X-Men Officially Reboots a Classic Team with New Matching Costumes
Marvel's X-Men franchise just rebooted a beloved team, debuting matching costumes as a new generation takes up the mantle. Here's every member of the team, and why this new era is so important.
Debuting in 1982 as the historic creation of Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, the New Mutants launched a new era for X-Men comics, arguably representing the first true spin-off from the main franchise.
The team are traditionally made up of powerful younger mutants, possessing an incredibly close bond of loyalty, and often with more overt horror themes than other X-Men titles. Now, that name has passed to a brand-new team...
X-Men's Outliers Officially Become the New Mutants
In the recent Uncanny X-Men #32 - from Gail Simone, Jim Towe, Rogê Antônio, Federica Mancin, Matt Wilson and Clayton Cowles - Rogue and Gambit rename the team formerly known as the Outliers, handing out new costumes and officially branding them the latest iteration of the New Mutants.
The Outliers' new costumes are the yellow and black of the original New Mutants when they debuted, but with details unique to the characters, including Ransom's mask and Calico's gilet.
Debuting at the start of the current volume of Uncanny X-Men, the Outliers are runaway mutants who - until now - had avoided associating with mutantkind as a whole. Pursued by the villainous Sarah Gaunt, aka the Hag, they were taken in by Rogue and Gambit and trained by the Louisiana X-Men roster, quickly forming a family bond.
|
Marvel's New Mutants 2026 Roster |
||
|---|---|---|
|
||
|
Created by Gail Simone and David Marquez |
||
|
Hero Name |
Powers |
First Appearance |
|
Jitter (Sofia Yong) |
Can wield a perfect version of any skill for one minute (e.g. martial arts, language skills, aim, etc.) |
Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 6) #1 |
|
Calico (Becca Simon-Pinette) and Ember |
Can create superpowered constructs around herself and her horse Ember (e.g. fiery armor, strength-enhancing weaponry, etc.) |
|
|
Ransom (Valentin Correa) |
Has a 'black hole' heart that can absorb matter and convert it into physical strength |
|
|
Deathdream (Hotoru Hashimoto) |
Exists between life and death, unlocking necromantic powers (e.g. summoning the dead, weaponized darkness, self-resurrection) |
|
|
Pseudo-members |
||
|
Mutina (Leticia Leech) |
Can weave illusions summoned from the fears of her target |
Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 6) #17 |
|
Waffles |
An experimental 'Bloodhound' combining canine biology and Sentinel cybernetics, loyal to Deathdream |
Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 6) #9 |
In recent comics, the Outliers traveled to another reality where the X-Men were an evil project of the villainous Sauron, designed to take on the Avengers. There, they were given the New Mutants identity before discovering the malevolent nature of the X-Men around them.
Following recent adventures including an alien invasion, Rogue and Gambit make the 'New Mutants' title official, telling the young heroes that it's a recognition of their heroism.
However, this touching gesture comes with a sting in the tail - due to Gambit's recent possession by a cursed artifact, he and Rogue are forced to leave the team to find an exorcist. Upcoming issues will see the new New Mutants trained by the team's interim leaders, Quicksilver and Monet.
Is Mutina An Official New Mutant?
One lingering question is the status of Mutina, aka Leticia Leech. An anti-mutant influencer and actress who has kept her mutant status secret, Letitia recently blackmailed her place onto the team, with Rogue's X-Men attempting to start her on the road to redemption while limiting the danger she poses to others.
Mutina is a psychologically twisted individual who only helped out against a recent alien invasion because it would have hurt her public profile to run away. However, she was instrumental in the victory, and was part of the 'New Mutants' roster of the alternate universe visited by the team, getting her own matching costume in that world.
It's unlikely that Rogue and Gambit would be willing to include her in this honor, however it would risk alienating Mutina to exclude her. As X-Men crowns a new version of the New Mutants, Mutina sticks out as the unresolved question for this new era that future issues will have to address.
Uncanny X-Men #32 is available now from Marvel Comics.