Steve Batley
Over the 55-year existence of the X-Men, there have been many team members in the main school Alumni, and that’s not even counting the many varied branches of the Xavier School itself and the X-Family in its entirety.
Perhaps the biggest indicator that the true dream of mutant/human co-existence is in good working order is the surprisingly vast array of characters that make up the NON-mutant element of the X-Men. Some have even remained in the fold as heroes despite losing their mutant status due to M-Day. Some of those have, of course, since regained them, but during the time they were de-powered were still active members in some way. After all, if we only reserved the right to claim the title of X-Man to those who are true human mutants, we would never get to see some of these amazing characters who also serve to make up The X-Men!
1. Ariel II/Ariel (AKA She Who Speaks Like Water Running Across the Stones)
Power source: Alien Mutant (Coconut Grove)
X-Affiliation: Fallen Angels/X-Men
Officially joined: X-Men Legacy Vol 1 #226.
Having originally gathered together several mutants in Fallen Angels #1 as a cover to capture them for her alien race, she had a change of heart in Fallen Angels #7 and turned on her own kind to save her friends. After later returning to be deputized as an X-Man by Cyclops, she seemingly lost her own life to save the island of Utopia in X-Men: Legacy #235, before it was discovered in X-Men: Legacy #259 she had actually been trapped and was still burning. She was then rescued the following issue and played the part of transport during AvX (when she wasn’t shoe shopping).
2. Cloak & Dagger/Tyrone Johnson & Tandy Bowen
Power source: Human Mutate (Occasionally changes)
X-Affiliation: Dazzler/New Mutants/X-Men
Officially joined: Dark Avengers #8.
Cloak and Dagger originally had little to do with the X-Men, aside from a couple of interactions with the junior X-Men in New Mutants #23 then later again during Inferno. Cloak also once formed an alliance with Dazzler in Strange Tales #9-11 when Dagger had been estranged from him. However, after being part of Norman Osborn’s Dark X-Men, they were then recruited to the island of Utopia by Emma Frost and went on to aid Wolverine against both Daken and Romulus in Wolverine: Origins #42-48. Dr. Nemesis later concludes they are not mutants and they leave, however, this status is a forever-changing one, but at the moment, they are not known as mutants but human mutates. But who knows? Maybe he just didn’t like someone else wearing white on the team!
3. Danger
Power source: Alien Sentient Tech (Shi’ar)
X-Affiliation: X-Men/All New X-Factor
Officially joined: X-Men: Legacy Vol 1 #223-224/X-Nation #3. All New X-Factor #4. X-Men Blue #8.
Originally gifted to Charles Xavier as Shi’ar tech to enhance the Danger Room, Danger was discovered to be sentient and technically mutated tech in Astonishing X-Men Vol 3 #9, where it was revealed that Xavier had enslaved her to train the X-Men. After a brief and understandable time of rebellion, she joins the X-Men as a member and aids them as both jailer and security system of the island of Utopia, as well as going on several missions with the X-Men, before also joining Lorna Dane’s X-Factor and more recently as an ally to Magneto and X-Men Blue.
4. Fantomex/Jean-Phillipe (AKA Charlie Cluster-7)
Power source: Human Mutate/Sentinel Hybrid
X-Affiliation: X-Men/Uncanny X-Force/X-Force/Astonishing X-Men
Officially joined: Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #521. X-Men: Second Coming #2/Uncanny X-Force Vol 1 #1. X-Force Vol 4 #1. Astonishing X-Men Vol 4 #1.
Created by the Weapon Plus program as a super Sentinel in The World, Fantomex first crossed paths with the New X-Men claiming to be a mutant captive of Weapon Plus. He was later revealed as an experiment, eventually joining them on Utopia before moving to Wolverine’s X-Force team and later again to Cable’s team. He finally went on to aid the X-Men and Xavier in defeating the Shadow King and became the host body (…comics) for Charles Xavier as The Man Called X. Jean-Phillipe is technically British but identifies as faux-French, as he grew up an inhabitant of ‘virtual France’.
