X-Men: The First 15 Members Of Marvel's Mutant Team, In Chronological Order

Aug. 23, 2021, 2:30 p.m.

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X-Men: The First 15 Members Of Marvel's Mutant Team, In Chronological Order

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Summary The X-Men tackled themes of prejudice and fear, standing out for fighting to save those who hated them just for being different.

Professor Xavier, the man behind the X-Men, recruited Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Beast, and Marvel Girl as the original members of the team.

Lesser-known X-Men like Mimic, Changeling, Polaris, Havok, Vulcan, Darwin, Sway, and Wolverine each played unique roles in the team's history.

The X-Men first showed up in Marvel Comics in 1963, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The team differed from The Fantastic Four and Avengers in that they were heroes born with powers that other humans feared. This allowed Marvel to tell stories about prejudice and hatred towards those born differently in a superhero comic.

The X-Men progressed through the years, but the themes of prejudice and fear remained. These heroes stood out from others because they fought to save people who hated them just because of who they were. To add to the horror, these were often teenagers and young adults who had to learn to fit into a world that didn't want them.

Related Marvel: 30 Most Powerful Mutants, Ranked Weakest To Strongest Marvel's mutants can reach extreme levels of power, but we're counting down the most powerful X-Men of all time. The results might surprise you.

1 Professor X (AKA Charles Xavier)

The man behind the X-Men, and the team's first official member

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: New York City, New York, USA X-Men #1 (1963) Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

While the X-Men debuted in X-Men #1, the team already existed as students, studying under Professor Charles Xavier. The team's origin didn't play out until four years later in bonus stories, starting in X-Men #38 by Roy Thomas and Werner Roth.

The man who formed the team was Professor X. Xavier got his start by going to the FBI and offering to hunt down the mutants for them, but his goal was to shelter and teach them. Since that introduction, Xavier became the face of the team's attempt to become heroes.

2 Cyclops (AKA Scott Summers)

Xavier's first recruit, and the mutant synonymous with the X-Men's field commander

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: Anchorage, Alaska, USA X-Men #1 (1963) Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

The first person who Professor X recruited to join his X-Men was Cyclops. In X-Men #39, Cyclops was hiding from people trying to hurt him after he saved their lives because he was a mutant. Scott Summers was in an orphanage and ended up on the run after his heroic act backfired on him.

While an evil mutant named Jack Winters tried to recruit him, Cyclops joined the X-Men instead. He ended up as one of the team's most important members, a leader more times than not. Cyclops was a respected, feared, and powerful mutant at different points throughout his life.

While his very first comics established Cyclops' eyes shoot concussive force, not heat or thermal energy, writer Stan Lee would mistake them for Superman-esque 'heat vision' almost immediately.

3 Iceman (AKA Robert "Bobby" Drake)

The X-Men's youngest recruit was also one of its most unique and gifted mutants

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: Hempstead, New York, USA X-Men #1 (1963) Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

With Cyclops on the team as the eventual leader, Professor X then brought in Bobby Drake, the youngest member of the original X-Men. In X-Men #44 by Gary Friedrich and George Tuska, Ice-Man made his first appearance. He saved a girl by using his powers and found himself in peril from a society that thought he was dangerous.

Ice-Man was just a young teenager who lived with his parents, and Xavier sent Cyclops to free him. After a fight with the townspeople, Professor X convinced Bobby's parents to let him go with the X-Men to learn how to control his powers.

4 Angel (AKA Warren Worthington III)

The famous X-Man Angel was a hero even before joining the team

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: Long Island, New York, USA X-Men #1 (1963) Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

In X-Men #54 by Arnold Drake and Werner Roth, it was time for the true origin of Angel joining the X-Men to be told. Warren Worthington III was the son of a wealthy businessperson and, when he became a teenager, he grew wings out of his back.

Unlike Cyclops and Ice-Man, Angel began operating as a superhero on his own before joining the X-Men. He didn't want to join at first, but eventually did, and Angel became the third student for Xavier and the X-Men.

5 Beast (AKA Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy)

Every superhero team needs a mascot, but big blue has never stopped evolving

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: Dunfee, Illinois, USA X-Men #1 (1963) Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

While told out of order in the comics, the fourth member of the X-Men was Beast, and his origin played out in X-Men #51-53 by Arnold Drake and Werner Roth. Hank McCoy was a star football player, beloved by everyone. However, when The Conquistador kidnapped him, the X-Men showed up to rescue him.

Professor X ended up wiping the townspeople's memories of Hank's amazing feats, and he joined the X-Men. This was a human-looking Beast with enormous hands and feet, as he didn't turn blue and furry until later in his life. He was also a beloved X-Men member that fans have grown to hate over recent years.

Related After 61 Years, Marvel Kills Off (& Permanently Replaces) a Founding X-Men Hero X-Men has killed a founding member, ending their heroic career in a disgraceful slide into villainy. Thankfully, fans are getting a replacement.

