Marvel relaunched the X-Men franchise two full years ago now, but the jury is still out on whether it has been a good or a bad move for mutantkind. The current era of X-Men comics has had its highs and lows, its home runs and big missed swings, but overall, line-wide, it is still hard to say whether Marvel’s mutants really rose “From the Ashes,” or if their stock has fallen since 2024.

It is worth asking this question now for a few reasons. Marvel is two years deep into “Ashes”-era X-Men. There’s enough “data,” so to speak, to talk about the successes and failures of the line since ’24. More importantly, though, the X-Men are joining the MCU at the end of 2026, which is going to bring them back into the mainstream zeitgeist in a big way. So, when pumped up Marvel movie fans want more X-Men, and turn to the comics, is what they find going to be satisfying?

“From the Ashes” launched in the wake of Marvel’s decision to end X-Men’s Krakoan Era, which started as a staggering reinvention of X-Men canon in 2019. The “Ashes” in question? Those were Krakoa’s, because Marvel burned down the era on its way out, reconstituting the franchise in a more familiar form.

“From the Ashes” started with three titles, before expanding from there, but it has been a turbulent couple of years since then. Creatively and commercially. Several promising books, like the new volume of NYX, were prematurely axed due to low sales. And at times, the X-Men franchise as a whole has seemed creatively directionless.

The Ups And Downs Of The X-Men Franchise Since 2024

X-Men. Uncanny X-Men. Exceptional X-Men. Those were the launch titles for “From the Ashes” in 2024. Exceptional X-Men lasted a little over a year, while the other two books are still ongoing. Other titles have come and gone, including a 15-issue Phoenix solo run, and ten issues each of X-Force, X-Factor, to name just a few. Wolverine’s ongoing series has lasted over 20 issues, but has received mixed reviews from readers.

In late 2025, Marvel halted all of its current X-books to tell the Age of Revelation crossover story, a spiritual successor to Age of Apocalypse, marking that innovative story’s 30th anniversary. And technically, post-Revelation, Marvel pulled a rebrand of its relaunch, declaring the “Shadows of Tomorrow” era, but it is effectively a new chapter in the same book. All of that is to say, for someone trying to follow the entire X-Men line of comics, it has been messy.

Messy, but not always bad. Murewa Ayodele’s work with Storm has been a highwater mark for X-Men since 2024. When Gail Simone’s Uncanny X-Men hits, it hits hard. And Eve L. Ewing’s current X-Men United series (Ewing previously wrote Exceptional X-Men) has major potential. If we’re using a baseball metaphor, X-Men is realistically batting around .500. Which is great, for baseball, but less so for comics. If we’re using a stock market analogy, it might be fair to say X-stock is down.

Marvel’s Post-Krakoa X-Men Books Aren’t A Total Failure, But They’re Not A Success Either

If the goal of “From the Ashes,” and X-Men’s overall direction since 2024, has been to reset the franchise to a pre-Krakoan Era standard, then it has been a success. If the goal has been to tell a coherent story across multiple titles, except for Age of Revelation, “From the Ashes” onward has mostly come across as a failure.

Reading comics is a commitment. Hardcore X-Men fans invest a lot of time, energy, and money into following the various titles Marvel puts out. And with so many titles at any one given time, it’s especially hard to convert a new reader into a hardcore fan. Making every book a must-read, in the grand scheme of things, is virtually impossible. Which results in a lot of promising books launching, but not getting very far.

In all, it’s hard to call X-Men a successful ongoing project over the past few years. Krakoa was a hard act to follow, and “From the Ashes,” “Shadows of Tomorrow,” whatever Marvel calls it next, X-Men still hasn’t fully found its footing, or settling into its new identity as a franchise.

What do you think, X-Men readers? How would you grade X-Men since 2024? Has its stock risen or fallen in your eyes? What’s the franchise’s batting average? Feel free to use the analogy of your choosing!

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.