Marvel is much more straight forward than DC when it comes to tracking potential appearances. They don’t use digital titles and outside of Krakoa, you have a very reliable bet on what heroes are going to appear in what title. They also tend to favorite a wider spread of characters at any given time over DC, while also still showing a favoritism for classic characters. They don’t prefer Elseworlds in the same sense as DC, trying to focus primarily on the main universe. Characters have seasons, that can sometimes last for years, but eventually they have an off season.
2021 kicks off Reign of X, the new period of the Krakoa Era X-Men titles.
The Fantasy Comic League began as a Marvel only product, so the stats provided are for the full 2020 year, up to Week 45 (Up To November). If there are heroes you are curious about that cannot be found on this list, please reach out on Twitter. If the data exists, we will provide it.
The Predictions/Ratings Made are reflective of 2021 Q1
QUIET COUNCIL
Apocalypse – 2.62 Points/Appearance, 26 Appearances
Apocalypse just had a huge 2020 that largely took him off the board in the on-going Krakoan storyline. The points this player would likely get you is from flashbacks in other titles in 2021.
Total Points: 68
Rating: 3, Likely To Appear
Cyclops (Scott Summers) – 2.42 Points/Appearance, 31 Appearances
The leader of the X-Men, arguably the central character of the X-Men title, and the first among Krakoa’s Captains. He’s the character who best represents the tug and pull between Xavier and Magneto’s ideologies, and he’s one of the best mutants to have on your team.
Total Points: 75
Rating: 9, Council Appearances, 2 On-Goings, Frequent Guest Appearances
Cypher (Doug Ramsay) – 2.81 Points/Appearance, 21 Appearances
Doug is going to have an interesting 2021, but he’s not a reliable character points wise. Hard to score when everyone is trying to protect you.
Total Points: 59
Rating: 7, Council Appearances, On-Going,
Emma Frost – 2.69 Points/Appearance, 26 Appearances
Emma Frost and Jean Grey are remarkably similar, appearing in the same titles at the same times on a frequent basis. Emma Frost beats Ms. Grey by 2 points, will she retain that lead in the future?
Total Points: 70
Rating: 8, Council Appearances, On-Going, possible second On-Going
Exodus (Bennett du Paris) – 1.93 Points/Appearance, 14 Appearances
The perks of being on the council is you will likely get an appearance and a business power every time they convey. Exodus shows how little that can actually get you in the grand scheme of things.
Total Points: 27
Rating: 5, Council Appearances
Jean Grey – 2.72 Points/Appearance, 25 Appearances
Jean Grey is in many ways the soul of the X-Men. She’s embodied and died for the ideals they stand for multiple times, more so than maybe any other. She doesn’t go out of style, even when dead.
Total Points: 68
Rating: 8, Council Appearances, 2 On-Goings
Kate Pryde – 2.87 Points/Appearance, 15 Appearances
Kate spent a good chunk of the year… dead, so y’know, these numbers should be higher. Kate is such a beloved member, with so many connections, that she has aged faster than half the New Mutants who were older than her at the start. Could you picture any of them leading the School?
Total Points: 43
Rating: 7, Council Appearances, On-Going
Magneto (Max Eisenhardt) – 2.77 Points/Appearance, 26 Appearances
Magneto would be one of Marvel’s greatest antagonists if he didn’t also have 20+ years of heroic appearances. He’s got a strong battlefield presence in Events, which propels him above his fellow Council Members. Heès also a part of the new SWORD comic.
Total Points: 72
Rating: 9, Council Appearances, 2 On-Goings
Mr. Sinister – 1.95 Points/Appearance, 20 Appearances
One of the more prominent villains on the council, Mr. Sinister also has own title and the occasional guest appearance outside of the X-titles. Not a bad bet.
Total: 39 Points
Rating: 7, Council Appearances and On-Going
Mystique (Raven Darkholme) – 1.69 Points/Appearance, 13 Appearances
Mystique and Destiny lie at the heart of Krakoa’s potential unravelling, and I’m sure we will see some movement on that front in 2021. Whether or not it takes central focus is another story.
Total Points: 22
Rating: 6, Council Appearances, Storyline Potential
Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) -2.23 Points/Appearance, 22 Appearances
2 Points per appearance feels right for Kurt. Most of the time he appears he either casts judgement as part of the council, or he bamfs in for a panel. 2021 does seem to hold potential for a stronger Kurt presence.
Total Points: 49
Rating: 6, Council Appearances, Storyline Potential
Professor X (Charles Xavier) – 2.19 Points/Appearance, 26 Appearances
Among the mutants, Xavier is far from a bad pick. But amongst the council, he’s the middle tier. He doesn’t get much show time outside of doing Council things. And his powerset feels very limited in its portrayal.
