X-Men 2012-2019: The Wilderness Years

The weakest sustained stretch of X-Men comics since the franchise began. Editorial suppression (Marvel wanted to promote the Inhumans), the Terrigen crisis, and creative wheel-spinning made this era a challenge for even the most devoted readers. But there are genuine highlights scattered throughout, and this opinionated guide cuts through the noise to find them. Tier 1 ESSENTIAL: All-New Wolverine (Taylor), X-Men Legacy (Spurrier), X-Men Red (Taylor). These three runs justify the entire era. Tier 2 RECOMMENDED: Magneto (Bunn), Death of Wolverine, Phoenix Resurrection. Tier 3 OPTIONAL: Bendis early era, Mr. and Mrs. X, Rogue & Gambit, Extermination. Tier 4 SKIP: Extraordinary X-Men, X-Men Gold, X-Men Blue, all Terrigen-era flagships, Bendis late era, Inhumans vs. X-Men. The honest advice: read the hidden gems, skip the flagships, and know that it is perfectly fine to jump from Avengers vs. X-Men straight to House of X. Hickman designed it as a clean fresh start for exactly this reason.