5. Hepzibah/Madame Hepzibah
Power source: Alien (Mephitisoid of Tryl’sart, Shi’ar Empire)
X-Affiliation: Starjammers/X-Men/X-Force
Officially joined: Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #486. Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #493.
Revealed as a member of Starjammers in Uncanny X-Men #104 and partner to the space pirate Corsair, father to Scott, Alex, and Gabriel Summers. She joined the X-Men upon the death of Corsair during War of Kings. She later returned as part of X-Force during Messiah Complex, where she had a brief affair with Warpath until she returned to the Starjammers in All-New X-Men #23 after Corsair returned. More recently she can also be seen in Mr & Mrs X aiding in the safekeeping of Xandra.
6. Ink/Eric Gitter
Power source: Human Mutate
X-Affiliation: X-Men
Officially joined: Young X-Men #1. X-Men Gold Vol 2 #23.
Ink joined the X-Men as a student in Young X-Men, whose power derives from the tattoos of the mutant Leon Nunez. Most recently returned to the background after a brief stint on the B Squad of X-Men Gold, in time for the Negative Zone War incident. Sorry Eric, but it is what it is.
7. Jubilee/Jubilation Lee
Power source: Vampire. Now Mutant again
X-Affiliation: X-Men/Generation X/New Warriors
Officially joined: Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #251. Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #318/Generation X Vol 1 #1.
Outside of Kitty Pryde, Jubilee probably has the longest history with the senior X-team of any teen, having been their ward since abandoning her old life and saving Wolverine from the Reavers in issue #251, where her path was set. As well as being recruited to Generation X and later the New Warriors as Wondra, thanks to employing tech when she briefly lost her powers. She soon returned to the X-Men on Utopia, as a human, still identifying as mutant, and during the Curse of the Mutants, event gains vampiric powers, leaving but soon returning again to the X-Men. She has recently been cured and returned to full mutant status thanks to the remainder of the Phoenix Force held by Quentin Quire.
8. Juggernaut/Cain Marko
Power source: Magic (Demon Cyttorak)
X-Affiliation: X-Men/New Excalibur
Officially joined: Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #411.
The step-brother to Charles Xavier briefly gave up his life of ambivalence toward Xavier and his kin, even joining the X-Men for a short period in order to mend his ways. Unfortunately, the death of young Sammy Pare in Uncanny X-Men #163 turned him back on his previous dark path, though he did try again by joining New Excalibur alongside Nocturne, without much success, having reverted to type in X-Men Legacy #219.
9. Lifeguard & Slipstream/Heather & Davis Cameron
Power source: Mutant-Alien hybrid (Shi’ar)
X-Affiliation: X-Men
Officially Joined: X-Treme X-Men Vol 1 #7 (Lifeguard) X-Treme X-Men Vol 1 #10 (Slipstream). Uncanny X-Men Vol 2 #1 (Lifeguard only).
These Australian siblings were forced to join the X-Treme team due to attempts made on their lives by enemies of their crime-lord father. Although initially believed to be mutant, Davis was discovered as not having meant to be a mutant in the first place, it was soon revealed they, in fact, bore a half human mutant and half-alien heritage, with later hints they may even be Shi’ar royalty and the children of Deathbird. After failing to recover her lost brother, who left unable to cope with her change in physical appearance, Heather later joins X-Corps for a short time. Davis was confirmed to have lost his powers during M-Day in New Avengers Vol 1 #18, and Heather was later seen as a member of Cyclops’ Utopia team.
10. Lockheed
Power source: Alien (Dragon race known as ‘the Flock’)
X-Affiliation: X-Men/Excalibur
Officially joined: Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #168. Excalibur Vol 1 #1.
The feisty little dragon met the X-Men and Kitty Pryde, who he was particularly drawn to when they fought the Brood in Uncanny X-Men #166. He remained hidden by her until a battle with Sidrian hunters, the result of which had him welcomed and officially accepted by the X-Men, ensuring he stayed with her and sharing an almost psychic bond with her. As well as following her to join Excalibur, he has also on one occasion been allied to SWORD and has also served with Lockjaw’s Pet Avengers. Recently he has gone on to form a family of his own with the female dragon Puff. Awwww.
