Who are the greatest ever X-Men? We’re going to try to answer that question with your help, by putting the spotlight on different individual X-Men from across the franchise’s long history and pairing up your votes with the votes and opinions of our panel of highly opinionated X-Men fans. Your scores will be added to ours to determine the top 100 X-Men.

Even by X-Men standards we're rating a remarkable collection of X-Men today; a shape-shifting terrorist, a time-tossed gay teen, an Atlantean monarch, that one original X-Man that you totally forgot existed, and whatever the heck Doop is. But do any of them rate among the all-time greats?

 

 

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ICEMAN JR, BOBBY DRAKE

Elle: I don’t really understand what the kids mean when they call someone a cinnamon roll, but I strongly suspect that young Bobby is a cinnamon roll. I want only good things for little Iceman. Give him a boyfriend and a solo series, Marvel. Do it. 9/10

Katie: I really enjoyed all of Bobby’s reactions to “the future” during that first arc of All-New X-Men. Now that they’ve confirmed him as gay, Marvel better not shove him under the rug. 7/10

Aaron: I’m cosigning Elle on the boyfriend and the solo series. 7/10

Steve: He’s fine, and certainly better than the older Iceman. Still waiting for him to do something good though. 5/10

Andrew: I actually like the older Iceman better, because that guy is now the de facto elder statesman of Marvel’s gay heroes, and I don’t see the point of having two of any of these guys. And really, coming out in your thirties and having your younger self running around, showing you up? That’s brutal. I like this kid, but I think he’s cramping elder Bobby’s style. 6/10

OUR SCORE: 34/50

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SAGE, TESSA

Steve: The sixth original X-men member. Certain people (98% of comics readers) hate Sage, but they are wrong and eventually we will prove this. Sage was sent to be a mole in the Hellfire Club by Xavier, which is really when you think about it one of the worst crimes that character ever perpetrated, along with his treatment of Danger. She eventually moved away and spent the rest of her life trying to find autonomy --- which came through 2000-era Chris Claremont quickly giving her every superpower imaginable and turning her into an invincible robot-mind with no flaws. Most people… hate that. But isn’t it also kind of amazing to think about, looking back? Greg Pak brought her back in X-Treme X-Men, and I still wonder if that was because I once spent three interviews in a row pestering him about her. 8/10

Katie: Another character tangled in a web of canon and reconning, eh? 5/10

Andrew: It’s a shame that only Claremont really seems interested in Tessa --- a post-pestered Greg Pak aside. I suspect Steve is right that the blame for that lies with her vague “whatever the plot needs” powers. But I always thought she was a very intriguing character, even as far back as her obscure first appearance. I’d love to see her defined a little better and used a little more. 7/10

Aaron: I’m seeing a pattern here with Steve’s choices. I’m not mad at her Underworld, cyber getup. 2/10

Elle: I am one of the “certain people” Steve mentioned. Nope to Sage. 1/10

OUR SCORE: 23/50

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MYSTIQUE, RAVEN DARKHOLME

Katie: My opinions of Mystique are very influenced by the movies simply because I’ve read only a handful of the actual comics with her in them, and her characterization in the movies varies. But I like her when she has her own agenda, when said agenda is mostly selfish but also includes real concern for her partner and her daughter. And I wish the first movie had let her wear clothes. 7/10

Aaron: My favorite Mystique is when she’s with Destiny. It’s a shame she’s only been receiving attention due to Jennifer Lawrence’s onscreen portrayal of her. Katie makes a good point about Mystique’s knack for self preservation. She’s a grey-area character that I thoroughly enjoy for that reason alone, aaaand she’s my favorite indigo mutant. (Sorry elf.) 7/10

Andrew: Movie Mystique is almost unrecognizable to me. This is one of Marvel’s toughest, smartest, most ruthless villains, with a web of really fascinating relationships, not least her tragic romance with Irene. I like Jennifer Lawrence a lot, but my ideal Mystique is a lot more Helen Mirren. 8/10

Elle: Mystique should be awesome, and the movies are kind of ruining her. Also I hate that she’s never had another girlfriend on-panel since Destiny died. Be better, Mystique, I want to love you. 7/10

Steve: The X-Men’s greatest villain, and trickiest opponent. She’s a real piece of work --- manipulative, intelligent, controlled and fifteen steps ahead of plans you could only dream of making. She always gets away with it in the end, because she’s just brilliant. Yeah, she’s basically Helen Mirren. Mystique from the comics is the toughest character in Marvel comics. 9/10

OUR SCORE: 38/50

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DOOP

Katie: So Marvel was really trying to make Doop a thing for a while in the 2000s, huh? He’s certainly a ... character. 3/10

Aaron: The walking booger of the X-Men? I’ll pass. 1/10

Steve: Katie, Aaron, no! Doop had brilliant moments! The problem was that nobody other than his creators should’ve been allowed to touch him. Mike Allred and Peter Milligan made a masterpiece of what should’ve been a ridiculous mess of a concept, but instead saw him/it develop into a ridiculous blaze of glory. Doop should never have outlived the X-Statix, but emotions prevailed and since then the character’s never reached the previous heights. It needs Milligan and Allred together for the alchemy to form something --- even with one of them in the mix, it was still not enough. 6/10

Andrew: He’s the only X-Statix member to ever join the for-real X-Men, despite being the weirdest X-Statik. But he only really worked within the context of that book. I like him, but I like him over there. 6/10

Elle: He’s a green potato, but multiple human characters are sexually attracted to him. A Peter Milligan character, you say? I’d never have guessed. 5/10

OUR SCORE: 21/50

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NAMOR THE SUB-MARINER, PRINCE NAMOR MCKENZIE

Andrew: Straight dudes always seem kinda mad about Namor. I can’t think why. But he is the absolute best, a character who should have both an ongoing series and his own movie, all leaning heavily into the old school stories about waging war on the corrupt and venal world of men while wearing tiny pants. He’ll never really be an X-Man, because he’s so not a team guy (and the X-Men seemed to want him to wear trousers and a shirt, so screw those guys), so he loses a point for that. But he’s the best. 9/10

Elle: When I was reading comics as a kid, Namor was an Avenger. So because I’m really no better than Geoff Johns, that’s what he’ll always be to me. But he’s Namor, and he’s awesome in any context, whether its argumentative Avenger, occasional X-Man, or Sue Storm’s sidepiece. 9/10

Katie: My main reference with Namor is as the guy whose costume every mansplainer points to in order to prove that cheesecake female costume designs aren’t a problem. Other than that, I know him as the better alternative in Sue Storm’s love life. 6/10

Steve: The Namor in Andrew Wheeler’s head is the best version of Namor. If he were in the comics, I’d be onboard, but instead we have the feller who Emma Frost ran in circles for years, never able to best her or prove himself more than a bulletproof shield for the denizens of Utopia. 4/10

Aaron: Andrew and I share a mutual swoon for Namor. Pompous looks good on him. Well, everything looks good him. Even winged-feet! I’ve never considered him a true X-Man, but who cares, that speedo is lit. 8/10

OUR SCORE: 36/50

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