Category: Blog

The 1970s had a visual personality all its own. Life had a looseness to it, and photographs from the decade often capture people simply having fun without worrying about social media or the pressure of modern society. Parties, vacations, concerts, shopping trips, nights out, and ordinary afternoons all all felt like they peaked, and fortunately every now and then someone happened to have a camera nearby. The clothes and hairstyles certainly catch your attention, but the real charm comes from the people themselves and the situations they found themselves in. These fifteen candid photographs capture the playful side of the decade and show why looking back at everyday life from the 1970s can be so entertaining.

The post 15 Photos from the 1970s Showing a More Entertaining Place appeared first on Den of Geek.

For more than 50 years, the X-Men have been the subject of some of the best superhero stories ever made. This part and parcel for a world defined by the always compelling mutant metaphor, in which social outcasts fight to save a world that fears and hates them, their ever-cool costumes, and their ever-more-complicated romantic entanglements.

And yet, the X-Men are still superheroes in an ongoing soap opera. That means they’ve had many, many embarrassing moments. Sometimes these embarrassments stem from compelling character choices (e.g., teenage Jean Grey using her powers to out Iceman), and sometimes they’re just products of their time (e.g., Dazzler). But some embarrassments are just embarrassing—useful reminders that even the coolest kids do things that are dumb from time to time.

1. Logan Is Named By a Leprechaun

Wolverine is the best at what he does, and what he does is sell a whole lot of comic books. It’s easy to see why Logan became the definitive X-Men character, what with his claws and his attitude and his improbable hair-do. Logan hits that sweet spot between tragic hero forever unable to atone for the bad things he’s done and unrepentant romantic; a man who longs for a love he can never have.

Still… doesn’t change the fact he he got his name from a leprechaun. Yeah…

In 1977’s Uncanny X-Men #103 by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, the X-Men visit Cassidy’s Keep, the ancestral home of Irish teammate Banshee and his cousin/general enemy Black Tom. When Juggernaut starts making trouble, a leprechaun called Padraic offers to help Wolverine get into the battle, addressing the Canucklehead as “Mr. Logan.” Wolverine responds in shock (in part because, as he tells the leprechaun standing in front of him, he doesn’t believe in leprechauns). Fortunately, he doesn’t have to deal with the reveal at that moment, because it will take several more issues before even Wolverine’s teammates learn about Logan’s name, and it will take decades for readers to find out where the name came from.

2. Kitty Pryde Says Slurs. A Lot.

Wolverine may be the definitive X-Men character, but Kitty Pryde is the ideal X-Men character. When she debuted in 1979’s Uncanny X-Men #129 by Claremont and John Byrne, Kitty was an awkward 13-year-old trying to make sense of her powers. She came of age with the X-Men, and while she’s one of the team’s most complex and compelling characters, she had a lot of growing pains along the way. We could include on this list her habit of changing codename and costume every couple of issues, or her romance with the legally adult Colossus (that’s obviously more on Claremont than on the character).

But easily the most embarrassing part of Kitty Pryde’s past involves her habit of using racial slurs, including the N-word. It occurs most notably in three issues written by Chris Claremont: 1982’s God Loves, Man Kills (illustrated by Brent Anderson), 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #196 (illustrated by John Romita Jr.), and 1986’s New Mutants #45 (illustrated by Jackson Guice). In each instance, Kitty’s trying to make a point about the bigotry faced by mutants, arguing that humanity too often treats people as subhuman. While we believe that a privileged kid could be so reckless with her language (and, to be fair, Kitty is Jewish, and often included slurs against her people in her litanies). But that doesn’t make these instances any less embarrassing to read today.

3. The New Mutants Graduation Costumes

Even though she vociferously refused to be counted among their roster, Kitty Pryde set the model for the teenagers who would become the New Mutants. Launched in an original graphic novel in 1982, the New Mutants represented the second generation of students at Xavier’s school. Although Professor X initially insisted that they never become superheroes like their predecessors, the New Mutants absolutely do find themselves constantly forced to use their powers against bad guys, walking in the footsteps of the original X-Men.

And Xavier always knew that would happen. So when their elders disappear in Uncanny X-Men Annual #10, written by Claremont and penciled by Arthur Adams, the New Mutants decide it’s time to join the big leagues. Declaring themselves the new X-Men, the team dons “graduation uniforms,” perhaps the ugliest set of costumes ever seen in a mainstream comic. It’s not just the obvious stereotypes chosen for Mirage and Karma. It’s also the extraneous pouches on Cypher’s tech jacket, the bland nothing that is Wolfsbane’s get-up, and, worst of all, the helmet that Cannonball wears—as if no one realized he’s nigh-invincible when he’s blasting! Fortunately, the graduation uniforms only make a few appearances, and the team settles into less ugly suits. At least until Cable shows up and changes them into X-Force…

4. Angel and Husk and Husk’s Mom

This entire list could consist of nothing but moments from writer Chuck Austen’s run on Uncanny X-Men, which lasted from 2002’s issue #410 to issue #443 in 2004. On one hand, Austen had been dealt a tough hand, forced to write the companion book to Grant Morrison‘s dazzling New X-Men. On the other hand, Austen responded with his own set of big swings, which often felt less like mind-benders and more like head-scratchers. Austen gave us “The Draco,” which retcons Nightcrawler from being a pure-hearted guy who happens to look like the devil, thus proving that no one should be judged for their appearances, into the actual scion of Satan, thus proving that “no, you were right to judge him.” Austen also gave us the time the X-Men almost built Iceman a new body out of their collected urine, a plan proposed by one Alex Summers (more about him shortly).

But the most embarrassing part of Austen’s run involved the romance between founding X-Man Angel and Husk, younger sister of New Mutants founder Cannonball. Thanks its sliding timeline, it’s sometimes hard to track the ages of various characters. But the relative math going from original member Angel (who even had a superhero career before joining the team) to the little sister of a New Mutant is enough to solidify a substantial age gap between the two. Worse, Angel and Husk consummates their romance at the end of the “She Lies With Angels” storyline (Uncanny X-Men #437–441, penciled by Salvador Larroca) when he lifts her up in the air above the Guthrie family home. We don’t see what happens, but we do see the various articles of clothing that drop to the ground, raining not just on their teammates but also on Husk’s mother.

5. Havok. Just… Havok.

It can’t be easy to live in the shadow of Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men and one of the most respected heroes in the Marvel Universe. But even if we cut him a little slack, Alex Summers, aka Havok, finds incredible new ways of making himself look stupid. Introduced in X-Men #54 by Arnold Drake and Don Heck, Havok joined after the initial team and before the 1970s relaunch. Moreover, he was a fun, if indistinct character in those days, more interesting for his relationship to Cyclops and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Polaris.

But since then, Alex’s life has been a cavalcade of mistakes. There was that time he became the Goblin King, the right-hand man to the evil Goblin Queen Madelyne Pryor. He gets himself brainwashed into serving the anti-mutant government of Genosha, and later takes a job leading the U.S. government-sponsored team X-Factor. He fumbles his relationship with Polaris time and again, tries and fails to be a good step-dad while dating a nurse named Annie, and eventually gets sent to an alternate universe filled with evil doppelgängers of his friends and allies. More recently, Alex gave a big speech about how “mutant” is a slur and shouldn’t be used and then signed up for a new incarnation of X-Factor, this one run by obviously amoral tech bros. Havok, we love you, but you’re an idiot.

The post The Most Embarrassing Moments in X-Men History appeared first on Den of Geek.

There are some parenting habits that immediately make people wonder what is happening behind closed doors. They are not always dramatic or obviously terrible either. Sometimes it is the parent who desperately wants to be their child’s best friend, the one who never takes responsibility, or the one who treats every problem as someone else’s fault. Other times, it is a pattern that seems harmless until you hear it described by someone who actually grew up around it. Reddit users recently shared the behaviors that make them think someone is a bad parent, and some of the answers are painfully familiar. These fifteen traits stood out for all the wrong reason

The post 15 People Share Traits That Say, ‘I’m a Bad Parent’ appeared first on Den of Geek.

For more than 50 years, the X-Men have been the subject of some of the best superhero stories ever made. This part and parcel for a world defined by the always compelling mutant metaphor, in which social outcasts fight to save a world that fears and hates them, their ever-cool costumes, and their ever-more-complicated romantic entanglements.

