The X-Men have certainly had their share of makeovers in their illustrious career. Whether it is the yellow and black look of the Jim Lee era, the iconic retro look from the X-Men’s first appearance or even the much talked about leather clad look from the movies, they have all managed to have an impact on fans around the world. This is not even including the multiple alternative Earths that the characters have appeared in. With all these costume changes it is refreshing to see that an artist can still put their own spin on these well traveled mutants. Which is where Nate Hallinan comes into the picture (thanks to Newsarama for the information).

His take on mutants comes from a much more fantastical view point and his character designs certainly have a Game of Thrones feel to them. Here is a quote directly from Nate’s web site to show you exactly the direction he is taking.

[box_light]The Order of X is a group of ‘gifted’ individuals in the service of Lord Charles Xavier. The Order provides sanctuary and protection to individuals outcast by society due to their innate abnormalities. These people are often misidentified as monsters, demons, warlocks and witches. Only those who are accepting of the ‘gifted’ are welcome in the realm of Lord Xavier.[/box_light]

Now that has peaked your interest, have a look at the gallery of newly designed X-Men with an abridged run down of their new origins.

Beast – Hendrick McCoy

[box_dark]Henrick’s mind is as fierce as his appearance. Henrick was given the name “Beast” as an ironic term of endearment. He is loved by his peers and is one of most wise and trusted members of Xavier’s council. He is well educated and continues to be a scholar of many disciplines.[/box_dark]

Colossus – Peter Rasputin

[box_dark]The mountain of metal; Colossus. His father was a blacksmith and eventually apprenticed him in the family trade. Hard labor made Peter strong but he was always larger than the other kids. His size and strength even made certain people nervous. Others even rumored that it was ‘unnatural.’[/box_dark]

Cyclops – Scott Summers

[box_dark]Scott and his younger brother were both orphans who grew up fending for themselves on the streets. The day Scott’s ability manifested he accidentally destroyed several buildings and set fire to half the village. In the chaos of everything Scott lost sight of his brother for he couldn’t open his eye without causing more destruction. Xavier, perceiving the trouble, quickly dispatched members from his order to rescue Scott.[/box_dark]

Lady Grey – Phoenix

[box_dark]Jean comes from the noble family of Grey. She was a bit of a tomboy growing up. Her parents despised and discouraged her unladylike behavior, but once she developed unnatural abilities, her family feared the worse. Lord Xavier offered her parents an opportunity to provide her with guidance and protection; they reluctantly accepted.[/box_dark]

Night Crawler – Kyrt V’wagnyr

[box_dark](Kyrt V’wagnyr roughly translates from elven as Nightcrawler.) Kyrt never knew his real parents. He was found by a band of elves as an infant. They were on a twilight march, celebrating the new moon, when they found him crawling next to his basket on a riverbank. They happily adopted him seeing that he was part elf. His enchanting midnight appearance and mysterious abilities makes him highly regarded among elves. Magic runs deep in the race of elves but Kyrt’s abilities are more potent than most.[/box_dark]

Stormbringer – Ororo

[box_dark]As a young adult, Xavier met Ororo as a child on one of his quests. He caught her trying to steal his coin purse with his mind, but when he did, he saw her potential. He offered her a home where she would never have to steal again. Henrick McCoy took her in as one of his apprentices.[/box_dark]

If you liked these superb pieces of art and want to read more on how the characters were created and their full history then check out Nate’s website here, where he will be putting more character designs up in the near future. Here is hoping that he does not leave us waiting to long for them. Just to give you a taste of what is to come here is Nate’s take on Wolverine. He makes one kick ass dwarf!