They were detested by the masses, and were looked down on as inferior (as little sense as that made considering they had superpowers), and Charles Xavier and Magneto were little more than analogues to the approaches of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X via race relations. So it was always political from conception.
And the key point: kids didn’t care.
If you asked anyone in the 1990s why they liked the X-Men you would have few answers beyond the obvious. They had awesome powers. They were cool. They were distinct individuals with their own talents that backed each other up and meshed well in a group. They always take on the bad guys and put aside their own personal grudges to do so. The stories are explosive and fun.
https://wastelandandsky.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-truth-about-x-men.html#comment-form
Again, maybe you don’t like comics at all, but the linked post does a good job of explaining how companies like Marvel (and the NFL) have gone off the rails by forgetting their roots and going total SJW.
This also speaks personally to me regarding my complete disinterest in any subtext where the writer is trying to lecture me or proselytize me on their hobby horse issues. I read fiction for escapism not to be preached at.
Whores and Ale 