Total Points: 57
Rating: 7, Council Appearances, Ongoing
Sebastian Shaw – 2 Points/Appearance, 16 Appearances
Sebastian Shaw has comeuppance coming his way for the murder of Kate Pryde.
Total Points: 32
Rating: 7, Council Appearances and On-Going
Storm (Ororo Munroe) – 3.19 Points/Appearance, 37 Appearances
Look, there is two mutants to snatch right off the bat. Storm is one of them. She’s the foundation of the X-Men, she’s the former Queen of Wakanda, and she has connections everywhere.
Total Points: 118
Rating: 9, Council Appearances, On-Going, Frequent Guest Appearances Outside Krakoa
EXCALIBUR
Captain Britain (Betsy Braddock) – 3.5 Points/Appearance, 16 Appearances
X of Swords ended on a huge note for Betsy. The Captain Britain Corps has been remade in her image, in the image of a woman who wore someone else’s body for decades. 2021 should be a big year for her.
Total Points: 56
Rating: 6, On-Going , Focal Character
Gambit (Rem LeBeau) – 2.67 Points/Appearance, 12 Appearances
Gambit doesn’t seem to be the focus of Excalibur, but where he ended up to stay close to Rogue.
Total: 32
Rating: 5, On-Going
Jubilee – 2.5 Points/Appearance, 8 Appearances
Jubilee got sidelined for a big part of Excalibur in 2020, but she has a stronger connection than most of her team to Otherworld, thanks to Shogo. Otherworld looks to be a mainstay of the book, so here’s to a stronger 2021 for Jubilee.
Total Points: 20
Rating: 5, On-Going
Rictor (Julio Rictor)- 3.64 Points/Appearance, 11 Appearances
Rictor got a big power upgrade and a connection to Apocalypse that seemed to tease a larger story. Now that Apocalypse seems to be moving out of the title, who knows what the future holds for Rictor. It could be big, it could be a slow burn.
Total Points: 40
Rating: 5, On-Going
Rogue (Anna Marie) – 3.67 Points/Appearance, 12 Appearances
Rogue is a powerhouse, but 2020 was a more relaxed year for her after a few years of Avengers adventures. I’m not sure what 2021 holds for her, but she’s never a bad bet.
Total Points: 44
Rating: 5, On-Going
HELLIONS
Empath (Manuel de la Rocha) – 3.67 Points/Appearance, 3 Appearances
You know, I didn’t notice before but the Hellions team mirrors the X-Force squad pretty closely. Greycrow and Forge are both Native American tech savvy characters, while Empath and Kid Omega are obnoxious white boys who get killed over and over.
Total Points: 11
Rating: 5, On-Going
John Greycrow – 3.4 Points/Appearance, 5 Appearances
John Greycrow was a surprise breakout character and one of the few members of the team that made it through X of Swords to return to Krakoa. Not a bad bet in the final rounds.
Total Points: 17
Rating: 5, On-Going
Havok (Alex Summers) – 2.64 Points/Appearance, 14 Appearances
2020 was brutal to Havok, but is that anything new for him? 2021 will likely keep him close to the front of the X-Men, without ever actually giving him the lead.
Total Points: 37
Rating: 6, On-Going, Frequent Guest Appearances
Psylocke (Kwannon) – 3.73 Points/Appearance, 11 Appearances
2020 saw Psylocke being one of the few mutants to actually jump an on-going series. The transition from Fallen Angels to Hellions worked well for her, here’s to a strong 2021 that includes crossing path with the Captain Britain Corps.
Total Points: 41
Rating: 5, On-Going
MAURADERS
Bishop (Lucas Bishop) – 2.85 Points/Appearance, 13 Appearances
Bishop has got a couple slow boil storylines that will likely come to fruition in 2021.
Total Points: 37
Rating: 5, On-Going
Iceman (Robert Drake) – 2.94 Points/Appearance, 17 Appearances
Iceman has appearances outside Krakoa forever on his horizon thanks to appearing in a Spider-Man cartoon in the 1980s.
Total Points: 50
Rating: 6, On-Going, Occasional Guest Appearances Outside Krakoa
Pyro (John Allerdyce) – 1.69 Points/Appearance, 13 Appearances
Pyro is not the Marauder to bank on. His big storyline in 2020 was at his expense.
Total Points: 22
Rating: 5, On-Going
NEW MUTANTS
Armor (Hisako Ichiki) – 3.18 Points/Appearance, 11 Appearances
Armor is a solid bet on the younger side of things. She’sjheld some sort of status for the last several years and I doubt that’s going to vanish in 2021. Total Points: 35
Rating: 5, On-Going
Cannonball (Sam Gunthrie) – 2 Points/Appearance, 6 Appearances
I don’t think we will see much of Sam in 2021, he’s off being a parent in space with Smasher and his best bud, Sunspot.