And yet, the X-Men are still superheroes in an ongoing soap opera. That means they’ve had many, many embarrassing moments. Sometimes these embarrassments stem from compelling character choices (e.g., teenage Jean Grey using her powers to out Iceman), and sometimes they’re just products of their time (e.g., Dazzler). But some embarrassments are just embarrassing—useful reminders that even the coolest kids do things that are dumb from time to time.

1. Logan Is Named By a Leprechaun

Wolverine is the best at what he does, and what he does is sell a whole lot of comic books. It’s easy to see why Logan became the definitive X-Men character, what with his claws and his attitude and his improbable hair-do. Logan hits that sweet spot between tragic hero forever unable to atone for the bad things he’s done and unrepentant romantic; a man who longs for a love he can never have.

Still… doesn’t change the fact he he got his name from a leprechaun. Yeah…

In 1977’s Uncanny X-Men #103 by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, the X-Men visit Cassidy’s Keep, the ancestral home of Irish teammate Banshee and his cousin/general enemy Black Tom. When Juggernaut starts making trouble, a leprechaun called Padraic offers to help Wolverine get into the battle, addressing the Canucklehead as “Mr. Logan.” Wolverine responds in shock (in part because, as he tells the leprechaun standing in front of him, he doesn’t believe in leprechauns). Fortunately, he doesn’t have to deal with the reveal at that moment, because it will take several more issues before even Wolverine’s teammates learn about Logan’s name, and it will take decades for readers to find out where the name came from.

2. Kitty Pryde Says Slurs. A Lot.

Wolverine may be the definitive X-Men character, but Kitty Pryde is the ideal X-Men character. When she debuted in 1979’s Uncanny X-Men #129 by Claremont and John Byrne, Kitty was an awkward 13-year-old trying to make sense of her powers. She came of age with the X-Men, and while she’s one of the team’s most complex and compelling characters, she had a lot of growing pains along the way. We could include on this list her habit of changing codename and costume every couple of issues, or her romance with the legally adult Colossus (that’s obviously more on Claremont than on the character).

But easily the most embarrassing part of Kitty Pryde’s past involves her habit of using racial slurs, including the N-word. It occurs most notably in three issues written by Chris Claremont: 1982’s God Loves, Man Kills (illustrated by Brent Anderson), 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #196 (illustrated by John Romita Jr.), and 1986’s New Mutants #45 (illustrated by Jackson Guice). In each instance, Kitty’s trying to make a point about the bigotry faced by mutants, arguing that humanity too often treats people as subhuman. While we believe that a privileged kid could be so reckless with her language (and, to be fair, Kitty is Jewish, and often included slurs against her people in her litanies). But that doesn’t make these instances any less embarrassing to read today.

3. The New Mutants Graduation Costumes

Even though she vociferously refused to be counted among their roster, Kitty Pryde set the model for the teenagers who would become the New Mutants. Launched in an original graphic novel in 1982, the New Mutants represented the second generation of students at Xavier’s school. Although Professor X initially insisted that they never become superheroes like their predecessors, the New Mutants absolutely do find themselves constantly forced to use their powers against bad guys, walking in the footsteps of the original X-Men.

And Xavier always knew that would happen. So when their elders disappear in Uncanny X-Men Annual #10, written by Claremont and penciled by Arthur Adams, the New Mutants decide it’s time to join the big leagues. Declaring themselves the new X-Men, the team dons “graduation uniforms,” perhaps the ugliest set of costumes ever seen in a mainstream comic. It’s not just the obvious stereotypes chosen for Mirage and Karma. It’s also the extraneous pouches on Cypher’s tech jacket, the bland nothing that is Wolfsbane’s get-up, and, worst of all, the helmet that Cannonball wears—as if no one realized he’s nigh-invincible when he’s blasting! Fortunately, the graduation uniforms only make a few appearances, and the team settles into less ugly suits. At least until Cable shows up and changes them into X-Force…

4. Angel and Husk and Husk’s Mom

This entire list could consist of nothing but moments from writer Chuck Austen’s run on Uncanny X-Men, which lasted from 2002’s issue #410 to issue #443 in 2004. On one hand, Austen had been dealt a tough hand, forced to write the companion book to Grant Morrison‘s dazzling New X-Men. On the other hand, Austen responded with his own set of big swings, which often felt less like mind-benders and more like head-scratchers. Austen gave us “The Draco,” which retcons Nightcrawler from being a pure-hearted guy who happens to look like the devil, thus proving that no one should be judged for their appearances, into the actual scion of Satan, thus proving that “no, you were right to judge him.” Austen also gave us the time the X-Men almost built Iceman a new body out of their collected urine, a plan proposed by one Alex Summers (more about him shortly).

But the most embarrassing part of Austen’s run involved the romance between founding X-Man Angel and Husk, younger sister of New Mutants founder Cannonball. Thanks its sliding timeline, it’s sometimes hard to track the ages of various characters. But the relative math going from original member Angel (who even had a superhero career before joining the team) to the little sister of a New Mutant is enough to solidify a substantial age gap between the two. Worse, Angel and Husk consummates their romance at the end of the “She Lies With Angels” storyline (Uncanny X-Men #437–441, penciled by Salvador Larroca) when he lifts her up in the air above the Guthrie family home. We don’t see what happens, but we do see the various articles of clothing that drop to the ground, raining not just on their teammates but also on Husk’s mother.

5. Havok. Just… Havok.

It can’t be easy to live in the shadow of Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men and one of the most respected heroes in the Marvel Universe. But even if we cut him a little slack, Alex Summers, aka Havok, finds incredible new ways of making himself look stupid. Introduced in X-Men #54 by Arnold Drake and Don Heck, Havok joined after the initial team and before the 1970s relaunch. Moreover, he was a fun, if indistinct character in those days, more interesting for his relationship to Cyclops and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Polaris.

But since then, Alex’s life has been a cavalcade of mistakes. There was that time he became the Goblin King, the right-hand man to the evil Goblin Queen Madelyne Pryor. He gets himself brainwashed into serving the anti-mutant government of Genosha, and later takes a job leading the U.S. government-sponsored team X-Factor. He fumbles his relationship with Polaris time and again, tries and fails to be a good step-dad while dating a nurse named Annie, and eventually gets sent to an alternate universe filled with evil doppelgängers of his friends and allies. More recently, Alex gave a big speech about how “mutant” is a slur and shouldn’t be used and then signed up for a new incarnation of X-Factor, this one run by obviously amoral tech bros. Havok, we love you, but you’re an idiot.

The post The Most Embarrassing Moments in X-Men History appeared first on Den of Geek.

Adria Arjona is careful when deciding what to say next. A charismatic and quickly ascendent actor who stole scenes in Richard Linklater’s Hit Man and Tony Gilroy’s Andor, she is now about to be seen wielding a chainsaw and some ferocious mama bear energy in Adam Wingard’s giddy throwback to John Carpenter vibes: Onslaught. And […]

The post Superman 2’s Adria Arjona Opens Up About Reteaming with James Gunn appeared first on Den of Geek.

For more than 50 years, the X-Men have been the subject of some of the best superhero stories ever made. This part and parcel for a world defined by the always compelling mutant metaphor, in which social outcasts fight to save a world that fears and hates them, their ever-cool costumes, and their ever-more-complicated romantic entanglements.

And yet, the X-Men are still superheroes in an ongoing soap opera. That means they’ve had many, many embarrassing moments. Sometimes these embarrassments stem from compelling character choices (e.g., teenage Jean Grey using her powers to out Iceman), and sometimes they’re just products of their time (e.g., Dazzler). But some embarrassments are just embarrassing—useful reminders that even the coolest kids do things that are dumb from time to time.

1. Logan Is Named By a Leprechaun

Wolverine is the best at what he does, and what he does is sell a whole lot of comic books. It’s easy to see why Logan became the definitive X-Men character, what with his claws and his attitude and his improbable hair-do. Logan hits that sweet spot between tragic hero forever unable to atone for the bad things he’s done and unrepentant romantic; a man who longs for a love he can never have.

