The title given to Marvel’s mighty mutants carries a bit of a problem, to the point that even Stan Lee acknowledges hegave the X-Men the wrong name. The group’s title isn’t meant to exclude women, and it actually never could, since the greatestX-Menheroes couldn’t exclude women if they tried.
Women have proven to be an integral part of theX-Menfranchise, with the most important characters often being women, and several of the most acclaimed writers and artists of X-titles being women themselves. Not only are some ofMarvel’s strongest womenmembers, butthese strongest X-Womenmore than compete with their male teammates.
10The Deadly Duality of Psylocke
Most Versions of Psylocke Are All-Powerful
Psylocke is a complicated mutant to breakdown. Where she sits on the power scale largely depends on which version people are talking about. There’s Betsy Braddock, there’s Kwannon, and then there’s Betsy in the body of Kwannon.Again, it’s complicated. That being said, Betsy and Kwannon share enough powers to argue for them sharing space in the power hierarchy side-by-side.
Both are expert telepaths capable of creating psychic weaponry from their mind and willpower.Even if powerful in different ways, both are incredibly powerful and even more so when fused. Even since separating, both parties continue to become more powerful, with Betsy being the new Captain Britain and Kwannon being transformed into the Lady in White.
9Polaris is A Criminally Underrated Member of The X-Men
Lorna Dane’s Power is Overlooked and Underestimated
Polaris isn’t a name that gets brought up often in conversations revolving around the best and most powerful X-Men. It’s not because she isn’t worthy of the praise, but because without seldom appearances onscreen, her presence in the mainstream is minimal. Without the exposure, most fans don’t even know she exists.
That being said, those who know who Polaris is are aware that her power is on par with Magneto, even declaring herselfthe new Master of Magnetism.Polaris is one of those characters who has never been officially listed as an Omega-level mutant, but her prowess and abilities showcased suggest she could very well be on the cusp of such ranking.
8Rogue is As Strong As Those She Absorbs
Her Power Comes From Others
The only thing keeping Rogue from being positioned higher in the power hierarchy is that her power is entirely dependent on who she touches. If she touches one of the weakest X-Men on the planet, whatever she absorbs won’t give her the edge in a fight. The conversation changes if she absorbs a powerhouse.
Rogue’s powers may vary on that level, but that doesn’t make her powers any less useful. At this stage in her life,Rogue has unlocked her full powerand achieved greatness as an X-Men leader as a result.Rogue has achieved her peak as a character, but her power level is limited only by the powers she absorbs.
7Emma Frost Doesn’t Need To Be ‘Omega’ To Rule
To This Date, She Remains One of the Planet’s Strongest Telepaths
The strongest mutants in the Marvel Universe are often determined by whether they can be considered Omega-level or not. The Omega ranking is typically the best way to separate the top of the food chain from anyone of a lower-tier. Emma Frost proves thatOmega-levels can be meaninglesswith the feats she’s pulled.
Emma Frost has pulled off some incredible feats as a telepath without needing to be an Omega.A strong argument can be made for Emma Frost being the strongest non-Omega mutant on the planet in the Marvel Universe. Seeing how she’s challenged spectacular mutants like Jean on a mental level without the Omega connotation is nothing less than impressive.
6Magik is The X-Men’s Strongest Magic User
She’s So Strong, It’s Scary
Illyana Rasputin isn’t just powerful through her mutant power of teleportation, but how she keeps adding to her arsenal by mastering the dark arts. Her skills in the realm of sorcery have proven useful over the years, using sorcery to defeat the likes of Dormammu, one of Marvel’s most powerful villains.
Add to the fact that she’s rather skilled in combat without the need for magic or her mutant power (using both as a helpful bonus to her arsenal rather than a crutch), and Magik stands tall as one of the best tactical specialists that the X-Men team has to offer.
5Not Enough People Talk About Rachel Summers
Unfairly Overlooked Due to Being Born from Another Universe
Rachel Summers is anOmega-level mutant that gets forgottenand overlooked thanks largely due to her complicated backstory. Through time travel and multiversal wackiness, Rachel is originally from Earth-811. Even after joining Earth-616, her status has kept her away from the mainline X-Men festivities, namely from Krakoa due to laws excluding mutants from other timelines away from the nation.
That being said, she’s still the daughter of Cyclops and Jean Grey, inheriting the latter’s psionic abilities.Character-wise, she’s more than just her moniker as the daughter of the Phoenix, but her connection to the Phoenix Force certainly helps cement her as an understated powerhouse.
4Hope Summers Lives Up to Her Mutant Messiah Reputation
Can Control The Phoenix Without Being Corrupted
Similar to Rachel, Hope has a unique place in the multiverse, as she was sent to the future to train with Cable. Upon returning to the present as a fledging young adult skilled in close-hand combat, her power was fully realized. As the first mutant born after M-Day, her power level became integral into X-Men lore, then even more so when readers saw her ability on display.
Her powers themselves are impressive, as she has the ability to perfectly mimic anyone’s powers as long as they are close enough to her. Even more impressive, Hope proved powerful enough to control the Phoenix Force.She’s the ultimate Omega mutant, and singlehandedly saved the mutant race with her birth.
3Scarlet Witch Nearly Wiped Out the Mutant Race
“No More Mutants” Changed X-Men Forever
At this point in her career, Scarlet Witch is tied closer to being an Avenger than a member of the X-Men or even the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. That being said, her roots still steep in the X-Men franchise. Even beyond her origins, she maintains a permanent footprint in the franchise for nearly wiping out the mutant race duringHouse of M’sM-Day.
Because of genetic alterations made by The High Evolutionary, Wanda Maxmioff’s DNAdisguised her as a mutantwithout actually being one. If her mutation was legitimate, her power over reality and chaos magic would surely make The Scarlet Witch an Omega-level mutant.Even without being an actual mutant, she’s among the strongest women in theX-Menfranchise.
2Storm is Considered a Goddess, Not Just A Mutant
A Former X-Men Leader and Avenger
In a world littered with liteal gods, often cast from Asgard, the term isn’t one that’s thrown around loosely in the Marvel Universe. However, the ability of Storm is often compared to having godhood. Even the God of Thunder,Thor, considers Storm a honorary goddessfor her mastery over thunder and lightning.
In fact, as someone who has bested Thor in battle, Storm can be argued to harness power that’s even greater than actual gods under the Marvel umbrella. Her mastery over nature and weather has established her as among the strongest Omega-level mutants to join the X-Men. Her sheer power can only be rivaled by one another…
1Jean Grey: Perhaps The Most Powerful Mutant on the Planet
The Power Scale is Beyond Gender for Jean
There was a time when, before the franchise expanded its lore, Professor X was once framed as potentially the Earth’s first and strongest mutant. Then, Jean Grey started to showcase, master, and improve upon her abilities. This isn’t just in reference to her connection to the Phoenix Force, as it’s merely a power upgrade for an already all-powerful character.
Jean is a planet-busting, Omega-level master telepath. She has a mastery over her powers like no other mutant. She’s not only the strongest woman inX-Menhistory, but, for all intents and purposes, Jean Grey makes a strong case for being the strongest mutant in the Marvel Universe at large.
