Your Guide to the X-Men Part 1: The Original Team

There are a lot of fans of Marvel's mutant team the X-Men, who were introduced to them in a variety of ways, from the comics to the movies or the various cartoons. With more than 60 years of history and more than a few new #1 issues and relaunched series, it can be confusing to know the real history of the team. Here's your guide, from the beginning. Note: details on some characters and events will be covered later in the team's history rather than under a given character's bio.

X-Men #1 (1963)

The Marvel Age of Comics began with the debut of Fantastic Four #1, and it continued with the introduction of the Incredible Hulk, the Amazing Spider-Man, and others. In 1963, two new teams debuted in the same month, the Avengers and the X-Men. The Avengers were essentially Marvel's version of DC's Justice League, a team composed of their greatest heroes at the time: Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. This made the X-Men unique in two ways. First, they were all brand-new characters, and second, they were mutants.

By this time, superheroes as a concept had existed for 25 years, since the debut of Superman in Action Comics #1, and every hero had an origin story. They could be aliens like Superman, or self-trained vigilantes like Green Arrow. Gods, like Thor. Scientists using their own inventions, like Iron Man or Ant-Man. Or victims of accidents like the Hulk, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man. But as mutants, the X-Men were unique in that they were either born with their powers, or they developed them later, typically at puberty.

The X-Men were also unique in that the concept of their team was they were students at a school that taught mutants how to use their powers, taught by a mutant himself, Professor Charles Xavier. In early issues it was implied that Xavier was in fact the first mutant, and his arch-enemy, Magneto, was another of the first mutants. Mutants were very rare, until the first atomic bombs were dropped at the end of World War II. With atomic testing continuing in the post-war era, more radiation was being released into the environment on an unprecedented scale, resulting in more mutants, which is why, unlike most other heroes (with the notable exceptions of Spider-Man and the Human Torch), the X-Men were teens.

Now confined to a wheelchair for reasons that were explained much later (he was fighting an alien named Lucifer and his back was damaged by falling debris), Xavier trains his students to protect humanity from Magneto and his followers, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, whose goal is to use their powers to subjugate humanity. In most adventures, the X-Men operate in the field while Xavier uses his mutant power of telepathy to communicate with and lead the team, though sometimes Xavier goes with them on missions. On one such mission, Xavier is seemingly killed, forcing his students to grow up and carry on his vision on their own.

Key details of the original team are:

Professor X (Charles Xavier)

Founder and leader of the X-Men, he's the world's foremost expert on mutation. A natural genius, he's the world's most powerful telepath, an ability that enables him to communicate with his mind, control the minds of others, including animals and other non-humans, and enter the astral plane. At times he has demonstrated limited telekinesis (the ability to move objects with the mind) and the ability to bring objects from the astral plane to the physical world. Xavier met Magneto during WWII, when they were working to help people who were victims of the war. Xavier was also a veteran of the Korean War, where he served alongside his older step-brother Cain Marko. The surviving heir of a wealthy family, Xavier converted his family mansion into the X-Men's school, naming it the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters.

Marvel Girl (Jean Grey)

Jean Grey was Xavier's first student, but the last student to join the team. X-Men #1 begins with Jean coming to the school, and it's not until many years later, in Bizarre Adventures #27, that we learn that as a child, Jean witnessed her best friend being hit by a car. That tragedy sparked Jean's mutant ability and she linked with her friend's mind as her friend died. Jean was traumatized, and her parents sought help, eventually finding Professor Xavier, who helped Jean overcome the trauma. He also noted her potential, and put psychic blocks in place in her mind to prevent her from being able to access her full talents before she was mature enough to deal with them. When we first meet Jean she only has the power of telekinesis, but later she "borrows" some of Xavier's telepathic ability to aid the X-Men in the field. It's revealed that this borrowed ability was simply Xavier releasing ability Jean already had. Over time, she becomes more powerful and skilled in both abilities, though, as was typical with heroines at the time, Jean could be portrayed as strong or weak depending on the needs of the story. As the only female member of the team, Jean was a love interest for several of the team members, including, creepily, Xavier himself, who only admitted his love for Jean to himself in his own thoughts, but Jean only had romantic feelings for the team leader, Cyclops.

