In recovering from the ashes of the Messiah Complex storyline, the X-Men chose to rebuild in a completely new place: San Francsico. Manifest Destiny is the title of this era for two reasons: 1) The X-Men literally moved from one coast of America to the other, and 2) This can be considered the beginning of the long road of destiny they would take to respond to the scars Cassandra Nova, The Scarlet Witch, and Hope Summers had each left on the team. While the seeds for Cyclops’ transformation were planted long ago and have been visible for awhile now, this is where he truly comes into his own as the official leader of the X-Men and much of mutantkind – for better or for worse. Despite mutants becoming more and more isolated in many ways, this era of X-Men still gives a pretty widescope view of the Marvel Universe. Secret Invasion and Dark Reign bring in the Avengers as very important players here, while War of Kings brings the Shi’ar conflict to its final climax. Meanwhile, Cable and Hope continue to race further into the future while dreaming of a return to the present.
*Note: Look at the list carefully; some issues are not in the order you might think.
- Marvel Comics Presents #8 (Story: “The Rabbit Hunt”)
- Emperor Vulcan #1
- Emperor Vulcan #2
- Emperor Vulcan #3
- Emperor Vulcan #4
- Emperor Vulcan #5
- X-Men Legacy #208
- X-Men Legacy #209
- X-Men Legacy #210
- X-Men Legacy #211
- X-Men Legacy #212
- X-Men Legacy #213
- X-Men Legacy #214
- X-Men: Divided We Stand #1
- X-Men: Divided We Stand #2
- Uncanny X-Men #495
- Uncanny X-Men #496
- Uncanny X-Men #497
- Uncanny X-Men #498
- Uncanny X-Men #499
- Cable #1
- Cable #2
- Cable #3
- Cable #4
- Cable #5
- Young X-Men #1
- Young X-Men #2
- Young X-Men #3
- Young X-Men #4
- Young X-Men #5
- Young X-Men #6
- Astonishing X-Men #25
- Astonishing X-Men #26
- Astonishing X-Men #27
- Astonishing X-Men #28
- Astonishing X-Men #29
- Astonishing X-Men #30
- Uncanny X-Men #500 (Read all except for Epilogue 3)
- X-Men: Pixies and Demons #1
- X-Men: Manifest Destiny #1
- X-Men: Manifest Destiny #2
- X-Men: Manifest Destiny #3
- X-Men: Manifest Destiny #4
- X-Men: Manifest Destiny #5
- X-Men: Manifest Destiny – Nightcrawler #1
- Uncanny X-Men #500 (Epilogue 3)
- Uncanny X-Men #501
- Uncanny X-Men #502
- Uncanny X-Men #503
- Uncanny X-Men #504
- Wolverine Origins #21
- Wolverine Origins #22
- Wolverine Origins #23
- Wolverine Origins #24
- Wolverine Origins #25
- Wolverine Origins #26
- Wolverine Origins #27
- Wolverine Origins #28
- X-Men Legacy #215
- X-Men Legacy #216
- X-Men: Original Sin #1
- X-Men Legacy #217
- Wolverine Origins #29
- X-Men Legacy #218
- Wolverine Origins #30
- Wolverine Origins #31
- Wolverine Origins #32 (except for last two pages)
- X-Force #1
- X-Force #2
- X-Force #3
- X-Force #4
- X-Force #5
- X-Force #6
- Hulk Team-up #1
- X-Force: Ain’t No Dog #1
- New Avengers: Illuminati #1
- New Avengers #44
- New Avengers #27
- New Avengers #28
- New Avengers #29
- New Avengers #30
- New Avengers #31
- New Avengers #32
- New Avengers #36 (pgs 14-18 – Spider-woman/Wolverine scene)
- New Avengers: Illuminati #5
- Secret Invasion #1
- Secret Invasion #2
- New Avengers #41
- New Avengers #43
- Secret Invasion #3
- New Avengers #40
- New Avengers #42
- New Avengers #45
- Secret Invasion #4
- Secret Invasion #5
- Secret Invasion: X-Men #1
- Secret Invasion: X-Men #2
- Secret Invasion: X-Men #3
- Secret Invasion: X-Men #4
