7 Darkest X-Men Comics of All Time, Ranked

Comics got mature in the ’80s, and the X-Men were a major part of that. The team entered the decade with the classic “The Dark Phoenix Saga”, a story that would push the books in a much more mature direction. Since then, the group has given readers some of the darkest stories ever and pushed Marvel in new, grittier directions. Their adventures are quite different than most superteams; they battle against racism and oppression and have seen the worst parts of humanity. They have to deal with some of the darkest situations out there. Readers have witnessed some insane things in their comics, watching their heroes vie against the worst circumstances imaginable.

Dark X-Men stories are something else. We’ve gotten some unforgettable moments from these books, one that have changed the way superhero stories work. These seven X-Men stories are the darkest ones, taking readers to the blackest portions of the human (and mutant) soul.

7) “Onslaught

“Onslaught” gets a bad rep, but it’s not all that bad. However, it is definitely a dark story. The X-Men learn that Xavier was the mysterious villain Onslaught, who beats the team and then launches an attack on New York City using a fleet of Sentinels. He captures Franklin Richards and X-Man to steal their powers, in an effort to destroy humanity, and eventually the human heroes of the world “sacrifice” themselves to defeat him. Every part of the story is dark, and it ends with the world hating mutants more than ever, putting the black cherry on the dark chocolate sundae.

6) “Final Execution”

“Final Execution” is the final story arc of the first volume of Uncanny X-Force and it saw Wolverine’s chickens come home to roost. He’s targeted by his son Daken, who brings together a new Brotherhood of Mutants to kill his father and his mutant hit squad. This whole story is about how bad a father Wolverine has been to Daken, and ends with the two of them trying to kill each other, with Logan drowning his son while they think of the kind of life they could have had if they hadn’t been who they are. It’s a tragic story about a life of hatred and death coming back to haunt everyone.

5) “The Dark Phoenix Saga”

“The Dark Phoenix Saga” changed the X-Men for years, with the death of Jean Grey redefining the team. This story was all about watching a member of the X-family fall to darkness because of a mental assault by an enemy, becoming a monster that ate billions of lives. The team’s battle against Dark Phoenix is heartbreaking, as the group does the best they can to beat without hurting her. Finally, her sacrificing herself for them after they lose their battle against the Shi’Ar Imperial Guard for her life is the pitch-black climax. It’s hit after hit of sadness, a book that wears its dark heart on its sleeve.

4) “Days of Future Past”

“Days of Future Past” is another gamechanger, bringing the dystopian future where everyone dies to the most popular book in comics. Readers learned that the X-Men ultimately failed in their mission to make Xavier’s dream become a reality, losing the world in the process to the Sentinels. While they came up with a plan to save the day using time travel, they still end up getting slaughtered by the mutant-hunting robots who have killed everyone who stood against them. It’s a black as night story and it birthed the most famous dark future of them all.

3) X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2023) #1

X-Men: The Hellfire Gala (2023) #1 is the turning point of the Krakoa Era and one of the most bloody X-comics ever. The story took place at the yearly party that the mutants had for the rest of the world, but the Orchis Initiative had different plans. They attack the Gala, with Nimrod dropping from orbit and killing the new team of X-Men, Jean Grey and Iceman both specifically murdered, and Xavier forced to surrender the mutant race to Orchis. Every human at the party was murdered, and the vast majority of the mutant race was sent to a desert in the White Hot Room (although Orchis didn’t plan that part). It was a terrible defeat for the mutants and remains one of their blackest days.

2) “Second Coming”

“Second Coming” was the climax of what has been called the “Messiah Trilogy”, as Bastion and the Purifiers attacked the mutant island of Utopia in a final push to destroy the mutants after House of M pared the race down to under two hundred people. This story wore its darkness and violence on its sleeve; that was honestly the whole point of it. It was an extremely grim story and at the end, Nightcrawler sacrificed himself to save Hope Summers, the heart of the team giving himself up for the future, which kind of says it all.

1) Generation Next

Generation Next is a stone cold classic. It’s a part of the legendary “Age of Apocalypse”, and is the darkest part of that story. It followed a team of young X-Men into the Seattle Core, the power production facility for Apocalypse’s mutant empire, to find Illyana Rasputin, who Magneto needed to send Bishop back in time to stop all of this from happening. What follows is a harrowing trip into Hell with an ending that will break your heart. The book lulls you into a false sense of security, and then hits you with an ending that will tear it all away from you. It’s an amazing reading experience and as dark as they come.

What’s your favorite dark X-Men story? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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