This weekend X-Men: Apocalypse hit the big screen. While the early reviews were uneven I still plan on seeing it within the week.
Therefore, this is by no means a review. This isn’t a primer article either (that has been handled already here). This isn’t even an “I hope this is what happens” type deal.
No this is a “it got me thinking” post. You see, as I thought about the characters that will take the roles of Apocalypse’s horsemen in this movie, I started to think who would I choose to combat this fierce foursome. And although we love our lists of 7 here at Nerds on Earth, for this one I feel like I gotta play it position by position. So I will take a leader and four warriors into battle.
I started to think about the team almost in terms of setting up a D&D campaign squad. Ideally you have a mixture of types of skills (tank, DPS, and healer/support preferably). You don’t want a group comprised of all elves or wizards (although some would want all wizards). You should have a diverse group, so that’s what I put together:
Leadership – Say what you will about Scott Summers. Go ahead. Sure, he can sometimes be portrayed as a prissy pretty boy with simple laser blasts coming from his eyes. And then there are the pouches. However, Cyclops really can be a force to be reckoned with and there is NOTHING simple about force blasts out of your eyes!
Scott Summers is also a great leader. He realizes what needs to happen to bring people together and to win a fight and he gets it done. Cyclops can lead my team any day.
Mystic – No, not Mystique, a mystic. In D&D you have your wizards and in Marvel you get a few characters with magic, but ultimately you see a lot of telepaths, particularly when it comes to the X-Men.
So I see your Psylocke and raise you an Emma Frost. While Ms. Frost often rides the line of good and bad, she gets the nod here because well, she is tough as nails—or diamonds as it were—and can combat magic with powerful telepathy.
Power – Gotta have some Power! I think you always need a power bat in any baseball lineup, and this instance would be no different.
I will always choose Colossus in a fight to end the world as we know it. He can smash with the likes of the Hulk on brute strength and his metallic form is pretty much the best defense money can buy. Colossus has also been brushed over in the X-Men movies too often. And while he got a lot more play in Deadpool, it is time to let him shine!
Wild Card – I think often each grouping of X-Men has a bit of a wild card player, meaning you have your Gambit or Nightcrawler that can help keep your opponents on their toes. So I am going with Shadowcat.
This is basically a play at a 2 for one as I’m calling Lockheed in a package deal! Kitty Pryde can also hold her own though, and provides a unique skill set to boot. Sometimes you need unconventional powers to throw off your foes.
Rage – I know many in nerd culture are growing tired of Wolverine, primarily in the cinematic universe. However, in my opinion it just isn’t the X-Men without him. When all heck is breaking loose and it comes down to a do or die situation wouldn’t you want a guy that, well, can’t die?
Logan is the ultimate weapon in a fight against insurmountable odds.
Ok, so looking at my list I am realizing it is basically just the line-up from Joss Wedon’s Astonishing X – men, which comes highly recommended by ALL here at Nerds on Earth. Late to the game, I finally got around to reading it via the Marvel Unlimited app, which is just terrific by the way!
In this story the heroes are taking on a warrior alien named Ord. And while I haven’t finished the run yet, I’ve gotta think they figure things out in the end.
This combination of characters is worth reading about and you tell me if you can come up with a better group to battle Apocalypse and his horsemen.
Tabletop Takeaways: Tips for Dungeon Masters with a Narrative Spin