6 Marvel Girl (AKA Jean Grey)

Jean Grey's history with Professor X isn't perfect, but her place in Marvel history is

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, USA X-Men #1 (1963) Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

In X-Men #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the X-Men made their first appearance and the core members were already on the team. In that issue, the fifth student joined them, the first girl — Jean Grey, whom Professor X dubbed Marvel Girl.

She showed up and joined the team, with Jean Grey finding that all the original X-Men had feelings for her. eventually getting thrown right into the fire as they battled Magneto right after she showed up. Jean Grey became one of the most respected members of the X-Men and even had the school named after her at one point.

7 Mimic (AKA Calvin Rankin)

The most overlooked early X-Man actually led the team before leaving it

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: Passaic, New Jersey, USA X-Men #19 (1966) Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

The least talked about ‘new member’ of the X-Men is forgotten for a reason, since the origin and early superhero career of Mimic is the last thing any fans would expect l. For starters, Mimic isn't even technically a mutant, but was granted his ability to copy others’ gifts through a chemical accident. It was a gift and a curse, isolating Calvin from his community… until he accidentally copied the superhuman powers of the X-Men, and saw exactly how he could turn his temporary power mimicry into something permanent.

His plan to acquire all the X-Men's mutations was a total disaster, and Xavier erased his memories and powers. But when they inevitably returned, it just so happened that the X-Men needed additional backup. Xavier made Mimic the first recruit beyond the original roster in X-Men #27 by Roy Thomas and Werner Roth. And while his time on the team was brief (due mainly to his grating personality) Calvin did prove to have heroic potential, despite where his desires would lead him in the future.

8 Changeling (AKA Kevin Sydney)

The first X-Men hero to die in action, without anyone even realizing it

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: Unknown X-Men #35 (1967) Roy Thomas, Werner Roth

Kevin Sydney, the mutant codenamed Changeling (later reintroduced as Morph) holds a special place in X-Men history as the first official member of the team to sacrifice their life in pursuit of a mutant future. The twist? He didn't actually die as himself, but in disguise as Professor Charles Xavier (allowing Marvel to deliver a bombshell death, but avoid killing off a Marvel icon in just his first years of publication).

The full story was eventually revealed, with Changeling informing Xavier of his terminal illness shortly after making the jump to the ‘hero’ side. As a result, Changeling actually portrayed Xavier in the comics with no one the wiser, right up to his aforementioned death. Thankfully Xavier returned when his own clandestine mission was completed, so Sydney's sacrifice could be honored. And it has remained, since the version of Sydney who later returned as Morph for X-Men: The Animated Series was from an alternate universe.

9 Polaris (AKA Dr. Lorna Sally Dane)

The daughter of Magneto (who met the X-Men completely by accident)

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: Unknown X-Men #49 (1968) Arnold Drake, Don Heck

As the illegitimate daughter of Magneto blessed with his same power of magentism, Lorna Dane entered the world of Marvel Comics in the last way anyone would expect. Not as an adversary to the X-Men, or even a recruit, but a young woman who crossed paths with Bobby Drake completely by accident. Sure, she was being mind-controlled by a cult of Magneto worshippers who craved her power, but Bobby didn't know that.

With said cult unlocking Lorna's powers in hopes she would possess her father's villainy, a new mutant was unleashed upon the X-Men. Thanks to the strong bonds of friendship she had already formed (and her innate heroism), Lorna accompanied the X-Men back to their school for the gifted, and enrolled. Before long she would become an official member of the team, even if her own ambitions would lead to her departure (and an incredibly complicated future with her absent father, Magneto).

10 Havok (AKA Alexander Summers)

Cyclops' younger brother, and wielder of cosmic radiation plasma attacks

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA X-Men #54 (1969) Arnold Drake, Don Heck

When Alex and Scott Summers were pushed from an airplane by their mother to avoid being taken prisoner in a Shi'ar attack (we'll get back to that shortly), the duo parachuted safely to the ground, and into an orphanage side-by-side. With his brother Scott's amazing mutation already showing potential, Alex was adopted so the villainous Mister Sinister could keep a closer watch on Cyclops' development. It wasn't until Alex's own mutation emerged that he was placed on a collision course with his older brother's secret identity, as leader of the X-Men.

Alex's ability to absorb cosmic radiation and unleash it in hard-to-control plasma blasts made him into a weapon, and the X-Men's defeat of his puppet master set the stage for his enrollment in the Xavier School. Not only would he learn to control his powers and join the X-Men as Havok, but Alex would also fall in love with fellow recruit Polaris, confirming his future with the X-Men would provide endless arcs of family drama.

11 Vulcan (AKA Gabriel "Gabe" Summers)

The youngest and most powerful brother of all Marvel's Summers

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: Chandilar, Shi'ar Empire X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1 (2005) Ed Brubaker, Trevor Hairsine

When facing the attack from the Shi'ar mentioned above, the Summers' mother Katherine was only able to push Scott and Alex to safety. But the unborn child still gestating inside of her had no choice but to be taken, all becoming prisoners of the Shi'ar Empire to be sold into slavery. Unfortunately, her husband's esacpe attempt cost Katherine her life, and for a time, Christopher assumed that included the life of the baby as well.

