100 Greatest Superhero Stories Ever
By Steve Lam
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
#27. The Uncanny X-Men #141–142#: “Days of Future Past”
Medium
Comic Book
Release Dates
January 1981–February 1981
Credits
Writers: Chris Claremont, John Byrne
Penciller: John Byrne
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Louise Jones
The Reason It’s Great
Science fiction is strongest when it’s a reflection of history or current times. The Uncanny X-Men story arc “Days of Future Past” is a story that’s rife with allegories—particularly to the Nazi concentration camps and holocaust. The two-issue story is one of Marvel’s standout stories.
In the year 2013 (yeah, now it doesn’t sound too much like the future, but the story was written in 1981) the Sentinels have taken over the United States and all mutants are placed in internment camps. The Sentinels soon turn their attention to humans—with an overall solution being a nuclear holocaust.
The X-Men send Kitty Pryde’s mind back in time and into her former younger self. Her mission is to stop Mystique and her Brotherhood of Mutants from assasinating Senator Robert Kelly—an event that leads to the dystopian 2013.
A quick, action-packed, two-issue story, “Days of Future Past” is one of the most noted X-Men narratives. It was adapted in the X-Men animated television series, and also adapted in the 2014 feature film X-Men: Days of Future Past (which is also on our list of greatest superhero stories).