Still… doesn’t change the fact he he got his name from a leprechaun. Yeah…

In 1977’s Uncanny X-Men #103 by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, the X-Men visit Cassidy’s Keep, the ancestral home of Irish teammate Banshee and his cousin/general enemy Black Tom. When Juggernaut starts making trouble, a leprechaun called Padraic offers to help Wolverine get into the battle, addressing the Canucklehead as “Mr. Logan.” Wolverine responds in shock (in part because, as he tells the leprechaun standing in front of him, he doesn’t believe in leprechauns). Fortunately, he doesn’t have to deal with the reveal at that moment, because it will take several more issues before even Wolverine’s teammates learn about Logan’s name, and it will take decades for readers to find out where the name came from.

2. Kitty Pryde Says Slurs. A Lot.

Wolverine may be the definitive X-Men character, but Kitty Pryde is the ideal X-Men character. When she debuted in 1979’s Uncanny X-Men #129 by Claremont and John Byrne, Kitty was an awkward 13-year-old trying to make sense of her powers. She came of age with the X-Men, and while she’s one of the team’s most complex and compelling characters, she had a lot of growing pains along the way. We could include on this list her habit of changing codename and costume every couple of issues, or her romance with the legally adult Colossus (that’s obviously more on Claremont than on the character).

But easily the most embarrassing part of Kitty Pryde’s past involves her habit of using racial slurs, including the N-word. It occurs most notably in three issues written by Chris Claremont: 1982’s God Loves, Man Kills (illustrated by Brent Anderson), 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #196 (illustrated by John Romita Jr.), and 1986’s New Mutants #45 (illustrated by Jackson Guice). In each instance, Kitty’s trying to make a point about the bigotry faced by mutants, arguing that humanity too often treats people as subhuman. While we believe that a privileged kid could be so reckless with her language (and, to be fair, Kitty is Jewish, and often included slurs against her people in her litanies). But that doesn’t make these instances any less embarrassing to read today.

3. The New Mutants Graduation Costumes

Even though she vociferously refused to be counted among their roster, Kitty Pryde set the model for the teenagers who would become the New Mutants. Launched in an original graphic novel in 1982, the New Mutants represented the second generation of students at Xavier’s school. Although Professor X initially insisted that they never become superheroes like their predecessors, the New Mutants absolutely do find themselves constantly forced to use their powers against bad guys, walking in the footsteps of the original X-Men.

And Xavier always knew that would happen. So when their elders disappear in Uncanny X-Men Annual #10, written by Claremont and penciled by Arthur Adams, the New Mutants decide it’s time to join the big leagues. Declaring themselves the new X-Men, the team dons “graduation uniforms,” perhaps the ugliest set of costumes ever seen in a mainstream comic. It’s not just the obvious stereotypes chosen for Mirage and Karma. It’s also the extraneous pouches on Cypher’s tech jacket, the bland nothing that is Wolfsbane’s get-up, and, worst of all, the helmet that Cannonball wears—as if no one realized he’s nigh-invincible when he’s blasting! Fortunately, the graduation uniforms only make a few appearances, and the team settles into less ugly suits. At least until Cable shows up and changes them into X-Force…

4. Angel and Husk and Husk’s Mom

This entire list could consist of nothing but moments from writer Chuck Austen’s run on Uncanny X-Men, which lasted from 2002’s issue #410 to issue #443 in 2004. On one hand, Austen had been dealt a tough hand, forced to write the companion book to Grant Morrison‘s dazzling New X-Men. On the other hand, Austen responded with his own set of big swings, which often felt less like mind-benders and more like head-scratchers. Austen gave us “The Draco,” which retcons Nightcrawler from being a pure-hearted guy who happens to look like the devil, thus proving that no one should be judged for their appearances, into the actual scion of Satan, thus proving that “no, you were right to judge him.” Austen also gave us the time the X-Men almost built Iceman a new body out of their collected urine, a plan proposed by one Alex Summers (more about him shortly).

But the most embarrassing part of Austen’s run involved the romance between founding X-Man Angel and Husk, younger sister of New Mutants founder Cannonball. Thanks its sliding timeline, it’s sometimes hard to track the ages of various characters. But the relative math going from original member Angel (who even had a superhero career before joining the team) to the little sister of a New Mutant is enough to solidify a substantial age gap between the two. Worse, Angel and Husk consummates their romance at the end of the “She Lies With Angels” storyline (Uncanny X-Men #437–441, penciled by Salvador Larroca) when he lifts her up in the air above the Guthrie family home. We don’t see what happens, but we do see the various articles of clothing that drop to the ground, raining not just on their teammates but also on Husk’s mother.

5. Havok. Just… Havok.

It can’t be easy to live in the shadow of Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men and one of the most respected heroes in the Marvel Universe. But even if we cut him a little slack, Alex Summers, aka Havok, finds incredible new ways of making himself look stupid. Introduced in X-Men #54 by Arnold Drake and Don Heck, Havok joined after the initial team and before the 1970s relaunch. Moreover, he was a fun, if indistinct character in those days, more interesting for his relationship to Cyclops and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Polaris.

But since then, Alex’s life has been a cavalcade of mistakes. There was that time he became the Goblin King, the right-hand man to the evil Goblin Queen Madelyne Pryor. He gets himself brainwashed into serving the anti-mutant government of Genosha, and later takes a job leading the U.S. government-sponsored team X-Factor. He fumbles his relationship with Polaris time and again, tries and fails to be a good step-dad while dating a nurse named Annie, and eventually gets sent to an alternate universe filled with evil doppelgängers of his friends and allies. More recently, Alex gave a big speech about how “mutant” is a slur and shouldn’t be used and then signed up for a new incarnation of X-Factor, this one run by obviously amoral tech bros. Havok, we love you, but you’re an idiot.

The post The Most Embarrassing Moments in X-Men History appeared first on Den of Geek.

Studios have plenty of reasons to question a movie, especially when the story is unusual, the characters are complicated, or the director has a very specific vision. Sometimes those concerns lead to useful changes, but other decisions come from executives simply not understanding what makes the movie work. A strange note can result in an unnecessary line, an awkward scene, a forced explanation, or a marketing choice that changes how audiences experience the story. The fascinating part is discovering how often filmmakers had to defend something that eventually became obvious to viewers. These fifteen movies contain details that were added, changed, or explained because someone behind the scenes simply did not understand what the filmmakers were trying to do.

The post 15 Movie Details That Were Only Added Because the Studio Didn’t Understand appeared first on Den of Geek.

For more than 50 years, the X-Men have been the subject of some of the best superhero stories ever made. This part and parcel for a world defined by the always compelling mutant metaphor, in which social outcasts fight to save a world that fears and hates them, their ever-cool costumes, and their ever-more-complicated romantic entanglements.

And yet, the X-Men are still superheroes in an ongoing soap opera. That means they’ve had many, many embarrassing moments. Sometimes these embarrassments stem from compelling character choices (e.g., teenage Jean Grey using her powers to out Iceman), and sometimes they’re just products of their time (e.g., Dazzler). But some embarrassments are just embarrassing—useful reminders that even the coolest kids do things that are dumb from time to time.

1. Logan Is Named By a Leprechaun

Wolverine is the best at what he does, and what he does is sell a whole lot of comic books. It’s easy to see why Logan became the definitive X-Men character, what with his claws and his attitude and his improbable hair-do. Logan hits that sweet spot between tragic hero forever unable to atone for the bad things he’s done and unrepentant romantic; a man who longs for a love he can never have.

Still… doesn’t change the fact he he got his name from a leprechaun. Yeah…

In 1977’s Uncanny X-Men #103 by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, the X-Men visit Cassidy’s Keep, the ancestral home of Irish teammate Banshee and his cousin/general enemy Black Tom. When Juggernaut starts making trouble, a leprechaun called Padraic offers to help Wolverine get into the battle, addressing the Canucklehead as “Mr. Logan.” Wolverine responds in shock (in part because, as he tells the leprechaun standing in front of him, he doesn’t believe in leprechauns). Fortunately, he doesn’t have to deal with the reveal at that moment, because it will take several more issues before even Wolverine’s teammates learn about Logan’s name, and it will take decades for readers to find out where the name came from.

2. Kitty Pryde Says Slurs. A Lot.

Wolverine may be the definitive X-Men character, but Kitty Pryde is the ideal X-Men character. When she debuted in 1979’s Uncanny X-Men #129 by Claremont and John Byrne, Kitty was an awkward 13-year-old trying to make sense of her powers. She came of age with the X-Men, and while she’s one of the team’s most complex and compelling characters, she had a lot of growing pains along the way. We could include on this list her habit of changing codename and costume every couple of issues, or her romance with the legally adult Colossus (that’s obviously more on Claremont than on the character).

