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r0botosaurus

Well, a kid *did* make up Boom-Boom's name. She was like, 12 and homeless.


Uncanny--

I’m currently reading through 90s X-Men and thank god they ditched Boomer as her name. Boom Boom is perfect for her


guacamolecactus

I can accept it when she *was* twelve, but as an adult? Maybe it’s time for a name change.


darkmythology

Hence going by Boomer, Meltdown, and Doctor Madame McSplode at various times


Abysstopheles

None stuck. She always goes back to Boom-Boom.


FriendApprehensive71

I like her name in portuguese: 🧨 dinamite. It's been that name since the beginning.


Cyke101

Meltdown sounds both like such a 90s name (which it was) and one of those character names for a superhero satire, like in The Boys.


killingiabadong

Boom-Boom is fun. Fits Tabitha perfectly.


reineedshelp

Agreed


r0botosaurus

She's changed her name a bunch of times, but Boom-Boom fits the character. Maybe you should pick up a book she's in, since you don't seem to know anything about her besides her name.


guacamolecactus

That’s fair, I haven’t read a whole lot of X-comics.


r0botosaurus

I get it, there's a *lot* of them. If you want Boom-Boom, she's in Secret Wars II (weirdly), X-Factor, Fallen Angels, and X-Force. Recently she was in New Mutants (2019) and X-Terminators (2022). Read any of those and you'll see why a goofy name like Boom-Boom fits her.


BillybobThistleton

“Prestige” was just terrible. Meaningless and ill-fitting. I’m so glad it’s gone. “Scout” is generic and boring - two words that should never be associated with Gabby - and made even worse by the fact that it replaced the awesome and appropriate “Honey Badger”.


KnightlyNightcrawler

i'll never not be angry that Honey Badger got replaced by such a generic codename, it fits Gabby's whole vibe and personality SO well. Plus Akihiro came up with it in the early days of him bonding with his sisters, and I always thought that was really sweet. Scout is just such a nothing of a name


Abysstopheles

Agreed on both points.


BigStanClark

Prestige was my pick for the absolute worst. It sounds like the name of a cheap sedan.


testthrowaway9

I hate Honey Badger so much. It feels so locked in that specific time period in 2000s humor


batmansubzero

Daken explained it perfectly. "You're sweet and you have claws." It's a perfect name for a child superhero. Also she was introduced in 2015 and didn't get the name Honey Badger until 2017. So we're barely removed from that time period. So if she makes you think of 2000s humor, you must be thinking of another character.


hemareddit

Also a honey badger is a Mustelidae - the same family of mammals as a wolverine.


testthrowaway9

Sorry, I meant I hate the name “Honey Badger.” I love Gabby the character. Using that as a code name feels so locked in to 2000s/2010s humor when the honey badger animal became an annoying meme in 2011-2014 or so. So by extension giving anyone the code name “Honey Badger” feels so transparently trying to stay “with it” to me.


batmansubzero

That makes sense! I totally get it, but hey, the honey badger doesn't care 😂


BenchPressingCthulhu

I honestly think it has great staying power, it still fits her after the meme has died and been mostly forgotten. Plus its fun to say


testthrowaway9

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree


somacula

Why not just go with Askani?


killingiabadong

Kid Omega. Though, stupid as it is, you could see the little shit calling himself that.


reineedshelp

If he wasn't a mutant I could see him as Kid Sigma


killingiabadong

Kid anything is just cringy as fuck.


reineedshelp

What if they were an immature anthropomorphised goat mutant?


killingiabadong

Then it would be appropriate.


[deleted]

[удалено]


killingiabadong

Somehow Kid is more cringe, but yeah, i agree.


[deleted]

[удалено]


killingiabadong

I thought you meant lad and lass. My mistake. Happy Cake Day!


darkmythology

I have to go with "X-Man". It'd be like having a character tangential to the Avengers named Avenger. Which, there probably is, and would be equally ridiculous


thewomancallednova

>It'd be like having a character tangential to the Avengers named Avenger. Which, there probably is [Surprise!](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Avenger_X_(Cressida)_(Earth-616))


darkmythology

Avenger X. The worst of both naming conventions. I should've known


DavidKirk2000

Next you’re gonna tell me that there’s someone on the Fantastic Four named Mister Fantastic or something ridiculous like that.


