Marvel Read-Through: Days of Future Past
10 years ago, what many consider to be the best X-Men movie (however I’m partial to First Class and Logan) was released: X-Men: Days of Future Past was a critical darling and a box office smash. I’ve seen it countless times and my excitement was high going in to the comic it was based on. And once again, Chris Claremont and John Byrne were firing on all cylinders with this one. Days of Future Past is the dark, depressing, gritty follow up to the cosmic bombast of the Dark Phoenix Saga. It’s a bleak look at the experience of minorities in America and a cautionary tale about hate. It’s expertly written and drawn, with high-stakes emotional superhero action. It’s everything you want from an X-Men comic.
Here’s the rundown: In a dystopian 2013 (this was published in 1980) mutant-hunting Sentinels have taken over America, hunting mutants and other superheroes nearly to extinction. They’ve prohibited anyone with the mutant gene from breeding. Wolverine, working with the Canadian Resistance Army, aids a small group of mutant rebels in a time travel plot to prevent this future. The problem is, the rest of the world is ready to nuke America since the Sentinels are ready to take over the whole world. With a ticking clock and limited resources the mutant rebels don’t have much hope. It’s all up to Rachel (Rachel Summers first appearance? I think so even if her last name and heritage is not specified) and Katherine Pryde, a grown-up Kitty. Rachel uses her telepathy to send Katherine’s consciousness into to her 1980 body. This present-day Kitty is now an official X-Men member going by Sprite and has yet to learn any mental psychic defenses so she’s ripe for a mental takeover. In 1980, Kitty leads the X-Men to prevent the assassination of presidential candidate Robert Kelly that sets off the chain of events that leads to the dystopian 2013. They are successful and the Days of Future Past timeline is presumably erased. Also, the assassin? None other than Mystique! Finally a follow up to her brief appearance in Ms. Marvel. It is a hell of a payoff with her reforming the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and becoming one of the X-Men’s greatest villains.
When I sat down to read, I was taken aback to see that Days of Future Past is only two issues long. It’s one of the most iconic X-Men stories, has a feature length movie adaptation, and is beloved by comic readers the world over. That’s the magic of Claremont’s X-Men. Every issue is important. Something is always happening. There’s no meandering, almost no filler. He is possibly the most creative mind to ever work at Marvel, basically creating everything about the mutants that makes them special. These two issues had me on the edge of my seat, eager to turn each page and read on. There’s nothing I can criticize. They’re perfect.
The future storyline lands emotonally with Colossus and Katherine accepting that they need to erase their love in order to save the world. The gut-punch of beloved characters being brutally murdered one-by-one by Sentinels is shocking. The entire thing sucks you right in and makes you care about versions of these characters you barely know. I even got emotionally invested in an adult Franklin Richards and an entirely new character in Rachel. Adult Kitty is extremely compelling as the lead character. The new timeline is harrowing and tragic; the danger for the X-Men is real and pressing. It’s gripping literature.
The present-day storyline is equally gripping. All veteran X-Men members shine both in characterization and in battle. Claremont balances a team like no other writer. While Sprite may not progress much, her future self gets to show off the extent of her powers that she has yet to unlock. We now know how powerful Kitty will become. The new Brotherhood is a viable threat; the X-Men struggle to take them down. Mystique solidifies her spot as a top-tier villain, both conniving and physically threatening. While the soap opera aspect of the X-Men isn’t on full display, the issues are so action packed that it doesn’t feel like anything is lacking. Brilliance emanates from every panel.
The social commentary in Days of Future Past is prominent, and it is far from subtle. Fear of mutants leads to world destruction. The anti-hate message is plain and simple. It’s the most classic aspect of X-Men comics, and despite being blunt here, it is a powerful message. The ramifications with superhero hater Henry Gyrich being given more governmental power to deal with mutants is huge. Senator Kelly goes on to be one of the most prominent anti-mutant voices in the Marvel universe. The X-Men were always meant to represent marginalized communities in America but Claremont has firmly made that the point of the book. He took the seeds that Stan Lee planted and grew an entire forest with them. It’s impossible to read his X-Men run and miss the message of acceptance and inclusivity.
Days of Future Past is essential Marvel. It is not only an important X-Men story, but an exemplary display of the greatness of superhero comics.
Next: Iron Man vs. Doctor Doom!
Issues Read:
X-Men #141
Uncanny X-Men #142
Favorite issue: They’re both great, I’ll give it to #142
Note: With issue #142 the title was officially changed to include the word ‘Uncanny’ but it’s still the same book
