Biography

Created (or co-created) the X-Men characters Dazzler, Longshot, Rogue, Mystique, Mojo, Destiny, Pyro, Avalanche, Kitty Pryde, Sebastian Shaw, Phoenix and Legion, among others. Claremont was also key in re-engineering the histories of most of the other major X-Men characters, most notably Wolverine, whom he and artist Frank Miller recast as a man of honor (a quasi-samurai) instead of a beserker, and Magneto (by introducing the backstory that the young Magneto was a Holocaust survivor.)

Three of the stories he created for the X-Men comic book have also been adapted for the film series: "God Loves, Man Kills," which became X2: X-Men United (2003); "The Dark Phoenix Saga," elements of which were used for X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019); and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), based on his story of the same name. The latter two stories were also adapted for the X-Men animated series.

His graphic novel "God Loves, Man Kills" was used as a loose basis for the film X2. Common story elements include: The character William Stryker, kidnapping Professor Xavier, using him to fuel a machine that would destroy mutants, and the X-Men allying themselves with Magneto to defeat him. In the comics, this story line happened after the "death" of Jean Grey and her resurrection as the Phoenix. In the film, her death happens at the end of the story.

Was the longtime writer of the Marvel Comics series Uncanny X-Men, writing the title from 1975 until 1991. The series inspired the film X-Men (2000).

Has written numerous other comic book titles including Sovereign Seven, Gen13, Iron Fist and Ms. Marvel.

In reality good guys sometimes do not win and people die. And that has to be part of their lives otherwise it just becomes a video game... life isn't like that. And I always thought, my thought was the stories we tell in comics shouldn't be like that either. If there is risk for the reader, then the victory is that much sweeter. And you can, something can happen that can catch you by surprise and can have that much power and heart.

If you wanted one book to summarize all that the X-Men is about in terms of character and conflict and theme, I'd have to say that "God Loves, Man Kills" was it. If you could only read one X-Men graphic novel start with that. Because for me the X-Men is not about superheroes and supervillains, it is about people, and how you deal with the challenge of life and the choices you have to make every day...That for me is why Magneto is so important. Xavier is spoke for; he has made his choices, he is a hero. Magneto is a work in progress. He is not evil. He is defined by his past. But that definition drives him to disaster. The question for him is... is he the victim of his destiny, or can he change it? Can he grow? I'm not sure, I'd like to think he can.

King Arthur had a dream of a world where might served right, instead of subjugating it. His knights of the Round Table were the agents of that dream ... and his sword, Excalibur, the Symbol of it. He died, the table was destroyed, his knights mostly slain - yet the dream survived. They became legend - and the sword, the means of keeping the legend alive and vital through the ages... The sword Excalibur, represented Hope. It was light in the darkness of fear and ignorance and hate. Do we want - have we the right - to snuff it out?

On Alan Moore: If he could plot, we'd all have to get together and kill him.

When I first started writing Magneto, I started asking things like, "Where does he come from? Who was he? Why is he doing what he's doing? And when did this all begin?" For me, the beginning of his story was answering the questions, "Why is he such a passionate supporter of mutant rights? Was he oppressed?" Bear in mind, I was trying to figure out the formative elements of Magneto's life back in the late '70s. There's an obvious one 25 years earlier in World War II. Magneto is in his late middle age at this point, so I assumed he was an adolescent during the War. What would have defined him? The Holocaust. And from that point on, everything just flowed naturally.