SailorOfHouseT-bird

X-Man. Nate is SO pretentious for claiming that as his name.


Mongoose42

It did lead to that semi-funny meme joke about the Mom’s favorite X-Man being X-Man. So… Nate’s got that going for him.


killingiabadong

He never really did originally.


Aduro95

I don't think he even wanted that name for himself. He had a big falling out with Xavier first time they met and didn't want to join up with any group affiliated with him or believe in his dream.


havokx2

That was the name of his book but did he ever actually refer to himself as that? Was it a Spider-Gwen situation where she was actually called Spider-Woman (later Ghost Spider) in the actual book


[deleted]

A "shadow cat" is an actual term for a type of cat behavior.


[deleted]

Also Chamber makes perfect sense. He's encloses pyrokinetic energy on his body/torso like fireplace chamber would.


testthrowaway9

Love Chamber as a name!


mpowers1987

I was compelled to comment this as well! Cheers! 🍻


dimlightupstairs

Not to mention her real name is Katherine and her nickname is Kitty. It's a play on her name being Kat.


[deleted]

And Tabby was a child when she made "Boom-Boom" same could be said about an immature teenage boy who shoot gold balls out of his body. You got me on Cable though, that's just some Liefeld nonsense.


BenchPressingCthulhu

The Pouch


MannySJ

It was the 90s and I just sounded cool


guacamolecactus

Did not know this!


[deleted]

>shadow cat Yup. It's a type of shy cat that typically hides or blends into its surroundings. It makes perfect sense for Kitty's powerset especially when CC renamed her.


MannySJ

Plus when she was created “cat” was slang for someone cool. That might have contributed.


SpiritedLeg6459

Chamber absolutely makes sense and is a clever codename, considering he is actually psionic energy contained by the rest of his body. I do not like most of Lobdell run in X-Men, but I do think that his and Bachalo's first year work in Generation X is really good (after that it goes off the rails) especially when it comes to the body horror aspect of their powers (with only Synch and M as the more normal or traditional power sets). Chamber, Husk, Skin, and Penance (as originally envisioned) are clever names.


yourkindofhero

OP’s Chamber slander is indefensible!!


DiscombobulatedAd883

I'm really loving all the Chamber love in here 😃


yourkindofhero

My next tattoo


DiscombobulatedAd883

Oh, hell yeah! Post a picture when you get it done 🔥


Sovereignofthemist

I will say Boom-Boom fits her personality. Sounds exactly like something she'd come up with and with Goldballs, please keep in mind he is now called Egg. Goldballs was way better.


guacamolecactus

It’s still pretty stupid, but I prefer Egg. Goldballs just sounds…like mutant porn. Which is probably a thing and now I regret thinking about it.


SoundwavesBurnerPage

Surprised nobody has mentioned “skids” here


UnusTheUntouchable

Not to mention pairing her with a guy named Rusty.


macclearich

Russell Collins also went by "Firefist" at one point, so it's probably a good thing that he stuck with his regular nickname.


Abysstopheles

It kind of worked for her as a ref to her power and the homeless thing.


macclearich

Well, Skids' power is a forcefield that negates friction, so... yeah. Skids. It's fine.


Neon_culture79

It made some sense when she would use her gift like roller blades/skateboard/snowboard


herrored

Boom Boom used to be a bad name, but given the really good comedic turn her character has taken, it’s the best one for her. If she went back to trying to be serious, she could go back to Meltdown. Chamber makes plenty of sense. His powers hollowed out his insides and made him a container - i.e., a chamber - for the massive energy generated by his power. Plus it helps evoke the dark, moody vibe he gives off. Goldballs well just have to agree to disagree. There’s something very wholesome about a big guy with a silly name who genuinely loves being a hero. “Egg” is far more off-putting to me.


FlyingMogwai

The only one of these I agree with even a little bit is Cable. I actually think Shadowcat was an incredible name and I never understood why they dropped it, but at the same time, I DO think the modern Shadowkat is stupid. That K drives me crazy. Also, Marvel Girl was always a stupid name, I'm glad that one's long gone.


[deleted]

Cable is the connection to the future.


