TheX-Menfranchise is one of the lodestones of the Marvel Universe, packed with unique powers and a sprawling found family of mutants fighting for freedom in a world that hates and fears them. While latercreators like Chris Claremontand Grant Morrison shaped many essential aspects of the franchise, it all started with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who created Xavier’s founding class and their initial slate of opponents and allies.
Here are the eight most underrated characters introduced in Lee and Kirby’s world-changing original run. For this list,we’re looking fortrulyunderrated characters, so you won’t find heavyweights like Cyclops or Magneto. Instead, we’re looking for characters who receive nothing like the love they’re owed from fans and even Marvel itself.
8Vanisher, aka Telford Porter
First Appeared in X-Men #2 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
In superhero comics, early additions to canon are often treated like holy writ, with early villains generally ending up as the most powerful and important foes the heroes will ever encounter. It’s therefore surprising that despiteappearing in the X-Men’s second ever comic, the Vanisher has such a minor place in the franchise. Using the alias Telford Porter,Vanisher set up a criminal empire by using his teleportation powers to pull off otherwise impossible heists.
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The initial pitch of a powerful teleporter building a crime empire by guaranteeing everyday criminals riches and freedom is a great one, and early appearances set the Vanisher up as a significant threat. Sadly, that potential has been largely squandered. Vanisher initially held the White House to ransom, but has had sparse appearances since, notably being forcibly recruited by the lethal X-Force inX-Force volume 3(from Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Clayton Crain), and later imprisoned and weaponized by the anti-mutant taskforce ONE.Vanisher is still one of Marvel’s most powerful teleporters, retaining the promise of his initial appearances.
Vanisher appears inDeadpool 2as a member of Wade Wilson’s X-Force. In the movie, he is invisible rather than a teleporter, and ismemorably depicted by Brad Pittat the moment of his death.
7Unus the Untouchable, aka Gunther Bain, aka Angelo Unuscione
Debuted in X-Men #8 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Again, for a character who appeared so early inX-Menlore,it’s shocking how little-utilized Unus the Untouchable has been. Unus' mutant power is simple - he generates a forcefield of incredible power, able to repel all but the most potent attacks. Indeed, when Unus faced the Hulk inMarvel Fanfare #7(from Steven Grant and Joe Barney), even the Green Goliath’s strength was barely able to shatter Unus' forcefield.
Force fields are a surprisingly rare power in Marvel lore, and Unus has developed a reputation for having the strongest possible - so strong that they impair his ability to eat and drink, and even threaten to suffocate him at their strongest. The most prominent use of Unus in recent comics has been using his DNA to createthe Chimera mutant Rasputin IV, who possesses the power of multiple high-level mutants, including Unus, Colossus and Laura Kinney’s Wolverine.
With a creative power that forces the X-Men to attack in unusual ways, it’s a huge shame Unus hasn’t been given more to do inX-Menlore - however, there’s always the possibility of more in the future.
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6Lucifer of the Quist
First Appeared in X-Men #9 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
In pretty much everyX-Menadaptation,Charles Xavier’s spine is damaged by Magneto, cementing the tragedy of their friends-turned-enemies relationship. However, in the comicsit was actually the alien Lucifer who injured Xavier. The champion of an alien race known as the Quist, Lucifer was meant to be the beginning of an invasion until he was defeated by a pre-X-Men Charles Xavier. Lucifer has ionic energy powers similar to Avengers' Wonder Man, including enhanced strength and energy blasts, and can merge with others to grant them the same abilities.
Lucifer was exiled to another dimension following his defeat by Xavier, and this is where the character found his best form. Matthew Rosenberg and Travel Foreman’sAstonishing X-Men Annual #1reveals thatLucifer has become a disembodied consciousness who is able to control those whose minds are weakened by hate and fear. Severing the link created by Lucifer can kill his thralls, making him a particularly challenging (though seldom seen) enemy of the X-Men.
Xavier speculates that the ancient Lucifer has attacked Earth before, and that the Satanic associations around the name come from his prior interactions with human society.
5The Stranger
Debuted in X-Men #11 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
While the Stranger has since become a general part of Marvel’s cosmic pantheon, his journey started in the pages ofX-Men. A mysterious, godlike beingsimilar to the Watcher - but far more aggressive - the Stranger is an alien scientistdedicated to unlocking the secrets of the cosmos through immoral experimentation. The Stranger’s backstory is often contradictory, and the character himself doesn’t know how he came to be. The most consistent depiction is that the Stranger is the result of an alien race fusing their minds together to create a single being.
The Living Tribunal has speculated that it once had a fourth face that broke away and became the Stranger. If so, this face would embody imbalance and solipsism.
