X-Force had a certain reputation right from the beginning. The team was made up of the members of the New Mutants, who had been talked out of leaving the Xavier Institute by Cable. Joined by the mercenary Domino, the Morlock Feral, and Shatterstar, a new kind of mutant team was born. They were the rebels, the black ops team for Cable, and would clash with their former mentors in the X-Men, willing to break the rules and do the jobs that no one else would do. They morphed into a celebrity mutant superteam, re-christening themselves as the X-Statix (thanks to legal troubles with Rob Liefeld), eventually becoming the kill team for Utopia, returning to their roots as outlaws, and becoming the Krakoan CIA before going back to the team of rebels in the shadows.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Over the years, a lot of great mutants have been member of the group. They’ve become one of the most iconic mutant teams ever, able to change with the times better than anyone would have expected. These are the seven best members of X-Force, heroes who are willing to go the extra mile to fight evil.
7) Fantomex
Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run was fantastic, and introduced several amazing characters. Of these, Fantomex is the best. A mutant experimented on by Weapon Plus to be the perfect super soldier, he had a variety of cool powers, from having a living UFO that came out his body, two brains, and enhanced physical attributes, among many others. He would end up joining X-Force in Uncanny X-Force, and was awesome. He fell in love with Psylocke and was constantly trying to get with her, leading to conflict with Archangel while they were together, and did a great job of being the group’s lovable rogue.
6) Psylocke
Elizabeth Braddock was the first Psylocke, and she became one of the most popular members of the X-Men. The psionic mutant would have her mind put into the body of Japanese assassin Kwannon, and would embrace being a ninja. Wolverine recruited her for Uncanny X-Force, and she became a major part of the team. She was the one who defeated Archangel when he became Apocalypse, and would come in clutch in numerous fights, leading the team after Logan left. She’s a truly iconic mutant, becoming an important member of X-Force.
5) Shatterstar
Shatterstar is the most complicated member of X-Force, and that’s saying something on a team with Cable and Psylocke on it. He was a mystery when he first joined them, a sword-wielding warrior who made a splash with fans right away. Over the years, the character has changed so much, his origin in the Mojoverse and relationship with Rictor making him an extremely interesting hero. He could have ended up ’90s trash that fans would feel weird for liking when they were older, but has been developed into a delightfully convoluted character.
4) Wolverine
Wolverine was always a great fit for X-Force, even if he never joined the team, and he was given a chance with the group in the Utopia Era. Cyclops wanted a team that would hunt down threats to the mutant race and kill them before they could strike, and he picked the ol’Canucklehead to help him. Logan was the team’s leader, helping his squad take down some of the greatest threats out there. He’d secretly reform the team after Cyclops ended it, helping stop Apocalypse, Weapon Plus, and his own son Daken. In the Krakoa Era, he ended up as field leader for the group in its mutant CIA guise. For a lot of fans, he’s the best leader of the team and had made it a part of his legend.
3) Cannonball
Cannonball was groomed for greatness when he joined X-Force. He was the most important member of the team who wasn’t Cable and when the time-traveling mutant left the group, he took over as leader, leading them as an independent group hunted by the government and the X-Men. His powers made him clutch in every battle and he proved to be a pretty great leader all in all. He did so well with them that when they returned to the X-Mansion, he graduated to the big team. He’s since become a low key icon, and all of it comes from his stint with the force.
2) Domino
Domino met Cable after he came back to the present, joining him in the Wild/Six Pack (they were originally the Wild Pack, but had to change their name because of Silver Sable’s merc team using the same name as part of her short-lived awesome series). She would be replaced by Copycat for a time, and that was when she joined X-Force. The group would save her and she would became Cable’s second command, later leading the team as the resident adult. She’s joined numerous rosters of the group, including the Krakoa version, this last run being one of her best runs as a character ever. She’s grown so much thanks to the team and is one of the coolest mutants out there.
1) Cable
Cable made a huge splash immediately, a gun-toting man of mystery for the grim and gritty ’90s. He formed X-Force to help in his war to stop Apocalypse from conquering the future, training the former members of the New Mutants to be mutant soldiers. He’s led them numerous times over the years, and was the group’s most iconic member before Wolverine and Deadpool later joined. He set the stage for what the team would be in the years to come, and his place in the book helped make it one of the bestselling comics of the early ’90s.
Who’s your favorite member of X-Force? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversations on the ComicBook Forums!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios -
Image Courtesy of Netflix -
Image courtesy of Square Enix -
Image courtesy of Ufotable
