10 Things Everyone Always Gets Wrong About the X-Men
Unless you are living under a rock, you must have at least heard of the X-Men. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, these characters first appeared in comic books by Marvel Comics in September of 1963. The characters that appear in the comics are some of the most recognized of all the Marvel franchises, and they have appeared in a string of books, television shows, video games and movies.
If you are not familiar with the series, the X-Men are a subspecies of humans, or mutants, who have
superhuman abilities. This group fights for equality and peace between themselves and normal humans, but the world they live in is extremely anti-mutant, and bigotry is widespread.
The leader of the group is Professor X, or Charles Xavier, and he can both read and control minds. Magneto, one of the main enemies of the X-Men, can manipulate, control and generate magnetic fields. The main reason for the destructive relationship between the X-Men and Magneto is their feelings about humans. Magneto sees humans as threatening, where Professor X works to create peace with the human species.
Professor X founded Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, or the X-Mansion, and he recruits mutants from around the world. Over the years, there have been multitudes of mutants who have gone through the doors of the X-Mansion, and who have joined the ranks of the X-Men.
Because of the popularity of the X-Men franchise and the millions of fans who love the stories behind it, there are obviously some things that people get wrong. Here are the top 10 things everyone always gets wrong about the X-Men:
10. Everyone Thinks Wolverine Was Supposed to Be an Actual Wolverine
If there is one character that really stands out in the modern X-Men universe, it is Wolverine. Wolverine was brought to life by Hugh Jackman in the movies, but before Wolverine made it to the big screen, he was in the comic books, and has been for more than 40 years. During that time, there has been plenty of time for misconceptions about the origin of Wolverine, and there is a “fact” that is going around that the character was literally a wolverine, which is an animal, and was genetically changed by the High Evolutionary into a humanoid. This, however, is not true.
Before learning the truth, you must understand what a real wolverine is. It is a mammal that is related to a weasel. It is a solitary creature that looks like a bear cub, and it has a reputation of being extremely strong and ferocious. It is able to kill animals that are much larger than itself including caribou, elk and deer. Since there is a notable similarity between the traits of the animal wolverine and the character Wolverine, rumors spread that they were one in the same.
Len Wein, the creator of Wolverine, puts this rumor to rest, however. He chose to create Wolverine with the traits of the mammal, and he never had any intention of making the character an actual mutated wolverine. Though the character, Wolverine, is a mutant, just like all of the X-Men, he is a humanoid mutant, not an animal mutant.
9. Everyone Thinks Rogue’s Real Name is Marie
For people who have seen the X-Men movies, but have not read all of the comics mistakenly believe that Rogue’s real name is Marie. Throughout the film, the character was continuously called Marie, but in the comics, it is Anna Raven, and it was later revealed to be Anna-Marie. To understand how this mix-up has occurred, it is important to understand the history of the character.
Anna-Marie was born to very young parents, and after her birth mother disappeared, her birth father reached out to his wife’s sister, Carrie, to care for the young girl. With her aunt, Anna-Marie did not have a good life, as Carrie was extremely strict with her niece. As Anna-Marie grew, she began to attract the notice of boys in town, and fell in love with one of them, Cody Robbins. It was then, under the full moon, that she had her first kiss with Cody, and ultimately, her powers were revealed at that moment, and her first love fell instantly into a coma.
Cody’s friends and family formed a mob to come after Anna-Marie, but she stole a gun from her home, and ran into a local swap. There, she fell unconscious and when she woke up, she found herself with Raven Darkholme, otherwise known as Mystique. At this point, with her life with Mystique, she became Anna Raven and lived with and worked for her foster mother, Raven Darkholme.
8. Everyone Thinks All Present and Former Members of the X-Men Are Mutants
Yes, many of the X-Men are, indeed, mutant humans, but contrary to popular belief, not all of the X-Men actually ARE mutants. Deadpool is very popular these days, thanks to the latest film, and he is a being with super powers, but he is not a mutant. Juggernaut, a former member of the X-Men, is also not a mutant. Instead, he got his powers after holding the Gem of Cyttorak in his hands and reading the inscription upon the gemstone. Another former X-Men, Longshot, is also not a mutant. In his case, he is an extradimensional being.
Moonstar and Jubilee are two other members of the X-Men who fit into this category. Though they use to be mutants, they are mutants no longer, and Jubilee is now a vampire. There have been depowered mutants in the past throughout the X-Men universe, so these characters are not alone. Some of these depowered mutants even have regained their abilities again, after losing them once before. However, there is an argument that they are still not real mutants as they do not have the X-gene. A good example here is Polaris, who lost the powers she had on M-Day, but she was granted similar powers by Apocalypse. Sunfire, Dagger, Wild Child and Cloak also fall into this category.
