I won’t defend Mantlo’s plagiarism, but when you’re on the grind of writing comics monthly, it’s easy to fall back on familiar and “homages.” Byrne admitted he did so with “Days of Future Past” — though, as I mentioned before, we got one of the defining “X-Men” stories out of it.
“X-Men” is a story about tolerance, but mutant prejudice took a backseat during Claremont’s early issues in favor of soap/space opera highs. “Days of Future Past,” with its bleak suggestion that mutant acceptance was not foregone and things could get even worse, brought these themes back with a vengeance. It’s no surprise that when “X-Men” media needs to fill the role of a scummy, anti-mutant politician, it usually uses Senator Robert Kelly (see him as played by Bruce Davison in the 2000 “X-Men” film).
“Days of Future Past” was also the first comic to suggest Magneto could be a good guy; he’s part of the future X-Men and even uses a wheelchair like Professor X did. Claremont would realize this potential eight issues later in “I, Magneto…” (“Uncanny X-Men” #150, art by Dave Cockrum) when he finally delved into Magneto’s past and why he fights for mutant dominance.
Byrne’s cover for “X-Men” #141 (inked by Terry Austin), where the 2013 Logan and Kitty standing in front of a wanted poster declaring the X-Men as either “slain” or “apprehended,” has itself inspired countless homages.