5 Members of X-Factor Who Can Reach the Highest Levels of the MCU (That Aren’t the Team Founders)

X-Factor may not be as popular as their compatriots the X-Men, but they played a huge role in the history of mutantkind. After the return of Jean Grey, the original five X-Men decided to come back together and fight for Xavier’s dream. They did this in a rather novel way, pretending to be mutant hunters who “got rid of” mutants for the humans who called them – but really just trained them and kept them safe. Since then, the team has changed several times, becoming a government-sponsored superteam and a mutant detective agency. They added numerous cool ideas to the X-mythos, expanding their legends and helping mutantkind survive another day many times.

With the X-Men coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans are speculating what characters could be the next stars and if we’re being honest, members of X-Factor have as good a chance at stardom as anyone. While most of the original five X-Men are already on their way to the big screen, many of the later members of the team will have their chance down the road. These five members of X-Factor who aren’t the founders can become MCU superstars, showing fans just how diverse the mutant world is.

5) Polaris

Polaris joined the X-Men back in the final days of the original team, leaving with Havok after she was imprisoned by Krakoa. She’d join the group again in the Outback Era of the X-Men, moving to X-Factor when it became a government superteam. As a member of the team, she acted as Havok’s second-in-command, her magnetic powers making her one of the most powerful members of the group, if not the most powerful. X-Men ’97 showed fans how awesome Polaris was and the same thing can happen if she shows up in the MCU. She’s Magneto daughter, which will definitely make her important, but beyond that she’s just a cool character. She’s constantly trying to prove herself, which has given her something of a chip on her shoulder, making her work ever harder. Polaris often gets overshadowed by the men in her life, but as X-Men ’97 showed us, she’s a star waiting for her moment.

4) Siryn

Banshee first appeared as a villain before joining up with the X-Men. He spent a short time with the post-Giant Size X-Men team, but eventually decided to shack up with Moira MacTaggert. However, he already had a family before that, including his daughter Theresa. She ended up manifesting the same sonic scream powers as him and would join the Muir Island X-Men during the period that the world thought the team was dead. She’d move to X-Force, where she developed a relationship with Deadpool, and ended up joining the first detective roster of X-Factor in the ’00s. She ended up becoming the team’s second in command, and was a favorite of fans. Siryn’s powers are awesome, as we saw with her father Banshee in X-Men: First Class, and she’s a great character. She has the kind of brass you expect from an Irish woman, as well as numerous vulnerabilities. She’s just an interesting character, and Marvel Studios could make her a superstar with the right actress.

3) M

Generation X were the new mutants of the ’90s (pun intended), introducing numerous great characters, including Monet St. Croix, otherwise known as M or Penance (although I personally don’t like calling her that, despite her spending years in that body). Monet was born with all the best mutant powers – super strength, invulnerability super speed and agility, flight, telepathy, her Penance form, the ability to combine two people into one, and regenerative powers. She was first introduced to readers as Penance, forced into the red diamond form by her brother Emplate, who feasted on her mutant energies for years, growing ever more powerful. The first M was actually her twin sisters, but eventually the truth would be revealed and M would become one of the toughest X-Men ever. She ended up joining the X-Factor Detective Agency and was the team’s most formidable member. She’s an awesome character; she’s powerful and she knows it, her arrogance making her so much fun to read. She would be amazing in the movies and hopefully she’ll get her chance.

2) Havok

Havok is Cyclops’s younger brother and a mutant that never really gets the credit that he deserves. Alex Summers has the power to absorb cosmic radiation (just so you know, that’s how Cyclops gets his powers as well, not the punch dimension) and release it in bursts of plasma. He’s always been in his brother’s shadow, trying to prove that he was just as good as Scott. We already know that Cyclops is going to become a big deal in the MCU and that means we need to see Havok. Havok is the classic younger brother and this has driven him to become a great leader and hero. Havok’s powers look good on the big screen, as seen in X-Men: First Class movies, and he is one of those characters who has always an amazing costume. I’ve always preferred Havok to his brother; he’s more human, which has made his stories more interesting than Scott’s at times.

1) Multiple Man

X-Factor has boasted some amazing members, but the best of them is one that no one ever would have guessed: Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man. Jamie’s powers allowed him to create copies of himself every time he gets hit, manifesting when he was born. He can send them out to learn and then reabsorb them, giving him all of their skills and memories. For years, he was played as a more of a comedic character, joining X-Factor during its time as a government-sponsored team. He was a favorite of writer Peter David, who was able to build the character into one of the best out there, adding pathos to the formerly humorous character. Madrox became the leader of X-Factor Detective Agency, remaking the team and redefining them yet again. He’s smart, he’s funny, and his powers are awesome. Plus, there’s the morals of his powers – his duplicates are all their own person. They don’t want to be absorbed sometimes, they want to live and that has led in some amazing directions. This makes him even more interesting and would allow Marvel Studios to tell all kinds of stories with him.

The First 10 Members of X-Factor, Ranked by Power