- Secret Invasion #6
- Secret Invasion #7
- Secret Invasion #8
- New Avengers #48
- Mighty Avengers #20
- X-Force #7
- X-Force #8
- X-Force #9
- X-Force #10
- X-Force #11
- Uncanny X-Men #504
- Uncanny X-Men #505
- Secret Invasion: Dark Reign #1
- Uncanny X-Men Annual #2 (27)
- New Avengers #49
- Dark Avengers #1
- New Avengers #50
- Dark Avengers #2
- Dark Avengers #3
- Dark Avengers #4
- Dark Avengers #5
- Dark Avengers #6
- X-Force: Sex & Violence #1
- X-Force: Sex & Violence #2
- X-Force: Sex & Violence #3
- X-Men: Kingbreaker #1
- X-Men: Kingbreaker #2
- X-Men: Kingbreaker #3
- X-Men: Kingbreaker #4
- Secret Invasion: War of Kings #1
- Uncanny X-Men #506
- Uncanny X-Men #507
- Wolverine Origins #32 (ast two pages)
- Wolverine Origins #33
- Wolverine Origins #34
- Wolverine Origins #35
- Wolverine Origins #36
- Wolverine Origins #37
- Wolverine Origins #38
- Wolverine Origins #39
- Wolverine Origins #40
- Cable #6
- King-Size Cable #1
- Cable #7
- Cable #8
- Cable #9
- Cable #10
- Astonishing X-Men #31
- Astonishing X-Men #32
- Astonishing X-Men #33
- Astonishing X-Men #34
- Astonishing X-Men #35
- Runaways #10
- Young X-Men #7
- Young X-Men #8
- Young X-Men #9
- Young X-Men #10
- Young X-Men #11
- Young X-Men #12
- Marvel Digital Holiday Special #1 (Story: “If The Fates Allow…”)
- War of Kings: Warriors – Lilandra #1
- War of Kings #1
- War of Kings #2
- War of Kings #3
- Guardians of the Galaxy #13
- Guardians of the Galaxy #14
- Guardians of the Galaxy #15
- War of Kings #4
- War of Kings #5
- War of Kings #6
- War of Kings: Who Will Rule? #1
- X-Infernus #1
- X-Infernus #2
- X-Infernus #3
- X-Infernus #4
- Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis #1
- Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis #2
- Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis #3
- Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis #4
- Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis #5
- X-Men: Worlds Apart #1
- X-Men: Worlds Apart #2
- X-Men: Worlds Apart #3
- X-Men: Worlds Apart #4
- Eternals #7
- Eternals #8
- Eternals #9
- New Mutants #1
- New Mutants #2
- New Mutants #3
- New Mutants #4
- X-Men Legacy #219
- X-Men Legacy #220
- X-Men Legacy #221
- X-Men Legacy #222
- X-Men Legacy #223
- X-Men Legacy #224
- X-Men: Sword of the Braddocks #1
- Uncanny X-Men #508
- Uncanny X-Men #509
- Uncanny X-Men #510
- Uncanny X-Men #511 (except last two pages)
- Cable #11
- Cable #12
- X-Force #12
- X-Force #13
- X-Men: The Life and Times of Lucas Bishop #1
- X-Men: The Life and Times of Lucas Bishop #2
- X-Men: The Life and Times of Lucas Bishop #3
- Messiah War #1
- Cable #13
- X-Force #14
- Cable #14
- X-Force #15
- Cable #15
- X-Force #16
- X-Force #17 (skip pgs 8-10 – scene with Wolfsbane)
- X-Force #18 (skip pgs 11-15 – scenes with Wolfsbane and Caliban)
- X-Force #19 (skip pgs. 12-15 – scenes with Wolfsbane and Selene)
- X-Force #20 (skip pgs 10-11 – scene with Wolfsbane)
- Uncanny X-Men #511 (last two pages)
- Cable #16
- Cable #17
- Cable #18
- Cable #19
- Cable #20
- Uncanny X-Men #512
- Dark X-Men: The Beginning #1
- Dark X-Men: The Beginning #2
- Dark X-Men: The Beginning #3
- X-Men Legacy #225
- Utopia #1
- X-Men Legacy #226
- Uncanny X-Men #513
- X-Men Legacy #227
- Dark Avengers #7
- Uncanny X-Men #514
- Dark Avengers #8
- Exodus #1
- Dark X-Men: The Confession
- Dark Reign: The List – X-Men #1
- New Mutants #5
The Ultimate X-Men Reading Order 