Cyclops (Scott Summers)

The first X-Man, Scott Summers grew up in an orphanage after he and his brother, Alex, were orphaned in a plane crash. Their father, a pilot, strapped the two boys into one parachute so they could get to safety before the plane crashed. Little did the boys know that their parents were kidnapped by the alien Shi'Ar, a fact they would not learn for many years.

Alex was adopted out of the orphanage and he grew up in a fairly normal life, but Scott remained in the orphanage until his teens. Further, he suffered mild brain damage during the plane crash. This damage would go on to make it impossible for him to turn off his mutant powers when they activated during puberty.

Cyclops' powers are destructive blasts of pure force emanating from his eyes. His body acts as a solar battery, changing light from the sun into the optic blasts. He also emits a field protecting himself from his own power. Another aspect of his power is the ability to calculate angles very effectively, enabling him to ricochet his blasts off of solid surfaces to take down multiple targets, in much the way Captain America throws his shield. The only material capable of holding back Cyclops' optic blasts is ruby quartz, a fact discovered by Professor X, who developed ruby quartz glasses or googles for Scott to wear to keep his blasts in control. Xavier also invented a visor for Scott to use in the field, thus leading to his code name, since it make it look like he has one eye. It's a common misconception to think the visor serves as a filter for the blasts, giving them their red color. In fact the visor tilts up and down, releasing the blasts, which are naturally red. Initially, the visor control was activated by a stud on the side of it, but later there was a button control put in Cyclops' glove, and later still, a mechanism was put in the frame of the visor that would react to the movement of Cyclops' eyes. Similarly, Cyclops was only able to control his blasts by varying the degree with which he opened the visor. If it was fully open, he would release a full-power blast. Over time, he did actually learn some degree of control of his blasts, so he could narrow them into a tight, powerful beam or a wide blast of varying intensity. An incredibly powerful mutant, Cyclops' blasts can level a mountain or propel a starship, but he has enough control to shatter a single potato chip on the other side of a room, or sink every ball on a pool table with one shot.

Often looked at as the perfect X-Man, Cyclops was trained to be the team's deputy leader in the field, with a strategic mind on par with Captain America.

Iceman (Bobby Drake)

The second member to join the team, Iceman was also the youngest of the original X-Men, maybe 14 years old when he joined. In context, he was supposed to be the equivalent of a high school freshman while the rest of the team were juniors or seniors, aged 16 or 17. This contrast in age was illustrated by Iceman often playing practical jokes on other members of the team, who were irritated by his juvenile behavior.

Drake's life was normal until his powers started to develop, and, as with most mutants, he was unable to control them. When his mutant status was revealed, he was chased and confronted by a mob who planned to lynch him until Cyclops intervened and Professor X eventually calmed the mob, saving both their lives.

Iceman has a unique physiology, making him immune to cold. For most of the character's history, he displayed powers that were effectively the reverse of the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four. He can control temperature on a very broad or fine level, just enough to chill a drink or enough to freeze the air around an opponent and encase them in ice. He can also create objects out of snow or ice, frequently creating ice slides that he uses to transport the team. To disguise his appearance and give himself a measure of protection in combat, Iceman typically encases himself in ice or snow.

Angel (Warren Worthington III)

The third member to join the X-Men, Angel is the only member who worked as a vigilante before joining the team. The son of wealthy industrialist, Angel is the heir to the Worthington fortune, a fact that has come in handy from time to time.

Angel has an interesting mutation in that while it's physical, it developed over time. He was always a gifted athlete, excelling in multiple sports, not knowing it was because he had strong yet hollow bones like a bird, enabling him to run quickly. He also had increased agility and slightly enhanced strength. While he was in boarding school in his teens, he noted that his shoulder blades were becoming unusually large. In reality, he was developing wings, something he was able to conceal over time as he learned to control them. One night there was a fire at his school and Warren, disguising himself as an angel, helped rescue a number of classmates. He later made a costume for himself and struck out as the Avenging Angel, before he was asked to join the X-Men.

By that time, Angel's wings had grown considerably, and Professor Xavier helped create a system of straps to help the wings lie flat along his back so they could be hidden under normal clothing. His wings are as proportionately strong as those of a goose, meaning that not only can he use them to fly, but they can strike hard enough to break bone. He can flap them fast enough to hover, or even create strong winds. His body has natural adaptations, allowing him to breathe at high elevations, and while flying at high speed. He also has superhumanly acute vision, similar to that of an eagle, enabling him to spot fine details of even small objects from a great distance.

