X-Men

The X-Men in X-Men v6 #12.

The X-Men are a superhero team that features in Marvel Comics.

History

Origin

The X-Men in X-Men v1 #1.

The X-Men were a team of Mutants and their allies formed by Professor X. Gifted with the power of telepathy, Xavier saw the growing prejudice towards the growing mutant population and became determined to create a world of peaceful co-existence between humans and mutants. (X-Men v1 #1)

Over the years, Xavier realized that other mutants had alternative plans for mutantkind's future. In Israel, he met a mutant named Magnus. Radically opposing to Xavier's dream, Magnus believed that a species war between mutants and humans for dominance of the Earth was inevitable, and that mutants must take their rightful place as the supreme species. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #161) In Egypt, after an encounter with an unscrupulous mutant telepath known as the Shadow King, Xavier vowed to protect the world from the threat of evil mutants, endeavouring to foster peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans. (X-Men v1 #117)

Xavier had now met a number of other mutants and had grown concerned, and began formulating his first ideas to gather mutants and train them in the use of their powers for the greater good. Charles tracked down Moira MacTaggert, a former lover and a specialist in mutants in her own right, securing her assistance in tracking down mutants for his cause. (X-Men: Legacy v1 #208) Later Xavier's travels brought him to Tibet where he discovered a mysterious walled off city. Upon further investigation he discovered that the city was enthralled by the alien invader known as Lucifer and led a rebellion against the would-be world conqueror. Although Xavier foiled Lucifer's plans, a falling block fell on top of him crippling Xavier from the waist down. (X-Men v1 #20) Taken to a hospital in India, Charles was told by doctors that he would never walk again. He was then nursed back to health and put through physiotherapy with a young American nurse named Amelia Voght. Three months later the couple moved into an apartment together in Bombay. There Xavier began working on schematics for a mutant detecting computer he called Cerebro. Charles and Amelia later returned with Xavier to the United States to start up Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #309)

Ultimately, with Moira's support, Xavier decided to set up a school to secretly train mutants to protect a world that hates and fears their kind, dubbing them his X-Men. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #300) Charles and Moira later set up a training facility nearby as well. (X-Men: Deadly Genesis v1 #5)

Xavier became aware of two other mutants, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, and offered them to the chance to return with him to America to hone their powers. Pietro refused on their behalf, but they were later recruited by Magnus -- now calling himself Magneto -- who was also gathering mutants to his cause. (Uncanny Origins v1 #2) Learning of Magneto's intentions, Xavier and Amelia travelled to the long abandoned Auschwitz concentration camp to confront Magneto on the anniversary of his time there during World War II. There Xavier attempted a final plea to Magneto to work with him to bring about peaceful co-existence between humans and mutants. However by this time Magneto had given in fully to his hatred of the human race and refused to listen. Upon leaving, Magneto warned Xavier that when they next met, it would be as enemies. (X-Men v2 #-1)

First Class

As the uncanny X-Men were formed, their first mission led them to a direct confrontation with Xavier's old friend, Magnus. He had now declared himself the Master of Magnetism and was now known as Magneto. The conflict took place in Cape Citadel, in a military base Magneto had claimed. This was the first clash of Magneto and Xavier's rivalling ideologies. Through Xavier's guidance, the X-Men succeeded in stopping Magneto from taking over the Cape Citadel missile base, forcing the master of magnetism to flee. Although the X-Men acted as super-heroes, growing anti-mutant sentiment eventually marred their reputation. (X-Men v1 #1)

Later, a mutant teleporter known as the Vanisher began stealing government secrets. This saw Professor X offering the X-Men's aid to the government to stop him. Xavier himself defeated the Vanisher by using his mental powers to cut off his access to his powers, allowing the X-Men to easily capture him and his minions (X-Men v1 #2) Afterwards, Angel had another personality shift following exposure to radiation unleashed by a test by Stark Industries. The X-Men stood back to allow the armored hero Iron Man deal with the danger posed by the Angel until he reverted back to normal. (Tales of Suspense v1 #49) Xavier later agreed to return the favor when Iron Man sought the X-Men's aid in tracking down his rogue Avengers teammate the Hulk. However the Hulk ultimately evaded capture before the X-Men could get involved. (Avengers v1 #3) The X-Men later met the supremely powerful hero known as the Sentry, assisting him in defeating his foe the General who was attempting to steal nuclear weapons to launch against the nation of France. (Sentry/X-Men v1 #1) Xavier soon located another mutant, the immovable Blob who was working as part of a carnival freak show and sent the X-Men to recruit him. However Charles soon learned the error of welcoming the Blob in with open arms when he turned out to be uninterested in joining the X-Men and later attacked the school. While the X-Men kept the Blob and his army of carnies at bay, Xavier completed a device that allowed him to wipe out all memory of the X-Men's headquarters and secret identities from the mind of the Blob and his cohorts. (X-Men v1 #3)

