Question for (you) anons. When you're setting up a display based on a team, do you go with a certain incarnation or do you go with the team you'd have built if you were in charge? There's gotta be a team you've liked if not for that one member. For example X-Men. I had this idea of doing two groups, one with Xavier in the middle and all the Mutants I like all around him. Cyclops, Jean, Wolverine, Archangel, etc. A 90s Blue/Gold feel. And then have a Cyclops led team comprised of modern looks, as an amalgam of the 00s/10s teams (Morrison, Astonishing, Utopia, Extinction). But while one hand I love the idea, on the other I kind of feel that mixing and matching like that is too arbitrary. It's even worse with my Avengers. I've wanted to set up an Ultimates-esque version because I prefer the quasi-paramillitary/sci-fi approach over the regular cape aesthetic, but I wonder if there's any point in displaying a literal fanfic team. It's silly, since they are /my/ displays anyhow, but I was wondering how others felt. If choosing the incarnation you like most, even if it's an 85% success rate character wise, would be more meaningful than just bashing figures together. And then what about looks that you love too much, but you already have that character in that very set up?

And as a part 2, how many figures do you think a team display takes before it becomes too much? For example in that Xavier idea I'd be going for a group shot/pin-up, so I'd like it to feel crowded. But in the Extinction and Ultimates teams, I'd want them to feel more tight. Odd numbers feel the best to me, 5, 7, 9 with an exception for 12, but I feel 12 is already too much, especially if you're adding a supporting character next to them. And that's without considering the clutter if you're setting up multiple such displays. So, any ideas?