But easily the most embarrassing part of Kitty Pryde’s past involves her habit of using racial slurs, including the N-word. It occurs most notably in three issues written by Chris Claremont: 1982’s God Loves, Man Kills (illustrated by Brent Anderson), 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #196 (illustrated by John Romita Jr.), and 1986’s New Mutants #45 (illustrated by Jackson Guice). In each instance, Kitty’s trying to make a point about the bigotry faced by mutants, arguing that humanity too often treats people as subhuman. While we believe that a privileged kid could be so reckless with her language (and, to be fair, Kitty is Jewish, and often included slurs against her people in her litanies). But that doesn’t make these instances any less embarrassing to read today.

3. The New Mutants Graduation Costumes

Even though she vociferously refused to be counted among their roster, Kitty Pryde set the model for the teenagers who would become the New Mutants. Launched in an original graphic novel in 1982, the New Mutants represented the second generation of students at Xavier’s school. Although Professor X initially insisted that they never become superheroes like their predecessors, the New Mutants absolutely do find themselves constantly forced to use their powers against bad guys, walking in the footsteps of the original X-Men.

And Xavier always knew that would happen. So when their elders disappear in Uncanny X-Men Annual #10, written by Claremont and penciled by Arthur Adams, the New Mutants decide it’s time to join the big leagues. Declaring themselves the new X-Men, the team dons “graduation uniforms,” perhaps the ugliest set of costumes ever seen in a mainstream comic. It’s not just the obvious stereotypes chosen for Mirage and Karma. It’s also the extraneous pouches on Cypher’s tech jacket, the bland nothing that is Wolfsbane’s get-up, and, worst of all, the helmet that Cannonball wears—as if no one realized he’s nigh-invincible when he’s blasting! Fortunately, the graduation uniforms only make a few appearances, and the team settles into less ugly suits. At least until Cable shows up and changes them into X-Force…

4. Angel and Husk and Husk’s Mom

This entire list could consist of nothing but moments from writer Chuck Austen’s run on Uncanny X-Men, which lasted from 2002’s issue #410 to issue #443 in 2004. On one hand, Austen had been dealt a tough hand, forced to write the companion book to Grant Morrison‘s dazzling New X-Men. On the other hand, Austen responded with his own set of big swings, which often felt less like mind-benders and more like head-scratchers. Austen gave us “The Draco,” which retcons Nightcrawler from being a pure-hearted guy who happens to look like the devil, thus proving that no one should be judged for their appearances, into the actual scion of Satan, thus proving that “no, you were right to judge him.” Austen also gave us the time the X-Men almost built Iceman a new body out of their collected urine, a plan proposed by one Alex Summers (more about him shortly).

But the most embarrassing part of Austen’s run involved the romance between founding X-Man Angel and Husk, younger sister of New Mutants founder Cannonball. Thanks its sliding timeline, it’s sometimes hard to track the ages of various characters. But the relative math going from original member Angel (who even had a superhero career before joining the team) to the little sister of a New Mutant is enough to solidify a substantial age gap between the two. Worse, Angel and Husk consummates their romance at the end of the “She Lies With Angels” storyline (Uncanny X-Men #437–441, penciled by Salvador Larroca) when he lifts her up in the air above the Guthrie family home. We don’t see what happens, but we do see the various articles of clothing that drop to the ground, raining not just on their teammates but also on Husk’s mother.

5. Havok. Just… Havok.

It can’t be easy to live in the shadow of Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men and one of the most respected heroes in the Marvel Universe. But even if we cut him a little slack, Alex Summers, aka Havok, finds incredible new ways of making himself look stupid. Introduced in X-Men #54 by Arnold Drake and Don Heck, Havok joined after the initial team and before the 1970s relaunch. Moreover, he was a fun, if indistinct character in those days, more interesting for his relationship to Cyclops and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Polaris.

But since then, Alex’s life has been a cavalcade of mistakes. There was that time he became the Goblin King, the right-hand man to the evil Goblin Queen Madelyne Pryor. He gets himself brainwashed into serving the anti-mutant government of Genosha, and later takes a job leading the U.S. government-sponsored team X-Factor. He fumbles his relationship with Polaris time and again, tries and fails to be a good step-dad while dating a nurse named Annie, and eventually gets sent to an alternate universe filled with evil doppelgängers of his friends and allies. More recently, Alex gave a big speech about how “mutant” is a slur and shouldn’t be used and then signed up for a new incarnation of X-Factor, this one run by obviously amoral tech bros. Havok, we love you, but you’re an idiot.

The post The Most Embarrassing Moments in X-Men History appeared first on Den of Geek.

People on Reddit traded stories about the most painfully awkward midlife crises they had witnessed, and the results would give anyone second hand embarrassment. Seeing someone throw it all away for a moment of excitement is a sad, yet strangely comforting type of thing. Since we’re not doing that, right?

What most of these people went through were dramatic transformations that left everyone around them wondering what had happened. Here are memorable stories shared in the discussion, ranging from questionable fashion choices to decisions that made families or workplaces cringe.

The post 15 People Share the Cringiest Midlife Crisis They’ve Ever Seen Someone Go Through appeared first on Den of Geek.

For more than 50 years, the X-Men have been the subject of some of the best superhero stories ever made. This part and parcel for a world defined by the always compelling mutant metaphor, in which social outcasts fight to save a world that fears and hates them, their ever-cool costumes, and their ever-more-complicated romantic entanglements.

And yet, the X-Men are still superheroes in an ongoing soap opera. That means they’ve had many, many embarrassing moments. Sometimes these embarrassments stem from compelling character choices (e.g., teenage Jean Grey using her powers to out Iceman), and sometimes they’re just products of their time (e.g., Dazzler). But some embarrassments are just embarrassing—useful reminders that even the coolest kids do things that are dumb from time to time.

1. Logan Is Named By a Leprechaun

Wolverine is the best at what he does, and what he does is sell a whole lot of comic books. It’s easy to see why Logan became the definitive X-Men character, what with his claws and his attitude and his improbable hair-do. Logan hits that sweet spot between tragic hero forever unable to atone for the bad things he’s done and unrepentant romantic; a man who longs for a love he can never have.

Still… doesn’t change the fact he he got his name from a leprechaun. Yeah…

In 1977’s Uncanny X-Men #103 by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, the X-Men visit Cassidy’s Keep, the ancestral home of Irish teammate Banshee and his cousin/general enemy Black Tom. When Juggernaut starts making trouble, a leprechaun called Padraic offers to help Wolverine get into the battle, addressing the Canucklehead as “Mr. Logan.” Wolverine responds in shock (in part because, as he tells the leprechaun standing in front of him, he doesn’t believe in leprechauns). Fortunately, he doesn’t have to deal with the reveal at that moment, because it will take several more issues before even Wolverine’s teammates learn about Logan’s name, and it will take decades for readers to find out where the name came from.

2. Kitty Pryde Says Slurs. A Lot.

Wolverine may be the definitive X-Men character, but Kitty Pryde is the ideal X-Men character. When she debuted in 1979’s Uncanny X-Men #129 by Claremont and John Byrne, Kitty was an awkward 13-year-old trying to make sense of her powers. She came of age with the X-Men, and while she’s one of the team’s most complex and compelling characters, she had a lot of growing pains along the way. We could include on this list her habit of changing codename and costume every couple of issues, or her romance with the legally adult Colossus (that’s obviously more on Claremont than on the character).

But easily the most embarrassing part of Kitty Pryde’s past involves her habit of using racial slurs, including the N-word. It occurs most notably in three issues written by Chris Claremont: 1982’s God Loves, Man Kills (illustrated by Brent Anderson), 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #196 (illustrated by John Romita Jr.), and 1986’s New Mutants #45 (illustrated by Jackson Guice). In each instance, Kitty’s trying to make a point about the bigotry faced by mutants, arguing that humanity too often treats people as subhuman. While we believe that a privileged kid could be so reckless with her language (and, to be fair, Kitty is Jewish, and often included slurs against her people in her litanies). But that doesn’t make these instances any less embarrassing to read today.