Early in the days of the team, Angel tended to be a hothead, vying for the affections of Jean Grey while also challenging the leadership of Cyclops.

Beast (Henry "Hank" McCoy)

Beast's mutation may have been due to his father working with nuclear energy, or not. Regardless, he lived a reasonably normal life, though from birth he had unusually large hands and feet, and he was strong enough as a baby to stun an adult if he hit them during a tantrum. A gifted athlete, Hank excelled at all sports, particularly football and track, but he also had a brilliant mind, reading voraciously and graduating high school early enough to start college by the time he was contacted by the X-Men, which happened when a group of criminals attacked McCoy's college campus during a football game. McCoy used his abilities to defeat the criminals, then left his school to join the X-Men, where he continued his formal education while also learning to hone his powers.

Beast has enhanced senses, a fact not typically noted much in the comics, but he does have a greater sense of smell, taste, touch, and hearing, while ironically also being a big nearsighted. He also has an enhanced recuperating rate and stamina. These abilities are overshadowed by his great strength, which enabled him to lift about 1 ton in the earlier part of his career, and by his speed and agility, which allow him to navigate obstacles flawlessly at great speed, balance on one finger, or even scale walls. Many times, like the Fantastic Four's Mr. Fantastic, Beast has used his scientific skill to build devices that have helped the X-Men overcome their foes.

Beast was the oldest of the original X-Men, though oddly enough he often spent time with Iceman, the youngest of the team, often going on double dates together.

Key foes

Magneto (Erik "Magnus" Lehnsher)

Magneto was the first and greatest of the X-Men's foes, appearing in X-Men #1. One of the world's most powerful mutants, he can control all aspects of magnetism, allowing him to move or shape metals, fly, or project a strong protective force field around himself. Early on, Magneto acted much like a classic stereotypical villain, but as the 1960s progressed, Magneto was seen more as the mutant equivalent of Malcolm X, in contrast to Professor Xavier's Martin Luther King. In context, that means Magneto wanted peace by any means necessary, including terrorism, while Xavier wanted mutants and humans to coexist.

Over the years it was revealed that Magneto was Jewish, and that as a young man he and his wife were captured by the Nazis and put in a concentration camp. There, Magneto used his newfound powers to escape. Shortly thereafter he met Charles Xavier and the two revealed to each other that they were mutants. They parted ways after an encounter with former Nazi Baron Strucker and the fledgling terrorist group Hydra.

The Vanisher

First seen in X-Men #2, the Vanisher was a teleporter. Rarely used as an X-Men villain, he later helped form the team the Fallen Angels.

The Blob (Fred J. Dukes)

The X-Men first encountered the Blob when he was working as a circus performer. In his act, he would allow himself to be shot in the stomach with a cannon. The team offered the Blob membership, but he refused. He later reappeared as a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Blob holds the distinction of being a member of every version of the Brotherhood to date. His mutant abilities include increased strength and durability, as well as the ability to not be moved. The reasoning for that later ability has changed over the years. It was initially said he anchors himself to the ground with concentrated gravity, but later it was said that, like Vision of the Avengers, he alters his own density so that he becomes so heavy he effectively can't be moved.

The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants

In the 60s, Marvel did a good job of creating evil teams that were the villainous equivalents of the heroic teams. Thus the Fantastic Four fought the Frightful Four, the Avengers fought the Masters of Evil, and the X-Men fought the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Led by Magneto, the membership of the Brotherhood changed over time, but the classic lineup included. Magneto, the Blob, and four other key members, Toad, Mastermind, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch.

The Toad

With Magneto typically acting as a classic, sneering villain, he needed a lackey, otherwise known as a toadie, who was in fact The Toad, a villain with the ability to leap great distances. While Magneto frequently just slapped him around and insulted his intelligence, it was later revealed that Toad was fairly smart. His leaping ability made him a good counterpoint to the Beast, but Toad was typically used for menial tasks, like Renfield serving Dracula. In the films, Toad was played by Ray (Darth Maul) Park, and he was depicted with a long, prehensile tongue. Because of the films, Toad was brought back briefly in the comics, despite not being used for years, with the long tongue, which was explained as a later secondary mutation.

