Frameshift

Superman the Movie could have bumped Harvey off the list. Harvey is a bit overrated, probably because Jimmy Stewart is in it.

It's harder to fit The Matrix into it's respective category... maybe take "the Day the Earth..." Tough call there.

It seems like "Notorious" should have been included in the Mystery category and "Shawshank" in... Epics?

I thought the 2nd film was really good, easily one of the best superhero movies made, along with 1977 Superman, Spider-Man 2, and Batman Begins.

In Hollywood, all that matters is money, so inevitably there will be a fourth installment. Right now, they are playing it smart and establishing spin-offs. It doesn't what the fanboys think about the overall quality of the series when each movie make hunderds of millions of dollars in profit.

The first one was decent enough to get things rolling, the second one was fantastic (although a little long), and the third was a turd, relying completely on special effects which never age well.

If they don't rush things into production this time around, I would like to see:

• Nightcrawler - great introduction the first time around and cool special effects potential.

• Rogue - wouldn't it be nice to see her accidentally kill another superhero by permanently stealing his/her super strength and flight, and go bat crazy for a bit?

• Psylocke - a ninja would be cool; the telepathy is gravy.

• Colossus - this time could they please build on charater.

• Archangel - good character, great special effects potential.

I think the Storm, Wolverine, and Professor X are almost guarateed to be in the next film.

Villians I would like to see:

• Apocalypse - he could assemble his Horsemen and turn Angel into Archangel in the process.

• Quicksilver - he could help us all forget Callisto from part three.

• Scarlet Witch - great special effects potential and interesting brother/sister dynamic with Quicksilver. (along with her brother and the Beast, more spin-off potential for the Avengers movie! ... riiiight...)

I would think that Magneto and Mystique would make an appearance in the fourth part, based on popularity alone.

Fox needs to be careful and hire and experienced director that cares about (or respects) the source material, not some reliable hack like Brett Ratner. Alfonso Cuaron is a good candidate as evidenced by "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabahn" and "Children of Men". A couple of the "Bourne" directors might also be capable. Although they would be fantastic, candidates like Spielberg and Raimi would be too expensive, uninterested, or probably both.

I liked Magma too. She was able to shine a bit in Asgardian Wars and in the New Mutants for a time. It annoys me when characters flipflop all the time and unfortunately, Magma's not the only one to do it.

I realize in all the various series that villains sometimes change their evil ways and the good guys are not always what they seem. But the X-books in particular seem to focus on these particular cliches more than most, especially the evil-guy-wants-to-join-the-team scenario.

I personally liked Juggernaut, the White Queen, and Magneto much better when they were villains. They were dynamic baddies that helped define individuals heroes; Juggernaut and Magneto strengthen Professor X and the White Queen was fast becoming Storms nemesis (and what a good one she would have been!). For one, it makes the X-Men look gullible inviting these characters on board, and then regret it later. Second, it undermines previous history. To me, it shows poor writing

I'm thankful some stories have the integrity to keep some of the real iconic villians on the dark side. How hokie would it be for the Joker to join the Justice League for a stint -- more importantly, how stupid would they look for accepting him?

The most annoying thing in regard to the X-Men over the years has been this trend. If a villain is popular enough, expect him or her to join the team at some point in the future. How long until the Blob delivers a Fastball Special?

Anyways, Magma is/was a fresh take on a particular archtype: the flaming superhero. Over the years the storytellers have managed to waste her character. Not by setting her aside, but by making her wishy-washy. Maybe this time the writers will attempt to define her.

Her mirrorball-necklace and matching rollerskates are enough of a liability to keep her from Omega Status.

This is actually a good thing as every other double D-cup mutant is Omega Status thereby making the whole term stupid.

Elemental: I like your picks (no surprise, we only differ on one member). I was also considering Kitty but felt she was a little out of her league or maybe redundant. However, I do believe she would come in handy against robotic-based adversaries like Cyborg or Jocosta (Ironman too?) as her power tends to mess with electrical circuitry.

Speaking of robots; that is one weakness for your average telepath. A team that is too heavy on the telepaths would be at a disadvantage against Ultron. So while I do think your team is extremely powerful, IcePrince X, it seems like there is a lot of redundancy which could spell trouble. I do like that addition of Sage as a power-boost type character (a la Sync).

For me, Magneto is one of those characters that would be a source of tension on the team; who many times has he tried to kill/maim/enslave the X-Men. No matter how they portrayed it in the books, this history would obviously hurt team dynamics. But maybe his power more than makes up for the lack of chemistry? One thing I found somewhat annoying over the years with the X-Men is how they invite so many sketchy characters into their fold. And then they are surprised when they are stabbed in the back! I prefer for some baddies to stay bad, but that may just be me.

Anyway, It would be interesting to put together a team of X-Men comprised of former villains, something like:

Magneto - Extreme power and leadership. A force to be recond with. Marvel's ultimate baddie (along with Doctor Doom).

