X-Men For Dummies Cheat Sheet

You’re probably familiar with the students of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, the original home of Marvel Comics' X-Men team. Born with strange mutant powers and representing the next step in human evolution, the X-Men fight to protect a world that is often afraid of their awesome abilities. This cheat sheet gives you a quick rundown of what you need to know about the Uncanny X-Men!

What is a mutant in the Marvel Universe?

The vast majority of characters featured in the various X-titles are mutants. In real-world scientific terms, the Cambridge Dictionary defines a mutant as “an organism that is different from others of its type because of a permanent change in its genes.” That change is called a mutation, and a conventional mutation in a human being can be anything from a variant eye color to sickle cell anemia.

In the pages of Marvel Comics, however, many mutants have experienced a genetic change prior to birth that grants them uncanny super-powers. These powers run the gamut from physical expressions (great strength, wings, accelerated healing) to abilities of tremendous magnitude (telekinesis, weather control, energy manipulation).

That means that Marvel’s mutants are generally born with their powers, but those powers don’t typically appear or activate until that mutant reaches puberty. At that point, when the body begins its transition to adulthood, the amazing powers locked inside that person begin to blossom. While some powers are easily controlled, others can be extremely dangerous and require some discipline to handle.  

The dangerous nature of some mutant powers and the inability of newly discovered mutants to control those powers has created a climate of fear around mutants in the pages of Marvel Comics. While many people understand that the mutants are just different and trying to deal with the problems that are occasionally created by their powers, others express open hostility to mutantkind, ranging from prejudice to anti-mutant extremism.

Dueling philosophies of the X-Men

The root belief system of the core X-Men team has always been responsibility of power. That is, the X-Men believe in protecting both mutants and humans alike while aspiring to a world in which everyone can coexist without fear. While different iterations of the team over time have expressed that value in different ways, the idea of the X-Men as protectors has existed from day one.

That is owing to the founding philosophy of Professor X, who was originally intent on guiding the X-Men with that dream of cohabitation as their number one principle. He grounded the instruction of the original team in that notion, hoping to teach the students that living alongside humans was better than trying to live “above” them. Two of the major schools of thought concern Professor X and Magneto, as explained in the next two sections.

Professor X and the X-Men

Essentially, the X-Men typically fight for “Xavier’s dream,” a world that represents peaceful coexistence. In the early days, Professor X even worked directly with the FBI, trying to lend some legal legitimacy to the X-Men’s actions. In their first public appearance, the X-Men protected the American military missile base Cape Citadel from an attack by Magneto. Xavier wanted to establish the X-Men as a benign, helpful presence who didn’t represent a threat to humanity (you’ll learn more about the original mission in Chapter 2 of X-Men For Dummies).

Magneto and the Brotherhood

As established by Magneto, the Brotherhood worked to draw mutants to their cause and belief that the world of humans should be overthrown and ruled by mutants (see Figure 1-3). Part of Magneto’s radicalization against humans was built when he saw the atrocities committed against his people during the Holocaust.  

Important X-Men teams

Over the years, not only have the members of the X-Men team changed, but new teams have formed to meet the challenges of a world that fears and hates mutants.  

The X-Men

The first team of X-Men assembled by Professor Charles Xavier included Cyclops, Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), Beast, Iceman, and Angel. Over the years, new additions arrived, like Mimic, Havok (Cyclops’ younger brother), and Polaris. When much of the team was captured by the living island Krakoa, Xavier assembled a new team of X-Men that included Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Banshee, Sunfire, and Thunderbird. The one constant in the X-Men lineup would be change, as team members would come and go through the years, with additions both famous (Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee) and a bit more obscure (Maggott). Whatever the membership, the X-Men are at the frontlines of defending the world and trying to achieve Xavier’s dream.