Mastermind (Jason Wyngard)

While not a very good physical fighter, Mastermind became, over time, one of the most dangerous foes in X-Men history. In reality a not very attractive man, Mastermind uses his power to cast highly realistic illusions to make himself seem very attractive, to hide in the shadows, or for personal gain. As a member of the Brotherhood, Mastermind would often strike at members of the X-Men to make them think they were trapped, or bound, or otherwise terrified or helpless, though with Xavier's training, they were typically able to realize what they were sensing was an illusion and overcome his manipulation.

In later years, Mastermind joined the Hellfire Club and targeted X-Man Phoenix over a period of months, affecting her mental stability and initiating her transformation into Dark Phoenix.

Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch (Pietro and Wanda Maximoff)

Orphaned twins, Pietro and Wanda grew up in Eastern Europe, raised by gypsies, until they were found by Magneto, who helped them control and develop their powers. Pietro, who was always protective of Wanda, had the gift of super-speed, enabling him to move at the speed of sound, run up walls or across water, or create small tornadoes by running in circles. Like Marvel Girl, Wanda was alternately depicted as being weak or strong depending on the needs of the story, but her powers were notoriously obscure for decades. In general, she was described as having a "hex ability" that would make things happen, such as machines breaking, ropes snapping, and other effects that could be used to otherwise confound the X-Men. At one point it was said that her hex worked by affecting probability, so that what would normally be a freak accident would actually occur. Later, it was said that her abilities actually warped reality based on her will. Later still it was explained that she was channeling chaos magic. She also, much later on, was actually schooled in magic, and would use magic along with her mutant abilities.

Something unique about Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch was that they were never depicted as evil themselves. They were loyal to Magneto because they were grateful to him for helping them, but unlike the other members of the Brotherhood, they weren't naturally criminals. They were in fact more noble, and were sympathetic to the X-Men's cause, sometimes helping the team, or showing mercy on them when they could have finished them off. This led to their later decision to abandon Magneto and join the Avengers (circa Avengers 16) when the founding members left and Captain America was left to form a new team.

The Juggernaut (Cain Marko)

One of the greatest, most enduring X-Men foes, Juggernaut is also one of the strongest, easily standing toe-to-toe over the years with some of Marvel's strongest characters, including the Hulk. Despite some inaccurate depictions, Juggernaut is not a mutant.

As Professor Xavier's older step-brother, Marko would bully Xavier when they were younger. Like most bullies, he was strong but not very intelligent, while Xavier was a genius and emotionally sensitive, but not as strong. When they grew up, the pair joined the Army and were deployed in the Korean War. While on a mission, they discovered a cave, which they entered, finding a large gem, the Ruby of Cytorrak. When Cain grabbed it, he was changed infused with great power. His transformation causes an earthquake and the cave collapses, trapping Cain while Xavier escapes. Years later, after the formation of the X-Men, Cain, now the Juggernaut, returned to Xavier's mansion to exact his revenge for being abandoned by his step-brother.

Juggernaut has massive strength, durability, and stamina. He also is typically clad in the armor that was part of his transformation, that includes a helmet that protects him from psychic attack. Normally, in order to stop him, the helmet must be removed so that Juggernaut can be incapacitated by Xavier, Jean Grey, or another psychic. Otherwise, he can only be slowed down or stopped for a time. Part of his power includes being unstoppable. If he's intentionally moving, he literally cannot be stopped.

At some point over the years, Juggernaut allied himself with the mutant criminal Black Tom Cassidy, who could be counted as Juggernaut's one true friend. Otherwise, he typically acts alone.

The Sentinels

Another of the X-Men's most enduring and deadly enemies, the Sentinels are an illustration of pure hate. Simply put, the Sentinels are robots built to hunt and either capture or kill mutants. Killer robots are pretty standard fare in comics, but what makes the Sentinels particularly bad is they're programmed with data about most of the known mutants, like the X-Men, and they have built-in defenses to help make them immune to attack from the powers of those mutants, and weapons to help neutralize them. Worse still, they have scanners that enable them to analyze mutants, evaluate them as threats, and counteract them in moments. Over time, the Sentinels were refined and made bigger and bigger, initially about 12 feet tall, but later biger and always more deadly.

