Factor has been revealed, flying the United States flag high in the air.

In Louisiana, a team led by Rogue is trying to put together a new school, while Cyclops is renovating a Sentinel-based weapons arsenal in Alaska – and at the same time, Angel hopes to win over the public’s opinion with his new X-Factor. However, instead of remaining champions of mutantkind, X-Factor has become a for-profit pseudo-militaristic social media marketing campaign.

Uncanny X-Men 2024 Roster including Rogue, Gambit, and Wolverine
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1

Marvel's X-Men Reboot Is An Opportunity To Fix Where The "Krakoan Era" Went Wrong

X-Factor (2024) #1 – Written By Mark Russell, Art By Bob Quinn; Color By Jesus Aburtov; Lettering By Joe Caramagna

The true leaders of X-Factor jokingly it they believe that people want a good story more than good characters.

In X-Factor #1, Broderick is referring to the low-profile selection of mutants he’s gathered, yet it’s hard to ignore the way it signifies Marvel’s previous approach to the X-Men franchise.

Naturally, after Krakoa’s destruction, there has been a power vacuum for control over the remaining mutant population. The U.S. Government, as expected, has taken the opportunity to create a team of desperate mutants willing to turn themselves into nationalist propaganda as a means of recruiting more mutants into the U.S. military. Leading X-Factor’s turn toward television ratings, a business mogul and master of marketing named Rodger Broderick has taken his new job in strides and fully intends to profit off of every mutant he can get his hands on.

Currently, Broderick is nothing more than an obviously distrustful charmer whose only goal is to make money, but what he is capable of is making a point. While watching X-Factor’s first mission from a distance, Broderick its to General Mills, the militaristic leader of X-Factor, that

If nobody likes the characters… focus on the plot.

In X-Factor #1, Broderick is referring to the low-profile selection of mutants he’s gathered, yet it’s hard to ignore the way it signifies Marvel’s previous approach to the X-Men franchise.

The X-Men Franchise Has A Refreshed Sense Of Purpose

Back To Basics, Focusing On Characters

Through Rodger Broderick, Marvel its that they lost sight of what made the X-Men important.

It seems Marvel recognizes what fans really want – a return to the classics. The original X-Factor team was designed to pose as mutant hunters with a secret mission to help the mutants they hunted down. Eventually, the team discovered that allying themselves with those who cared nothing for mutants and their fight for justice, shockingly, would only do more harm than good. It seems clear that’s a point Marvel is trying to make again; in a way, they it they stopped caring about what Stan Lee and Jack Kirby intended for the X-Men to be.

Readers should expect more of this type of self-inflicted constructive commentary throughout the rest of the series. The X-Men used to be about people trying to survive in a hateful world and what they got up to was simply a means of telling the characters’ stories. Through Rodger Broderick, Marvel its that they lost sight of what made the X-Men important; now, each new series in the refreshed canon is a new chance to make mutants relevant again, and hopefully, this time, Marvel will get the X-Men right.

X-Factor #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.

X-Men
Movie(s)
X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
First Film
X-Men (2000)
TV Show(s)
X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)
Character(s)
Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
Video Game(s)
X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
Comic Release Date
213035,212968

The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.