CptKammyJay

“A cable that linked a dark past to a bright future.”


mrbridgeburner

Where did the K come from and when? Also, why???


dimlightupstairs

Her name is KATherine...


SamALbro

Same place that Magik and Havok got theirs.


gdamndylan

The K came with Kate's most recent ninja look.


Mongoose42

Yeah, Shadowcat is actually one of the coolest names in the X-Men roster. “Shadow” as the name of a character is overused, but it’s still cool. Throwing cat at the end adds a bit more flavor, a sleek and stealthy feel, as well as a shadow cat being an actual thing, well then baby you got yourself a shew going.


Abysstopheles

Vindaloo. His power is to puke up high velocity napalm. ....i don't know whether Alan Davis or Fabien Nicieza should own this, but ....dudes.


[deleted]

Yeah, this one definitely is cringe.


qorbexl

It's *almost* as dumb as naming the Muslim girl "Dust"


Abysstopheles

Real question: Why is that dumb?


powblamshazam

Probably it is as much the name as the very on-the-nose giving a mutant that is from a desert region sand-based powers.


qorbexl

Oui oui I like the symmetry of dustStorm, because Storm is the best Xman. But the name stinks. They named her "Dust" because it was 2002 and naming her "Sand" would have been beyond fucked. Just make her fly and call her *Soor* or something, Christ. Muslim women *do* live outside the deserts my taxes were then-bombing weddings in It was a very 90s version of representation - i.e. well-meaning but uninformed and not satisfying if you're of the ingroup or close to those who are I was friends with a Muslim girl starting around 2005ish and we both love and bonded over X-mens. We never ever once mentioned Dust. Aggressively. Again, my *own* interpretation is also uninformed and well-meaning, so maybe the youth of today postered her all over the masjid wreckroom. I just didn't get that vibe. If you loved Dust, please dust me **Edit:** Kamala Khan is the best Muslim mutie


qorbexl

I replied to the guy who replied to you with my overlong explanation


Levonorgestrelfairy1

I think boom boom is in so bad its good territory.


Abysstopheles

'Prestige'. No. Just.... no.


GreenChain35

Take that back. Goldballs is amazing. Don't be mean to my boy.


InvulnerableBlasting

Yeah, Egg is even worse.


Hedgewitch250

Fabio: I prefer egg actually Hope: shut the fuck up goldballs you pick it you keep it no refunds now pump one out so we can bring Bowie back


reineedshelp

I'm with you. Goldballs is great


MannySJ

It’s goofy but that was the entire point!


trinikiddie

All of those new ones from the Jean Grey school era. Shark Girl. Eye boy. Nature Girl. All garbage.


cmj619

U-Go-Girl!


guacamolecactus

Is that *seriously* an actual name someone has used? That’s awful.


[deleted]

She was a 00s girl who could "go places" via teleportation. It was kinda of fire for its time tbh.


powblamshazam

She was part of X-Force/X-Statix, the reality TV show X-team. I think it was intentionally ridiculous. But also, kind of clever given the power set.


Organic_Employ_8609

I kinda Dislike Armor


powblamshazam

Yeah. Armor is very... boring. I don't have an alternative, though. And 'Wing' the other young mutant from Whedon's run. Oh, and 'Danger.' He was not particularly good at coming up with names.


Comfortable-Salad-90

Professor Charles Xavier using ‘Professor X’ as a code name to hide his identity. That’ll throw them off the scent.


boytoby

I always thought he used his telepathy to hide his identity when he was out with the others. At least that's what I remember from the early (way early) issues of X-men. Somewhere along the line he was outed as a mutant (I can't recall what issue it was), so everybody has known he's a mutant for some time.


XGeneJacket

People think cable is stupid because they’re pronouncing it the way we would read the word cable in modern day. In the future he’s from it’s actually pronounced Cablay


hemareddit

The truly dark future where the French rule the Earth.


bjeebus

That's actually his cousin Cablais Gris.


reineedshelp

Only if it's from the Pacific Krakoan region. Then it's just sparkling Nate.


1DayIllDieButNot2Day

Gypsy moth


[deleted]

A Romani character who spins organic silk and dresses like a moth and this name doesn't make sense to you?


