519 – Beautiful People With Incredible Powers
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In which we start the Morrison Run; Professor X gets his hands on Chekhov’s gun; Cassandra Nova raises X-villains to a new level of weird; and humanity is running on borrowed time.
X-PLAINED:
- No-Girl
- New X-Men #114-117
- Grant Morrison and their approach to the X-Men
- Superhero fashion
- Cerebra
- Beast’s new look
- Ugly John
- Interpersonal dynamics
- Cassandra Nova (somewhat)
- Donald Trask
- Master Molds
- Wild Sentinels
- Emma Frost (more) (again)
- Negasonic Teenage Warhead (the original)
- The fall of Genosha
- Secondary mutations
- The most strapless bra of all time
- The Black Bug Room
- Summers problems
- Official X-Men and the designation thereof
- Wonder Man and mutants
NEXT EPISODE: Beast has a bad day
Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog.
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Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!
Buy rad swag at our Dashery shop!
518 – Mapping the X-Gene
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In which Dr. Jey McCreight joins us to discuss all things X-Genetics!
X-PLAINED:
- The genetics and taxonomy of Marvel’s merry mutants
NEXT EPISODE: The Morrison run begins!
Follow Dr. Jey on Bluesky, and check out Beyond X and Y!
Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!
Buy rad swag at our Dashery shop!
As Mentioned in Episode 517 – Sliding Scale Ransom
Listen to the podcast here.
LINKS & FURTHER HORRORS
- We covered X-Men #159 way back in Episode 18 – You’ve Got a Dracula Problem.
- We briefly covered What If: Magik in Episode 230 – Touchstones.
- Discover the nude werewolves of Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose
- “You’ve got to get out of here! Your vagina is haunted!”
517 – Sliding Scale Ransom
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In which we totally forgot to record a cold open (sorry); a lot of characters die (but not in Earth-616); Vampires may already be in command of America’s atomic arsenal; and we revisit a favorite.
X-PLAINED:
- What If vol. 2 #9
- What If vol. 2 #24
- What If: Magik #1
- Rahne Sinclair (moppet stage)
- The deaths of the Silver Age and All-New-All-Different X-Men
- Fancy television
- Sliding-scale ransom
- Then Ani-Men, somewhat
- The Living LASER, somewhat
- An orgy of satiation
- Wolverine, Lord of the Vampires
- Several highlights of Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose
- Vampire nonsense
- The Darkhold
- The Montessi Formula
- Some alligators
- August 5
- Frank Punisher, Vampire Hunter
- What If vol. 2 #37 (briefly)
- A kinder alternate history
- A singularly beautiful montage
- The Soul Staff
- Summers family connections
- How Wolverine climbs
NEXT EPISODE: Unspooling the X-Gene, with Dr. Jey McCreight!
Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog.
Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!
Buy rad swag at our Dashery shop!
As Mentioned in Episode 516 – The Evolution of Magneto
Listen to the podcast here.

READ ON!
- The Judgment of Magneto
- More Asher Elbein:
- And here’s the Boaz Evron essay Asher references extensively in the episode.
516 – The Evolution of Magneto (feat. Asher Elbein)
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In which Asher Elbein joins us to discuss the complicated intersections between Magneto, big feelings, and international politics.
X-PLAINED:
- Some complicated intersections between Magneto, big feelings, and international politics.
Check out links to some of what we discuss in this episode on our blog.
Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!
Buy rad swag at our Dashery shop!
As Mentioned in Episode 515 – Origins
515 – Origins
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In which we do a thing and are not even sorry.
X-PLAINED:
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Next Episode: Magneto, with Asher Elbein!
Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog.
Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!
Buy rad swag at our Dashery shop!
As Mentioned in Episode 514 – Plan 9 From Westchester
Listen to the podcast here.
LINKS & FURTHER READING:
If you’re interested in getting involved in community activism, here are some good places to start:
- Indivisible is a decentralized national organization with a ton of local branches.
- Let This Radicalize You by Mariame Kaba and Kelly Hayes is a terrific introduction to organizing.
- Kelly Hayes’s writings are also a great jumping-on point.
- Interested in whistles and ICE-watching? This’ll get you started!
- You can download a local guides to reporting ICE for a lot of different states here.
- If you’re in or near New York City, check out Hands Off NYC!