Magneto would later resurface to plague the X-Men, forming his own group called the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. The terrorist team consisted of Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, Toad and Mastermind. They first confronted the X-Men when conquering the nation of Santo Marco, but met defeat. (X-Men v1 #4) he X-Men were lured into a trap by Magneto and were taken aboard his Asteroid M headquarters, the X-Men managed to escape without the aid of Xavier. Charles later revealed to his students that he feigned his lost powers as a final test to see if his students could handle themselves without his aid. Subsequently, the Brotherhood escalated the animosity between them with a full-on attempt to capture the X-Men, with no success. (X-Men v1 #5) Soon Professor X was enthralled by the Puppet Master and the Mad Thinker who then used Xavier to order the X-Men to attack their foes the Fantastic Four. Although the two teams were forced to fight each other, Xavier eventually broke free from the Puppet Master's control and exposed the entire ruse. The Puppet Master and the Thinker then fled before they could be captured by the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. (Fantastic Four v1 #28)

Anti-mutant sentiment was on the rise, prompting scientist Bolivar Trask to engineer the Sentinels that were massive mutant-hunting robots with the purpose of apprehending and incapacitating mutants. (X-Men v1 #14) Unexpectedly, the robots revolted against their own creator, seizing both Trask and Professor X to subject them to their robotic overlord, the sinister Master Mold, who planned to enslave the entire human race. The X-Men saved Xavier and devised a strategy to dismantle the menace of the Sentinels. (X-Men v1 #15) The encounter culminated with Trask's demise, but his legacy would haunt mutantkind since his deadly machines became the greatest threat mutantkind faced in the years to come. (X-Men v1 #16)

Fearing an imminent threat, Professor X pressed the group to find new recruits. They unsuccessfully pursued Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch and Spider-Man, though managed to recruit Mimic, who had just regained his memories and powers following a lab explosion at Metro College. He joined the X-Men despite the Puppet Master using him as his pawn to destroy the group. (X-Men v1 #27) Soon after, the X-Men learned of Factor Three, an organization that sent agents Ogre and the enslaved Banshee after them in an attempt to kidnap Professor X. Freeing Banshee from Factor Three's control, the X-Men easily defeated Ogre. (X-Men v1 #28)

Factor Three struck again when Professor X attempted to free his stepbrother from the powers of the Juggernaut. The resulting experiment of both science and sorcery ended with the Juggernaut's revival and Xavier on the brink of death. Factor Three mentally contacted the Juggernaut and tried to recruit him. (X-Men v1 #32) The X-Men ultimately stopped the Juggernaut with the aid of Doctor Strange, who banished Marko to the Crimson Cosmos. However, during the process, Factor Three managed to kidnap Professor X. (X-Men v1 #33)

When Banshee attempted to contact the X-Men after locating Factor Three's European headquarters, his message was interrupted, leading the X-Men to briefly fight Spider-Man, mistakenly believing the wall-crawler to be a member of Factor Three. (X-Men v1 #35) Not being able to afford the airfare to Europe, the X-Men tried to raise money and ended up taking a loan from the wealthy philanthropist father of Tom Regal after the X-Men aided in stopping Tom's rampage as the armored Mekano. (X-Men v1 #36)

Arriving in Europe, the X-Men were captured by Factor Three, whose membership included the Vanisher, the Blob, Unus, and Mastermind as well as two unknown villains: the Changeling and the Mutant Master. The group found the X-Men "guilty" of betraying mutantkind and sentenced them to death. Before executing the X-Men, Factor Three revealed their intentions of sparking a nuclear World War III by attacking both the United States and the Soviet Union. (X-Men v1 #37)

When Professor Xavier learned of an impending invasion from the alien Z'nox race, he decided to place himself in seclusion in order to prepare a counterattack. Approached by a terminally ill Changeling, Professor X made a deal with the dying mutant, who aided him in his plan by posing as Professor X for the X-Men, while the real Xavier secretly expected for the invasion. Jean Grey was the only member of the X-Men who was made aware of Xavier's plan, having her telepathic powers unlocked by her mentor as Changeling took his place. (X-Men v1 #65)