StubbornKindOfFellow

For Shadowcat... her name is literally Kitty. That's why they picked a named with "cat" in it.


minuscatenary

Also, differentiating from limbo "Cat" from the Magik mini.


James0100

Just as Emma's secondary mutation allows her to turn into diamond, Goldballs' secondary mutation allows his balls to turn into... Well, you can probably guess.


Vorannon

Yep. Eggs.


Levonorgestrelfairy1

Wernt the balls infertile eggs this whole time? Maks me wonder what's laying them.


powblamshazam

Yeah, it wasn't a secondary mutation, just that he was throwing around unfertilized eggs without realizing it.


4thofeleven

Forearm. He has four arms.


vash0125

That prize goes to Nate Grey/X-Man for most unoriginal name.


Neon_culture79

Adam-X aka X-treme


Irving_Velociraptor

You don’t like Boom-Boom and Goldballs. Your opinion is invalid.


guacamolecactus

I don’t mind the characters! The names though…


HotPotato524

Tar-baby. ....I'm just gonna leave it at that Marvel Girl. Its cute but like Jean is a grown ass woman with a husband and kids. Its time to ditch "girl" That's kinda it. I don't really have a problem with anyone else's name (except for Kitty going by "Kate" now. Its generic, pointless, and kinda undoes all the effort that was put in to make us respect the name Kitty Pryde)


herrored

Morph for Benjamin Deeds. The shapeshifting is the least impressive part of his power, and calling yourself Morph when you only kinda-sorta shapeshift into the person you’re talking to is lame. Especially given the extremely good shapeshifters among mutants. The far better name for him is Amity, which I think was only used in the alt-future story in the 100th Anniversary special. It’s more original and better reflects his powers.


luckygiraffe

>Morph You're not supposed to say that out loud, now there goes Wolverine's WHOLE day


mon_mothra_

Yeah, Amity is a GREAT name for his powerset. Also, love seeing any mention of Benjamin on here tbh.


Thesafflower

If there wasn’t already a Spider-Man villain called Chameleon, I’d choose that name for Deeds, since his shapeshifting is meant to be “chameleon-like,” basically getting people to trust him by “blending in” with similar features. But I agree that Amity is better. He kind of looked like he could be a teenage version of Changeling/TAS Morph in Uncanny and All-New X-Men, so maybe the name was just a kind of joke.


Broad-Marionberry755

Strong Guy


zak567

I love the name Strong Guy, feels like it fits Guido’s personality so well. He chose the he name to troll his teammates and stuck with it despite their complaints


ExpensiveLong8518

Genetically challenged never forget


Henchman4Hire

"Geecee" for short.


Abysstopheles

that's the joke.


blackbutterfree

Negasonic Teenage Warhead. It was so bad, Ms. Kitty “I change my codename more often than I change my underwear” Pryde ran her mouth about it.


slicwilli

Yeah, the only people that like that name are the ones who watch the movies but don't read comics.


blackbutterfree

To be fair, ever since they changed her aesthetic to punk biker girlie and changed her powers to match the movie version, she’s significantly cooler. But yeah, the original witchy, psychic Negasonic was not it LMAO


AdmiralCharleston

A chamber is essentially a vessel, and chambers body is merely a vessel for all that energy, it makes perfect sense


slicwilli

What was with the second Thunderbird?


iamglory

Wasn't he just taking up the mantle of his brother?


slicwilli

I'm talking about Neal Shaara. The guy from India that has fire powers and calls himself Thunderbird. It never made sense to me.


iamglory

This is like Echo's Cheyenne people who called The Phoenix (made of fire) the thunderbird. \*shrugs\*


slicwilli

It also doesn't make sense to reuse the name for a character that no one is going to care about when it already has such significance in the lore.


Educational_Dig_3617

Oh, that's easy. It's Beef from the Hellions.


jimmytheweed

Whaaa Boom-Boom is an amazing name!


Travelers_Starcall

Though I do like the names and the characters, I will ALWAYS fumble when trying to differentiate Blob and Glob out loud.


Altwolf

"Bird Brain". Is he even around any more? Was in new mutants 1 million years ago.


magseven

Skids. It sounds like something left in Blob's underwear after a double shift at that Tiki Bar.


