Marvel Comics: 50 best Marvel comic books of the 2000s

44. New Mutants

Writer: Vita Ayala

The new age of mutants started off with a bang with House of X and Powers of X. Now the real work had to be done. The next run of X-Books had to keep up the pace. The main X-Men series wouldn’t have a problem. It’s going to sell regardless. Without popular characters, New Mutants could have gone either way. Thankfully, Vita Ayala was writing the beginning of the series.

Beyond the series being fantastic, it helped new fans learn about the characters. Some of them you’d never know about unless this series existed. This was a masterclass on how to introduce fans to heroes. Vita Ayala told two stories at once, developed around a dozen characters, and made it work.

43. X-Factor

Writer: Leah Williams

This is easily the most underrated comic book of the past two decades. Writer Leah Williams took the idea of X-Factor Investigations and brought it to Krakoa with a new cast. Akihiro, Northstar Polaris, Aurora, Rachel Summers, Prodigy, and Eye-Boy were the roster. On paper, this shouldn’t have worked. Who cares about Eye-Boy? This series made this writer care. X-Factor became the most fun this writer had reading an X-Book in 2020.

Not only was this comic book funny, but it was also full of heartwarming personal connections. The relationship between Akihiro and Aurora was well done. It showed how two people can love each other and accept their faults. Eye-Boy and Prodigy’s sibling-like love was adorable. Prodigy was the big brother that he always wanted and maybe needed. It’s things like this that made the cancellation disappointing.