Hidden Years

Back in full health, Charles had the X-Men brief him on their activities while he was in hiding. But the treatment appeared to have an effect on Xavier's mind as he began treating his X-Men like they were still students. (X-Men: The Hidden Years v1 #1)

Learning that his students failed to confirm if Magneto had died in their last encounter, Charles sent them back to the Savage Land to investigate. The original team, except Iceman who quit the team, went on the mission leaving Lorna and Havok in reserve. The group hit turbulence entering the Savage Land and were forced to crash land. They were soon knocked out by drug tipped darts from a local tribe. Detecting this, Charles ordered Havok, Loran, and Iceman to rescue them, Alex and Lora agreed but Bobby once again refused to follow orders. Meanwhile, the male members of the X-Men awoke to learn that Marvel Girl was sent to the land of the dead, and assumed that she had died in the crash. (X-Men: The Hidden Years v1 #1) However, they soon learned that the natives were literal and that Jean was sent to an actual land. Cyclops, and Hank fought their way to the underground river where those who were dead or dying were sent to this land while Angel tried to locate it from the air. While Hank and Scott located an ancient and advanced city while Angel was knocked out by the strong wind currents. (X-Men: The Hidden Years v1 #2) Havok and Lorna arrived in the Savage Land and began searching for their comrades, gaining the aid form Ka-Zar. Angel meanwhile was rescued by a flying woman named Avia and slaves who worked for the Nhu'Ghari who enslaved those sent to their "land of the dead" to build their cities. Back in the states, Bobby decided to finally answer the Professor's calls for help and search for his friend. Meanwhile, Scott and Hank evaded capture from the Nhu'Ghari while Marvel Girl awoke to find that the Nhu'Ghari served the apparent ghost of Magneto. (X-Men: The Hidden Years v1 #3)

Magneto revealed to Jean how he survived their last encounter and used his astral form to trick the Nhu'Ghari to do his bidding by making them think he was a ghost. He then began collecting the restorative volcanic gas found in the region as part of a plot to enslave humanity and had a number of balloons filled with it ready to be launched. Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, and Angel were soon reunited and they battled Magneto, however the fight caused volcanic instability. Although they managed to flee the slaves, the X-Men found themselves trapped. Taking Magneto and Avia with them they attempted fled the destruction in Magneto's blimp, but soon found themselves caught in a massive storm. (X-Men: The Hidden Years v1 #4) As they bucked the storm, Magneto jumped ship with Avia following after him. Angel tried to follow her but the storm was too powerful. With the blimp breaking up, each of the X-Men latched themselves to a different balloon in the hopes that they could ride the storm out and safely return to the surface. Cyclops, Beast, and Marvel Girl found themselves crash landing in Africa where they were found by the young weather controlling mutant named Ororo Munroe. Meanwhile, Havok, and Lorna continued to search for the missing X-Men in the Savage Land unaware of their fates. (X-Men: The Hidden Years v1 #5)

Deadly Genesis

Professor X decided to recruit another new team to face Krakoa and save his X-Men. This new group of X-Men from all parts of the globe consisted of the German demon-looking teleporter Nightcrawler, the Canadian berserker and federal agent known as the ferocious Wolverine, the Irish former member of Factor Three Banshee, the African wind rider Ororo, rebaptized as Storm, the Japanese son of the atom Sunfire, the Russian metallic strongman Colossus, and the stubborn Native American Thunderbird. This group succeeded in freeing the original X-Men and, as both groups combined their powers to send Krakoa into Earth orbit, its threat ended. (Giant-Size X-Men v1 #1)

Phoenix Saga

In an attempt to eliminate Professor X, the mercenary Erik the Red brainwashed Havok and Lorna Dane, the latter of whom was rebranded as Polaris, into attacking the X-Men. His scheme failed thus forcing him to retreat from the battle. Simultaneously, mutant-hater Stephen Lang reactivated the deadly Sentinels. (X-Men v1 #97)

Aware of the massacre in their Empire, the Shi'ar arrived on Earth demanding the execution of Phoenix. Xavier invoked Arin'nn Haelar, an irrefutable Shi'ar duel of honor. Knowing her Imperial Guard would certainly win, Majestrix Lilandra agreed to challenge the X-Men. Putting up a valiant fight, the mutants fell one by one during a long battle on the Blue Area of the Moon. With only Cyclops and Phoenix left standing, Summers was hit by a stray energy bolt. Set into a panic, Jean Grey was able to utilize her full power as Dark Phoenix. To avert the loss of the entire solar system, as it had been ordered by Lilandra, Xavier ordered the X-Men to combat Phoenix. Jean Grey regained control once more and activated a weapon in order to sacrifice herself and prevent another disaster. (X-Men v1 #137)

