5 shows that sound just like ‘X-Men’
If you think about it, the whole concept of X-Men is an incredibly lazy but brilliant way to explain how normal humans can have super powers. They’re just born with it! No need for some convoluted explanation about how you’re an alien from a dying planet who gains super powers from our sun, or how a radioactive spider bit you and gave you the ability to stick to walls. The boring backstory is skipped and you can immediately showcase your heroes using their powers (which is what everyone really wants to see anyway).
No wonder there are so many shows that sound suspiciously like X-Men! No need for long and silly exposition scenes to tell us why they have all those abilities – just show the drama and super powers, and you have a hit show! So here are five other shows that sound just like X-Men. And before the decade is out, we’ll have five more for sure.
1. Mutant X (2001-2004 television show)
The cast of Mutant X (bet you didn’t know that John Shea also acted as Lex Luthor on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman!). Credit: Fanart.TV
There’s the word “mutant” and the letter “X” in the title – how could this be anything but a copy of inspired by X-Men? It was even produced by Marvel Studios! But if it’s produced by Marvel, why didn’t they just name it “X-Men” for the publicity? Well, it’s because 20th Century Fox owns the rights to X-Men. Which is why we won’t ever see Avengers vs X-Men, at least not in our lifetimes.
And just to show that crazy drama doesn’t exist only in the world of mutant powers, Fox sued Marvel for creating Mutant X because it was too similar to X-Men.
2. Heroes (2006-2010 television show)
The heroes of Heroes. Credit: Pinterest
Heroes was really just X-Men minus the flashy costumes. The problem was that they were a TV show, subject to minuscule TV show budgets (but not as minute as the TV show budgets in Singapore, that’s for sure), and so they constantly had to scale back on their special effects. It was so bad that the Season 3 finale (the show became terrible after that) depicted an epic battle between the two most powerful characters – behind a locked door. All we saw were flashes of light beneath the door.
When they remade it as Heroes Reborn in 2015, the show was criticised for having too many special effects. There’s no pleasing fans.
3. Push (2009 movie)
In addition to having fire powers, super strength, and super stamina, Chris Evans was also telekinetic in Push. Credit: Cinema Theiapolis
In Push, the heroes’ powers are explained away as psychic abilities that manifest in nine specific forms. While abilities concerning the mind could plausibly be explained as psychic powers, one of the abilities include emitting sonic screams, which is as un-psychic as can be. It’s notable for starring Chris Evans, who can move objects with his mind. That’s right, he’s been the Human Torch, he’s now Captain America, and he had psychic powers before.
If we combined all of Chris Evans’ powers together, he could possibly be one of the most versatile superheroes on film!
4. Sky High (2005 movie)
Sky High. Credit: Den of Geek
Sky High is a Disney movie about a floating school in the sky (yep, they have to save it from crashing at some point) for the offspring of superheroes, who naturally have super powers. It had an interesting spin by classifying the super powered students as either heroes or sidekicks according to how powerful they were – with the main character being very worried that he would become a sidekick. Although it has the unfortunate implication of a world where genetic superiority reigns… it was still a fun movie.
5. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016 movie)
Eva Green plays the titular Miss Peregrine in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Credit: Golden Village Cinemas
Want to bet that “peculiar” is another word for “having super powers?” It’s such an odd euphemism to use since “peculiar” isn’t any better than “having super powers” and it’s distinctly British, but it gets the idea across. But they do have particularly macabre super powers, such as Hugh Apiston’s beehive in his stomach, and Claire Densmore who has an extra mouth on the back of her head.
Yipes! They are peculiar indeed.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Credit: Golden Village Cinemas
So what could possibly endanger this group of super powered kids who live in their own time bubble? Samuel L Jackson and his Wights, that’s who. They’re undead creatures with no pupils who are hunting down super-powered pupils. It’s superheroes vs zombies in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and we’re all rooting for the superheroes!
Unless you want to see the undead win, of course. But since Samuel L Jackson is probably the biggest name and he’s leading the villains in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, then maybe…
Credits: Fanart.TV, Pinterest, Cinema Theiapolis, Den of Geek, Golden Village Cinemas
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