If the success of the original X-Men trilogy and the First Class reboot with James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender has taught us anything, it’s that people really love to watch the X-Men on the big screen, and this will probably remain the case after this year’s X-Men: Apocalypse. It’s not surprising, given that they center on universal themes like self-acceptance and tolerance for those who may be different. Despite a vast universe filled with diverse characters, however, many of them have yet to be fleshed out on film.
The major exception to this is Wolverine, one of the most popular characters and the first to land his own spinoff series. But even he is starting to overstay his welcome in theaters (X-Men Origins: Wolverine didn’t help) and it’s time for other mutants to shine. As audiences demand a larger female presence on the big screen and awesome characters like Storm are relegated to the background, we’re addressing those wrongs by looking at the women who could lead their own solo ventures.
These are the 12 Female X-Men Who Deserve Their Own Movie.
12. Dazzler – Alison Blaire
Born to a free-spirited entertainer and an uptight law student, Alison Blaire’s upbringing was the opposite of her mutant namesake. A clash of personalities led to her mother walking out on her as a toddler, leaving her father to raise her in his own image. She wanted to be a singer, but he desired a lawyer for a daughter. That familial conflict alone is grounds for a decent coming-of-age film and it’s not even the most interesting part of her story.
Allison discovered her power to transform sonic vibrations in her body into beams of light while performing at a middle school dance. In an effort to protect herself, she blinds the audience and carries this secret ability into adulthood. Plenty of origin stories lean on a superhero’s desire to be normal and fit in, but Allison’s would be different. As an adult, she accepts her powers and uses them as a way to enhance her performances. She even catches the eye of both the X-Men and Hellfire Club, who wish to recruit her into their respective groups. A solo Dazzler venture would be filled with the fun and musicality of Jem and the Holograms (the TV series, not that live action abomination), along with the internal conflict and sense of wonder of Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man film.
11. Blink – Clarice Ferguson
We first got a taste of Blink’s awesome abilities on the big screen in X-Men: Days of Future Past and now would be the perfect time for her solo film. In the comics, she is born during the nightmarish alternate reality where the X-Men take on an ancient mutant named Apocalypse. Sound familiar? That’s who Charles Xavier and company will battle in theaters this May.
As a child, Clarice is rescued from Apocalypse by one of his former Horsemen—an X-Men named Sabertooth. He ends up raising her in a strict but loving environment, which is surprising given his harsh and murderous background. It would be interesting to see her coming up under the tutelage of such an intimidating mutant, and we’d get to see a different side of an X-Men. If Deadpool has taught us anything, it’s that audiences love originality and a movie about Blink would certainly fall under that category.
10. Marrow – Sarah
Imagine if Wolverine’s bone claws weren’t replaced with adamantium and they were able to poke out of every orifice of his body. That’s a rough description of Marrow’s abilities, so you have to it admit she sounds pretty interesting. Sarah’s full name was never revealed, but we do know that she grew up underground with a group called the Morlocks. When the Marauders, a merry gang of powerful mercenaries, slaughter her people, she is saved by a thief named Gambit (who would later join the X-Men).
Their run-in is brief, but it would make for a cool cameo by Channing Tatum, who is set to play the Cajun mutant in an upcoming solo flick. Plus, her movie would follow her path to redemption in which she joins the X-Men to right the wrongs of her past. Previous offenses include harboring a disdain for humanity, founding a murderous political group that Adolf Hitler would approve of, called Gene Nation, and attempting to assassinate anti-mutant activist Senator Robert Kelley. Her background is spotty as best and that’s just the way we like it.
9. Sage – Real Name Unknown
Little is known of Sage’s background other than that she lived in the Balkan region of Europe as a child. During her teen years, Russia invades Afghanistan and she is forced to learn how to defend herself, developing superior fighting abilities. In a time where audiences are demanding more originality in comic book films, her story would stray away from the traditional origin tale and delve into the exciting world of secret spies.
After rescuing Charles Xavier in a cave, he takes advantage of her telepathic powers and sends her on secret missions in order to advance his agenda of co-existence between humans and mutant. One of her first assignments is to infiltrate an Illuminati-like group call the Hellfire Club, made up of influential mutants who believe they’re better than everyone else. Sage’s comic book spy story would certainly bring people to the theaters, and her computer-like brain combined with advanced combat skills will likely make for some truly awe-inspiring, Matrix-like fight scenes.
8. Jubilee – Jubilation Lee
Jubilee will be seen on the big screen this May in X-Men: Apocalypse, but it’s almost certain that the film won’t delve into her traumatic past. As a spirited teen whose hobbies include roller-blading, gymnastics and hanging out at the mall, she was the daughter of affluent Chinese immigrants and attended an exclusive school in Beverly Hills. Everything changed after her parents were mistakenly murdered by hit men.
She found solace in the mall as a petty thief and street performer, but that was no way to live. Security grew tired of her shenanigans and brought in a team of mutant hunters called the M-Squad to remove her from the premises. Luckily for the teen who can shoot balls of energy from her fingertips, a few X-Men went shopping that day and end up rescuing her. Jubilee’s young girl appeal sets her apart from other comic book films and it would be an interesting coming-of-age story told through the spunky teen’s perspective. Apocalypse looks to be set in the ’80s, so even her past-times could remain the same.
7. Shadowcat – Kitty Pryde
We’ve seen her in Bryan Singer’s X-Men trilogy as well as the recent X-Men: Days of Future Past and now it’s time for the “girl in Illinois who can walk through walls” to tell her own story. Hailing from a town called Deerfield, the teen began experiencing excruciating headaches that meant her powers were coming through. She catches the attention of both Charles Xavier and the Inner Circle of the Hellfire club who want to recruit her. Obviously, Kitty sides with the former and develops a close friendship with Storm.
