Imaging the X-Men

(This is an alternative to a story, though like fanfiction, it relies heavily on borrowed material. I have no talent for photo-manipulation; all these pictures appear as I found them, and so in some cases they fail to take account of unique characteristics of the characters in question. If any of the pictures is yours, and you object to it being displayed here, contact me and I'll remove it.)

Fandom: Marvel Universe (X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force, Generation X, Alpha Flight, Excalibur)
Spoilers: none
Rating: R for nudity
Summary: A developing coffee-table book on the X-Men.

Sex thing: It's my firm belief that none of these pictures qualify as "dirty". They're the work of an array of professional photographers, and I've collected them as an archive out of which I build characters in my non-fanfic writing. But most of them feature nude adults, and in a few cases the nudity is full-frontal. Consider yourself warned.

Jan 6, 2003: Though this page isn't "finished," I don't expect to update it further. I've had fun with it, but my attention's elsewhere these days.

Foreword
Three years ago, a gamma-level mutant refining her powers at the Xavier Institute embarked on a project to photograph members of the various alpha-level mutant militias. She was uniquely suited to do so, having both light-manipulation as her mutation and intimate access to the alpha-levels at home. The project began with the permission of team administrators, on the condition that no one would be pressured into being photographed against his or her will.

To date, everyone who has participated has been satisfied with the results. Most of the pages devoted to individuals have been produced in collaboration with those individuals, and nothing currently appears without the participant's consent.

- Scott Summers

Photographer's notes

I wanted to photograph alpha mutants nude or semi-nude for several reasons. First, to express that mutations are not inherently monstrous. With this in mind, I would have preferred to photograph mutants with radical physical mutations, but all those I contacted declined to pose for me, and I respect their reasons for doing so. Second, to express the state of mind that mutation creates. Most alpha-level mutants are accustomed to think of their bodies as essentially treacherous -- mutation, which occurs at the genetic level, is a phenomenon of the body. Exposing physical beauty is a startling act, then, for both the subject as well as the audience. Third, to capture the personalities of people who are, to all intents and purposes, cut off from public life. Most people never encounter an alpha-level mutant. I would like everyone to do so.
The people here pictured live in three different countries and operate as part of six autonomous teams in various levels of communication with one another. All operate with the primary goal of protecting the public from acts of terrorism and natural disasters. In doing so, they put themselves in extreme physical danger. All those I photographed were injured at some point during the three years of my project.

The majority of these pictures were taken in or near the subjects' homes. A few were taken elsewhere. I want to thank all those who worked with me, but especially the first, who knows who he is, and whose willingness paved the way for my work with others.

- Marie Suzanne Sinclair

My attempts to give order to this collection continue to be daunted. Team affiliation, nationality, gender, family relations, and abilities have all been tried and discarded. My current attempt pictures the original five X-Men first. Those who follow do so for more arcane reasons, some of them as basic as aesthetic presentation.

For this current arrangement, I offer special thanks to Henry McCoy, who unexpectedly offered to participate, if under unusual circumstances.

I. The Original X-Men

Scott Summers ("Cyclops")

citizen of the United States
31 years old
twice married; currently to Jean Grey
one child

pyrokinetic vision

member of the X-Men

Jean Grey-Summers ("Phoenix")

citizen of the United States
32 years old
married to Scott Summers

telepath/telekinetic

member of the X-Men

Henry McCoy, PhD ("Beast")

citizen of the United States
36 years old
unmarried

extreme strength/agility

member of the X-Men

Warren Worthington III ("Archangel")

citizen of the United States
31 years old
unmarried (long-term relationship with Elizabeth Braddock)

winged flight

member of the X-Men

Robert Drake ("Iceman")

citizen of the United States
28 years old
unmarried

freezing agent/humidity control

member of the X-Men

II. Extended Family

It's self-evident if you think about it: genetic mutation runs in families. Though the x-factor gene doesn't manifest consistently, it does appear to be dominant in most cases. While two mutant parents will occasionally produce a "flatscan" child, it doesn't happen often, and frequently more than one child in a generation will show a major mutation.
The sheer number of twins with alpha-level mutations has never been explained to anyone's satisfaction, but to my knowledge, there are no alpha-level mutants with flatscan twins. The rapport between twins tends to result in meshed powers and shared combat experiences.

Mutant parents with children often find themselves in the unenviable position of wanting to protect children who expect to follow their parents into combat. The need to guard children, even fantastically powerful ones, never fully subsides.

