After that, and only a few issues later, his “Days of Future Past” in UNCANNY X-MEN #141-142 described dark days ahead for mutants, but won the admiration of his followers. Multilayered and anchored with moral dilemmas, Jean Grey’s transformation from heroine to universal force to ultimate evil still stands out as the writer’s tour-de-force in comic books. Undoubtedly, Claremont’s first story that fully resonated through fans must be the “Dark Phoenix Saga” of UNCANNY X-MEN #129-137. As a writer, he dominates any online list of “Greatest X-Men Storylines,” a tribute to his approach to the series. In doing so, he began to build intricate plots and sub-plots that often played out over years and insured fan loyalty to the X-Men. Storyline SagasĪssigned a series and a concept that admittedly wasn’t much of a headliner in the mid-1970s, Chris Claremont found himself with more-or-less free reign to weave a tapestry more like a novel than a done-in-one comic book. In addition to his own creations, Claremont also continued to develop existing X-Women such as the former Marvel Girl Jean Grey and Storm of the “All-New All-Different” X-Men. The same rang true with two other of his women, 1981’s Rachel Summers, and 1983’s Madelyne Pryor, both of them multifaceted characters that the writer invited readers to welcome over a series of stories and multiple plotlines.

The power-stealing Rogue surprised readers in AVENGERS ANNUAL #10, but Claremont didn’t stop there, taking the southern belle down a path to heroism and heartache that resonated with fans.Īnother baddie-turned-hero Emma Frost was introduced in UNCANNY X-MEN #132 as a malevolent member of the Hellfire Club, though Claremont saw much more potential within her. Kitty Pryde entered the X-Mansion in 1980’s UNCANNY X-MEN #129 and almost immediately shook up the status quo as she trained for a role on the team. Likewise, Betsy Braddock, who debuted in 1976’s CAPTAIN BRITAIN #8, began as the younger sister of England’s hero Brian Braddock, but years later transformed into the mutant hero Psylocke to become a Claremont fan-favorite female.Īfter the villainous Mystique’s introduction in 1978, the writer hit the ground running in the 1980s with a string of new female characters who proved their worth alongside their male teammates.

One of the earliest of his creations, Lilandra of the alien Shi’ar race, grew from Claremont’s plan for a love interest for Charles Xavier into a force for change. Ask any X-fan to tell you one of Chris Claremont’s greatest impacts on the mutant team and the probability’s high that they’ll cite his creation of and focus on female characters.

Chris claremont