The Mimic (Calvin Rankin)

In addition to creating villain teams to counterbalance the various heroic teams, Marvel created villains that had all the powers of those team members. For the Fantastic Four it was the Super-Skrull, for the Avengers it was the Super-Adaptoid, and for the X-Men it was the Mimic, a villain turned hero who is far more obscure than the other two characters, and often very misunderstood.

Calvin Rankin is not a mutant. His father created a machine that accidentally gave Rankin the ability to mimic the skills of those around him. Not just mutants, but anyone he was in fairly close proximity to. If he was playing chess, he could mimic the ability of a skilled player nearby, or a better athlete in a soccer game, or whatever. Realizing he had this ability, Rankin sought out the X-Men, so he could mimic their abilities. As the Mimic, Rankin fought the X-Men a number of times and eventually joined them. In an illustration of his sometimes cruel manipulations, Professor X made Mimic the Deputy Leader of the team because Cyclops, who had been trained to be leader, lacked confidence (he was in constant fear of accidentally hurting someone with his powers). Rankin was such a brash jackass that Cyclops stepped up, as Xavier knew he would.

Eventually Mimic lost his abilities, only to regain them, stronger than before. He eventually went into seclusion and was thought dead for many years.

Factor Three

After a while, it was clear that in order to keep stories fresh, the X-Men would have to fight a group of mutants other than Magneto and his Brotherhood. So, the new group was Factor Three, launching a long storyline that involved the X-Men encountering some new mutants, some old, then having to find Factor Three's headquarters to stop them. Previous villains who were members included the Blob, Toad, Mastermind, Vanisher, and Unus the Untouchable, a wrestler whose mutant ability was to project a force field to literally keep him from being touched. When paired with the Blob, Unus was particularly problematic.

New threats included the Changeling, Factor Three's leader the Mutant Master, and, most importantly the Banshee.

Banshee encountered the X-Men by himself, and it was clear from the start that he was being coerced. As you can see in the picture above, Banshee is wearing some sort of headband. That headband is loaded with explosives, so that if he doesn't do what Factor Three wants him to, which was robbing people and fighting the X-Men, they'd kill him. Eventually the X-Men helped him get the headband off and Factor Three was defeated.

A very powerful mutant, Banshee has superhuman vocal cords that enable him to scream at extremely high volumes, as well as achieve pitches far outside the norm, to various effects. He can shatter rocks, level a mountain, break glass (including camera lenses) hypnotize individuals or crowds, sedate people, use his scream like a sonar, and fly.

Another important member of Factor Three was the Changeling, who, oddly enough, was never seen using his powers in the Factor Three storyline. It wasn't until years later, when Professor X returned after being thought killed on a mission, that Xavier revealed the Changeling was a shape-shifter who came to Xavier after learning he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Wanting to atone for his past actions, Changeling used his powers to assume Xavier's form and lead the X-Men in his place while Xavier hid beneath the X-Mansion in a secret level, where he prepared to fight off an alien invasion. At times when it was important for Changeling to use mental powers in the guise of Xavier, it was actually Marvel Girl doing it on his behalf.

Thus, Changeling was a member of the X-Men without the rest of the team knowing it, and he was in fact the first team member to die.

Decades later, the character of Morph, in "X-Men the Animated Series" and the Age of Apocalypse timeline, was based on the character of Changeling.

Count Nefaria

Sometimes the X-Men fought villains that weren't mutants, including villains who had fought other heroes, because in addition to being a school for mutants, Xavier's school was essentially a school for super-heroes, a fact that was largely forgotten over time.

In this case, the X-Men fought a group of villains (Unicorn, Eel, Porcupine, Scarecrow, and Plant Man) who were working for the evil crime lord Count Nefaria. Nefaria himself wasn't much of a threat, but each of the villains had made problems for heroes such as Iron Man in the past, and together they were a significant threat. Much later, Nefaria returned to face the X-Men again, and later still he gained enormous power, and was able to fight the Avengers single-handed.

New Recruits

Polaris (Lorna Dane)

While the X-Men were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the pair didn't stay on the book for long, and it was never a great seller. After several years, an attempt was made to revitalize it with superstar artists such as Jim Steranko, known for his work on Nick Fury and Captain America, and Neal Adams, known for his work on Avengers and Batman. These creators did breathe new life into the title, including bringing in new team members, a new costume for Angel, and new threats.

Lorna Dane was presented as the daughter of Magneto, with magnetic powers of her own. Code-named Polaris, it was later revealed that she wasn't Magneto's daughter, and she joined the X-Men as a member in training.

