Michael Brower, a talented artist, has released a truly gorgeous piece of fanart that pays tribute to four of X-Men’s most iconic and powerful women.
The female heroes of Marvel Comics are truly iconic, but some of the most legendary are the women of X-Men, and a gorgeous new piece of fanart by Michael Brower highlights the power and status of beloved X-Women Storm, Jean Grey, Psylocke, and Rogue. These four women, some of whom have been around since the earliest days of the X-Men, have all indelibly shaped the X-Men franchise and have all had serious cultural impacts over their decades of publication.
The X-Men have always been known for counting many powerful and impressive female mutants among their ranks, and have never shied away from showing that any X-Woman can brutally take down their opponent, regardless of their gender expectations. Characters like Storm and Psylocke (Kwannon) in particular are truly wonderful examples of racial and gender diversity and representation within the world of the X-Men and thankfully have all taken on powerful new roles in the Krakoan Age.
Michael Brower, a talented artist with a clear love of the X-Men, recently posted a gorgeous tribute to the X-Women to his Twitter, featuring Storm, Psylocke, Rogue, and Jean Grey sporting their newer Krakoan Era costumes and striking stunning poses that show off not only their immense beauty but also their undeniable power. Taking center stage in Brower’s fan art is Jean Grey who has remained one of the franchise’s most beloved characters because of her fierce portrayal, her cosmic importance as the most famous wielder of the Phoenix Force, and her long-running relationship with Scott Summers. Likewise, Storm was one of the first women brought into the X-Men universe, only after Magneto’s daughter Polaris joined the team, and is one of Marvel Comics’ most enduring main characters, leaving a truly incalculable impact on broader society with her portrayal of a strong, resilient, and complex African American hero. Both Jean and Storm have retaken center stage throughout the newest “Destiny of X” era for the X-Men, with Jean being a major part of Cyclops’ current X-Men team as well as being featured in the upcoming A.X.E.: Judgment Day event, and Storm becoming the Regent of Arakko and the Voice of Sol, now leading her own Brotherhood of Mutants on Arakko in X-Men Red.
Behind these two iconic women is Rogue, another early X-Woman whose signature southern drawl and complicated mutant ability have left her as one of the X-Men’s shining stars. Finally, last but not least is the telepathic Japanese warrior Psylocke, whose real name is Kwannon, a character famous for her complicated and racially charged history with the current Captain Britain, who for over 30 years inhabited Kwannon’s body until Kwannon was finally given agency over her body and identity again in 2019. Psylocke has had one of the more impressive journeys since her return in 2019, taking a lead role in the Fallen Angels team, before becoming the full-time leader of the Hellions, one of the Krakoan Era’s most critically acclaimed new series, and finally dealing with the trauma and oppression caused by her body swap with Betsy Braddock. While Rogue has not been featured as heavily in the Krakoan Era, she has been a major part of Excalibur, Cyclops’ current X-Men team, and is now leaving the X-Men to work with her mothers Destiny and Mystique who are central figures in the X-Men universe right now. Michael Brower’s art cleverly uses each of these impressive mutants’ core colors to highlight their portraits, with Storm being associated with yellow, Psylocke with purple, Rogue with Green, and Jean with Red.
While Brower’s fanart only features four of the dozens of legendary X-Women beloved by fans, Storm, Rogue, Kwannon, and Jean Grey are exemplar choices to represent the true breadth of diversity that have made the X-Men comics some of Marvel Comics most acclaimed and beloved stories.
Source: Michael Brower
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