3. The New Mutants Graduation Costumes

Even though she vociferously refused to be counted among their roster, Kitty Pryde set the model for the teenagers who would become the New Mutants. Launched in an original graphic novel in 1982, the New Mutants represented the second generation of students at Xavier’s school. Although Professor X initially insisted that they never become superheroes like their predecessors, the New Mutants absolutely do find themselves constantly forced to use their powers against bad guys, walking in the footsteps of the original X-Men.

And Xavier always knew that would happen. So when their elders disappear in Uncanny X-Men Annual #10, written by Claremont and penciled by Arthur Adams, the New Mutants decide it’s time to join the big leagues. Declaring themselves the new X-Men, the team dons “graduation uniforms,” perhaps the ugliest set of costumes ever seen in a mainstream comic. It’s not just the obvious stereotypes chosen for Mirage and Karma. It’s also the extraneous pouches on Cypher’s tech jacket, the bland nothing that is Wolfsbane’s get-up, and, worst of all, the helmet that Cannonball wears—as if no one realized he’s nigh-invincible when he’s blasting! Fortunately, the graduation uniforms only make a few appearances, and the team settles into less ugly suits. At least until Cable shows up and changes them into X-Force…

4. Angel and Husk and Husk’s Mom

This entire list could consist of nothing but moments from writer Chuck Austen’s run on Uncanny X-Men, which lasted from 2002’s issue #410 to issue #443 in 2004. On one hand, Austen had been dealt a tough hand, forced to write the companion book to Grant Morrison‘s dazzling New X-Men. On the other hand, Austen responded with his own set of big swings, which often felt less like mind-benders and more like head-scratchers. Austen gave us “The Draco,” which retcons Nightcrawler from being a pure-hearted guy who happens to look like the devil, thus proving that no one should be judged for their appearances, into the actual scion of Satan, thus proving that “no, you were right to judge him.” Austen also gave us the time the X-Men almost built Iceman a new body out of their collected urine, a plan proposed by one Alex Summers (more about him shortly).

But the most embarrassing part of Austen’s run involved the romance between founding X-Man Angel and Husk, younger sister of New Mutants founder Cannonball. Thanks its sliding timeline, it’s sometimes hard to track the ages of various characters. But the relative math going from original member Angel (who even had a superhero career before joining the team) to the little sister of a New Mutant is enough to solidify a substantial age gap between the two. Worse, Angel and Husk consummates their romance at the end of the “She Lies With Angels” storyline (Uncanny X-Men #437–441, penciled by Salvador Larroca) when he lifts her up in the air above the Guthrie family home. We don’t see what happens, but we do see the various articles of clothing that drop to the ground, raining not just on their teammates but also on Husk’s mother.

5. Havok. Just… Havok.

It can’t be easy to live in the shadow of Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men and one of the most respected heroes in the Marvel Universe. But even if we cut him a little slack, Alex Summers, aka Havok, finds incredible new ways of making himself look stupid. Introduced in X-Men #54 by Arnold Drake and Don Heck, Havok joined after the initial team and before the 1970s relaunch. Moreover, he was a fun, if indistinct character in those days, more interesting for his relationship to Cyclops and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Polaris.

But since then, Alex’s life has been a cavalcade of mistakes. There was that time he became the Goblin King, the right-hand man to the evil Goblin Queen Madelyne Pryor. He gets himself brainwashed into serving the anti-mutant government of Genosha, and later takes a job leading the U.S. government-sponsored team X-Factor. He fumbles his relationship with Polaris time and again, tries and fails to be a good step-dad while dating a nurse named Annie, and eventually gets sent to an alternate universe filled with evil doppelgängers of his friends and allies. More recently, Alex gave a big speech about how “mutant” is a slur and shouldn’t be used and then signed up for a new incarnation of X-Factor, this one run by obviously amoral tech bros. Havok, we love you, but you’re an idiot.

The post The Most Embarrassing Moments in X-Men History appeared first on Den of Geek.

Hollywood careers do not always follow a predictable path. An actor can appear in several major movies, become instantly recognizable, and seem destined for decades of work before suddenly stepping away from the spotlight. Sometimes the decision is completely personal, with fame becoming exhausting or other priorities taking over. Other times, careers quietly stall after a successful run, leaving audiences wondering where a familiar face went. The most fascinating cases involve actors who disappeared when their names were still fresh in people’s minds. Their absence can feel almost as surprising as their arrival. These fifteen performers all reached notable levels of fame before taking unexpected breaks or largely leaving Hollywood behind.

The post 15 Actors Who Completely Disappeared From Hollywood at the Height of Their Fame appeared first on Den of Geek.

For more than 50 years, the X-Men have been the subject of some of the best superhero stories ever made. This part and parcel for a world defined by the always compelling mutant metaphor, in which social outcasts fight to save a world that fears and hates them, their ever-cool costumes, and their ever-more-complicated romantic entanglements.

And yet, the X-Men are still superheroes in an ongoing soap opera. That means they’ve had many, many embarrassing moments. Sometimes these embarrassments stem from compelling character choices (e.g., teenage Jean Grey using her powers to out Iceman), and sometimes they’re just products of their time (e.g., Dazzler). But some embarrassments are just embarrassing—useful reminders that even the coolest kids do things that are dumb from time to time.

1. Logan Is Named By a Leprechaun

Wolverine is the best at what he does, and what he does is sell a whole lot of comic books. It’s easy to see why Logan became the definitive X-Men character, what with his claws and his attitude and his improbable hair-do. Logan hits that sweet spot between tragic hero forever unable to atone for the bad things he’s done and unrepentant romantic; a man who longs for a love he can never have.

Still… doesn’t change the fact he he got his name from a leprechaun. Yeah…

In 1977’s Uncanny X-Men #103 by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, the X-Men visit Cassidy’s Keep, the ancestral home of Irish teammate Banshee and his cousin/general enemy Black Tom. When Juggernaut starts making trouble, a leprechaun called Padraic offers to help Wolverine get into the battle, addressing the Canucklehead as “Mr. Logan.” Wolverine responds in shock (in part because, as he tells the leprechaun standing in front of him, he doesn’t believe in leprechauns). Fortunately, he doesn’t have to deal with the reveal at that moment, because it will take several more issues before even Wolverine’s teammates learn about Logan’s name, and it will take decades for readers to find out where the name came from.

2. Kitty Pryde Says Slurs. A Lot.

Wolverine may be the definitive X-Men character, but Kitty Pryde is the ideal X-Men character. When she debuted in 1979’s Uncanny X-Men #129 by Claremont and John Byrne, Kitty was an awkward 13-year-old trying to make sense of her powers. She came of age with the X-Men, and while she’s one of the team’s most complex and compelling characters, she had a lot of growing pains along the way. We could include on this list her habit of changing codename and costume every couple of issues, or her romance with the legally adult Colossus (that’s obviously more on Claremont than on the character).

But easily the most embarrassing part of Kitty Pryde’s past involves her habit of using racial slurs, including the N-word. It occurs most notably in three issues written by Chris Claremont: 1982’s God Loves, Man Kills (illustrated by Brent Anderson), 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #196 (illustrated by John Romita Jr.), and 1986’s New Mutants #45 (illustrated by Jackson Guice). In each instance, Kitty’s trying to make a point about the bigotry faced by mutants, arguing that humanity too often treats people as subhuman. While we believe that a privileged kid could be so reckless with her language (and, to be fair, Kitty is Jewish, and often included slurs against her people in her litanies). But that doesn’t make these instances any less embarrassing to read today.

3. The New Mutants Graduation Costumes

Even though she vociferously refused to be counted among their roster, Kitty Pryde set the model for the teenagers who would become the New Mutants. Launched in an original graphic novel in 1982, the New Mutants represented the second generation of students at Xavier’s school. Although Professor X initially insisted that they never become superheroes like their predecessors, the New Mutants absolutely do find themselves constantly forced to use their powers against bad guys, walking in the footsteps of the original X-Men.

