“Off the Beaten Warpath”: Native Representation and Themes in Chris Claremont’s X-Men Chris Claremont, the long-time writer on several X-Men titles, used the opportunity to develop his own cast of original and highly diverse characters. Several of these new characters either were of Native heritage or became Native through the course of the narrative, and he created one of the first storylines focusing on Native themes, The Demon Bear Saga. The British-born Claremont uses Native themes throughout his tenure on the X-Men titles, sometimes adhering to, but often defying the conventions associated with Native American literature. Although not without some problematic elements, by presenting Native characters and themes in a complex, well-developed manner, Claremont’s work is one of the first mainstream comic book titles to subvert stereotypical depictions of Native Americans. Claremont’s X-Men provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of Native themes when presented by a non-native author.