10 Best X-Men Comics Of All Time (#1 Will Never Be Matched)

The X-Men aren’t Marvel’s oldest team, but anyone who thinks they aren’t the most successful Marvel team ever is living in a dream world, at least when it comes to the comics. The men and women of X have enthralled readers, and Uncanny X-Men is one of the most important books in the history of the comic medium. Over the decades, the group has had massive successes, some of the greatest creators in the medium’s history, and created some of the most beloved stories of them all. There are so many stories from Marvel’s merry mutants that are the best of all time, game-changing chapters in their history that can’t be matched.

There’s really no way to beat the X-Men, when it comes to story quality, for any Marvel team. They weren’t a success out of the gate, but they’ve built into something very special over the decades. These ten X-Men stories are why the team is the greatest of all time, and their best story is one that will never be rivaled.

10) Avengers/X-Men: Utopia

The X-Men and Avengers have quite a history, but one of their meetings stands far above the rest. “Avengers/X-Men: Utopia”. by Matt Fraction, Marc Silvestri, Mike Deodato Jr., Terry Dodson, and Luke Ross, brought the two groups together during the “Dark Reign”, when Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers were in charge of the superhero community. After anti-mutant protests get out of hand in the team’s new home of San Francisco, the two teams clash, with the newly minted Dark X-Men getting into the mix. However, Cyclops has a plan, one that shows just how great a leader and tactician he truly is. It’s a story that doesn’t really get the praise it deserves, and it’s a modern classic.

9) “Here Comes Tomorrow”

Grant Morrison’s run on New X-Men is amazing, and easily one of the best runs of all time. For 40 issues, the Scottish scribe took everything about the team and used it in new ways, including the dystopian future trope. “Here Comes Tomorrow”, by Morrison and Marc Silvestri, took place a hundred years after the death of Jean Grey, in a world where the X-Men of the future are battling the Beast of the Apocalypse, a war that has devastated the Earth. Both sides end up going after the Phoenix Egg, leading to a battle that will doom the universe or save it. This is dystopian future X-Men done right, and it’s an underrated classic.

8) Astonishing X-Men (Vol. 1) #1-4

“Age of Apocalypse” is an X-Men legend, but not all of that is amazing, despite what the fans say. Astonishing X-Men (Vol. 1) #1-4, by Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira, saw Rogue’s team of X-Men — Blink, Iceman, Sunfire, Morph, Sabretooth, and Wild Child — battling against Holocaust, the son of Apocalypse, in one of his human culls, as Magneto hatches a plan to save the world. This is high octane alternate universe X-action, with gorgeous art from Madureira. The character work is great, as well; it made fans love Blink and look at Sabretooth in an entirely different way. This is peak ’90s X-Men, and one of the finest moments of a legendary story.

7) “Days of Future Past”

“Days of Future Past” changed comics forever. Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s classic story popularized the dystopian future for the X-Men, and introduced readers to the one that is basically canon at this point. In a dark future where Sentinels have taken over the world, the last X-Men try to stop their future from happening by sending Kate Pryde back in time, all while preparing for a final battle against the mechanized monsters. Claremont and Byrne are amazing together in this two-issue story, and it’s become one of the most beloved X-stories ever. Since it dropped, creators have copied it numerous times, showing just how important it is to the history of superhero stories.

6) “Mutant Massacre”

“Mutant Massacre” was one of the first major X-Men crossovers, running through Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, New Mutants, Daredevil, Power Pack, and The Mighty Thor. This 1986 classic saw the Marauders attack the Morlocks, the Manhattan-dwelling sewer mutants, with the mutant teams and the heroes of New York City. An argument can be made that this was the first majorly depressing X-story, something fans would get really tired over in the last 40 years, but it’s an amazing story from one of the best times in Marvel history. Readers got major moments like the first Wolverine/Sabretooth fight and Angel losing his wings, two huge milestones in X-history. It was also the first, but not the last, time the X-Men would helm a major Marvel summer crossover, proving that they were the epicenter of the House of Ideas.

5) X-Men (Vol. 2) #1-3

1991 was a huge year for the X-Men. Longtime writer Chris Claremont was leaving the books, and he had one last tale to tell. X-Men (Vol. 2) #1-3, by Claremont and Jim Lee, rebooted the X-Men, and introduced readers to the Blue and Gold Teams. This three-issue story focused on the Blue Team — Cyclops, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Psylocke, and Beast (Jubilee would join later) — in battle against Magneto, who had returned to the fight against humanity after leaving the X-Men, and his new team the Acolytes. This story was perfect for a new generation of readers, a new-fan friendly, action-packed extravaganza with some of the best art of Jim Lee’s time at Marvel. This story is the best way to make any one like the X-Men, combining great storytelling and action with everything that readers need to know about the team. It still stands up, even 35 years later.

4) Generation Next #1-4

Generation Next is the best X-miniseries of the ’90s, and the height of the “Age of Apocalypse”. This four-issue series took the place of Generation X, and followed Colossus, Kate Pryde, and the next generation of X-Men — Chamber, Husk, Mondo, Vicente, Skin, and Know-It-All — as they are sent to the Seattle Core to find Illyana Rasputin, who Magneto and Bishop need to travel back in time to stop their world from happening. Scott Lobdell and Chris Bachalo were in rare form for this one, creating a perfectly paced roller coaster ride with an ending that will shock you. It’s amazing, and after you read it, you’ll never forget the last few pages.

3) “E Is for Extinction”

Grant Morrison’s landmark New X-Men kicked off with this three issue classic, joined by their longtime collaborator artist Frank Quitely. The X-Men have ditched the superhero game, devoting themselves to helping mutants in every way. However, a new foe has a plan to destroy not just the X-Men, but the entire mutant race. This story began the new status quo with the perfect bang, and showed that Morrison had the goods with the team. This book introduced Cassandra Nova and brought Emma Frost to the X-Men, and began the most groundbreaking run in X-history (yes, moreso than Krakoa; Krakoa would never have existed without it) with the right mix of action, character development, and set-up for the future.

2) God Loves, Man Kills

God Loves, Man Kills, by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson, is a story that’s still prescient 44 years later. This story saw the X-Men and Magneto discover dead mutant children, leading them to Reverend Stryker and his Purifiers, a group who believes that mutants are spawns of the devil. What follows is a story that shows the hypocrisy of organized religion. It’s an amazing story that showed just how mature the X-Men could be, and where superhero comics can go. Claremont and Anderson created something special with this story, and the fact that Marvel doesn’t continually in print is a tragedy.

1) “The Dark Phoenix Saga”

“The Dark Phoenix Saga” is Marvel’s GOAT story. Chris Claremont had begun building this yarn with X-Men (Vol. 1) #101, and working with artist John Byrne created the X-Men’s greatest moment. The fall of Jean Grey to the Dark Phoenix introduced readers to Kitty Pryde, Emma Frost, Sebastian Shaw, and the Hellfire Club, and gave them a brilliant, emotional, action-packed epic that changed the course of the X-Men forever. This is a comic that has never been topped, no matter how many times Marvel has tried to retell the tale. This story is at the top of every best of all time X-Men list, and will never go out of style. If you haven’t read it before, I envy you; it truly is amazing.

What are your favorite X-Men stories? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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