Mystique - Elite combatant and sabateur. Like Wolverine, she doesn't hesitate to apply the killing blow. Her government connections could potentially get this group out of a few jams.

The White Queen - Intelligent telepath that gives added dimension to a team.

Juggernaut - The brawler that keeps on going. Brawn is almost alwasy necessary for a well rounded team and Cain is top shelf.

Rogue - Another former enemy of the X-Men and the Avengers. I almost hate to include her on this team because she is so far removed from all that... Muscle and flight and power-absorbsion, oh my!

Quicksilver - Like Rogue, he is so far removed from his evil ways it's almost weird to include him here. He provides superior evasion and can utterly confuse the opposition. His experience with the Avengers also makes him one of them more travelled heroes in the Marvel Universe.

Gambit - Another lethal assassin. There isn't anywhere Gambit and Mysique couldn't go. Sneaky and powerful.

Those are my picks for a 7-man villian-turned-X-Man team. The White Queen, Juggs, and Magneto put this group over the top and were always able to give a group of X-heroes trouble by themselves. As a unit, this group would own most others. I have a feeling ego/greed would somehow be their downfall...

Cobalt,

It's easy to underestimate Nightcrawler, maybe because he can't wreck shop like some of the other X-Men. His power isn't some huge, explosive effect. But one on one, he is very potent.

For instance, someone like Wolverine or Colossus would have a very hard time connecting with someone like Storm or Green Lantern, heroes that can just remain out-of-reach and blast away. Nightcrawler isn't so limited in that capacity and can easily get up close and personal. If he acted fast enough, he could even be lethal. Teleport behind, slash with a sword (or just take Wolvie!), teleport away.

He's also fantastic at getting himself and, maybe more importantly, others out of harm's way. Nightcrawler's mode of transportation is arguably the best there is in battlefield situations, better than flight in most brawls because of its near-instantaneous results. He's saved many lives throughout the years when others were too far away to perform a rescue, and someone usually needs rescuing...

Nightcrawler is one of the elite X-Men because he is deceptively powerful, the most noteworthy teleporter in all of comics!

I've read that Ryan Reynolds has joined the cast of the Wolverine movie. Would he be the one playing Deadpool? I could also see him as Gambit... I think he even speaks French.

It seems like the most popular addition look to be:

Wolverine - No surprise here. Although I and many others think he is overused, he is too powerful AND offers many useful traits (strategy, teamwork, streetsmarts, and his military background, to name a few). Say what you will, Wolverine is rarely a liability.

Storm - Another powerhouse that is well-liked by the fans. She offers too many useful skills, apart from her mutant abilities, to leave out, including: theivery, streetsmarts, leadership. It's hard to not include Ororo in most situations (um, bellycrawling through subterranean caverns... because that happens a lot!)

Cyclops - It almost surprises me that Scott Summers is a respected character, but then why not? He has proven himself an outstanding team leader even under heavy fire and can assert himself on teams consisting of headstrong characters like the aforementioned Wolverine and Storm. Cyclops is just too reliable to leave out, even if his power is not on par with some X-Men.

Iceman - I didn't list Bobby on my roster, but I think he is included by many because he is just so powerful. And yet, he still has so much potential. He is a likable character for me because of his optimism and sense of humor. Maybe some of you could help me list other intangibles (no I do not mean Kitty! Although I'm surprised she hasn't got any support...). Non-mutant related stuff like medicine or streetsmarts. Still, I understand why he is often mentioned.

Jean Grey - Telepathy and telekinesis that knockout an otherwise unstopple force - "Hello, Rhino. Been nice knowing you!" Some heroes/villains just cannot deal with this sort of assault so it is almost necessary to have a mentalist on an X-roster, especially considering the wide selection to choose from. And Jean is about the best there is. I just question the drama she brings, especially if Scott and Logan are on the same team.

Anyway, these 5 seem to be some of the more popular additions so far, and they could give a like-sized team made up of Justice Leaguers a run for their money, if ever they were at odds. There seems to be no real consensus on The Strong Guy (Warpath, Colossus, Rogue?) or the evasive character (Nightcrawler, Gambit, Longshot?). Maybe they are not even necessary? ...

Gambit's agility is tops for a regular human. Beast and Nightcrawler are superhuman due to their mutation. Although, if you think about it, Mr. Fantastic would be incredibly agile...

And Warpath wouldn't stand a chance against Nightcrawler.

Iceman is interesting because he is so very powerful and could definitely keep up with many other superheroes.

Professor X is more of a mentor than an active participant.

I just wonder if the right combination of X-men could take on a comparable sized force of the best of the Legion of Superheroes or the Avengers, two affiliations teaming with power, intelligence, and stocked with demi-gods.

I wonder if the team I offered in my original post could stand up to (Superman, Wonder Woman, The Martian Manhunter, Batman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and Zatanna, for example) or (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch, Vision, and the Black Widow, for instance). Obviously, some of those characters are powerhouses. But I believe the right combination of X-men can stand toe-to-toe just about anybody... even if Superman happens to be on the other side. Or no?