Her parents allow her to enroll in Xavier’s School for Gifted and tensions build when her father berates the Professot for putting his daughter’s life in danger. That sort of conflict has yet to be covered on film and is begging to be explored. Plus, we’ve only seen bits of young mutants learning their craft in past movies and those were some of the more interesting bits.
6. Polaris – Lorna Dane
In one of the most depressing backstories, an infant Lorna kills her parents in a plane crash. While they were arguing about her mother’s affair with her birth father, Magneto, she became upset and tried to make them stop with a magnetic pulse. That pulse brought the plane down and she miraculously survives with newly-green hair. Drawn to her major display of power, Magneto determines that she is not ready for mutant life and has an associate rewrite her memories. Her aunt and uncle raise her as their own, making her believe they were her parents. And you thought Batman had it rough as a kid.
She is detected by Cerebro and Iceman is sent to bring her in. He reveals what really happened with her parents and she turns against Magneto, who–in a plot twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan envious–ends up being a robot double. She joins the X-Men and develops a relationship with Iceman, all while coming into her powers and fighting in a few missions. Did we mention her dad is Magneto? That alone warrants a solo film.
5. Cecilia Reyes
As a Puerto Rican mutant of color, Cecelia offers up a different perspective. She grew up in a rough neighbor and, at six years old, watched her father killed by gunshot right in front of her. That night, she vowed to save lives as a doctor and took up reading her brother’s textbooks. She made her way through medical school and earned an internship at a hospital in the Bronx, all while keeping her power to generate a force field to herself.
Charles Xavier invites her to join his X-Men and she turns him down, opting for a normal life with includes dealing with racism and bigotry firsthand. Movie adaptations have tinkered with the topic of prejudice, mainly through heated discussions about targeting mutants, but this would be the first to address racism head on. Plus, she eventually joins the X-Men and learns how to use her powers, which would look pretty awesome on screen.
4. Emma Frost
In X-Men: First Class, we are introduced to a mutant who is comfortable with using her sexuality as a weapon, seducing men with both revealing outfits and her telepathic abilities. Emma Frost was one of the more intriguing characters in the comics but suffered from character (and literal) assassination in the movies. She actually comes from a wealthy family and has two other sisters who are also telepathic mutants.
Her father chooses her as heir to their massive fortune and she turns him down, wanting to make her own way through life. She keeps good on her word and becomes a majority shareholder at a multi- billion dollar corporation as well as the head of the board of trustees at a college prep school. That success catches the attention of the Hellfire Club, who recruits her into their elite group. Having no qualms about the strict dress code that requires her to wear lingerie, she relishes her sexuality and becomes known as the White Queen. Oh, she eventually joins the X-Men and has an affair with Scott Summers so you’d be getting plenty of drama along with the action that befalls every mutant.
3. Rogue – Anna Marie
We’ve seen a young Rogue join the X-Men after watching Wolverine fight in the Bryan Singer movies but that’s not how it turns out in the comics. She does discover her mutant abilities while making out with her boyfriend after rendering him unconscious and absorbing his memories. However, she runs away from home and finds herself in the company of another mutant, named Mystique.
Mystique proves to be a great mother-like figure when she preys on Rogue’s loneliness and recruits her into the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as a villain. Rogue would end up fighting the X-Men before switching over to the hero side and joining them later on. She also falls in love with Gambit and, since he’s getting his own movie, this would be the perfect opportunity for a crossover. Plus, we’ve only seen a snippet of her unique abilities on the big screen. Did you know that she could fly?
2. Psylocke – Betsy Braddock
While the debate still rages on whether or not the purple-haired mutant in X3 was actually Psylocke, we’ll get our first official big screen introduction to the character in X-Men: Apocalypse. Her role will be limited, since she’s essentially a bodyguard in the film, but her complicated backstory deserves to be told on its own and even Olivia Munn (who plays her in the movie) has expressed interest in a solo venture.
Her character has seen various twists and turns including being a twin to Captain Britain, displaying precognitive and telepathic powers, having her mind placed in a Japanese female ninja, and gaining the power of telekinesis. She eventually joins the X-Men under Storm’s leadership, who fake their deaths and work underground in order to execute proactive strikes against their enemies. With plenty of storylines to choose from, it’s about time this multifaceted character stepped into her own spotlight.
1. Storm – Ororo Munroe
Storm is one of the most important characters in the comics yet we barely know her on screen. As the descendants of an ancient line of African priestesses, she possesses the ability to wield magic bears their trademark white hair and blue eyes. When a plane crashes into her home, killing her parents, she survives but is buried under the rubble near her mother’s body and develops claustrophobia. Newly orphaned and homeless, she falls in with a group of street criminals who teach her how to pick pockets and locks. One of her marks happens to be Charles Xavier, who stops her with his mental abilities.
Her life before the X-Men warrants a movie all on its own. She accepts a ride from a stranger who tries to sexually assault her and she kills him in self-defense. After that, she vows never to take another human life. While wandering through the Sahara Desert, she uses her ability to manipulate the weather to rescue the prince of Wakanda, who would later become the Black Panther. She settles in Kenya, the homeland of her ancestors, in order to hone her powers and ends up being worshipped by local tribes for her astonishing powers.
We all know what happens after she joins the X-Men, but it’s a disservice to all comic book fans not to tell her complete story. She’s also one of the most beloved mutants of all time and deserves so much more than the lackluster portrayal by Halle Berry on the big screen. A younger version of her character will be seen in X-Men: Apocalypse but let’s be honest, she’s been a side character for far too long.
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Did we leave anyone out? Is there another female X-Men deserving of her own solo venture? Let us know in the comments!
