The X-Men have been in some of the worst battles imaginable, battling against threats that could devour the universe. They’ve faced against all powerful machines, mutants of all types, magical beings, embodiments of universal forces, and several powerful alien races. Every battle has seen them come out on top, but these haven’t always been flawless victories for the group. They have had some rather big losses over the decades, with many members of the team falling in battle against the most powerful enemies. However, death has never been able to keep a good mutant down. Death in the Marvel Universe is a revolving door for homo superior.
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Over the years, nearly every major member of the team has had a marquee death that “changed the team” for a certain period of time. Then, at some point in the future, they come back. These seven X-Men have all entered Death’s realm, but have come back to tell the story.
7) Magik
Illyana Rasputin is the youngest of the Rasputin siblings. She was stolen to Limbo as a child, stayed there for years learning magic, battling demons, and mastering her teleport discs, and then returned shortly after she was first taken. She was a member of the New Mutants, but would eventually return to her “natural” age after “Inferno”. Eventually, she’d come down with the Legacy Virus and die. Years later, she returned in her demonic form, and her former New Mutants teammates would save her.
6) Colossus
Colossus has always been the physically strongest member of the X-Men, a veritable man of (organic) steel. He was everyone’s big brother, a bruiser with the soul of a poet. Death seemed impossible for Piotr Rasputin, but life had other plans. The loss of his sister gave him a crisis, seeing him join Magneto’s Acolytes after Xavier mindwiped the mutant master of magnetism, but things never really got better even after he rejoined his friends at the Xavier Institute. The return of his brother Mikhail was yet another reminder of his pain and he decided to sacrifice his life to end the Legacy Virus which killed his sister. However, his body would be taken and resurrected by Ord, held for years while he was experimented on by the alien warlord.
5) Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler is one of the most beloved members of the X-Men. He was everyone’s fuzzy, slightly crazy but very deep brother. His Catholic faith, and the way he wrestled with it, were a major factor in his life, but he was always someone who truly enjoyed being alive. Nightcrawler is the best of the best, and he’ll do anything to save the day, including sacrificing himself. When Bastion and his Sentinels attacked Utopia to kill Hope Summers, ‘Crawler ‘ported in between Hope and Bastion, with his killing blow ending the German mutant. However, the X-Men went to Heaven itself to get him out and bring him back to continue saving the world (he also had so many deaths in the Krakoa Era. especially during A.X.E. Judgment Day, brought back every time by Krakoan resurrection).
4) Professor X
Professor X and death have gone hand in hand for years. Charles Xavier has died and faked his death numerous times in life with the team. He’s had his body give out on him and was brought back in a clone body years before Krakoa made it cool. He died in battle with Dark Phoenix Cyclops, and was resurrected after the X-Men helped him defeat the Shadow King in the Astral Plane, taking over the body of Fantomex. In the Krakoa Era, he was killed several times, getting assassinated by XENO, killed in battle with Nimrod, and murdered by Mister Sinister. He’s been resurrecting himself with the old “put his mind in new bodies” things for ages.
3) Cyclops
Cyclops is the X-Men’s greatest leader, and he’s proven to be an expert at getting his teammates alive out of every fight. He’s very good at his job, and is one of the most formidable members of the team, mastering combat by combining his optic blasts and martial arts skills. He’s as tough as they come, but he has been killed. He once was possessed by Apocalypse and died, then came back. He was later killed by M-Pox, and was brought back to life by a teen version of Cable. He also died several times in the Krakoa Era, and was resurrected with Krakoa resurrection.
2) Wolverine
Wolverine is the most famous X-Man, and he’s died so many times over the years. For example, he was killed by the alien Haven, and then resurrected with ultimate power. Over his life, before the adamantium skeleton, he died many times as well before his healing factor brought him back (also battling the Angel of Death for the opportunity to come back to life). He was killed by Gorgon and resurrected by the Hand. He technically died when Nitro burned him to a skeleton. He lost his healing factor, and was encased in molten adamantium, before being resurrected by mysterious mutant Persephone (don’t read Death of Wolverine or Return of Wolverine unless it’s free; thank me later). Finally, he’s another guy who got killed loads of time in Krakoa.
1) Jean Grey
Jean Grey first tasted death in the classic story “The Dark Phoenix Saga”, and has since then had a complicated relationship with the reaper. She was found in a cocoon in Jamaica Bay, and rejoined the fight for mutant rights. She had a forgotten death in Uncanny X-Men #281, shooting her mind after a major Sentinel attack killed her body into Emma Frost’s dead body (she got better) before going back into hers. She was killed by Xorn as the Phoenix was reawakening in her, and was brought back by the Phoenix years later. Finally, she had several major deaths in the Krakoa Era as well.
What’s your favorite resurrected X-Man? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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