After 32 years, beloved X-Men arcade game becomes Marvel Universe canon with hilarious deep cut in NYX #4
"Welcome to die!"
If you're a fan of a certain age, or an appreciator of vintage video games, you, like me, may have halcyon memories of plunking quarters into the iconic multiplayer cabinet of X-Men: The Arcade Game.
And apparently, the kids of the Marvel Universe also had this formative arcade experience, as this week's NYX #4 by writers Colin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, artist Enid Balám, color artist Raúl Angulo, and letterer Joe Sabino contains not just a deep cut reference to X-Men: The Arcade Game, but proof that it actually exists in the Marvel Universe.
Light spoilers for NYX #4 ahead...
"Welcome to die!"
If those words mean anything to you, you've got one up on Sophie Cuckoo, who does not recognize the words spoken to Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel by new mutant villain the Krakoan as they finally come face-to-face in NYX #4.
Ms. Marvel herself, on the other hand, instantly recognizes the phrase as a notorious bit of slightly mistranslated dialogue from the final boss fight of X-Men: The Arcade Game, in which the phrase is exhorted by Magneto as he begins his attack on the player-controlled X-Men.
"Wow. Deep cut," Kamala responds, once again proving her fan bona fides as one of the few superheroes in the Marvel Universe who started off as a superfan of the Avengers and other heroes before getting powers herself.
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As we stated though, her companion Sophie Cuckoo (one of the five Stepford Cuckoos) doesn't get it at all. "Tragic," says Kamala. "We're going to an arcade when this is done." It's a pretty funny interaction that echoes the kind of conversations we've all had as fans, learning that our friends haven't consumed a beloved piece of media.
It's not totally surprising that there's an X-Men arcade game in the world of the actual X-Men. There's already a version of Marvel Comics within Marvel Comics that tells versions of the heroes' adventures as a means of journalistic entertainment. In fact, the fictional Marvel Comics within the Marvel Universe recently played a major role in the Immortal Thor ongoing title, in which evil business minotaur Dario Agger purchased the rights to Thor's stories, rebooting him as a vapid corporate stooge named Chad Hammer.
Still, it's funny to imagine the X-Men themselves all crowded around an X-Men: The Arcade Game cabinet, perhaps critiquing the cult-favorite game's liberal interpretation of the nature of their abilities and enemies.
NYX #5 goes on sale November 13.
Stay up to date on all the new X-Men comics Marvel has planned for release.
I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)