Its very hard to keep anything secret in the internet age. With sites posting spoiler heavy articles every day, getting away with a big surprise is damn near impossible. Most writers consider this a nuisance, others find it to be an asset, but very few consider it a challenge. Enter Grant Morrison, and his ability to take the readers for a ride so twisty and wild that by the time they get to the big reveal they wonder how they missed the clues along the way. From 2001 to 2004 Morrison spearheaded an exciting new direction for X-Men books with unique mutations, original storytelling, and black leather jackets. In his time the writer leveled the mutant nation of Genosha, killed off Magneto, outed Professor X as a mutant to the world, and introduced a raft of new character. One of the more original additions to the roster was Xorn, a mutant found in a Chinese prison with a star for a brain. The character became a fan favourite, his Zen-like philosophy and mysterious mask all being breadcrumbs Morrison was leaving to what would become a truly shocking reveal. Which was that Xorn wasn't a new character at all - he was, in fact, Magneto all along. He had slowly infiltrated his greatest enemies, and nobody had a clue. Even more shocking was that upon retrospect Morrison had left clues all throughout his New X-Men run that hinted at Xorns true identity, yet nobody picked up on them. In an age where information is being traded and dissected all across the world, the fact that Grant Morrison was able to play with an entire fan base and their expectations is the signature of nothing short of creative genius. And pretty shocking, actually.
Andrew is a self-proclaimed humorist/facepuncher, and is one of the last of his kind. He was dragged from the debris in war-torn Poland and plays a piano most beautifully. In closing, he likes pickles. Follow him on Twitter @TheAEJohnson