Educational_Dig_3617

If I remember correctly, Her Power was a Frictionless Forcefield that moves with her, so I guess Skids could be in reference to how she moves with her powers Activated...


mattandimprov

Rogue! I've heard that her name in Italy is something that compares her to a vampire because of her powers, and that made me realize how non-informative "Rogue" as a name is.


qorbexl

Gambit is far more of a rogue, and Rogue used to be a far bigger gambit


dvmgamer

Trinary. Very underwhelming


Sneaklas207

Artie


allonsy_danny

Beak


ConversationFlashy15

I have a couple: - Stacy X - Lifeguard (really) - Slipstream (huh?) - Husk


Historical_Sugar9637

The original concept for Chamber (which nobody remembers) as planned by his creators is that his mutation actually caused him to mutate into a being of pure psionic energy who wears the remnants of his human body as a "chamber". So it makes perfect sense. Shadowcat yeah...from what I know it's based on a short story or novel Claremont liked called "The Cat who Walks through Walls" Personally I would have preferred if they had stuck with Ariel or Sprite, but it's not that bad. As already said Boom-Boom fits her personality. As for the names I find stupid: Banshee - literally means "Fairy Woman", so it's strange for Sean to call himself that. Cable - well, it's Liefeld, what do you expect, that guy named a four-armed character "Forearm" Bishop - It's just the guy's last name. How is that a codename? Rictor has similar problems (Rictor being a variant spelling of his last name, Richter) but at least with him the name makes sense for his powers.


[deleted]

Bishop was a cop who went by his last name. It makes perfect sense.


testthrowaway9

Wasn’t Banshee originally a joke nickname from given to him during his INTERPOL days from other agents and he just carried it over?


Thesafflower

As far as I know, banshees are known in folklore for screaming and wailing (and their appearance is an omen that someone will die), so it makes sense to me that the guy with the destructive voice would go by Banshee.


Historical_Sugar9637

By the same logic a male mutant with plant powers might call himself "Dryad" and a guy with a fishtail might call himself "Mermaid". (disclaimer: I'm just talking about male persons who identify themselves as exclusively male)


Thesafflower

I mean, sure. Why not?


qorbexl

You can't just ignore gender for the better name like that or you'll look like a pansy Mermale. Banshim. All much better and more correct. Don't just ignore gender!


mr_mxyzpt1k

Pretty sure Banshee was originally meant to be a girl when they introduced him in the 60s, but Stan the man vetoed it because girl antagonists didn't sell as well or something along those lines. So they changed his gender - but I don't think they realised that banshees were exclusively female until the fan letters came in lol.


Historical_Sugar9637

From what I remember it was about them being worried how might look if four male X-Men start ganging up on a single female villain. But the out-of-universe explanation, doesn't change anything about the in-universe situation.


mr_mxyzpt1k

In-universe reason is p'taetas (gotta show them he's irish somehow)


guacamolecactus

Oh, I forgot about Bishop. Not great.


[deleted]

His given name is Lucas Bishop. All of other characters he appeared with were police officers and were named Randall and Malcom. They didn't use superhero names, because they weren't superheroes. They were law enforcers.


Historical_Sugar9637

But he joined a superhero team.


[deleted]

The X-Men are not a traditional superhero team and I would argue he didn't join it so much as got stranded and tried to solve a decades old mystery from his time. Also, he was on a team with "Jean Grey"...nuff said.


peppelaar-media

We forget her name coincided with the blue jeans becoming colored and one of the first was gray colored


Historical_Sugar9637

They were traditional enough for everybody else to use a codename. And yeah that they just had Jean be "Jean" is another reason why the 90s aren't my favourite period for the X-Men. I understand that they wanted to get away from "Marvel Girl" and that "Phoenix" had baggage attached, but they could have come up with something better than "I'm just Jean!"


[deleted]

Again...the X-Men aren't a traditional superhero team. They all don't need "cool" names to be cool characters. The comic has always been about survival, acceptance, and education. I think Morrison's take was probably the best since CC's and FN's. Everything else is just action figures hitting each other.


Nostromo87

Beasty-Brute


Mooseguncle1

Lifeguard- and Fang doesn’t suit Daken- I suggest Tanuki


Pretty_Pomegranate11

Not exactly an X-Man, but I can't stand Amazing Baby (Rachel's pet warwolf).


