00:00X-Men comics have been host to a multitude of bizarre and interesting characters over
00:04the years.
00:05In a world filled with mutants and superheroes alike, you'd think there isn't much that
00:10could be truly weird, but these comics certainly fit the bill.
00:13So prepare for what might feel like a drug-induced trip down memory lane, because we're taking
00:18a look at some of the weirdest guest appearances in X-Men history.
00:22So with this in mind, I'm Dan from WhatCulture and these are 10 Bizarre Cameos in X-Men Comics.
00:28Number 10, Santa Claus.
00:31Santa has had more than a handful of appearances for Marvel Comics, but one that especially
00:36comes to mind is from 1991's Marvel Holiday Special.
00:40In this story, the brotherhood of evil mutants are making trouble around Christmas time.
00:45The X-Men of course jump into action, struggling at first, until a jolly man in a red suit comes
00:51to their assistance.
00:52He handily deals with the brotherhood and introduces himself as Kris Kringle.
00:56The team is understandably skeptical, but soon grow to believe him when he turns the brotherhood
01:02into toys.
01:03Unfortunately, the X-Men can hardly thank him before they are teleported away, with their
01:08minds being completely wiped of the experience, courtesy of Mr. Claus himself.
01:13Number 9, Darth Vader.
01:15Star Wars comics are published by Marvel, so perhaps Darth Vader's appearance on this
01:20list isn't the strangest.
01:22And yes, technically Vader himself hasn't actually appeared in the comics, but his costume
01:27certainly has.
01:28Kitty Pryde tests out a costume creation machine that apparently was just lying around on a
01:33She-Or spaceship.
01:34After a montage of costumes, Kitty tries on Darth Vader's suit, much to Nightcrawler's apparent
01:40worry.
01:40This has no real bearing on the plot, and nothing of consequence really happens because
01:45of it.
01:46The 80s X-Men references pop culture icons a lot in this manner, and it's always nice
01:50to see one beloved franchise show respect to another, even if it is only for a brief panel.
01:56Number 8, the Star Trek cast.
01:58While chasing Proteus through dimensional portals, most of the cast of X-Men the Animated Series
02:04wind up in the Star Trek universe.
02:06Their ship is destroyed, and they are forced aboard the Enterprise, doing so in secret.
02:12Spock soon finds them, and after some misunderstandings, the two teams decide to team up to stop Proteus.
02:18And, just in case you're disappointed that they featured the wrong Star Trek cast, a few
02:23years later, a second series landed the X-Men and the Next Generation cast into a team up.
02:28Eventually, in a move that feels weird for both franchises, a crossover novel was published,
02:34under the name Planet X.
02:36Number 7, Frankenstein.
02:38By the late 60s, early Marvel creators must have been running out of ideas, because in
02:431967, X-Men number 40 borrowed the concept of Frankenstein's monster.
02:49To their credit, Marvel writers did put their own spin on it, going to great lengths to explain
02:54how Mary Shelley's book was actually non-fiction, and Frankenstein's monster was in fact a high-tech
03:00android with a possible mutant creator.
03:03The X-Men ultimately defeat the monster, and, in a big reveal, Professor X tells the team
03:08that Frankenstein's monster was actually an android, built by aliens.
03:13It was sent to Earth long ago, to act as a liaison to humanity, but it malfunctioned,
03:18and was condemned to be frozen in ice.
03:20When it was thought, it misidentified the X-Men's bright costumes as those of its creators.
03:25It would almost be tragic if the plot wasn't so bonkers.
03:29And, to add further confusion to it all, the actual Frankenstein's monster has appeared
03:34in several Marvel comics since, but this version of the character is a one-off, never to appear
03:39again.
03:40Number 6, Teen Titans.
03:42In 1982, the Teen Titans and Uncanny X-Men were quite possibly the most popular superhero
03:48teams in comics.
03:49So, you can imagine the collective excitement from Marvel and DC fans alike, when the one-shot
03:54crossover, The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans was announced.
03:59What's even more exciting, is that it's actually quite good.
04:02The plot teams up the two superhero groups, and pits them against a collection of Darkseid,
04:07Deathstroke and the Dark Phoenix.
04:09Darkseid schemes to use the power of the Dark Phoenix for his own malicious purposes.
04:14The heroes are initially captured, but rally against the villains, allowing Cyclops and
04:19Professor X a brief moment to plead to the last bit of Jean Grey's humanity within the
04:24Dark Phoenix.
04:25They beg it to destroy Darkseid, and, in a sacrifice much like the original climax of
04:30the Dark Phoenix saga, Jean gives her life a second time, and saves the universe.
04:35Number 5, Wildcats.
