X-Men Hero Team
ANGEL (Warren Kenneth Worthington III) |
BEAST (Henry McCoy) |
 CYCLOPS (Scott Summers) |
ICEMAN (Robert Drake) |
SOULFIRE (Jean Grey) |
MIMIC (Calvin Rankin) |
POLARIS (Lorna Dane) |
HAVOK (Alex Summers) |
CANDY SOUTHERN Active X-MEN #24 |
SPIDER-MAN (Peter Parker) Reserve Member |
The X-Men are a team of superhuman adventurers whose membership primarily, though not exclusively, consists of mutants. At the time of the team's formation, the five founding members of the X-Men were all graduates of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters and attending Empire State University in Manhattan, New York City.
The mutants who would eventually become the X-Men first acted as a team during their junior year at Xavier's. During a family weekend at the school, when family members of the students are invited to visit the school, Scott Summers's younger brother Alex was visiting when he was kidnapped by agents of the Cult of the Living Pharaoh. Against the express wishes of headmaster Charles Xavier, Scott turned to his classmates for help in freeing Alex. Scott organized a veritable army of students, including (but not limited to) Warren Worthington, Hank McCoy, Bobby Drake, Jean Grey, Teresa Rourke, and Lorna Dane, among others. This impromptu group fought and defeated the cult's leader, who had used Alex to become the Living Monolith. Xavier chastised the students for going behind his back, but praised them for both their teamwork and their dedication to helping others.
After the first class graduated the Institute, Warren, Hank, Scott, Bobby, and Jean all decided to attend Empire State University, pursuing different degrees. It was Jean's idea after seeing Spider-Man in action to form a team and sought out her fellow Xavier alumni and ESU students to help form it. The team took the name "X-Men" to honor Xavier's school.
The X-Men first came to public attention in thwarting the plans of Magneto, who had kidnapped a young mutant girl with unrevealed powers. The X-Men intervened and rescued the girl before Magneto's scheme could come to fruition. Magneto has since become the team's most dedicated nemesis, often using the assistance of his Brotherhood of Mutants, many of whom have faced the X-Men themselves without Magneto's guidance.
For a brief time, the X-Men offered membership to one of their adversaries, the Mimic, who could duplicate a mutant's powers, despite him not being a mutant himself. Mimic's abrasive personality conflicted with Cyclops's, and the two came to blows; Mimic then quit the team. Though Mimic has since reconciled with the team, he has not yet rejoined.
Recently, when Spider-Man came to X-Men's assistance during a fight with the supernatural-powered Juggernaut and his friend Black Tom Cassidy, they offered Spidey membership in the team, despite him not being a mutant. He chose not to join the team full-time at the moment, opting for a "reserve" status; Scott and Jean told him the offer would remain open indefinitely. One other ally, Candy Southern, who does not yet have powers or a heroic identity, has assisted the team on a regular basis in recent months, and has become unofficially recognized as being a member of the team.
The X-Men remain on good terms with the other premier superhuman teams based in New York – the Avengers and the Fantastic Four – and have set up an informal sharing of information. Apparently Hank McCoy, Hank Pym, Tony Stark, and Reed Richards all frequent the same scientific forums online.
First Post-Reboot Appearance: UNCANNY X-MEN #1.
Wolverine: You people actually go outside in these things?
Cyclops: What would you prefer, yellow spandex?
- X-Men (2000)
Membership Roster
Angel – Founding member. Angel serves as the team's unofficial press spokesman.
Beast – Founding member.
Cyclops – Founding member. Cyclops is acknowledged as the team's leader.
Iceman – Founding member.
Soulfire – Founding member. The formation of the team was her idea.
Mimic – First recruit. Mimic has alternately been an ally and adversary of the team. Offered membership, he soon quit following an argument with Cyclops.
Polaris – Ally, possible applicant. A student at the Xavier Institute, Polaris has assisted the team on a few occasions, and is considering joining the team after graduating.
Havok – Ally, possible applicant. Cyclops's brother and a student at the Xavier Institute, Havok has assisted the team on a few occasions, and is considering joining the team after graduating.
Candy Southern – Second recruit. Candy is dating Angel, and has come to the team's assistance on multiple occasions, to the point where their enemies and the press consider her unnamed costumed alter ego to be a member of the team.
Spider-Man – Reserve member. A classmate of the X-Men at Empire State University, Spider-Man has assisted them on many occasions. Offered membership, he has opted to remain in reserve with the team.