The New Mutants

The first team of new students brought together after the foundation of the X-Men, the New Mutants were formed while the X-Men were missing and believed dead in space. This new generation of students included Karma, Psyche/Mirage, Cannonball, Sunspot, and Wolfsbane. They would soon be joined by Magma, Magik (Colossus’ little sister), Cypher, Warlock, and more.

Alpha Flight

Canada’s premiere super-hero team, Alpha Flight, are introduced when they clash with X-Men in Calgary. The original membership includes Vindicator (later called Guardian), Shaman, Snowbird, Sasquatch, Northstar, and Aurora. Alpha Flight’s first significant mission occurs when they try to take Canadian asset Wolverine back from the X-Men in Calgary. They make a strong showing, but the fight ends when Wolverine agrees to go back with them. He then promptly escapes and goes back to the States with the X-Men. Shortly thereafter, the teams reconcile and Vindicator, Snowbird, and Shaman battle the Wendigo alongside Wolverine and Nightcrawler.  

X-Factor

The five original X-Men were the founding members of a new team. Angel, along with PR mastermind Cameron Hodge, organizes a new venture: X-Factor. As X-Factor, the team can pretend to be human investigators checking out reports of mutant activity. Then, in their costume guises, they can pretend to be mutant freedom fighters and rescue those mutants from persecution and, if necessary, help train them to use their powers. X-Factor later becomes a mutant team sanctioned to operate by the U.S. government.

Excalibur

Formed in England, Excalibur’s founding lineup includes Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde), Nightcrawler, Phoenix II (Rachel Summers), Meggan, Captain Britain, and Lockheed. In addition to protecting the U.K. and Europe, the team frequent hops through other levels of the multiverse confronting threats that menace multiple realities.  

X-Force

The original classes of New Mutants existed under two distinct philosophies: the way of Professor Charles Xavier, which was the way of trying to achieve a world where human and mutant could peacefully coexist, and the way of Magneto, who had long advocated mutant supremacy but tried to bend his approach to mirror that of his friend Charles when the Professor entrusted him with his students. With Xavier in space and after falling out with Magneto, the remaining students found a new way: the way of Cable.

The mysterious warrior operates from a proactive stance that threats to humanity and mutantkind alike must be hunted down and rooted out. Cable doesn’t choose war for the sake of it; he chooses war because he’s seen what happens to those who don’t act. Cable also has one distinct advantage of which his students are initially unaware: He comes from the future, and he knows what happens when mutantkind isn’t ready.

Over time, the original incarnation of X-Force disbands, and several other versions form. The most notable recurring configuration has usually been a strike team lead by Wolverine, originally formed at the behest of Cyclops.

Generation X

The story of Generation X gets rolling when the Phalanx unit known as Harvest begins to collect young mutants found in Xavier’s database for potential assimilation. Banshee discovers that the X-Men have been captured, so he employs Jubilee and two of the X-Men’s foes who have been receiving treatment at the mansion, Emma Frost and Sabretooth, to try to get to the kids first. They are successful at getting Everett Thomas, but the rest of the kids (Cannonball’s sister, Paige Guthrie; Monet St. Croix; Clarice Ferguson; Angelo Espinosa; and a young man named Gregor) are captured by the Phalanx.

Banshee’s squad locates the captive kids on a freighter and battles Harvest. Monet destroys Gregor when she deduces that he’s a Phalanx in disguise. Paige is seemingly infected with the technovirus, but Sabretooth tears away her damaged skin, revealing Paige’s transformation powers. Banshee and Sabretooth take on Harvest in a seemingly futile battle, urging Emma to escape with the kids. Not wanting anyone else to die, Clarice sacrifices herself by using her dimensional transportation powers to “blink” her and Harvest seemingly out of existence.

Emma Frost and Banshee open a new school to teach the kids at the site of Frost’s former institutions, the Massachusetts Academy. Jubilee, Paige, Monet, Angelo, and Everett are soon joined by Jonathan “Jono” Starsmore, Mondo, and the mysterious Penance.