The X-Men are reforming as a more intentionally heroic team, and Cyclops announced that he would allow Krakoa's mutants to vote to choose the team;s members since they will serve and protect the mutants on the island and beyond above all else.
However, Marvel also took this as a chance to get the fans involved. On the final pages of X-Men #17, there was an ad for fans to vote for who they want to be the final member of the team.. The options are Banshee, Polaris, Forge, Boom-Boom, Tempo, Cannonball, Sunspot, Strong Guy, Marrow and Armor. While this seems like a fun idea, it isn't the first time, and likely won't be the last time, that Marvel or DC has allowed a popular fan vote to determine the shape of a story. Now, we're taking a look back at some of the other times fan votes decided the direction of comics from Marvel and DC.
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes always seen the team vote for its leaders. After a few years where the book's creative team decided on the results, DC decided to allow fans to vote on the leaders. The news came via the letter's column in Adventure Comics #364, where fans were given until December 26 of that year, and the results were revealed in Jim Shooter and Curt Swan's Adventure Comics #368. According to the results, there were 7,810 votes cast, and Ultra Boy won with 1,262 votes, closely followed by Mon-El with 1,160 votes.
The Legion of Super-Heroes also showed what could happen if someone won who creators didn't want as the leader. In Superboy #225 by Paul Levitz, James Sherman & Bob Wiacek, Superboy won. However, that was against the rules as he was a part-time member, so the comic book showed Superboy attacking Wildfire for "cheating" to take over despite not winning.
Batman: A Death in the Family
The most infamous and controversial fan voting took place in the world of Batman comics with "Death in the Family." In Batman#427 by Jim Starlin, Jim Aparo & Mike DeCarlo, Jason Todd's own mother betrays him to the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime then beats him mercilessly with a crowbar. He then blew up the building with Jason and his mother trapped inside.
At the end of the issue, there were two 1-900 numbers where fans would vote to see if Robin lived or died. In the next issue, Robin was dead. There were 10,614 votes cast, and the death of Robin won by just 72 votes.
Marvel vs. DC
In 1996, Marvel vs. DC by Ron Marz, Peter David, Dan Jurgens and Claudio Castellini showed heroes from the two universes battling. Some of the fights' winners were determined by fan voting. All five of the fights fans could vote on were then placed in issue #3. These fights all went exactly how most fans knew they would, with the fan-favorite characters winning in every case. Superman beat Hulk, Spider-Man beat Superboy, Wolverine beat Lobo, Batman beat Captain America, and in the only surprising win, Storm beat Wonder Woman. However, the last win was likely due to the overwhelming popularity of the X-Men comics in the '90s.
Contest of Champions II
Finally, in 1999's Contest of Champions II by Chris Claremont, Oscar Jimenez, Eduardo Alpuente & Albert Deschesne, Marvel heroes battled each other, and fans had a chance to choose winners of specific battles. There were 30 total fights in the series, and the fans were given a chance to vote on the winner of three of them. These fights included Mr. Fantastic vs. The Hulk, Daredevil vs. Deadpool and Gambit vs. Hawkeye.
In Contest of Champions II #2, Hulk won the fan vote and sucked Mr. Fantastic into his mouth before chewing him up and spitting him out. Daredevil vs. Deadpool took place in Contest of Champions II #4. Deadpool won the fan vote, winning when he tricked Daredevil into saving a baby that was actually a Deadpool doll. The final of the fan-voted fights came in Contest of Champions II #5, where Gambit won the fan vote and handily defeated Hawkeye near the end of the event.