There are a lot of things that make Marvel Comics’ X-Men the best superhero team. Here are six of them.
Marvel Comics, DC Comics, IDW, and others have produced some of the best comic book teams ever. The Justice League is known to be a team made up of god-like beings (and Batman) that always overcome the odds. The Avengers are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes but don’t limit their protection to their home planet. The Boys could be considered the anti-superteam, but they’re still heroes (sort of). No matter how great they and other teams are, they’re not as good as the X-Men.
Marvel’s Mightiest Mutants have been protecting the universe for decades. If you count the Exiles, mutants have also prevented the destruction of the multiverse. For some reason, the Avengers and the Justice League are still known as comics’ best superteam. These six reasons debunk that way of thinking.
6. Nearly unlimited roster
The phrase quality over quantity doesn’t apply here. The X-Men have both. There are members of their team from around the galaxy. Plus, most of their members know their roles and don’t stray far from them. A lot of that has to do with constant training.
Cyclops, Storm, Magento, and other leaders make sure that everyone is ready at all times. That assures that no one is caught by surprise and that they work like a well-oiled machine. This is how the X-Men win their battles. They combine training and experience with their numbers to overcome the odds.
Then there’s the amount of teams they have. There are alpha X-Men rosters, X-Factor, X-Force, and many more. What’s even better is while they all function at once independently, they know each other and have worked closely together. This makes it easier to team up because they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
5. Heroes while being hated
Every superhero team has had moments of bad press. Even the Justice League and the Fantastic Four have received bad press. Nevertheless, no team has been as hated as the X-Men.
Marvel’s Mightiest Mutants could save the multiverse with every being watching and people would still be skeptical. Skeptics would say it’s another mutant trick and hate them even more. All of this is because they were born differently. Yet, time and again, they go out and save everyone.
4. They never get credit
Like all the best superhero teams, the X-Men are an intergalactic superteam. The difference here is they don’t get a parade after saving the day. The Avengers, Justice League, and Fantastic Four are known as universal saviors. Meanwhile, the X-Men are perceived as menaces. However, they never stop saving the day.
Even after leaving and establishing Krakoa, the mutants continued to try and make everyone’s lives easier. That includes still traveling to other planets and assisting them. They went as far as to establish a new version of S.W.O.R.D. to assist beyond Earth. A thank you would be nice, but they’ll never get one.
3. They’ve been on every major team
No matter what superhero team you pick, there has been an X-Man on their roster. Not just Wolverine. Storm has been on the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. Cable, Cannonball, Beast, and more have all been part of Earth’s Mightiest heroes.
Rogue led the Avengers too. Even Sabretooth was on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for a cup of coffee. Meanwhile, Quicksilver is the only one who’s been on another team and later joined the X-Men. Although, with everything going on during the Fall of X, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark could be considered X-Men.
2. A little bit of everything
The mark of a good team is having a little bit of everything. The X-Men have this better than anyone.
If you need fighters, Wolverine (Logan and Laura), Psylocke, and Deadpool. Do you have to get inside someone’s mind? Charles Xavier, Jean Grey, and Emma Frost have this covered. If something mystical comes up Illyana Rasputin and Madelyne Pryor can use their magic. How about stealth? Nightcrawler, Kate Pryde, and Mystique are only three options.
These are only some of the categories. This doesn’t include the standards like powerhouses (Colossus and Strong Guy), geniuses (Forge and Hank McCoy), and leaders (Cyclops and Storm). In short, they’ve got it all.
1. The X-Men are about peace, but…
Lastly, the X-Men are against killing. There’s even a Krakoan law forbidding the murder of non-mutants. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean they won’t take a life if they have to.
Magento has consistently shown the world that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect mutants. Cable is a soldier who accepts that he needs to go further than others. Recently, Kate Pryde slaughtered a bunch of Orchis agents (X-Men No. 25). It was an onslaught that people weren’t used to seeing from her. These are only three of the X-Men willing to take the next step during a fight.
More than the individuals, there’s X-Force. Years after Cable stopped leading the team, Cyclops brought it back with one intention. This team was created to kill threats before they could murder more mutants. The Wolverine-led team protected a lot of people with their extreme brand of justice. It was a decision Cyclops didn’t make lightly, but one he said he’d do again.
Killing in the real world shouldn’t be a solution to all things. However, in the universe of superbeings, it can be. Especially for mutants. They’re a group of people that are constantly being hunted just for existing. This is why the X-Men want peace and will always try to be kinder before the adamantium claws come out.