Havok (Alex Summers)

Alex Summers, younger brother of Scott (Cyclops) Summers, was adopted out of the orphanage they had been left in after the aparent death of their parents, and he lived a normal life until he was captured by the Living Pharaoh, a mutant who had an odd link to Alex. Both of them absorbed cosmic energy and converted it to power, much the way Cyclops converts solar energy into optic blasts. With Alex, his mutant ability enables him to convert cosmic rays into blasts of destructive plasma energy, a power he could barely control. By capturing Alex, the Pharaoh wanted to steal the energy he was using, claim it as his own, and increase his own power, becoming the Living Monolith. He was defeated by the X-Men and, taking the name Havok, Alex became a member in training, alongside Polaris. Both Havok and Iceman developed emotional feelings for Polaris, starting a triangle that continued for some time, though Polaris eventually chose Havok.

While he can turn his powers off and on, Havok wears a suit that helps him control his powers when he uses them. This suit is often depicted as having silver rings in the chest and back. That's inaccurate. As designed by Neal Adams, the suit is a plain black bodysuit with a metallic rings on the neck and metallic bands on the headpiece, connected by a red gem. The ring effect seen around his body are actually emitted only when he's using his power. In addition, Havok and Cyclops both emit a field making them mostly immune to each other's powers, so they can blast each other and suffer minimal damage.

Sauron (Karl Lykos)

In addition to the new team members Havok and Polaris, the Steranko and Adams era of the title brought back classic villains like the Sentinels, and a new villain, Sauron. While visiting the Savage Land, an area of the Antarctic where dinosaurs still live, Karl Lykos was bitten by mutant pterodactyls. As he recovered, he found he could absorb mutant energy, but when he did, he was transformed into a human/pterodactyl hybrid Sauron, who had enhanced strength and speed, he could fly, and he had a powerful hypnotic power. While he sometimes operates in other areas, Sauron typically lives in the Savage Land, where he has encountered the X-Men and their ally, Ka-Zar, many times.

Sunfire (Shiro Yashida)

Sunfire was a mutant from Japan whose mutant abilities first appeared when his family took him to Hiroshima and he touched the soil there, which was still radioactive after being hit by the first atomic bomb at the end of World War II. Dubbed the Solar Samurai, Sunfire learned how to use his abilities and set out to avenge Japan against the United States, brinfing him into conflict with the X-Men. He was defeated, but went on to fight Iron Man and the Sub-Mariner several times.

The end of the original team

As noted earlier, despite the efforts of Steranko and Adams to revitalize the book, it was effectively cancelled. As Adams noted years later, sales on the title actually improved enough to save the book, but reporting on sales lagged so much at the time that the decision was already made to just reprint older stories with new covers rather than to pay a creative team for new stories. The reprints ran for several years, starting with issue 66 and continuing through issue 93.

Meanwhile, there were sporadic appearances of the X-Men now and then. Beast was the first member to leave the team and have a career of his own, in "Amazing Adventures", where he developed a formula that actually prompted mutation. Testing it on himself, Beast increased his strength, speed, and agility, developed a healing factor, and developed grey fur and sharp claws. He was initially able to reverse the change, but one night he delayed the reversal too long and the change became permanent, eventually settling in to blue fur and the look of the classic Beast most remember. Shortly thereafter Beast joined the Avengers, where he became a mainstay of the team.

The remaining X-Men were seen elsewhere, such as the pages of Captain America, and in Marvel Team-Up, where they and Spider-Man fought Morbius the Living Vampire.

Professor X himself appeared alongside the fledgling team the Defenders as they faced Magneto and the Brotherhood. At the end of that story, Alpha, the Ultimate Mutant reduced Magneto to a state of infancy. an obscure story that would go on to explain how Magneto could still be young and vital after so many years, a question that had already been addressed for characters such as Nick Fury and Captain America.

Professor X also appeared when the Fantastic Four encountered a mutant known as Madrox the Multiple Man. His power enabled him to create a full duplicate of himself when he was struck in any way, effectively becoming a one-man army in seconds, powerful enough to overpower the Thing. Xavier arrived on the scene to help Madrox control his power, and presumably to join the X-Men, though he wouldn't be seen again for years.

Next: Part 2 The All-New All-Different X-Men!