The baby was actually incubated and artificially developed, so that he could be sent to serve the Shi'ar on Earth (now almost the same age as his older brothers). Once he escaped and manifested his Omega-level energy manipulation, it took no time at all for Gabriel to meet Charles Xavier in search of the truth behind his history and powers, and even less for Xavier to realize his true identity. With the X-Men being held captive by the living island of Krakoa, Professor X had suddenly found the leader of his new X-Men rescue team.

Each of the Summers brothers have a distinct color associated with their channeled powers: Gabriel's yellow attacks, Alex's blue plasma, and Scott's red eye blasts.

12 Darwin (AKA Armando Muñoz)

Another surviving recruit from Professor Xavier's second X-Men rescue team

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: New York City, New York, USA X-Men: Deadly Genesis #2 (2005) Ed Brubaker, Trevor Hairsine

The mutant blessed with the ability to adapt and evolve to any situation was made famous by his appearance in X-Men: First Class (2011), but his place in X-Men history was more foundational than fans ever realized. Despite saving the original X-Men team in the 1960s chronologically, it was only in 2005's Deadly Genesis that his story was told as one of Xavier and Moira MacTaggert's recruited rescue team. The mission was a disaster, but Gabriel Summers' return from deep space finally gave him credit for an incredible bit of mutant heroics.

The entire team was presumed dead in their rescue mission (and the island encasing them was thrown from Earth out into space), buut Darwin succeeded in keeping both himself and Gabriel Summers alive. Using his gift of adaptive physiology, Darwin became a being of pure energy, so that he could be absorbed by Gabriel and sustain the Summers brother for both of their sakes (until a blast of mutant energy from M-Day awakened them years later).

Darwin was portrayed by Edi Gathegi in X-Men: First Class, who is soon to portray Mr. Terrific in DC's Superman (2025).

13 Petra (AKA Petra Kristinson)

A short-lived geological genius, who sacrificed herself for the X-Men

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: Newark, New Jersey, USA X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1 (2005) Ed Brubaker, Trevor Hairsine

Another recruit of Moira MacTaggert's sent to rescue the original X-Men roster, Petra's incredibly short, but nonetheless heroic sacrifice was detailed in the Deadly Genesis missing chapter. Like so many mutants before her, Petra discovered her mutant ability in a life-or-death scenario... with an extra, tragic twist. It was only when her family was caught in a devastating rockslide that Petra discovered her gift, as the only one to mysteriously (at the time) survive the accident.

Rendered an orphan and destined for an equally unfortunate foster father, Petra would discover her mutant ability to manipulate the rock and dirt of the Earth, both to create and reshape existing terrain and to use it offensively in a combat scenario (not to mention compress stone into diamonds to pay the bills). Sadly, Petra would sacrifice herself shortly after encasing teammates Darwin and Vulcan in a pocket of rock, but has been restored as an absorbed construct that persists in Vulcan's mind.

14 Sway (AKA Suzanne Chan)

Mutant mastery over the flow of time, taken far too soon

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: San Diego, California, USA X-Men: Deadly Genesis #3 (2006) Ed Brubaker, Trevor Hairsine

TPaired with Petra in terms of tragic origin stories illuminated by the X-Men: Deadly Genesis series, Suzanne Chan was caught in the crossfire of a gang gunfight alongside her parents. While both of her parents were killed, Suzanne was mysteriously unscathed due to her mutant mastery of time in isolated pockets -- altogether one of the more creative spins on 'time control' in comic book history.

Not only could Suzanne freeze the bullets headed towards her in time, rendering them harmless, but she could also control the perception of time around her; rewatching the scene of her parents' death long after, and tracing the killers back to their hideout. Unfortunately for both "Sway" and comic fans, this power was primarily used in training for the team's rescue mission, when she was quickly sliced in half by a Krakoan rock monster. Still, an unsung X-Men hero who gave her life to save Cyclops and the iconic team.

15 Wolverine (AKA James "Logan" Howlett)

Birthplace: First Appearance: Created by: Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada Incredible Hulk #180 (July, 1974) Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Romita

It's hard to believe it, given his iconic dislike for taking orders (or military discipline of any kind), but when Wolverine made his debut in the world of Marvel Comics, he did so as an agent of Canada's Department H. Taking the fight to the Incredible Hulk proved Wolverine's skills (even if he didn't win the battle), but it also put him on the radar of Charles Xavier, who gave Wolverine an offer he couldn't refuse when surprising him in Giant-Size X-Men #1. And yes, it was once again related to saving Cyclops from Krakoa.

The ensuing years would add new layers to this story, with Wolverine programmed to assassinate Xavier in this very meeting, before the X-Men offered Logan a fresh start, and a clean mental slate. But regardless of the changes to canon before or since, Wolverine's recruitment alongside the now iconic second X-Men team of Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and more launched the biggest, most successful era of X-Men comics the world had ever seen.