And Xavier always knew that would happen. So when their elders disappear in Uncanny X-Men Annual #10, written by Claremont and penciled by Arthur Adams, the New Mutants decide it’s time to join the big leagues. Declaring themselves the new X-Men, the team dons “graduation uniforms,” perhaps the ugliest set of costumes ever seen in a mainstream comic. It’s not just the obvious stereotypes chosen for Mirage and Karma. It’s also the extraneous pouches on Cypher’s tech jacket, the bland nothing that is Wolfsbane’s get-up, and, worst of all, the helmet that Cannonball wears—as if no one realized he’s nigh-invincible when he’s blasting! Fortunately, the graduation uniforms only make a few appearances, and the team settles into less ugly suits. At least until Cable shows up and changes them into X-Force…

4. Angel and Husk and Husk’s Mom

This entire list could consist of nothing but moments from writer Chuck Austen’s run on Uncanny X-Men, which lasted from 2002’s issue #410 to issue #443 in 2004. On one hand, Austen had been dealt a tough hand, forced to write the companion book to Grant Morrison‘s dazzling New X-Men. On the other hand, Austen responded with his own set of big swings, which often felt less like mind-benders and more like head-scratchers. Austen gave us “The Draco,” which retcons Nightcrawler from being a pure-hearted guy who happens to look like the devil, thus proving that no one should be judged for their appearances, into the actual scion of Satan, thus proving that “no, you were right to judge him.” Austen also gave us the time the X-Men almost built Iceman a new body out of their collected urine, a plan proposed by one Alex Summers (more about him shortly).

But the most embarrassing part of Austen’s run involved the romance between founding X-Man Angel and Husk, younger sister of New Mutants founder Cannonball. Thanks its sliding timeline, it’s sometimes hard to track the ages of various characters. But the relative math going from original member Angel (who even had a superhero career before joining the team) to the little sister of a New Mutant is enough to solidify a substantial age gap between the two. Worse, Angel and Husk consummates their romance at the end of the “She Lies With Angels” storyline (Uncanny X-Men #437–441, penciled by Salvador Larroca) when he lifts her up in the air above the Guthrie family home. We don’t see what happens, but we do see the various articles of clothing that drop to the ground, raining not just on their teammates but also on Husk’s mother.

5. Havok. Just… Havok.

It can’t be easy to live in the shadow of Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men and one of the most respected heroes in the Marvel Universe. But even if we cut him a little slack, Alex Summers, aka Havok, finds incredible new ways of making himself look stupid. Introduced in X-Men #54 by Arnold Drake and Don Heck, Havok joined after the initial team and before the 1970s relaunch. Moreover, he was a fun, if indistinct character in those days, more interesting for his relationship to Cyclops and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Polaris.

But since then, Alex’s life has been a cavalcade of mistakes. There was that time he became the Goblin King, the right-hand man to the evil Goblin Queen Madelyne Pryor. He gets himself brainwashed into serving the anti-mutant government of Genosha, and later takes a job leading the U.S. government-sponsored team X-Factor. He fumbles his relationship with Polaris time and again, tries and fails to be a good step-dad while dating a nurse named Annie, and eventually gets sent to an alternate universe filled with evil doppelgängers of his friends and allies. More recently, Alex gave a big speech about how “mutant” is a slur and shouldn’t be used and then signed up for a new incarnation of X-Factor, this one run by obviously amoral tech bros. Havok, we love you, but you’re an idiot.

The post The Most Embarrassing Moments in X-Men History appeared first on Den of Geek.

Marvel sucks at following its comic source material. Even if that’s not always a problem, it is a commonly acknowledged fact amongst the fandom who have mourned the design and quick dispatching of Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder or the introduction of Star-Lord as Ego’s son storyline in Guardians of the […]

The post Spider-Man: Brand New Day Proves Video Games Can Be Action Movie Storyboards appeared first on Den of Geek.

For more than 50 years, the X-Men have been the subject of some of the best superhero stories ever made. This part and parcel for a world defined by the always compelling mutant metaphor, in which social outcasts fight to save a world that fears and hates them, their ever-cool costumes, and their ever-more-complicated romantic entanglements.

And yet, the X-Men are still superheroes in an ongoing soap opera. That means they’ve had many, many embarrassing moments. Sometimes these embarrassments stem from compelling character choices (e.g., teenage Jean Grey using her powers to out Iceman), and sometimes they’re just products of their time (e.g., Dazzler). But some embarrassments are just embarrassing—useful reminders that even the coolest kids do things that are dumb from time to time.

1. Logan Is Named By a Leprechaun

Wolverine is the best at what he does, and what he does is sell a whole lot of comic books. It’s easy to see why Logan became the definitive X-Men character, what with his claws and his attitude and his improbable hair-do. Logan hits that sweet spot between tragic hero forever unable to atone for the bad things he’s done and unrepentant romantic; a man who longs for a love he can never have.

Still… doesn’t change the fact he he got his name from a leprechaun. Yeah…

In 1977’s Uncanny X-Men #103 by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, the X-Men visit Cassidy’s Keep, the ancestral home of Irish teammate Banshee and his cousin/general enemy Black Tom. When Juggernaut starts making trouble, a leprechaun called Padraic offers to help Wolverine get into the battle, addressing the Canucklehead as “Mr. Logan.” Wolverine responds in shock (in part because, as he tells the leprechaun standing in front of him, he doesn’t believe in leprechauns). Fortunately, he doesn’t have to deal with the reveal at that moment, because it will take several more issues before even Wolverine’s teammates learn about Logan’s name, and it will take decades for readers to find out where the name came from.

2. Kitty Pryde Says Slurs. A Lot.

Wolverine may be the definitive X-Men character, but Kitty Pryde is the ideal X-Men character. When she debuted in 1979’s Uncanny X-Men #129 by Claremont and John Byrne, Kitty was an awkward 13-year-old trying to make sense of her powers. She came of age with the X-Men, and while she’s one of the team’s most complex and compelling characters, she had a lot of growing pains along the way. We could include on this list her habit of changing codename and costume every couple of issues, or her romance with the legally adult Colossus (that’s obviously more on Claremont than on the character).

But easily the most embarrassing part of Kitty Pryde’s past involves her habit of using racial slurs, including the N-word. It occurs most notably in three issues written by Chris Claremont: 1982’s God Loves, Man Kills (illustrated by Brent Anderson), 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #196 (illustrated by John Romita Jr.), and 1986’s New Mutants #45 (illustrated by Jackson Guice). In each instance, Kitty’s trying to make a point about the bigotry faced by mutants, arguing that humanity too often treats people as subhuman. While we believe that a privileged kid could be so reckless with her language (and, to be fair, Kitty is Jewish, and often included slurs against her people in her litanies). But that doesn’t make these instances any less embarrassing to read today.

3. The New Mutants Graduation Costumes

Even though she vociferously refused to be counted among their roster, Kitty Pryde set the model for the teenagers who would become the New Mutants. Launched in an original graphic novel in 1982, the New Mutants represented the second generation of students at Xavier’s school. Although Professor X initially insisted that they never become superheroes like their predecessors, the New Mutants absolutely do find themselves constantly forced to use their powers against bad guys, walking in the footsteps of the original X-Men.

And Xavier always knew that would happen. So when their elders disappear in Uncanny X-Men Annual #10, written by Claremont and penciled by Arthur Adams, the New Mutants decide it’s time to join the big leagues. Declaring themselves the new X-Men, the team dons “graduation uniforms,” perhaps the ugliest set of costumes ever seen in a mainstream comic. It’s not just the obvious stereotypes chosen for Mirage and Karma. It’s also the extraneous pouches on Cypher’s tech jacket, the bland nothing that is Wolfsbane’s get-up, and, worst of all, the helmet that Cannonball wears—as if no one realized he’s nigh-invincible when he’s blasting! Fortunately, the graduation uniforms only make a few appearances, and the team settles into less ugly suits. At least until Cable shows up and changes them into X-Force…

4. Angel and Husk and Husk’s Mom

This entire list could consist of nothing but moments from writer Chuck Austen’s run on Uncanny X-Men, which lasted from 2002’s issue #410 to issue #443 in 2004. On one hand, Austen had been dealt a tough hand, forced to write the companion book to Grant Morrison‘s dazzling New X-Men. On the other hand, Austen responded with his own set of big swings, which often felt less like mind-benders and more like head-scratchers. Austen gave us “The Draco,” which retcons Nightcrawler from being a pure-hearted guy who happens to look like the devil, thus proving that no one should be judged for their appearances, into the actual scion of Satan, thus proving that “no, you were right to judge him.” Austen also gave us the time the X-Men almost built Iceman a new body out of their collected urine, a plan proposed by one Alex Summers (more about him shortly).

