X-Men

The X-Men, are a team of fictional characters and superheroes who were born with special mutant powers, making them different from regular humans. The X-Men characters are owned by Marvel Comics, which publishes comic books featuring them as well as many other superheroes. The comic book was one of the first to combine social issues and social commentary into a superhero story, set in a world where people with mutant abilities are hated by those born without them. This is similar to acts of ableism seen throughout history. Unlike "some" mutants, the X-Men try to be good and show tolerance toward humans and other mutants. The idea behind the superheroes were inspired by the African-American equality supporters like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.^[1]^[2]

Characters

Original X-Men

The original X-Men, as created by writer Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, were

Mutant Name	Real Name	Gender	Powers
Cyclops	Scott Summers	Male	can shoot energy from eyes
Beast	Hank McCoy	Male	An ape-like body, later had blue fur
Iceman	Robert "Bobby" Drake	Male	Can make ice and snow.
Angel	Warren Kenneth Worthington III	Male	Flight, healing. Has big wings with white feathers, like an angel
Marvel Girl	Jean Grey	Female	Has mind powers (Telepathy, Telekinesis)

and all first appeared in X-Men #1 (Sept 1963).

The leader and mentor of the X-Men is Professor Charles Xavier, who is more commonly known as "Professor X" and has mental powers. He wants to gain civil rights for mutants in the way that Martin Luther King did for African Americans; through peace.

Other X-Men

Some other well-known X-Men include

Mutant Name	Real Name	Gender	Powers
Wolverine	James "Logan" Howlett	Male	Has sharp metal claws that come out of his knuckles, metal skeleton, and a healing power.
Nightcrawler	Kurt Wagner	Male	teleportation. Has blue fur, pointy ears and a tail
Storm	Ororo Munroe	Female	Can control the weather, fly
Gambit	Remy LeBeau	Male	Can charge any object with energy which then makes them explode. He usually uses poker cards.
Rogue	Anna Marie	Female	Can absorb powers and memories from other people when she touches them.
Colossus	Piotr "Peter" Nikolaievitch Rasputin	Male	Can turn body into steel, that gives him additional strength
Jubilee	Jubilation Lee	Female	Can shoot fireworks from her hands
White Queen	Emma Frost	Female	Telepath
Psylocke	Elizabeth Braddock	Female	Telepath
Shadowcat	Kathrine "Kitty" Pryde	Female	Can move through solid objects (phasing)

Some of the X-Men's enemies include Magneto, Mystique, Sabretooth, Toad, Juggernaut, Mister Sinister and Apocalypse. The leader of X-Men's enemies is Magneto. He wants to gain civil rights for mutants in the forceful style of Malcolm X.^[3]

In other media

The X-Men characters have since been featured in various comic book series, motion pictures, toys, animated series, and much more.

References

↑ Godoski, Andrew (2011-06-01). "Professor X And Magneto: Allegories For Martin Luther King, Jr. And Malcolm X". Screened. Archived from the original on 2013-11-09. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
↑ Shutt, Craig (August 1997). "Bad is Good". Wizard. No. 72. p. 38.
↑ Popular Culture, Geopolitics, and Identity - Page 114, Jason Dittmer - 2010

[1] Godoski, Andrew (2011-06-01). "Professor X And Magneto: Allegories For Martin Luther King, Jr. And Malcolm X". Screened. Archived from the original on 2013-11-09. Retrieved 2012-08-18.

[2] Shutt, Craig (August 1997). "Bad is Good". Wizard. No. 72. p. 38.

[3] Popular Culture, Geopolitics, and Identity - Page 114, Jason Dittmer - 2010

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