Brood Saga

The political instability in the Shi'ar Galaxy brought chaos to the X-Men. The first sign of it manifested as Corsair crash-landing on Earth while being pursued by Sidrian bounty hunters, an accident that destroyed the X-Mansion. The Starjammers sought the assistance of the X-Men to thwart a rebellion against Majestrix Lilandra. However, they had been framed for Lilandra's alleged kidnapping. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #154) The true perpetrators of the sinister plot was the Majestrix's sister Deathbird in coalition with the monstrous parasitic aliens known as the Brood. The situation grew dire as Colossus was mortally wounded during a battle which culminated with Professor X and Lilandra being captured by Deathbird. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #155) Assisted by the Starjammers, the X-Men managed to heal Colossus and rescue the hostages. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #156) Despite their success, Deathbird's lackey Admiral Samédàr was able to influence the Shi'ar into planning to obliterate Earth. The X-Men were able to unravel the truth and intervene to halt the rebellion against the Shi'ar Empire. This caused Lilandra to be reinstated to power. However, Professor Xavier's contact with the Brood caused him to fall into a coma. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #157) As the X-Men faced extraplanetary challenges, mundane issues still plagued their existence. The escalating anti-mutant sentiment concerned the X-Men, particularly during a television interview with Senator Kelly. Given their early connections with the FBI, the X-Men believed themselves to be vulnerable due to the extensive files the bureau possessed on many of their members. In response, Carol Danvers used her influence to have the X-Men infiltrate the Pentagon to upload an open-ended virus to erase all references from the government's records. The operation thrust them into a perilous fight with Mystique and Rogue in a tense struggle. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #158)

In addition to this, two life-altering threats with beings of extreme evil were experienced by the X-Men. First, Storm fell victim to the lord of vampires Dracula. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #159) Subsequently, Illyana, the younger sister of Colossus, was abducted by the demon-lord Belasco, being consigned to years of torment in his temporally unstable demonic realm, Limbo. The X-Men emerged victorious in rescuing both Storm and Illyana. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #160) As Xavier's condition reached a critical point, Deathbird and the Brood resurfaced. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #161) The X-Men, Lilandra, and Carol Danvers were kidnapped, having embryos implanted within them by the Brood Queen, setting the stage for a disturbing metamorphosis. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #163) In this setting, Xavier once more believed his pupils to have perished in battle. Meanwhile, intrigued by Danvers' unique genetic code, the Brood subjected her to experiments, transforming her into the all-powerful Binary. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #164) The X-Men eventually escaped the ominous Sleazeworld, but desperation took over their lives, since the matured embryos would irreversibly render them conduits for the birth of warrior Brood. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #165)

Mutant Massacre

Matters escalated when she attempted to assassinate Selene at the Hellfire Club, only to be intercepted and mortally wounded by Wolverine. (Uncanny X-Mn v1 #207) In a bid to rescue Rachel and halt Selene's nefarious schemes, the X-Men allied themselves with the Morlocks, leading to a showdown at the Hellfire Club. The agglomeration of mutants drew the attention of Nimrod. (Uncanny X-Mn v1 #208) This prompted a united effort of all the mutants involved to successfully dismantle the highly advanced android. However, Rachel mysteriously vanished after falling into the clutches of the mysterious Spiral. (Uncanny X-Mn v1 #209)

Mojo's insidious ploys persisted as he dispatched the amnesiac hero Longshot into the Danger Room, subsequently capturing the X-Men and de-aging them for his televised entertainment. Once more, the New Mutants saved the day. (X-Men Annual v1 #10)

Following the initial attack, the Morlocks went to the X-Men for help. The first clash with the Marauders proved to be catastrophic for the X-Men, leaving Nightcrawler in a coma, Shadowcat trapped in an intangible state. (Uncanny X-Man v1 #211)

Following the Morlock massacre, the Marauders relentlessly harassed the X-Men. One of their vilest members Sabretooth launched an attack on the X-Mansion, in a brawl that left Cerebro in ruins. Due to her efforts in fighting the monster, Psylocke earned a position on the team. (Uncanny X-Man v1 #213) Another Marauder, Malice, attempted to possess Dazzler, who was saved by and joined the ranks of the X-Men after the incident. (Uncanny X-Man v1 #214)

