For as long as the X-Men have existed, they have sought peace but never truly known it. As a group of merry mutants, their ultimate goal is to coexist with humans in harmony. But there are those, mutant and human alike, that challenge this dream of peace leaving the costumed heroes to act as protectors in times of war. In AGE OF X-MAN: THE MARVELOUS X-MEN #1, the creators will explore an alternate reality where they achieve their utopian goal.

Eager to know what will become of the famous X-Men and the students at the Summers Institute, we asked writers Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler and artist Marco Failla to shed light on their upcoming comic five-issue limited series and how they approached it differently from what we’ve seen so far.

Marvel.com: What can you tell readers about how you approached creating AGE OF X-MAN: THE MARVELOUS X-MEN #1?

Zac Thompson: From the moment we set out to create the Age of X-Man we knew we wanted to do things a little differently. We’re exploring what it means to be X-Men in a world where mutants are no longer oppressed. That meant reorganizing the way we think about the team from the top down. They are no longer hated or feared but loved and revered around the planet. They strive to keep people safe from natural disasters and operate much more like gods presiding over society to keep things safe, secure and peaceful. It’s been years since they’ve fought a villain.

Lonnie Nadler: We tried as hard as we could to give readers a take on the X-Men they haven’t seen before, and one we desperately wanted to write. Age of X-Man is a melodrama that peels back the layers to explore how these beloved characters function and co-exist in a world where sacrifices had to be made in order to achieve their dreams. Like Zac said, the X-Men here are akin to deities, but at the same we’re trying to humanize them, to show them as real people who have a multitude of conflicting emotions stirring within them.

Marco Failla: First of all, the writers asked me for a specific atmosphere on this miniseries. They gave me cues and visual references to put me in the right mood for the book. The main characters in this alternative reality are different from the version we're used to, and the character designs I received from Mike Hawthorne contained many hints for the aesthetic of the series. The pages contains many little details useful to bring the readers into this destabilizing world.