11. Longshot
Power source: Alien Mutant (Mojoverse/Wildways)
X-Affiliation: X-Men/Exiles/X-Factor
Officially joined: Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 Annual #10. Exiles Vol 1 #18. X-Factor Vol 3 #35.
Having joined the X-Men as the first alien member (not including Lockheed), Longshot has since also joined the Exiles to fight Mojo. Later he returned to the 616 in X-Men: Die by the Sword and later joined X-Factor Investigations. His mixed up heritage aside, he is still one of the most diverse and original of the non-mutant members of the X-family and will surely be missed by many.
12. Mimic/Calvin Rankin
Power source: Human Mutate
X-Affiliation: X-Men
Officially joined: Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #27. X-Men Legacy Vol 1 #265.
One of the strangest enrolments into the X-Men is that of Calvin, who blackmailed his way into the role of deputy leader before being expelled and later redeeming himself in a battle that cost him his powers. Several years and wrong turns later, he allies himself with Excalibur and much later becomes a teacher at the Jean Grey School. Of course, he very recently lost his wings during Extermination to ensure Angel was reverted to his true form by ‘Baeble’ in order to send him back to the past.
13. Omega Sentinel/Karima Shapandar
Power source: Human/Sentinel Hybrid
X-Affiliation: X-Men
Officially joined: Excalibur Vol 3 #4. X-Men Vol 1 #192. X-Men Vol 4 #7.
Created to kill Thunderbird III in X-Men Unlimited Vol 1 #27 she fought her programming and begged him to flee. Later she joined Xavier and Magneto on Genosha, where they returned her mind to her. She was later found by the X-Men as a captive of the Fordyce Clinic where Beast again restored her, and she was soon officially recruited to the X-Men. However, she was subverted much later by Arkea, and once she was freed, she again joined the X-Men, albeit now reverted to human.
14. Professor X/Charles Xavier
Power source: Mutant powers returned via M’Kraan Crystal
X-Affiliation: X-Men
Officially joined: Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #1.
The man with whom it all began and the father of the whole movement, Xavier was also a victim of M-Day. This one is a tricky one as, as technically he wasn’t an X-Man when de-powered though he played a major part nonetheless. And although he was no longer considered welcome among the X-Men by Cyclops due to the events of Deadly Genesis, he still took a team of X-Men to join the Starjammers in an attempt to right the wrong of Vulcan. With his powers restored by the M’kraan Crystal, he returned to Earth to try to further make amends but, after several failed attempts at reconciliation, was later killed by a Phoenix-possessed Cyclops during AvX. He has recently returned after the Astonishing X-Men battled on his behalf with the Shadow King and Fantomex gave up his own body to become the host for Xavier.
15. Warbird/Ava’Dara Naganandini
Power source: Alien (Shi’ar throneworld of Chandilar)
X-Affiliation: X-Men
Officially joined: Wolverine & The X-Men Vol 1 #1. Astonishing X-Men Vol 3 #48.
Initially sent as guardian to Kid Gladiator, Warbird has also since gone on to prove herself as a valuable Astonishing X-Men team member, unsuccessfully disguising her warm soul and inner creativity in a veneer of cold aloofness, before returning to her homeworld for its battle with the Asgardians in Mighty Thor Vol 2 #15.
It is, of course, possible I have missed someone, but for now I think that about covers it really… at least as far as the X-Men themselves are concerned. For those who are getting ready to mention other missed characters in the list, I humbly ask you to bear with me, as I am sure there are many favorites you feel need to be included. And I assure you there is more to come as I expand the list further to include the other various X-teams, and then afterward, the human allies to the X-dream in part 2 and 3. While you’re waiting, why not check out Bethany Pope’s terrific list of top 25 forgotten X- Men characters HERE, some of whom are also included above!