04:37One of the biggest real-life storylines of the 1990s comic book scene, was the defection
04:42of Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane and a host of other major writers and artists.
04:47From the big-name comic book publishers, to creator-owned, independent publisher Image Comics.
04:53At the core of this conflict, was comic creators wanting to own the original characters they created
04:58for companies like Marvel and DC.
05:00Which would allow them to make royalties if the characters turned out to be profitable.
05:04For years, comic creators were overworked and underpaid for companies that reported huge
05:09profits using the creator's works.
05:12Image was created by Lee and his peers to fix that.
05:15One of Jim Lee's most notable works at Image Comics was Wildcats.
05:20After just a few years, Wildcats became a pretty widely known comic, and could safely be called
05:25a success.
05:26So given all that background, it was a little bit strange when the crossover Wildcats slash
05:31X-Men found its way to shelves in 1997.
05:35It should be made clear however, Jim Lee was no longer writing the book at the time.
05:39But it still seems weird that the legacy of one of the founders of Image Comics would
05:43cross over with everything the company was created in rebellion against.
05:47Number 4.
05:49KISS KISS is a world famous rock band.
05:51And KISS, according to Marvel Comics KISS Nation issue 1, is also an alternate reality
05:57superhero team.
05:58This one-shot comic switches between the expected comic book action and artifacts of KISS memorabilia.
06:05The story is as generic as you'd expect, a bunch of monsters are attacking New York,
06:10so KISS and the X-Men have to team up and stop them.
06:13This comic book may seem like an out there concept for KISS to do, but when you remember
06:18that you can actually be buried in a KISS casket, this feels a lot less outlandish.
06:23Honestly, this comic was just meant to tell us how cool KISS are.
06:26And hey, in the end, it kinda works.
06:29Number 3.
06:30Chris Claremont
06:31Chris Claremont, the godfather of X-Men comics, self-inserted himself into X-Comics on
06:37more than one occasion.
06:38The most memorable of these appearances was in Excalibur Mojo Mayhem, which has him travelling
06:44with some fellow comic book creators to a book signing somewhere in England.
06:48Kitty Pryde stops their call and commandeers the vehicle, assuring the group that it's
06:53an emergency.
06:54Some brief hilarity ensues, ultimately leaving Chris and his fellow comic book creatives
06:58stranded on a British road in the middle of nowhere.
07:02Number 2.
07:02The many celebrities in the Hellfire Gala.
07:05In universe, the Hellfire Gala was meant to be a showcase of mutant culture and prosperity
07:11on their new island nation of Krakoa.
07:13It is also quite notable because it featured several real-life celebrity cameos.
07:18You may have seen some of it over on Twitter, as the event reached out to celebs from a large
07:22range of backgrounds and fanbases.
07:24From Eminem, to Conan O'Brien, George RR Martin, to Killer Mike.
07:29The sheer quantity of guests featured here was staggering.
07:32But perhaps the most interesting invitee was Kevin Feige, who makes a brief appearance
07:37talking to Cyclops in X-Men 21.
07:40Feige, for those not in the know, is the father of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
07:45Number 1.
07:46Obnoxio the Clown.
07:47If you don't know who Obnoxio the Clown is, that's fine.
07:50Few people do when they open up this comic.
07:53The answer is just so baffling.
07:55Turns out, Obnoxio was the mascot of Crazy Magazine, a now defunct Marvel humor publication
08:01that really never had much to do with the comics.
08:03For some reason, after Crazy Magazine went under, Obnoxio starred in a one-shot comic titled
08:10Obnoxio the Clown vs the X-Men.
08:13The story has the X-Men celebrating Kitty Pryde's birthday, and Professor X, being a wise and
08:18reasonable guardian to a 14-year-old girl, hired a drunken slovenly clown to help Kitty celebrate.
08:24He also told no one that he did this, which is unfortunate because Charles is promptly knocked
08:29out by an intruder at the beginning of the story, causing the X-Men to mistake Obnoxio
08:34for the guilty culprit.
08:35Somehow the Clown manages to survive against the full might of the X-Men, while the actual
08:40intruder attacks everyone from the danger room's control panel.
08:43Obnoxio ends up thwarting the villain, and the X-Men apologize for attacking him.
08:48But it's too late, and Obnoxio simply turns and angrily grumbles his way out of the mansion.
08:53And that's our list, know of any other bizarre cameos in X-Men comics?
08:57Let us know in the comments section below.
08:59You can follow me on Twitter, at Dan J Durkin, and after that be sure to swing on over to
09:04whatculture.com for more lists and articles like this every single day.
09:08For now though, I've been Dan, and I'll catch you in the next one.
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