But the most embarrassing part of Austen’s run involved the romance between founding X-Man Angel and Husk, younger sister of New Mutants founder Cannonball. Thanks its sliding timeline, it’s sometimes hard to track the ages of various characters. But the relative math going from original member Angel (who even had a superhero career before joining the team) to the little sister of a New Mutant is enough to solidify a substantial age gap between the two. Worse, Angel and Husk consummates their romance at the end of the “She Lies With Angels” storyline (Uncanny X-Men #437–441, penciled by Salvador Larroca) when he lifts her up in the air above the Guthrie family home. We don’t see what happens, but we do see the various articles of clothing that drop to the ground, raining not just on their teammates but also on Husk’s mother.

5. Havok. Just… Havok.

It can’t be easy to live in the shadow of Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men and one of the most respected heroes in the Marvel Universe. But even if we cut him a little slack, Alex Summers, aka Havok, finds incredible new ways of making himself look stupid. Introduced in X-Men #54 by Arnold Drake and Don Heck, Havok joined after the initial team and before the 1970s relaunch. Moreover, he was a fun, if indistinct character in those days, more interesting for his relationship to Cyclops and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Polaris.

But since then, Alex’s life has been a cavalcade of mistakes. There was that time he became the Goblin King, the right-hand man to the evil Goblin Queen Madelyne Pryor. He gets himself brainwashed into serving the anti-mutant government of Genosha, and later takes a job leading the U.S. government-sponsored team X-Factor. He fumbles his relationship with Polaris time and again, tries and fails to be a good step-dad while dating a nurse named Annie, and eventually gets sent to an alternate universe filled with evil doppelgängers of his friends and allies. More recently, Alex gave a big speech about how “mutant” is a slur and shouldn’t be used and then signed up for a new incarnation of X-Factor, this one run by obviously amoral tech bros. Havok, we love you, but you’re an idiot.

The post The Most Embarrassing Moments in X-Men History appeared first on Den of Geek.

For more than 50 years, the X-Men have been the subject of some of the best superhero stories ever made. This part and parcel for a world defined by the always compelling mutant metaphor, in which social outcasts fight to save a world that fears and hates them, their ever-cool costumes, and their ever-more-complicated romantic […]

The post The Most Embarrassing Moments in X-Men History appeared first on Den of Geek.

For more than 50 years, the X-Men have been the subject of some of the best superhero stories ever made. This part and parcel for a world defined by the always compelling mutant metaphor, in which social outcasts fight to save a world that fears and hates them, their ever-cool costumes, and their ever-more-complicated romantic entanglements.

And yet, the X-Men are still superheroes in an ongoing soap opera. That means they’ve had many, many embarrassing moments. Sometimes these embarrassments stem from compelling character choices (e.g., teenage Jean Grey using her powers to out Iceman), and sometimes they’re just products of their time (e.g., Dazzler). But some embarrassments are just embarrassing—useful reminders that even the coolest kids do things that are dumb from time to time.

1. Logan Is Named By a Leprechaun

Wolverine is the best at what he does, and what he does is sell a whole lot of comic books. It’s easy to see why Logan became the definitive X-Men character, what with his claws and his attitude and his improbable hair-do. Logan hits that sweet spot between tragic hero forever unable to atone for the bad things he’s done and unrepentant romantic; a man who longs for a love he can never have.

Still… doesn’t change the fact he he got his name from a leprechaun. Yeah…

In 1977’s Uncanny X-Men #103 by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, the X-Men visit Cassidy’s Keep, the ancestral home of Irish teammate Banshee and his cousin/general enemy Black Tom. When Juggernaut starts making trouble, a leprechaun called Padraic offers to help Wolverine get into the battle, addressing the Canucklehead as “Mr. Logan.” Wolverine responds in shock (in part because, as he tells the leprechaun standing in front of him, he doesn’t believe in leprechauns). Fortunately, he doesn’t have to deal with the reveal at that moment, because it will take several more issues before even Wolverine’s teammates learn about Logan’s name, and it will take decades for readers to find out where the name came from.

2. Kitty Pryde Says Slurs. A Lot.

Wolverine may be the definitive X-Men character, but Kitty Pryde is the ideal X-Men character. When she debuted in 1979’s Uncanny X-Men #129 by Claremont and John Byrne, Kitty was an awkward 13-year-old trying to make sense of her powers. She came of age with the X-Men, and while she’s one of the team’s most complex and compelling characters, she had a lot of growing pains along the way. We could include on this list her habit of changing codename and costume every couple of issues, or her romance with the legally adult Colossus (that’s obviously more on Claremont than on the character).

But easily the most embarrassing part of Kitty Pryde’s past involves her habit of using racial slurs, including the N-word. It occurs most notably in three issues written by Chris Claremont: 1982’s God Loves, Man Kills (illustrated by Brent Anderson), 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #196 (illustrated by John Romita Jr.), and 1986’s New Mutants #45 (illustrated by Jackson Guice). In each instance, Kitty’s trying to make a point about the bigotry faced by mutants, arguing that humanity too often treats people as subhuman. While we believe that a privileged kid could be so reckless with her language (and, to be fair, Kitty is Jewish, and often included slurs against her people in her litanies). But that doesn’t make these instances any less embarrassing to read today.

3. The New Mutants Graduation Costumes

Even though she vociferously refused to be counted among their roster, Kitty Pryde set the model for the teenagers who would become the New Mutants. Launched in an original graphic novel in 1982, the New Mutants represented the second generation of students at Xavier’s school. Although Professor X initially insisted that they never become superheroes like their predecessors, the New Mutants absolutely do find themselves constantly forced to use their powers against bad guys, walking in the footsteps of the original X-Men.

And Xavier always knew that would happen. So when their elders disappear in Uncanny X-Men Annual #10, written by Claremont and penciled by Arthur Adams, the New Mutants decide it’s time to join the big leagues. Declaring themselves the new X-Men, the team dons “graduation uniforms,” perhaps the ugliest set of costumes ever seen in a mainstream comic. It’s not just the obvious stereotypes chosen for Mirage and Karma. It’s also the extraneous pouches on Cypher’s tech jacket, the bland nothing that is Wolfsbane’s get-up, and, worst of all, the helmet that Cannonball wears—as if no one realized he’s nigh-invincible when he’s blasting! Fortunately, the graduation uniforms only make a few appearances, and the team settles into less ugly suits. At least until Cable shows up and changes them into X-Force…

4. Angel and Husk and Husk’s Mom

This entire list could consist of nothing but moments from writer Chuck Austen’s run on Uncanny X-Men, which lasted from 2002’s issue #410 to issue #443 in 2004. On one hand, Austen had been dealt a tough hand, forced to write the companion book to Grant Morrison‘s dazzling New X-Men. On the other hand, Austen responded with his own set of big swings, which often felt less like mind-benders and more like head-scratchers. Austen gave us “The Draco,” which retcons Nightcrawler from being a pure-hearted guy who happens to look like the devil, thus proving that no one should be judged for their appearances, into the actual scion of Satan, thus proving that “no, you were right to judge him.” Austen also gave us the time the X-Men almost built Iceman a new body out of their collected urine, a plan proposed by one Alex Summers (more about him shortly).

But the most embarrassing part of Austen’s run involved the romance between founding X-Man Angel and Husk, younger sister of New Mutants founder Cannonball. Thanks its sliding timeline, it’s sometimes hard to track the ages of various characters. But the relative math going from original member Angel (who even had a superhero career before joining the team) to the little sister of a New Mutant is enough to solidify a substantial age gap between the two. Worse, Angel and Husk consummates their romance at the end of the “She Lies With Angels” storyline (Uncanny X-Men #437–441, penciled by Salvador Larroca) when he lifts her up in the air above the Guthrie family home. We don’t see what happens, but we do see the various articles of clothing that drop to the ground, raining not just on their teammates but also on Husk’s mother.

5. Havok. Just… Havok.

It can’t be easy to live in the shadow of Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men and one of the most respected heroes in the Marvel Universe. But even if we cut him a little slack, Alex Summers, aka Havok, finds incredible new ways of making himself look stupid. Introduced in X-Men #54 by Arnold Drake and Don Heck, Havok joined after the initial team and before the 1970s relaunch. Moreover, he was a fun, if indistinct character in those days, more interesting for his relationship to Cyclops and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Polaris.