The Stranger’s experiments include enhancing the powers of mutants on Earth, hoping to create a slave race of superbeings he can weaponize against his various cosmic enemies. While less well known than Galactus, the Stranger is amongthe universe’s most powerful beings, andgenerally present at meetings of the Cosmic Abstracts such as Eternity, Death and the Living Tribunal. His scientific curiosity makes him an unpredictable enemy with surprisingly concrete goals, operating from a laboratory the size of a planet.
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First Seen in X-Men #4 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
One of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Toad was originally a cringing jester barely worthy of the Master of Magnetism’s notice. However, Toad has appeared frequently enough that Marvel has gradually fleshed out his character, turning him into a true loyalist to Magneto’s dream of mutant supremacy - someone who will fight and die for the villain’s agenda, since his visible mutations mean he has no place in human society.
Depending on the creative team,Toad can be a significant physical threat, with his incredible agility and prehensile tongue making him a skilled fighter. Marvel has also experimented withgiving Toad secondary mutations, including the ability to unleash huge blasts of air from hidden throat sacs and spit a fast-hardening mucus that can suffocate his victims. Self-pitying, erratic and hateful, Toad has been both a sympathetic ally to the X-Men and a bitter enemy, bringing a lot more to the franchise than might initially seem likely.
3Angel, aka Warren Worthington III
First Seen in X-Men #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Angel is the only founding X-Men hero on this list, but he’s earned his place, beingthe only member of the O5 not to get his own seriesat some point in Marvel history. Warren Worthington III is a victim of the franchise’s power creep - while flight might once have been a unique ability, it’s now often seen among several other powers (for example, Jean Grey can use her telekinesis to fly), making it hard to make Angel useful in X-Men stories. Indeed, partly because of this, Angel has received various new abilities over the years, from healing powers to adark ‘Archangel’ persona whose wingsare made of poison-tipped blades.
However, Warren definitely deserves better.One fascinating detail about Angel is that he was a vigilante before Xavier ever recruited him, fighting to protect New York as the Avenging Angel.He’s also consistently chosen to work as a crime-fighter when not with the X-Men, acting as a founding member of the Champions of Los Angeles, X-Corp and the current incarnation of X-Factor, while also being a major member of the Defenders.
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While Warren’s personality is often lost in his various transformations, the idea of a billionaire crime-fighter with angel wings would be enough for its own franchise in any other fictional universe, and various storieshavetapped Warren’s true potential. While Angel is tied to his ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ relationship with Archangel inX-Mencomics,he’s consistently a far stronger character when he appears in comics that aren’t solely about mutant heroes.
2Mimic, aka Calvin Rankin
First Appeared in X-Men #19 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
An artificial mutant who can copy the superpowers of those in close proximity, Mimic originally had the abilities of the five founding X-Men. While Calvin is immensely powerful, he’s also depicted as someone unsuited to superhero life - an antihero turned reluctant hero who never really gets the chance to shine, and can’t mentally handle the weight of his power.
However, Mimic achieved his potential once Marvel got him away from its main reality. Judd Winick and Mike McKone’sExiles #1introduced a variant of Mimic from a world where, after his first appearance as a villain,Calvin joined the X-Men, becoming their leader at a time when Cyclops has yet to grow into the role. This Mimic lives in a world where mutants are broadly accepted by humanity, with many iconic moments working out far better because of his involvement. This Calvin is limited to half-power on the abilities he copies, and has traded some of the O5 abilities for Wolverine’s claws and Colossus' metal skin and strength.
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1Mastermind, aka Jason Wyngarde
First Appeared in X-Men #4 by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
For some reason (likely his power level) Jason Wyngarde keeps being left out ofX-Menadaptations, despite his status asan original member of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Mastermind creates near-perfect psychic illusions, totally immersing the senses of his victims in hyper-realistic scenarios. Like Jessica Jones' nemesis the Purple Man, Mastermind fundamentally undermines his enemies' grasp on reality whenever he’s involved, since anything that happens could be one of his illusions.
Mastermind was responsible for defeating the Sentry, turning the godlike hero’s powers against him by convincing him to erase all memory of his existence from humanity. Despite the level of this accomplishment, Mastermind did it simply because he was hired by Sentry’s nemesis the General, not out of personal animus.
A grimy, manipulative villain,Mastermind has shifting moral allegiancesand will work with heroes or villains if it benefits him. In many ways as big of a threat as Magneto himself - especially given his ability to suborn others to his criminal schemes - Mastermind doesn’t enjoy the same infamy, but his powers are a creative challenge that more writers and artists should tackle.
Those are the eight most underratedX-Mencharacters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby - let us know in the comments who else should be included, and whoyouthink isX-Men’s most underrated hero or villain.
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
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