The X-Men have encountered quite a few alternate realities over the years that featured a dark take on the Marvel universe. However, Alex Summers/Havok got a much closer look when he was trapped in the body of an alternate Alex Summers from a universe that first appeared in Howard Mackie and Tom Raney’s Mutant X series.
Havok found himself in a darker world where his variant had developed as a leader of the X-Men, and his own group, known as The Six, due to the absence of his older brother Cyclops. There were a number of interesting redesigns in the alternate universe that shocked fans and left them wanting more, though a few can stay in the Mutant X universe.
10 Best: Cyclops Took His Father’s Place As The Space Pirate Leader Of The Starjammers
One of the biggest differences in the Mutant X reality was that Alex Summers grew up without his older brother, Scott Summers, who had seemingly perished in the plane crash that took their parents in the mainstream reality. However, he had been abducted into space by the Shi’ar, where he grew up to take his father’s place as the space pirate leader of the Starjammers.
Cyclops had a much more relaxed and cavalier attitude compared to his 616 counterpart, which switched their usual roles in the Mutant X universe given Havok’s heavy leadership role. As the leader of the Starjammers, he wore his familiar visor, though his costume would have fit just as well on the high seas.
9 Worst: Elektra Was Reimagined As A Highly-Trained Babysitter For Young Scotty Summers
Another big change in the Mutant X universe was the child of Alex Summers and Madelyne Pryor, who was named Scottie Summers after his uncle, who was presumed deceased before their later meeting in the series. Havok needed a well-trained nanny who could help protect Scotty while he and The Six were on missions, which ended up being Elektra.
When she did wear a costume it was fairly close to her 616 look, and much of her history and backstory was left unexplored despite playing a frequent role in events and developing a relationship with Havok. Elektra’s redesign could have benefitted from just a few more tweaks to really separate the character from her 616 counterpart.
8 Best: Wolverine, Sabretooth & Wild Child Joined Together As A Feral Pack Of Mutants
Fans have seen quite a few alternate reality versions of characters like Wolverine and Sabretooth over the years, though the Mutant X universe provided a unique take that included a fellow feral mutant from Alpha Flight and X-Factor, Kyle Gibney/Wild Child.
The three animalistic mutants became test subjects for the doctors at Weapon X, though the government agency lost control and they escaped into the wilderness to form the Pack. There wasn’t much in the way of costumes initially as they lived in the harsh Canadian winters, but they gained pants and more as they continued to appear.
7 Worst: Professor Xavier Was Given An Evil Redesign As A Less Intimidating Shadow King
Another big absence in the Mutant X universe was Professor Charles Xavier, who had founded the X-Men in the mainstream reality. He did the same alongside Magneto in the Mutant X reality, though he was corrupted in battle with the Shadow King.
He left the team and returned years later with a plan of world domination using the power of captured psionics. Xavier now had a new Shadow King persona that presented itself when he manifested a powerful armor, though the design was far less intimidating than either Shadow King or Xavier’s normal forms.
6 Best: Madelyne Pryor’s Role As The Goblin Queen Was Expanded Into A Multiversal Threat
While Havok found himself allied with darker versions of the original X-Men, he was shocked to learn that his alternate was actually married to Jean Grey’s clone, Madelyne Pryor. However, the Inferno event went much differently and her origins were left unrevealed. Yet she was still forced to make a deal with the devils of Limbo to save her son Scotty.
This resulted in her slow transformation into the Goblin Queen and a role as the series main villain that evolved her into a multiversal threat powered by the Goblin Force. Madelyne was given a purple and slightly more modest version of her mainstream Inferno outfit.
5 Worst: Captain America Was Reimagined As A Mutant With Out-Of-Control Abilities
The roster of The Six changed a bit over the course of the series, which included a new version of Captain America who was on the run from his former allies in the Avengers. There was a lot of mystery surrounding this Captain America, as he appeared to be a mutant with uncontrollable explosive abilities.
His identity was also a closely guarded secret, though it was revealed he had taken over for Steve Rogers after the original Sentinel of Liberty’s death at the hands of a Sentinel. The worst part of Mutant X‘s version of Captain America was the costume, which altered the colors and simplified the costume so it appeared as if he was wearing a knock-off T-shirt.
4 Best: The Rest Of The Six Each Received Monstruous Redesigns Tied To The X-Men’s History
Havok’s team was known as the Six, which was an evolved version of X-Factor that split away from Magneto’s X-Men in the Mutant X universe. The team was made up of monstrous versions of the original five X-Men that homaged moments in their mainstream comic history.
Henry McCoy transformed himself into a reptilian Brute instead of a blue hairy Beast, Warren’s transformation was more demonic than techno-organic, and Iceman was locked into his ice-form. New members like Gambit also received updated looks. However, Bloodstorm had the best redesign as a vampiric Ororo Munroe that later appeared in the mainstream universe in X-Men Blue.
3 Worst: Magneto’s X-Men Featured Somewhat Boring Designs Except For Rogue & Quicksilver
In the Mutant X reality, Xavier and Magneto formed the X-Men together, which left the Master of Magnetism in charge of the team after Xavier was corrupted. Magneto’s costume was slightly altered and now included an X-insignia. Some of the other X-Men like Nightcrawler and Polaris featured simplistic costumes that failed to impress.
However, Quicksilver appeared in a sleek metallic suit with a faceless helmet that worked for the character while Rogue wore a version of Ms. Marvel’s costume that revealed a similar history with Carol Danvers. however, she was also covered in organic steel like Colossus, indicating yet another permanent power theft from her fellow teammate.
2 Best: Havok’s Costume Was Simplified & Looked Like A Graduated X-Men Costume
Alex Summers’ redesign was one of the best in the Mutant X universe, though it was also one of the simplest. While the character had moved through a few different costumes over the years in the mainstream reality, his Mutant X costume was the first that actually felt like he received a graduated X-Men costume like some of the other members of the team.
He wore a simple blue bodysuit with a tight collar and gold bracers, as well as a golden belt with no buckle that featured his red X-insignia. It was a step-up from some of his other costumes that reflected his elevated status in the Mutant X world, though it never made a comeback after Alex returned to the mainstream reality.
1 Worst: Jean Grey Was Given A Metallic Redesign That Didn’t Fit Well With The Character
Jean Grey eventually made her appearance in the Mutant X universe, where it was revealed she had been working in the background with Apocalypse to prevent the threat of Xavier and other dangerous mutants. Jean Grey’s first appearance featured a dull costume that was changed to be more similar to her mainstream look.
She reappeared in the very next issue with a red and gold metallic suit that was cut at odd angles and drawn fairly inconsistent. The costume didn’t fit the character like some of her other looks and had no explanation in the story for the change, making it one of the worst character redesigns in the Mutant X universe.
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