As they regrouped home, the X-Men encountered Havok, another target of Marauders, who had narrowly escaped an attack and re-joined the X-Men. However, where Dazzler escaped Malice, Polaris did not, becoming the new leader of the Marauders under her influence. (Uncanny X-Man v1 #219)

X-Tinction Agenda

The partially regrouped mutants at the X-Mansion's ruins were soon thrown another hurdle; Genoshan Magistrates captured Storm and some of the New Mutants for crimes committed on the island by the X-Men. One of the enforcers was Havok, who had emerged from the Siege Perilous on Genosha. (Uncanny X-Man v1 #270)

Fatal Attraction

Obsessed with Magneto's teachings, the Acolytes, under Cortez's rule, were more aggressive than before, being responsible for terrorist attacks against humanity. The X-Men were surprised to see the Acolytes active and tried to stop their harmful activities. However, the fight between the two groups only incited more fear towards mutants. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #298)

Onslaught

The X-Men received hints about a malicious named Onslaught for days. First, they found Juggernaut severely beaten in New Jersey. As Juggernaut came to his senses, he was terrified of the mysterious Onslaught. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #322)

Operation: Zero Tolerance

The mysterious Bastion took advantage of the Onslaught crisis to push his militant anti-mutant agenda to the United States government. His plans were so extreme that, surprisingly, Senator Kelly warned the X-Men about them. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #333)

Eve of Destruction

X-Men open to the public in New X-Men v1 #114.

A new nemesis for the X-Men arrived in the form of Cassandra Nova, Xavier's personal Mummudrai. In a factory in Ecuador, Nova activated a forgotten Master Mold using the Trask DNA, manufacturing immense wild Sentinels to attack Genosha. Magneto, incapacitated from Wolverine's attack, could do nothing but watch as the entire mutant nation and its sixteen million inhabitants were destroyed. (New X-Men v1 #115) One of the few survivors from the massacre found by the X-Men was Emma Frost, who had undergone a secondary mutation granting her a diamond form. Nova was brought into custody by Cyclops and Wolverine, but managed to break free, secretly switching bodies with Xavier. Pretending to be Xavier, she shot her previous body, where the real Xavier was trapped, to near-death. Nova's first action when posing as Xavier was to expose the residents at his institute as mutants on live television, revealing the X-Men's best-kept secret to the public. (New X-Men v1 #116)

As the X-Men went public, several mutant offices were opened all over the world as an extension of the X-Men, the X-Corporation. When one of its operatives, Risque, was killed in Hong Kong, the X-Men teamed up with her partner, Domino, to investigate. There, they learned of the existence of John Sublime's mutant organ harvesters, the U-Men. During the investigation, the X-Men freed an imprisoned Chinese mutant named Xorn, who Cyclops invited to join the X-Men. (New X-Men Annual v1 #2001)

During the confrontation, the X-Men questioned Xorn's identity as Magneto, which infuriated him. Knowing he was defeated, a desperate Xorn used his stored energy to give Phoenix a massive stroke. Wolverine decapitated Xorn in a berserker rage as Jean Grey died in the arms of her husband. (New X-Men v1 #150)

ReLoaded

The X-Men reform in Astonishing X-Men v3 #7.

Meanwhile, Storm's team was sanctioned by the United Nations as a peacekeeping force responsible for policing relations between humans and mutants, the X.S.E., headquartered at the X-Mansion. (X-Treme X-Men v1 #46)

Cyclops, seeking to improve the public perception of mutants, decided to revamp the X-Men as a group of astonishing superheroes. Their first mission put them in conflict with the extraterrestrial threat of Ord. Concurrently, Genetech's lead researcher, Dr. Kavita Rao, publicly announced a mutant cure, secretly financed by Ord. (Astonishing X-Men v3 #2) As Beast investigated the efficacy of the cure, the X-Men learned Genetech used the body of an X-Man in their tests. (Astonishing X-Men v3 #3) This led Kitty Pryde to find Colossus alive within Genetech's Research Facility. (Astonishing X-Men v3 #4)

The X-Men were tricked into freeing the A.I. from its command core, allowing her to take a new physical form as Danger. (Astonishing X-Men v3 #9) Danger, having years of experience in battling the X-Men as the Danger Room, easily outpowered them, deciding to go to Genosha to assassinate her former captor, Professor Charles Xavier. (Astonishing X-Men v3 #10)

