This is the latest in a feature where I just share some bit of comic book history that interests me. Here is a collection of all of the installments in the feature so far.

Today we take a look at the original designs for the All-New, All-Different X-Men by John Romita and Dave Cockrum.

I've never seen the original designs for Sunfire or Banshee, but here are Wolverine's original designs by the great John Romita, ahead of Wolverine's debut in Incredible Hulk #180-181...





Here is Cockrum's original design for Thunderbird...



Storm originally was Black Cat, a shapeshifter (I addressed this in a Comic Book Legends Revealed many moons ago)...



but after they dropped the idea for Typhoon, a dude who could control the weather...



Storm was born as a combination of the two characters - the powers of Typhoon and the design of Black Cat. Not to mention that she incorporated design elements from an unpublished character as well as Cockrum's original re-design of Marvel Girl...



That approach obviously went nowhere, so then the Phoenix idea was developed. Here are Cockrum's initial Phoenix designs...





Nightcrawler famously was designed by Cockrum to be part of a team in the Legion of Super-Heroes universe (as noted in this even older Comic Book Legends Revealed).



When he began pitching the X-Men, he tried again with Nightcrawler (note how the X idea didn't get added)...



I don't believe I've ever seen any original designs for Colossus before.

As a bonus, here is John Byrne's original design for Kitty Pryde!



That's it for this installment!

If you have suggestions for interesting pieces of comic book history for future columns, feel free to drop me a line at bcronin@comicbookresources.com!