Total Points: 12
Rating: 3, Likely To Appear
Chamber (Jonothon Starsmore) – 1.6 Points/Appearance, 5 Appearances
I cannot name a single issue read for the FCL where Chamber held the focus for the entirety of the issue.
Total Points: 8
Rating: 5, On-Going
Glob Herman – 1.57 Points/Appearance, 7 Appearances
Armor and Glob should start a club. They’re both mutants encased in their powers that have a consistent presence no matter the year.
Total Points: 11
Rating: 4, Will Show Up
Karma (Xi’An Coy Manh) – 1.89 Points/Appearance, 9 Appearances
Sam and Rahne are parents, Dani is a Valkyrie, and Roberto lead the Avengers. It’s time for Karma to get a storyline that develops her beyond being a New Mutant. She feels younger than the others, but she was the first team leader because she was the oldest. Give her the panel time to catch up to the others.
Total Points: 17
Rating: 5, On-Going
Pixie (Megan Gwynn) – 1.8 Points/Appearance, 5 Appearances
Pixie technically has two on-goings, since she appears in both New Mutants and Cable. But she is not the star of either and is an infrequent appearer. Still, one of those two series could pay off big for her in 2021.
Total Points: 9
Rating: 6, 2 On-Goings
Mirage (Danielle Moonstar) – 2.10 Points/Appearance, 10 Appearances
Dani Moonstar is about to get a nice Valkyrie push to kick off 2021, but also feels like its been a long time since she got a big storyline of her own. Rahne, Roberto, Illyana, and especially Sam all have significantly more appearances than her.
Total Points: 21
Rating: 6, On-Going, Occasional Guest Appearances Outside Krakoa
Scout (Gabby Kinney) – 1.5 Points/Appearance, 2 Appearances
2020 was not kind to Laura or Gabby, but she’s joining the New Mutants in 2021.
Total Points: 3
Rating: 5, On-Going
Sunspot (Roberto DaCosta) – 2.6 Points/Appearance, 5 Appearances
I’m sure we will see Roberto Da Costa in 2021, but it’s another question of when and where. However, he can take a break, because the other New Mutants need time to catch up to the man who lead the Avengers.
Total Points: 13
Rating, 4, Will Show Up
Warpath (James Proudstar)- No Data Available
Damn, Warpath nearly sat out the entire 2020 year, although once Marvel’s Indigenous Voices is entered that will change. He’s joining the New Mutants in 2021, so that will boost his profile significantly.
Rating: 5, On-Going
Wolfsbane (Rahne Sinclair) – 2.13 Points/Appearance
Rahne Sinclair in 2020 feels like she had years of development rung out of her. It’s year of heartbreak, and it’s nice to see Rahne happy, but it still doesn’t sit right with me.
Total Points: 17
Rating: 5, On-Going
SWORD
Abigail Brand – 3 Points/Appearance, 2 Points
2021 should be a big return for Abigail Brand, and hopefully that will expand beyond just Krakoa. She’s not a bad bet in the final rounds.
Total Points: 6
Rating: 6, On-Going, Central Character, Potential Beyond Krakoa
Cable (Nathan Summers) – 3.53 Points/Appearance, 19 Appearances
Look, Kid Cable is a powerhouse player on Krakoa by the fact he has a solo series and he’s the only one besides Wolverine. He’s also a frequent presence in the main X-Men title, and he’s sleeping around with a bunch of them New Mutants.
Total Points: 67
Rating: 8, 2 On-Goings
Frenzy (Joanna Cargill) – No Data Available
I know next to nothing about this character, they haven’t appeared in several years.
Rating: 5, On-Going
Manifold (Eden Fesi) – 2.5 Points/Appearance, 2 Appearances
These numbers should go up in 2021. Eden has also been getting cozy in Wakanda, with a potential relationship teased between him and Shuri at one point.
Total Points: 5
Rating: 6, On-Going, Occasional Guest Appearances Beyond Krakoa
Wiz Kid (Takeshi Matsuya) – No Data Available
A Chris Claremont returning to the fore-front after a surprisingly long absence, Takeshi better pull through better than he did in Inferno.
Rating: 5, On-Going
X-FACTOR
Aurora (Jeanne-Marie Beaubier) – 2.33 Points/Appearance, 3 Apparances
Of the twins, Aurora is not the one I would bet on.