Nathan Christopher Summers ("Cable")
no legal nationality
widower
age indefinite

telepath/telekinetic

member of X-Force

Alexander Summers ("Havok")

citizen of the United States
unmarried
29 years old

energy conduit

member of X-Factor

Nate Grey ("X-Man")

no citizenship
unmarried
age unknown

telepath/telekinetic

independent agent

Jean-Paul Beaubier ("Northstar")

citizen of Canada
29 years old
unmarried

extreme speed/flight

member of Alpha Flight

Jeanne-Marie Beaubier ("Aurora")

citizen of Canada
29 years old
unmarried

extreme speed/flight

member of Alpha Flight

Samuel Guthrie ("Cannonball")

citizen of the United States
unmarried (long-term relationship with Tabitha Smith)
21 years old

explosive flight

member of the X-Men/member of X-Force

Paige Guthrie ("Husk")

citizen of the United States
unmarried
18 years old

shapeshifter

member of GenX

Elizabeth Braddock ("Psylocke")

citizen of the United Kingdom (citizenship contested)
unmarried (long-term relationship with Warren Worthington)
30 years old

telepath

member of the X-Men

Brian Braddock ("Captain Britain")

citizen of the United Kingdom
engaged to be married
30 years old

enhanced strength/flight

member of Excalibur

Erik Lensherr ("Magneto")

joint citizenship, Polish & Genoshan
widower
62 years old

magnetic control

president of Genosha

Pietro Maximoff-Lensherr ("Quicksilver")

joint citizenship, Bosnia & United States
divorced
30 years old

extreme speed

member of X-Factor

Wanda Maximoff-Lensherr
("The Scarlet Witch")

joint citizenship, Bosnia & United States
unmarried
30 years old

chaos manipulation/energy manipulation

member of X-Factor

III. From the Inside

More than a few of the adult team members were raised within that community, at least from adolescence on. The first X-Men were assembled while in their mid-teens. Eventually, a group of very young people existed, as well as the now-adult originals. It was on those grounds that the first junior groups were created. Originally intended to keep the children out of dangerous situations, they mostly function now to keep age-mates together.
Theoretically, these teams are guided by experienced, highly-educated adults who manage to combine combat with education, but in practice, usually the teams' field leaders are more influential.

Julio Richter ("Rictor")

citizen of Mexico
unmarried (long-term relationship with Shatterstar)
18 years old

techtonic manipulator

member of X-Force

James Proudstar ("Warpath")

citizen of the United States/ member of the Apache nation
unmarried
21 years old

enhanced strength/reflexes

member of X-Force

Tabitha Smith ("Meltdown")

citizen of the United States
unmarried (long-term relationship with Sam Guthrie)
21 years old

explosive projectiles

member of X-Force

Theresa Rourke Cassidy ("Siryn")

citizen of the Republic of Ireland
unmarried
22 years old

extreme sonic vocalization

member of X-Force

Roberto DaCosta ("Sunspot")

citizen of Brazil
unmarried
23 years old

solar converter

member of X-Force

name unknown ("Shatterstar")

no citizenship
unmarried (long-term relationship with Julio Richter)
19 years old

enhanced speed/reflexes/healing factor

member of X-Force

Jubilation Lee ("Jubilee")

citizen of the United States
unmarried
18 years old

luminous projectiles

member of GenX

Monet St Croix ("M")

citizen of Algeria
unmarried
18 years old

enhanced strength/flight

member of GenX

Jonothon Starsmore ("Chamber")

citizen of the United Kingdom
unmarried
18 years old

psionic container/telepath

member of GenX

Katherine Pryde ('Shadowcat")

citizen of the United States
unmarried (long-term relationship with Pete Wisdom)
22 years old

phases through matter

member of Excalibur

Sarah ("Marrow")

no citizenship
unmarried
19 years old

rapid & extreme skeletal growth

member of the X-Men

IV. Doorkeepers

And in spite of the dangers of their lives, most teams have joint leadership: one man, one woman. Lipservice to sexual equality aside, the role of den-mother sits strangely on most of those who hold it. Strong enough to fight their own wars, fiercely independent, and rutheless, they teach self-reliance far more than they nurture.

name unknown ("Domino")

no citizenship
unmarried (long-term relationship with Nathan Summers)
39 years old

probability manipulator

member of X-Force

Heather McNeil-Hudson ("Guardian")

citizen of Canada
widowed
35 years old

mechanically-enhanced human

member of Alpha Flight

Emma Frost ("The White Queen")

citizen of the United States
unmarried
32 years old

telepath

member of GenX

V. Pantheon

Assembled in one room, any collection of alpha-level mutants is likely to resemble a collection of early gods: brilliantly coloured, specifically powered, and engaged in private dramas.