Blackbird (comics)
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The Blackbird (also nicknamed X-Jet) is the aircraft used by the fictional superhero team the X-Men. There have been several incarnations of this craft over the years with Cyclops and Storm as the main pilots.
When the X-Men were first introduced, they were portrayed as travelling in Professor Xavier's private jet and helicopter, advanced but fairly conventional aircraft with remote autopilots (i.e., the Professor flew them from home). The Blackbird was introduced with the "All-New, All-Different" X-Men Team in 1975. The original X-Men Blackbird was visually based on a modified, scaled-up version of the Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" spy plane (hence the name) but was modified to carry several passengers, as well as for Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL). Some writers have referred to this design as the "SR-73", but it is not known if that designation is canon in the Marvel Universe. The original X-Men Blackbird has been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times in the course of the team's many adventures. The later versions incorporated technology created by the mutant inventor Forge, as well as alien (Shi'ar) technology, including weapon systems, holographic active camouflage, and engines capable of hypersonic speeds. One version of the Blackbird possessed an experimental cockpit windshield that was infused with traces of the same ruby quartz material used in Cyclops' visor, allowing him to project and amplify his optic blasts through the windshield.[1]
There currently appear to be three Blackbirds, one for each main X-Men team, since they usually go on missions at differing times.
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[edit] Ultimate X-Jet
In the Ultimate X-Men series, the X-Men seemingly have several aircraft, including one that resembles a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber (this craft is referred to in issue #70 as the "X-Wing"). One of the airplanes has been referred to casually as the "Blackbird", but it bears no visible relationship to the SR-71.
[edit] In other media
[edit] Television
The Blackbird appeared frequently in the X-Men TV series[2][3][4][5].
The X-Jet (along with a helicopter) appeared in the more recent cartoon X-Men: Evolution.
[edit] Video games
The Blackbird is Storm's stage in the arcade and console-imported game X-Men: Children of the Atom. The players fight on top of the Blackbird, which is parked on top of an aircraft carrier itself. It also appears again in the arcade and console-imported game X-Men vs. Street Fighter. The players must once again fight on top of the Blackbird, but this time it is not on top of an aircraft carrier but it is getting prepared for lift-off.
The X-Jet had a different look form the ones in the comics from the games X-Men Legends and X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. It served the purpose of taking the characters to their next location.
[edit] Film
In the first X-Men film, the X-Men utilized a jet named the X-Jet rather than the Blackbird. In an attempt to tie the comics to the films, the comics X-Men replaced their Blackbird with the X-Jet, which is still used to this day.