When Cerebra registered a mysterious mutant manifestation in China, Havok was assigned a team to investigate. The dysfunctional team found a different Xorn, with no control over his powers. (X-Men v2 #157)

Decimation

Worried that the heroes would decide to euthanize her, Quicksilver convinced her to use her powers to create a world where everyone present would have their deepest wishes fulfilled. Tapping into Xavier's telepathy, the Scarlet Witch altered reality, creating a world ruled by her family, where mutants were the dominant species. (House of M v1 #1) While her alteration of reality appeared perfect, there were flaws in the Scarlet Witch's creation. Wolverine's deepest wish was to have his memories of his past restored, but this would mean that he also remembered the world as it had been before the alteration. (House of M v1 #2)

The world seemingly returned to what it was, with those awakened by Miller still remembering the Scarlet Witch's twisted reality. However, the mutant population was drastically reduced from millions down to approximately two hundred, an event that became known as the M-Day. (House of M v1 #8)

Students at the Xavier Institute, inhabitants of District X, X-Corporation operatives and major mutant figures such as Iceman, Polaris, Magneto, Quicksilver, the Blob, Danielle Moonstar, Jubilee and many others were depowered. Tragically, there were several other consequences. Professor Xavier's whereabouts were unknown, and the crisis led to X-Corporation being shut down following a bombing in Paris. Meanwhile, the Xavier Institute became a sanctuary to surviving powered mutants, who became known as the 198. At a time when the X-Men were needed the most, Storm decided to stay in Africa to aid mutants in need of help and the X.S.E. ceased to be. The M-Day also was the catalyst for the reformulation of X-Factor Investigations and the return of the British mutant group Excalibur. The Scarlet Witch's spell not only deactivated thousands, but also completely blocked the emergence of new mutants, leaving mutantkind hurtling towards extinction. (Decimation: House of M - The Day After v1 #1)

Schism

The life of the X-Men later came under threat from an unexpected enemy in the form of Kade Kilgore, the 12-year-old heir of Kilgore Arms, a billionaire weapon manufacturer empire. (Wolverine & the X-Men v1 #16) Kilgore regarded the business of hunting and killing mutants as a very lucrative activity. To increase anti-mutant sentiment, Kilgore recovered Quentin Quire's from his stasis and set him free upon the world. When Cyclops and Wolverine attended an international arms conference, speaking in the name of Utopia in order to prevent mutants from being persecuted, Quire committed a psychic terrorist attack, causing several nations all over the world to activate their Sentinels. Successful in his plan, Kade Kilgore was crowned the new Black King of the Hellfire Club. (X-Men: Schism v1 #1) Following this simultaneous activation of several sentinels, Cyclops dispatched several teams to protect humans from being harmed by malfunctioning machines. Meanwhile, Mayor Sinclair expedited the grand opening of the Mutant History Museum to improve the X-Men's reputation. While Cyclops kept coordinating his missions on Utopia, Emma Frost was sent with the most powerful X-Men to the opening alongside some students. (X-Men: Schism v1 #2) Kilgore's Hellfire Club took this opportunity to set a bomb during the opening. Despite Wolverine's objections, Cyclops ordered one of the youngest X-Men students, Idie Okonkwo, to stop the Hellfire Club henchmen by any means, which led to their deaths. (X-Men: Schism v1 #3) As the bomb went off, a gigantic Sentinel was created and marched to a defenseless Utopia. As Utopia counted only with the power of teenagers, Cyclops decided to stay and protect the island, while Wolverine wished to evacuate it. The debate escalated into a brutal fight between the two X-Men. (X-Men: Schism v1 #4) Ultimately, as the Sentinel arrived at Utopia, the students chose to stay and managed to destroy it. Their difference, however, ended up being more than could be reconciled. Wolverine decided to leave with other X-Men and students to resettle the institute in Westchester. (X-Men: Schism v1 #5) Due to the schism, each resident on Utopia was forced to choose to remain with Cyclops or go back to the mutant school with Wolverine. (X-Men: Regenesis v1 #1)

