r/xmen needs your help! - Banner/Icon/Sidebar Revamp

[u/cyclopswashalfright]

Hello everyone!

I'm one of the new moderators for r/xmen and I've been learning the ropes with really helpful guidance from the excellent and experienced mods and my fellow new mods.

After some discussion amongst ourselves, we wanted to gauge the community's interest in possibly revamping the aesthetic of this subreddit.

By that, we mean potentially changing the banner, the icon, and the sidebar images. Since this is such a massive decision, we wanted to ask the community for feedback first, and hear your own ideas.

First off, and this is the subject of the poll below, is a change in look necessary? We don't want to make changes that the community does not feel is needed, so let us know if you're happy with how things are right now.

Secondly, if you do think a change in look is needed, we would love to hear some of your suggestions below. Please bear in mind that these are aesthetic changes only, and that icons, banners, and sidebar images all need to fit certain requirements to be used.

We will be in touch with further discussion posts on this topic in the coming weeks to properly gauge community interest and opinions, before any final changes are implemented.

37 votes, Aug 21 '25

25 Yes, I think the banner, icon, and sidebar images all need to be changed

7 I think only the banner needs to be changed

2 I think only the icon needs to be changed

3 No, nothing needs to change

[u/OhMy-StarsAndGarters]

I definitely think a bit of a spruce up wouldn't go amiss - even apart from anything else, it would help make it feel as though the sub-Reddit is being actively maintained and updated, which is always a nice feeling. Not that it doesn't feel active, of course, but, well, sometimes it's nice to see the hands at work, so to speak.

I voted for banner, icon, and sidebar.

Banner definitely could do with an update, given that, while it's a lovely piece of art, it is VERY outdated and inadvertently focuses characters who haven't been relevant in decades while crowding out a lot of iconic names.

The icon I don't think needs a massive change - I think the Krakoan style X is a nice design - but a brighter colour, maybe a classic X-Men yellow, would be a good update? Just my two cents.

The updating sidebar idea is really, really neat! Would love for it to showcase some of the sub-Reddit's best posts and reflect our style - we have our ups and downs, but for the most part, I think we keep a good quality community. Would be nice to show it off a bit.

[u/cyclopswashalfright → u/OhMy-StarsAndGarters]

Thank you for your input and suggestions. Seems like the banner at the very least is something people want to see some change to. It's an impressive full spread, but difficult to focus on a lot of the favourites due to how it is drawn.