Aliens have been finding their way onto the X-Men team, too, such as Hepzibah and Warbird. There are also a number of humans on the X-Men team, such as Karima Shapandar.
7. Everyone Thinks There are Some X-Men Members Who Have Useless Powers
All of the X-Men members, or even former members, have powers. However, some of them may seem to have useless powers. Take Dazzler for instance. She has the ability to convert sound and absorb light, which, to some, may seem like a useless power. However, these powers may be quite powerful in the right situation.
First, let’s look at the sound conversion that Dazzler can do. She can take sound from a large range of frequencies, and then turn them into energy, which she can release in a large burst. She can take any sound that comes to her, from music to a car crash, but she cannot use any sound that she produces, such as the sound of her own voice. Her ability to convert sound is unlimited. Dazzler can also absorb light, which she can convert to lasers, strobes, dazzles, holograms, light mist and more. All of these abilities are far from useless, and they have gotten Dazzler out of a number of sticky situations.
Another former member of the X-Men who seems to have a useless power is Cypher. Cypher’s power is that he can take any language and translate it. This includes computer language, which makes him an excellent computer programmer, as well as a hacker, which is a very useful skill to have in the X-Men universe. At one time, in fact, Cypher was able to use his skills to save the earth from alien attacks.
6. Everyone Thinks that Deadpool Cannot Die…Ever
Since the Deadpool film was recently released, there has been a lot of talk about this X-Men character, and one of the “facts” about Deadpool that comes up again and again in these discussions is the fact that he cannot die. In fact, many sources claim that Deadpool is immortal, but the truth is, there are a number of ways that he could die. Though it is true that Deadpool was cursed by Thanos with immortality, it is still possible that Deadpool could die.
First, since Deadpool is only immortal due to a curse, Thanos can simply lift the curse, and at that point, Deadpool would be able to die. Do you think this wouldn’t happen? It could, as Thanos has already done it once in Deadpool Vs. Thanos #1. Additionally, Deadpool has already died several times, including in Deadpool #61 and Deadpool & Death Annual. However, we also know that Deadpool is alive during the Messiah War, which begins in 2973, so he has at least not died from today until then, or if he has, he has been resurrected at some point.
So, since Deadpool could potentially die, what could kill him? A physical attack of any kind would likely not kill him, even if his immortality curse was lifted, as he has an accelerated healing factor, which was given to him through the Weapon X program. He has been decapitated, and was able to come back from that, and he is resistant to disease. He can, however, become intoxicated when heavy doses of drugs are used, so many fans believe that this could be the key to killing Deadpool.
5. Everyone Thinks Wolverine Was Originally in the X-Men Comics
Ahhh, Wolverine. He has already been mentioned once on this list, and for good reason. He is likely one of the most popular X-Men of all time, and was even chosen as #1 in Entertainment Weekly’s Top 50 X-Men Character’s list. Being number one comes at a cost, however, and the price that the character pays is being the subject of rumors, falsities and lies. In Wolverine’s case, this happens a lot, and one of the “facts” that everyone believes to be true is that when he premiered in the Marvel universe, it was in an X-Men comic. This, however, is not true.
The truth is that Wolverine was first introduced in “The Incredible Hulk.” He was only intended to show up in the series one time, as a Canadian agent with super-powers who goes against the Hulk. He almost remained a one-time character, but was brought back in the May, 1975 X-Men comic, Giant Sized X-Men #1. In the August 1975 comic, X-Men 94, Wolverine became part of the official X-Men lineup, however, he took a back seat to the rest of the characters. This surprises modern fans who may not realize the backstory of Wolverine, as today, he is seen, or at least mentioned, in almost every comic that Marvel has published since.
4. Everyone Thinks Cyclops Shoots Lasers From His Eyes
If there is one character of the X-Men universe that fans know and love almost as much as Wolverine, it is Cyclops. Cyclops was a founding member of the X-Men, and has been around since X-Men #1. The main power that Cyclops possesses is the ability to shoot powerful beams of energy from the eyes, which are essentially “optic blasts.” These have the appearance of a laser, which most people believe them to be, as they are red and can destroy most objects that they come in contact with. These beams do not have heat, nor recoil, yet they can destroy rock and rupture steel.
Cyclops is unable to control the energy beams that come from his eyes, and he can only stop them by keeping his eyes closed, or by using glasses or a visor that contain a translucent mineral made of ruby-quartz. This is the only way for him to see without damaging anything within his field of vision. The involuntary nature of the beams comes from a childhood trauma that Cyclops experienced in his youth. However, it is possible for him to manipulate his energy beams in a number of ways, including by using the adjustable apertures in the glasses and shields that he wears.