House of X

Later on, Professor X with the assistance of Magneto and Moira came to establish a mutant nation on the living island of Krakoa. (House of X v1 #1) As a result, the X-Men disbanded, as they were believed to no longer be needed. However, they ultimately reformed when Cyclops and Jean Grey gathered an army of mutants to rescue the Swordbearers of Krakoa during the Krakoa-Arakko War in Otherworld. (X-Men v5 #15) After this event, Cyclops and Jean Grey decided to permanently recreate the team going as opposed to accepting positions on the Quiet Council of Krakoa, since they felt that Krakoa needed heroes working in their best interests, representing and fighting for mutantkind. To recreate the X-Men, they decided to call for elections. (X-Men v5 #16)

Overview

In appearance, the X-Men were a team of superpowered Mutants all possessing different abilities. (X-Men v1 #1)

At first, the X-Men came to wear special uniforms that were made for them. (X-Men v1 #1) To congratulate the X-Men after their graduation, Professor Xavier allowed the team to begin wearing individualized costumes. (X-Men v1 #39)

At one point, the X-Men gained possession of an extraterrestrial starship of unknown origin that came to be called the Mercury which belonged to the space pirate Eden Rixlo. (Marauders v1 #24) It later came to be called the New Marauder after the Marauder itself was destroyed. (Marauders Annual v1 #1) The vessel piloted telepathically via an adaptive neural interface that shapes itself to the user. (Marauders v1 #5) It was also shown that the ship was capable of reforming its external appearance. (Marauders v1 #10)

A variation of the technology was latter designed by Prodigy with this being the Danger Cave. It was located in caverns beneath the Xavier Institute where it made use of hard-light technology as a means of training people for combat. (New X-Men v2 #22)

Using technology taken from Mister Sinister, Emma Frost created a psychic mind palace that the X-Men could access that was called Graymatter Lane. It was accessible to any Mutant around the world though only those with a telepathic key could enter it. Once triggered, a doorway attuned to the persons individual psyche would manifest for them to cross. Invitations could be left on a card that provided an instruction on how to enter into the psychic space. Time dilation was noted to be one the side effects of entry into this part of the psychic plane. Inside this space, all the needs of the X-Men were present including lecture hall, cafeteria, library, subterranean training environment, subatomic training environment and so on. This allowed not only for the X-Men to meet one another when scattered around the world but provided a safe space for new recruits to train and to equip them with the tools they needed to survive a world hostile to them. Built-in telepathic translation features were also installed allowing people speaking different languages could understand one another and communicate. To protect Graymatter Lane, a multiphasic telepathic defense structure that defended from physical, psychic, demonic or extraterrestrial forms of attack. The psionic walls for the mind palace were said to be impervious and included powerful defensive features. (X-Men United v1 #1)

A related piece of technology was the Empathy Engine that worked in a similar way as Cerebro except it looked for Mutants suffering from debilitating levels of unrest, depression or isolation. The machine itself was not a psychic construction but an actual physical object whose location was constantly re-arranged as it moved through quantum streams to whatever rift it was tethered to at the time. (X-Men United v1 #1)

Originally, the X-Men were secretly based in the home of Professor X at the X-Mansion. (X-Men v1 #1)

After the Decimation, the X-Club helped establish a new base of operations for the X-Men by raising the sunken remains of Asteroid M. Becoming an island mass, the X-Men came to relocate to their new base of Utopia to serve as a safe refuge for the few remaining Mutants in the world and to avoid prosecution by the U.S. government. (Dark Avengers #8)

Following the spread of the Terrigen Mists on Earth, Mutants came to find the cloud to be toxic to their kind. In responses, Storm decided to find a sanctuary for Mutants with Magik creating one for them in the demonic realm of Limbo with this site being called X-Haven. (Extraordinary X-Men v1 #1)

During the Krakoan Age, the X-Men were based in the Treehouse that was an organically grown dwelling made from a seedling from Krakoa. It was situated on a plot at the southwest corner of Central Park 86th Street Transverse which had been purchased by the White Queen. On that site, a specially grown seed was made that had been designed by Cypher, Krakoa and Forge. A Krakoan Gateway was situated inside that allowed the X-Men quick access to various sites including Krakoa itself. (X-Men v6 #1)

With Krakoa gone, one group of X-Men journeyed to Alaska where they came upon an abandoned Orchis Sentinel factory. They decided to make the area their new base of operations and came to refer to it as the Factory. (X-Men v7 #1)

For a time, the X-Men made use of the Gateways that were a form of teleportation system developed by the living island of Krakoa. Krakoa came to grow special flowers that could manifest as portals that linked one location to another. The Krakoan Gates was used by the X-Men as a fast method of travel from one point to another. (House of X v1 #1)

