Chuck Austen became the regular writer on the Marvel Comics title Uncanny X-Men in October 2002.
Uncanny X-Men was the original X-Men series, a Long Runner launched in 1963. However, in 2001 it became the secondary X-Men title, with Grant Morrison's New X-Men, a radical reimagining of the franchise, replacing it as the flagship. Joe Casey initially wrote Uncanny X-Men during this era, but left the title in 2002, with Austen replacing him as of issue #410.
Austen's run saw a redemption arc for longstanding X-Men villain Juggernaut, introduced Nightcrawler's father, modified Angel's powers, brought (an initially comatose) Havok back into the X-Men cast, and brought Alpha Flight’s speedster Northstar back to the X-Men.
Team members Stacy-X and Chamber, who joined during Casey's run, swiftly left the book again.
Storylines feature a conspiracy to undermine the Catholic Church, a mutant take on Romeo and Juliet, and several arcs which feature mutants with similar powers and appearances banding together (e.g. mutant werewolves).
Austen remained as Uncanny X-Men writer until the X-Men: ReLoad relaunch in 2004, after Grant Morrison left the books, at which point he switched books to write X-Men (the retitled New X-Men).
The first issue of Chuck Austen's Uncanny X-Men run was #410, released October 1, 2002. The last issue was #443, released April 7, 2004.
Austen's run was immediately followed by the return of long-time X-Men writer Chris Claremont.
Chuck Austen's run on Uncanny X-Men provides examples of the following tropes:
- Artistic License – Religion: Nightcrawler's priesthood already had elements of this, but the "Holy War" arc takes it to another level, as the villains' plot to make him The Pope. There are a number of problems with this:
- While in theory any baptized and confirmed Catholic male who meets the requirements for ordination can be elected Pope, in practice only a Cardinal has any realistic chance of election. Unless the villains planned to get Nightcrawler a cardinal's hat in short order, their plan was going to come to naught.
- The group involved, the "Church of Humanity", is clearly schismatic, taking orders from their own "Pope". How they thought they would rate a conclave seat in the Sistine Chapel beggars belief. This also means that Nightcrawler's ordination was likely invalid, as it would need the consent of the local Bishop or Archbishop as well as the Vatican.
- The plot involved nanobots in Communion hosts, which would dissolve those who consumed them, making Catholics believe that the Rapture had come. The Catholic faith does not believe in the Rapture.
- Back from the Dead: Issue #423 begins with the X-Men finding some former students crucified on their lawn by the Church of Humanity: Magma (Amara Aquilla), Jubilee, Skin (both from Generation X) and Bedlam (Jesse Aaronson, a member of X-Force). Angel's healing blood manages to save Jubilee and Magma, Skin is declared dead and buried (in issue #427) and Bedlam is unaccounted for.
- Desecrating the Dead: In "Of Darkest Nights", Wolverine shows his contempt for Magneto's corpse by kicking the coffin open, then stomping on the body bag. It doesn't go down well with some of the onlookers.
- Dishonored Dead: The last story, "Of Darkest Nights", involves Wolverine and Xavier travelling to Genosha to bury Magneto, who was killed in New X-Men after killing Jean Grey, devastating much of New York and killing hundreds of civilians. Xavier believes that he deserves a funeral. Wolverine disagrees. Nick Fury shares Wolverine's view, but is much more outspoken about it.Nick Fury: Terrorists like Magneto don't deserve a funeral! They deserve to be cut up and fed to dogs!
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: "Of Darkest Nights" shows devastation in New York, with the Statue of Liberty fallen and hundreds dead. Nick Fury and Wolverine are scathing about Xavier's wish to give the culprit, Magneto, a proper funeral, with Fury saying they're human excrement, they're owed nothing, and the body should be cut up and fed to dogs. It's easy to read this as a commentary on 9/11 and The War on Terror.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: One issue begins with the team finding Skin of Generation X dead on the mansion's front lawn. Even Angel's healing blood is unable to resurrect him.
- Heel–Face Turn: Juggernaut, one of the original X-Men villains, reaches out to the X-Men for help and subsequently joins the team, becoming a more heroic character.
- Hello, Attorney!: Issues #435-436 is The Trial of Juggernaut, where Cain Marko is defended by Xavier's attorney Jack White and perennial superhero lawyer She-Hulk. At the end of issue #435, there is even a splash page of She-Hulk and Cain on a broken down bed.
- Love Triangle: The run revives an old love triangle between Iceman, Havok and Lorna Dane, but this time as a love square, with the addition of Annie Ghazikhian, who had a mutually reciprocated crush on Alex.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Issues #429-434, plus the prologue in #428 (aka, The Draco storyline), introduce demonic mutant Azazel and his troops of fallen angels. Azazel then claims to be Kurt's father, which would explain Nightcrawler's demonic appearance.
- Rank Up:
- Austen's first arc, Hope, has Monet, a former student of Generation X, become a member of Angel's team. She later quits.
- It is also in this run that Husk, Cannonball's sister and another member of student squad Generation X, becomes a full-fledged X-Men member and even begins a romance with Angel.
- This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: The first arc, "Hope”, introduces Sammy, a young mutant whose only power is to breathe underwater. The arc ends with the Juggernaut, his powers weakened, falling into the sea and at risk of drowning. Sammy's powers mean that he's the only one able to dive in, find him, and save him.
- Wedding Episode: Issues #425-426 were supposed to be Alex and Lorna's big day, since her proposal back in #421, but he says no to her at the altar, she has a breakdown and chases after him and Nurse Annie to kill them for ruining her wedding day.
- Whole-Plot Reference: The arc She Lies With Angels has been derided as a Romeo and Juliet adaptation, only this time featuring two feuding families from Appalachia (one being the Guthries' clan of mutants and the other a normal non-mutant family) and mutant-hunting robots.
- Woman Scorned: Alex Summers has to learn the hard way that it is a profoundly stupid move to dump a traumatised woman on her wedding day, at the altar. Especially when that woman has magnetic powers. Polaris goes on a rampage.