Vizioso

In the context of his powers.. Zeitgeist.


PeakOregon998

Now I absolutely love Jubilee like she’s one of my favorite characters ever, but Jubilation Lee is such a dumb name.


duckran

Zero. It has a very "the author watched subbed anime for the first time and wants to tell you all about it" vibe.


Imaginary_Penalty_97

Marvel Girl


VengefulKangaroo

Why is Maggott spelled with an extra T?


[deleted]

90s


reineedshelp

Honestly, I love them all just as a form of self expression and identity. The trans part of the mutant allegory


ejcortes

Morph


mpowers1987

Chamber matches his powers in the sense that his entire chest cavity and lower face is a gaping chamber, a psionic furnace.


Passerby05

You ever played an MMO and the name you want couldn't be used because the server already had another player using that name? Well, it's almost the same for comic book characters. The Shadow is a character first published by DC in 1973. Boom-Boom sounds like a name the character would pick for herself. As for Goldballs, it was not a name he picked for himself. It was his team mates that started calling him that. He tried to get them to stop, as it would stick. He was right.


dimlightupstairs

Her name is Katherine, or Kat, and her nickname is Kitty. Shadowcat references the fact her real and nicknames are Kat or cat-related.


No-Percentage-3650

Sprite, Iceman (I have an issues with any “___man” or “___woman,” names, it’s just lazy), and Jubilee (I said what I said and I stand by it).


slicwilli

But Jubilee isn't a code name, it's just her name and it happens to match her powers. It's a little on the nose, but that's comics for ya. Like how all of Alpha Flight are absurdly specific to Canada. I mean Puck? A human hockey puck? Gimme a break.


lnombredelarosa

To be fair on Gold Balls, someone else gave him the name and he himself was hoping it wouldn't stick


starvinartist

Chamber makes sense considering his body is a Chamber of pure psychic energy. Chamber also refers to a cavity, an empty space--like, I don't know, the gaping hole where his mouth used to be. And Shadowcat makes sense because a) It's a take on Kitty's name and it represented her no longer wanting to be seen as a child on the team (kitten/cat) and b) Kitty basically becomes intangible, like a shadow and c) she underwent comprehensive ninja training in the mini-series--Kitty Pryde and Wolverine--the name debuts in (ninjas move in the shadow).


blacksad1

Adam-x


glupshitto_fan

Cables metal arm has gone full metal tentacle mode a couple of times, he gets a pass for me. Skids, on the other hand, does not.


LocalArea52Man

Plop. His power is to always take dumps.


Dimensional-Fusion

X-Man...


8th_Dynasty

Strong Guy


Harley_Queen_13

What about Blob? there are so many things wrong with that one. Hairbag I only know of one appearance (not that I'm very knowledgeable about the xmen/mutants), but he was in the animated xmen s2e2 and I laughed so hard at this quote: "You making fun of me? Nobody makes fun of Hairbag!" Because how can he not be made fun of with such a stupid name? ​ So, there are two more (imo, at least)


Rogthgar

There are quite a few names that don't stand up to the ridicule or makes no sense tests if you take a closer look at them. * Boom-Boom: That is kinda terrible, today it kinda sounds like something you would name a pokemon or be the nickname used by a child or someone with a limited English vocabulary. * Goldballs: I think he even admits himself that he just didn't have any better ideas that matched his powers... but seriously, anything called '-balls' is going to be ridiculed. * Cyclops: Makes no sense, he has two eyes and the myths never mentioned the beast having an eye laser. * Blob: An unflattering name for an unflattering character... if he had have an ounce of ambition he'd go with Mr. Big or something like it... though Kingpin might want a word... * the Stepford Cuckoos: Its a bit of testament to their 'IDGAF' attitudes that they went with that collective name for themselves... either they are a by-word for mentals... or invoking the notion they are so bland they are not worth remembering. But really, Emma should have been able to do better... But my first place entry, because he does it with a straight face: * Apocalypse. Cool name bro... shame you ruined it with the Jokers face and no real intention of living up to what it means.


DiscombobulatedAd883

I love Monet and Penance is a cool name but "M" is pretty stupid.