39 Years Later, an Iconic X-Men Villain's First Appearance Is Suddenly the Hottest Comic on the Market

It's been a few years, but the X-Men are back in the spotlight. Thanks to the radical success of X-Men '97 and Marvel Studios' upcoming reboot, the mighty mutants are finding a whole new generation of fans. Naturally, those fans are trying to get into the massive maze of X-Men comics, and longtime X-Men lovers have opinions. Some will point to mutant maestro Chris Claremont, who contributed many of the characters and ideas that still shape the X-Men today, or to Jonathan Hickman's game-changing House of X/Powers of X. One X-Men comic is actually a perfect intro to the reboot, but it might cost a pretty penny.

GoCollect, a website that spotlights some of the hottest comic books on the market, currently lists Uncanny X-Men #221 as its top title for the week. A near-perfect copy of the issue could run somebody as much as $150! So what exactly makes Uncanny X-Men #221 so special? This is a comic that features the talents of Chris Claremont and future Image Comics founder Marc Silvestri, and is also the first full-fledged appearance of Mister Sinister. Star Wars alum Adam Driver is slated to play the sadistic scientist in Marvel Studios' upcoming X-Men reboot, but the issue also hints at other characters coming into play.

Uncanny X-Men #221 might hint at two characters appearing in Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot

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  Mister Sinister in all his terrifying glory. Art by Humberto Ramos.

  Image: Humberto Ramos/Marvel Comics

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  Gambit literally steals the show in a page from Superman/Spider-Man #1. Art by Jim Lee.

  Image: Jim Lee/Marvel Comics

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  Madelyne Pryor, the Goblin Queen, holds court over a legion of demons in the Dark Web storyline. Art by Kyle Hotz.

  Image: Kyle Hotz/Marvel Comics

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  Wolverine seated with Cyclops in front of him in Marve's X-Men '97

Uncanny X-Men #221 isn't just the first appearance of Mister Sinister. It also spotlights the Marauders, his hired group of assassins. The Marauders first appeared in the "Mutant Massacre" crossover, in which they hunt down and kill members of the Morlocks. In the process, they also crippled Angel, setting the stage for his transformation into Archangel; this is an extremely dark storyline. Among the Marauders' members is none other than Gambit. That's right: before he joined the X-Men, the Ragin' Cajun was a bad guy. If Jake Schreier introduces the Marauders in his X-Men reboot, there's a chance that Gambit could potentially make an appearance.

Another element of Uncanny X-Men #221 is that it features the X-Men fighting to protect Cyclops' wife, Madelyne Pryor, from the Marauders. Years later, it's revealed that Madelyne was a clone of Jean created by Sinister, and the revelation drives her mad and leads her to become the Goblin Queen. Sinister would also grow obsessed with the Summers lineage, particularly Cyclops's son, the mutant soldier Cable. This dynamic has yet to be explored in an X-Men movie, and it proves how important Uncanny X-Men #221 is.

Marvel Studios' X-Men releases in theaters on May 5, 2028.