But since then, Alex’s life has been a cavalcade of mistakes. There was that time he became the Goblin King, the right-hand man to the evil Goblin Queen Madelyne Pryor. He gets himself brainwashed into serving the anti-mutant government of Genosha, and later takes a job leading the U.S. government-sponsored team X-Factor. He fumbles his relationship with Polaris time and again, tries and fails to be a good step-dad while dating a nurse named Annie, and eventually gets sent to an alternate universe filled with evil doppelgängers of his friends and allies. More recently, Alex gave a big speech about how “mutant” is a slur and shouldn’t be used and then signed up for a new incarnation of X-Factor, this one run by obviously amoral tech bros. Havok, we love you, but you’re an idiot.

The post The Most Embarrassing Moments in X-Men History appeared first on Den of Geek.

Some of the most memorable moments in movie history were never supposed to happen the way audiences eventually saw them. A prop failed, an actor forgot a line, an unexpected reaction happened on camera, or a production problem forced the filmmakers to improvise. Instead of stopping everything and starting again, someone decided to keep the take, and a mistake became part of the finished movie. These accidents can be surprisingly difficult to spot because they often feel completely intentional once they are edited into the story. Behind fifteen famous scenes are production mishaps, spontaneous decisions, and happy accidents that changed the movies forever and gave audiences moments nobody could have planned perfectly.

The post 15 Famous Movie Moments That Only Happened Because Something Went Wrong appeared first on Den of Geek.

Old television shows can be fascinating time capsules, especially when they casually treat something as normal that would make audiences stop and stare today. Some of these things involve technology, workplace behavior, advertising, family life, or the way characters interacted with each other, while others reveal just how different television itself used to be. What feels particularly strange is how rarely these moments were presented as unusual at the time. They were simply part of the world the characters inhabited. Looking back now, these fifteen details can make even familiar shows feel like they came from a completely different television culture, and some are genuinely hard to imagine making it onto a screen today.

I Love Lucy (1951)

Lucy and Ricky live in an apartment where smoking is treated as completely normal, with cigarettes appearing casually during conversations, meals, and everyday domestic scenes.

The Brady Bunch (1969)

The Brady children can disappear around the neighborhood for hours, often getting into trouble without their parents having any practical way to keep track of them.

Bewitched (1964)

Samantha and Darrin’s home has a telephone, but there is no expectation that either character should be constantly reachable, making missed calls and simply being unavailable completely normal.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)

The newsroom is full of workplace behavior that would raise serious HR concerns today, with characters casually discussing relationships, personal lives, and inappropriate subjects around the office.

The Andy Griffith Show (1960)

Andy and Barney regularly leave the children and townspeople to their own devices in Mayberry, creating a world where everyone seems to know everyone without modern communication or supervision.

The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)

Characters routinely dress formally at home, with the Clampetts often appearing in remarkably polished outfits even when they are simply sitting around the house.

The Dick Van D Show (1961)

Rob and Laura Petrie can have private conversations at home without anyone expecting to document, text, or immediately share what they are doing, reflecting a world where domestic life was largely disconnected from technology.

Leave It to Beaver (1957)

Beaver and Wally frequently head out on their own and get into neighborhood adventures without their parents constantly checking their location, something that feels strikingly independent today.

The Honeymooners (1955)

Ralph Kramden’s workplace behavior and explosive temper are often played for comedy, including scenes where his treatment of Alice would be viewed far more seriously by a modern audience.

Friends (1994)

The characters regularly show up at each other’s apartments without calling or texting first, creating a level of spontaneous access to someone’s home that would feel surprisingly intrusive now.

Seinfeld (1989)

The characters frequently make plans around specific times and places without any way to update each other, meaning a missed meeting could genuinely leave someone wondering where the other person was.

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990)

Will and the Banks children can spend substantial amounts of time away from home without smartphones, location sharing, or constant parental updates, leaving plenty of room for them to get into trouble.

Cheers (1982)

Characters smoke and drink casually in social settings while the show treats the bar as a place where people can spend enormous amounts of time without anyone wondering why they are there so often.

Full House (1987)

The Tanner household has three adult men raising several children under one roof, but the kids regularly move around San Francisco with a level of freedom and independence that feels unusual by today’s standards.

The X Files (1993)

Mulder and Scully routinely travel to remote locations, investigate dangerous situations, and lose contact with the outside world without the immediate check ins, GPS tracking, and digital communication that would be expected today.

The post 15 Things From Old TV Shows That Would Be Completely Unthinkable Today appeared first on Den of Geek.

Every generation likes to think it knows how to have a good time, but photos from the 1970s make a pretty convincing argument for putting down the phone and going outside. There were no group chats to organize the night, no Instagram stories documenting every second, and definitely no chance to check whether someone got your good side before the film was developed. Somehow, people managed just fine. They went camping, spent entire days at the beach, packed into roller rinks, headed to concerts, celebrated weddings, and generally found ways to make an ordinary weekend look like an event. These old photos shared online capture some of that carefree energy, and frankly, everyone involved looks considerably busier than we are.

The post 15 Photos Where the 1970s Were Having More Fun Than You appeared first on Den of Geek.

Old television shows can be fascinating time capsules, especially when they casually treat something as normal that would make audiences stop and stare today. Some of these things involve technology, workplace behavior, advertising, family life, or the way characters interacted with each other, while others reveal just how different television itself used to be. What feels particularly strange is how rarely these moments were presented as unusual at the time. They were simply part of the world the characters inhabited. Looking back now, these fifteen details can make even familiar shows feel like they came from a completely different television culture, and some are genuinely hard to imagine making it onto a screen today.

I Love Lucy (1951)

Lucy and Ricky live in an apartment where smoking is treated as completely normal, with cigarettes appearing casually during conversations, meals, and everyday domestic scenes.

The Brady Bunch (1969)

The Brady children can disappear around the neighborhood for hours, often getting into trouble without their parents having any practical way to keep track of them.

Bewitched (1964)

Samantha and Darrin’s home has a telephone, but there is no expectation that either character should be constantly reachable, making missed calls and simply being unavailable completely normal.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)

The newsroom is full of workplace behavior that would raise serious HR concerns today, with characters casually discussing relationships, personal lives, and inappropriate subjects around the office.

The Andy Griffith Show (1960)

Andy and Barney regularly leave the children and townspeople to their own devices in Mayberry, creating a world where everyone seems to know everyone without modern communication or supervision.

The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)

Characters routinely dress formally at home, with the Clampetts often appearing in remarkably polished outfits even when they are simply sitting around the house.

The Dick Van D Show (1961)

Rob and Laura Petrie can have private conversations at home without anyone expecting to document, text, or immediately share what they are doing, reflecting a world where domestic life was largely disconnected from technology.

Leave It to Beaver (1957)

Beaver and Wally frequently head out on their own and get into neighborhood adventures without their parents constantly checking their location, something that feels strikingly independent today.

The Honeymooners (1955)

Ralph Kramden’s workplace behavior and explosive temper are often played for comedy, including scenes where his treatment of Alice would be viewed far more seriously by a modern audience.

Friends (1994)

The characters regularly show up at each other’s apartments without calling or texting first, creating a level of spontaneous access to someone’s home that would feel surprisingly intrusive now.

Seinfeld (1989)

The characters frequently make plans around specific times and places without any way to update each other, meaning a missed meeting could genuinely leave someone wondering where the other person was.

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990)

Will and the Banks children can spend substantial amounts of time away from home without smartphones, location sharing, or constant parental updates, leaving plenty of room for them to get into trouble.

Cheers (1982)

Characters smoke and drink casually in social settings while the show treats the bar as a place where people can spend enormous amounts of time without anyone wondering why they are there so often.

Full House (1987)

The Tanner household has three adult men raising several children under one roof, but the kids regularly move around San Francisco with a level of freedom and independence that feels unusual by today’s standards.

The X Files (1993)

Mulder and Scully routinely travel to remote locations, investigate dangerous situations, and lose contact with the outside world without the immediate check ins, GPS tracking, and digital communication that would be expected today.

The post 15 Things From Old TV Shows That Would Be Completely Unthinkable Today appeared first on Den of Geek.