Cyclops can also use this light to bounce off of metallic objects, and he can use it with a high degree of accuracy. For example, he can use it to make a small hole in a coin or to drill through wood, simply by focusing the energy. It is no wonder that people believe that these are lasers, but in X-Men reality, it is only energy.
3. Everyone Thinks That Mystique Does Not Age
Mystique is certainly not part of the X-Men team, but she is one of the quintessential enemies of the team, instead. She is a shapeshifter, has superhuman reflexes and agility, and she has the ability to heal extremely quickly. Fans of the X-Men universe also believe that one of Mystique’s powers is that she is ageless. This, however, is not true.
Though it is true that Mystique has technically been alive for more than 100 years, she is able to rejuvenate and alter the cells in her body thanks to her shapeshifting abilities. So, it is not that she doesn’t age…she does…she just ages at a much slower rate than others, and it seems like she stays young forever.
Mystique’s abilities have been enhanced a number of times, including after she died and was then revived by the Hand. In addition to being able to rejuvenate her cells, she also has a resistance to poison, she can regrow limbs and can recover from injuries that would be fatal to others. He is also immune to disease.
People who realize that Mystique ages more slowly than others estimate that she ages in half time. This would mean that for every 10 years that pass, she only ages approximately five years. Others believe that she ages even more slowly, perhaps only five to seven years for every 20 years that pass.
2. Everyone Thinks That the Phoenix is Jean Grey’s Mutant Form
No, no, no. Jean Grey and the Phoenix force are two separate entities, contrary to popular belief. Because of the complexity and popularity of this storyline, there is a lot of incorrect information out there about the Phoenix saga, and this is one of them. What was the Phoenix if not Jean Grey’s mutant form? The Phoenix force is actually a cosmic entity that chose Jean as its host.
Some attempt to debate that the Phoenix force is simply an extension of Jean’s powers, as she has shown some Phoenix-like abilities. However, they are two different entities, and the manifestation of Jean’s powers could be due to other events.
First, Jean’s powers may have been naturally developed over time as a way to bond with with Phoenix force more easily. Jean’s abilities may also have evolved by joining up with the forces of Phoenix, even though she was outside of the force’s possession.
Though this is all fact up to this point in the X-Men storyline, there is one thing that some people adamantly use to “disprove” this theory…Rachel Summers. Fans of the series know that Rachel is supposedly Jean’s daughter, and she had a very deep connection to the Phoenix, which means it is possible that there could be a mutation for this in the Grey genetic line. However, this theory does not explain how people who are not related to Jean can also easily bond with this force.
1. Everyone Thinks that Wolverine is the Most Important Member of the X-Men
Finally, we find ourselves back to Wolverine. If you are only aware of the X-Men universe due to the highly successful film series, you likely think that he is the most important X-Men member of all time. This, however, is also not true. Wolverine was not even part of the X-Men team for approximately the first 10 years, when Cyclops was the main guy, and was backed by Iceman, Marvel Girl, Beast and Angel.
Once Wolverine was added to the X-Men team line-up, he was seen as an uninteresting and unpopular character, and the creators were ready to pull him off the line-up. If you read both the comics and watch the films, you know that Wolverine is not in many of the major storylines of the comics, which have then been converted to the film storylines. For instance, in the film X-Men: Days of Future Past, Wolverine was a major character throughout the film. However, in the comic that the movie is based on, Wolverine is taken out of the story early on. Wolverine really didn’t even become a major character in the comics until the 1980s, when the creators wrote a miniseries around the character, which eventually was used as a basis for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
The truth is, Logan, the alias of Wolverine, is a loner who is very moody, and much of his storyline is him attempting to work with others and “play nice.” However, he is not as front and center as people who are not familiar with the series may think he is.
Conclusion
Due to the popularity of the X-Men series, as well as the varying storylines of the films and comic books, there are a number of misconceptions about the stories and characters. Additionally, since the series is more than 50 years old, there is a lot of material to cover, which can be confusing to fans. On top of all of this, there are many characters to keep track of, and all of these characters have different traits, personalities, powers, and they change affiliations between good and bad all of the time.
With all of this information available, it should be no surprise to anyone that there is so much incorrect information out there. The series has millions of fans from around the world, and with all of these varying opinions, there is no doubt that there are going to be mistakes and misconceptions.
Fortunately, there are enough X-Men experts out there who can easily set the rest of us straight when it comes to X-Men facts, and their knowledge helps us all learn the differences between Magneto or Mystique and Beast or Banshee.
Cover photo credit: urbanbuzz / Shutterstock.com
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