Members

• Professor X :
• Cyclops :
• Angel :
• Beast :
• Iceman :
• Marvel Girl :
• Havok :
• Polaris :
• Wolverine :
• Nightcrawler :
• Thunderbird :
• Storm :
• Colossus :
• Rogue :
• Gambit :
• Cable :
• Psylocke :
• Bishop :
• Magneto :

Notes

• X-Men was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where they made their first appearance in X-Men v1 #1 (September, 1963).
• In 2004, Stan Lee recalled, "I couldn't have everybody bitten by a radioactive spider or exposed to a gamma ray explosion. And I took the cowardly way out. I said to myself, 'Why don't I just say they're mutants? They are born that way."
• In Kirby Effect: The Journal of the Kirby Museum (2012), Jack Kirby in an interview in 1987 said, "The X-Men, I did the natural thing there. What would you do with mutants who were just plain boys and girls and certainly not dangerous? You school them. You develop their skills. So I gave them a teacher, Professor X. Of course, it was the natural thing to do, instead of disorienting or alienating people who were different from us, I made the X-Men part of the human race, which they were. Possibly, radiation, if it is beneficial, may create mutants that'll save us instead of doing us harm. I felt that if we train the mutants our way, they'll help us – and not only help us, but achieve a measure of growth in their own sense. And so, we could all live together."

Alternate Versions

• In X-Men: Alpha v1 #1 (1994), an alternate version of the X-Men appeared in the Age of Apocalypse reality that was designated as Earth-295 in the Multiverse.
• In Mutant X v1 #1 (1998), an alternate version of the X-Men appeared in the Mutant X reality that was designated as Earth-1298 in the Multiverse.
• In Earth X v1 #0 (1999), an alternate version of the X-Men appeared in the Earth X reality that was designated as Earth-9997 in the Multiverse.
• In Ultimate X-Men v1 #1 (2000), an alternate version of the X-Men appeared in the Ultimate Marvel reality that was designated as Earth-1610 in the Multiverse.
• In New X-Men v1 #151 (2004), an alternate version of the X-Men appeared in the Here Comes Tomorrow reality that was designated as Earth-15104 in the Multiverse.
• In X-Men Noir v1 #1 (2008), an alternate version of the X-Men appeared in the Marvel Noir reality that was designated as Earth-90214 in the Multiverse.
• In Wolverine v3 #70 (2009), an alternate version of the X-Men appeared in the Old Man Logan reality that was designated as Earth-807128 in the Multiverse.
• In Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard v1 #4 (2010), an alternate version of the X-Men appeared in the Cancerverse reality that was designated as Earth-10011 in the Multiverse.

In other media

Television

• In Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, the X-Men had guest appearances in the setting of the animated television series starting with a flashback in "The Origin of Iceman".
• In X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, the X-Men appeared in the setting of the animated television series pilot. They were shown to had been assembled by Professor X who secretly based them at his mansion and fought for the rights of Mutants. This saw them come into conflict with Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutant Terrorists. One day, the X-Men were joined by the young Mutant Kitty Pryde who had recently discovered her abilities and come to the X-Mansion to learn to control them. The mansion was later attacked by Magneto who stole Cerebro's Mutant Power Circuit in order to use it to amplify his own abilities to send the Scorpio comet crashing onto Earth to devastate mankind so that Mutants could inherit the world. The X-Men used the Blackbird to travel to Asteroid M in orbit to redirect the comet thus saving the Earth.
• In X-Men, the X-Men appeared in the setting of the 1990s animated television series.
• In X-Men: Evolution, the X-Men appeared in the setting of the animated television series.
• In The Gifted, the X-Men were referenced in the setting of the live-action television series. They were known to had fought the Brotherhood of Mutants until both groups disappeared from public eye, leading to the formation of the Mutant Underground.

Films

• In X-Men, the X-Men appeared in the setting of the live-action film.
• In X-Men: First Class, the X-Men appeared in the setting of the live-action film.

Video games

• In The Uncanny X-Men, the X-Men appeared in the setting of the 1989 video game.
• In X-Men II: The Fall of the Mutants, the X-Men appeared in the setting of the 1990 video game.
• In X-Men: Destiny, the X-Men appeared in the setting of the video game.

Appearances

• X-Men v1: (1963)
• Uncanny X-Men v1:
• New X-Men v1:
• Astonishing X-Men v3:
• Extraordinary X-Men v1:
• X-Men: Gold:
• X-Men v6:
• X-Men United v1:

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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