Total Points: 7
Rating: 5, On-Going
Daken – 2.5 Points/Appearance, 6 Appearances
The son of Wolverine, that could mean huge things if Wolverine decides to acknowledge him. The Wolverine Family are all point grabbers though, so he’s a good bet.
Total Points: 15
Rating: 5, On-Going
Eye Boy (Trevor Hawkins) – 3.2 Points/Appearance, 5 Appearances
Leah Williams is putting Eye Boy to use, giving him his best stats probably ever. Could 2021 see him rise even further?
Total Points: 16
Rating: 5, On-Going
Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier) – 5.5 Points/Appearance, 4 Appearances
Of the twins, he is the one I would bet on.
Total Points: 22
Rating: 5, On-Going
Polaris (Lorna Dane) – 4.88 Points/Appearance, 8 Appearances
If there is a character that benefits from what happened to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, it is Polaris. She has Daddy Magneto all to herself now, and her father is a stalwart of a community that he keeps getting her jobs in.
Total Points: 39
Rating: 6, On-Going, Frequent Guest Appearances
Prestige (Rachel Grey) – 3.36 Points/Appearance, 9 Appearances
Rachel is a sleeper character, who has not one but two titles on Krakoa. It helps to be a part of the Summers-Grey clan.
Total Points: 37
Rating: 7, 2 On-Goings
Prodigy (David Alleyne) – 3.5 Points/Appearance, 6 Appearances
Prodigy has ties to the Young Avengers that could be exploited in a 2021 where they return. But for now, he’s far from the worst mutant on Krakoa.
Total Points: 21
Rating: 5, On-Going
X-FORCE
Beast (Hank McCoy) – 2.6 Points/Appearance, 20 Appearances
Beast manages to crawl his way into books all the time. He’s become a fascinating idea in the X-Force title, rather than a proper character, and it’s the best use of him in some time.
Total Points: 52
Rating: 7, Two On-Goings
Black Tom Cassidy – 2.3 Points/Appearance, 10 Appearances
He’s literally the defense system of Krakoa. If you bring the war to the island, you’re going to see Black Tom.
Total Points: 23
Rating: 6, On-Going, Frequent Guest Appearances
Colossus (Pitor Rasputin) – 2.5 Points/Appearance, 8 Appearances
He’s been historically one of the weakest X-Men performance wise. His points come from appearances, not from doing much of anything.
Total Points: 20
Rating: 5, On-Going
Domino (Neena Thurman) – 3.23 Points/Appearance, 13 Appearances
Domino is an excellent grab in the mutant community. Her power can be accounted for in a variety of ways and she tends to show up outside the island.
Total Points: 42
Rating: 6, On-Going, Occasional Guest Appearances Outside Krakoa
Forge (Jonathan Silvercloud) – 2.17 Points/Appearance, 7 Appearances
Forge has been relegated to a support role, which doesn’t give him a lot of opportunities for scoring.
Total Points: 13
Rating: 5, On-Going
Kid Omega (Quentin Quire) – 2.86 Points/Appearance, 14 Appearances
I’m far from the only person who loves Quentin Quire and he shows up a lot because of it. He’s become the Kenny of Krakoa, constantly thrown into things for a humorous death.
Total Points: 40
Rating: 6, On-Going and Guest Appearances
Sage – 1.94 Points/Appearance, 16 Appearances
Sage shows up a lot, acting as the communications hub of a community filled with telepaths. She’s also extremely overpowered and can kick ass when called for.
Total Points: 31
Rating: 6, On-Goingh and Guest Appearances
Wolverine (James Howlett) – 3.56 Points/Appearance, 59 Appearances
The King of Krakoa.
Total Points: 210
Rating: 10
REIGN OF X OUTLIERS
Arcade – 2 Points/Appearance, 5 Appearances
Arcade is teased for a big Krakoan return in 2021, but he’s been showing up in other people’s books plenty. He’s a classic, never a bad bet.
Total Points: 10
Rating: 4, Will Appear
Archangel (Warren Worthington) – 2.18 Points/Appearance, 11 Appearances
Warren did really good for someone with no book. Let 2021 change that with X-Corps.
Total Points: 24
Rating: 4, Will Appear
Monet St. Croix – 3.33 Points/Appearance, 9 Appearances
X-Corps, X-Corps, X-Corps.
Total Points: 30
Rating: 4, Will Appear
Shadow King (Amahl Farouk) – 1 Appearance, 2 Points
Amal Farouk is teased for a big return in 2021, I’m curious which books will tackle his presence.
Rating: 4, Will Appear
Wolverine (Laura Kinney) – 3.67 Points/Appearance, 3 Appearances
Laura was done dirty in 2020, but hopefully 2021 makes amends on that front.
Total Points: 11
Rating: 4, Will Appear
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