When comics are good, there are few entertainment mediums out there that can touch them. They can tell a remarkable variety of stories, from huge action epics to intimate works that resonate throughout the ages. However, when comics are bad, they can be historically bad. One such historically bad run came courtesy of Chuck Austen's time writing for the X-Men.
The X-Men are one of Marvel's most storied franchises, with some of its most important characters. In the early '00s, their books were going through something of a renaissance, with Grant Morrison's New X-Men redefining what an X-Men book could be. Austen's Uncanny X-Men was not doing anything like that and the mystifying thing was just how long he worked on the X-Men books– even outlasting Morrison.
10 The Characterization
The X-Men are full of some of comics' most popular and recognizable characters. Over the years, fans have gotten used to certain portrayals of these characters. Any writer can come in and remake characters in the image they see them in, but it takes a true talent to keep the familiar things about a character while adding new facets to them.
While there were some characters Austen got correct, they were easy ones like Wolverine. Other characters, like Havok or Archangel, were not well served by Austen's writing, acting in ways they never would have before. This is actually pretty minor, because things get worse from here.
9 The Second Xorn
Xorn was introduced in Morrison's New X-Men, a mysterious mutant whose powers came from the star in his head. This was all a ruse, though, as Xorn was actually Magneto in disguise, destroying the team from within. It was a masterful story but Marvel, seemingly mad at Morrison for leaving & going back to DC, would retcon it that it wasn't Magneto at all but always Xorn.
This was crazy enough for readers at the time, but Austen would then introduce a second Xorn– twin of the first– with the exact same powers, who acted like the pre-evil reveal version of the character and it was just so nonsensical. Of course, it came towards the end of his run, so fans were used to this sort of thing from Austen.
8 The Havok-Polaris-Annie Love Triangle
Havok and Polaris have been together for just about their entire time as X-Men. Havok has always been trying to escape his brother's shadow, often leading the team well... and not so well. Polaris has often been dragged around behind him, not getting a chance to be her own person, so breaking them up isn't a bad idea.
However, instead of doing anything interesting with the characters, Austen put them in a love triangle with a human nurse named Annie, who was working at the Xavier Institute and whose son was a student there. It was cliche and made breaking them up seem like a terrible move at best.
7 "She Lies With Angels"
Austen had a thing for including members of the mutant Guthrie family in his X-books, which isn't a bad thing. Cannonball & Husk are both pretty powerful and their family is full of mutants. "She Lies With Angels" introduces a new member of family to the X-Men, Josh, who has angel wings. He's in love with a human girl, one from a family feuding with the Guthries and, yes, it's basically Romeo and Juliet with mutants. Austen is no Shakespeare, though, so this is a hamfisted attempt at retelling the classic for a modern audience that fails on every level conceivable.
6 Archangel's New Powers
Archangel is easily one of the most long suffering members of the X-Men. Losing his wings during the Marauders' massacre of the Morlocks, he would get them back from Apocalypse, becoming the Horsemen of Death before breaking free and rejoining the team. He's been through a lot of changes over the years, from costume changes to power changes.
He would get his most nonsensical power change during Austen's run. This was one of those times when he got his feathered wings back and he would gain a new power as well – his blood had healing properties. Possibly because his name had angel in it. It was quickly forgotten.
5 Stacy X & Black Tom
Austen inherited a character called Stacy X. She was a mutant prostitute who had pheromone powers. In his first story, called "Hope," Austen puts the team up against Black Tom Cassidy, who at this point was more plant than man. With the X-Men running out of options, Stacy X uses her powers on Black Tom to give him an orgasm. It's hard to really know what to say after that. Austen was pretty much showing readers what his wheelhouse was right from the start and it wasn't exactly pretty.
4 Juggernaut And Sammy
Austen brought Juggernaut on the team to act as muscle and it actually worked. He also introduced a character named Sammy the Fish Boy. The two hit it off and their relationship is probably the best thing about the book.
However, this being Austen, he tainted it later by having Juggernaut act as a plant in the Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants for the X-Men and having Sammy witness Juggs with the team. Sammy lashed out and Black Tom killed him. Austen pretty much killed the best part about his run right there.
3 Juggernaut & She-Hulk
At one point, Austen put Juggernaut on trial for his past crimes, which is a tried and true thing for villains turned heroes. He even had She-Hulk represent him in court, which isn't bad; she's a superhero lawyer. However, where it gets bad is that they sleep together. There's no real chemistry between the characters and she's defending him in court, but the visual of their messed up hotel room spoke to Austen. Of course, fans hated this so much that it was pretty much immediately retconned to it being an alternate universe version of She-Hulk having done the deed with Juggernaut.
2 Nightcrawler's Dad
For some reason, Marvel thought it would be a good idea to let Austen do the story that finally introduced Nightcrawler's father to the Marvel Universe. Austen, who doesn't believe in subtlety, introduced Azazel, part of a race of demonic mutants. They were fought by angel mutants and banished to the Brimstone Dimension.
Making Nightcrawler an actual demon mutant is one of the worst things anyone has ever done to the character. It's so on the nose and it doesn't add anything to Nightcrawler or the world of the X-Men, except for a way to justify Nightcrawler's appearance & Archangel's new angel powers.
1 Archangel & Husk's Relationship
Just how old is Husk at this point? Time in comics is very weird, so it's hard to say. Is she an older teenager, eighteen or nineteen? Or is she younger? The last readers had seen of her, she had been on the teen team and was now was in relationship with a much older adult. It was very creepy and probably the worst thing about Austen's run because of just how skeevy it was.