Marvel Comics introduced its mutants in the team-up comic The Uncanny X-Men. When the first issue started, it was unlike The Fantastic Four and The Avengers, which showed the teams’ origin stories. Instead, the Xavier Institute was already in existence, and there were already four members. The first issue showed the introduction of the newest member, a female named Jean Grey, who became the fifth member of the mutant team. Charles Xavier explained the purpose of the team as a group that helped normal people to prove that there was nothing to fear from mutants. There have been countless mutants who joined over the years, but it all started with these five.
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Over time, there have been incredibly powerful mutants who have joined the X-Men, but here are the original five members, ranked by power.
5) Angel
Angel has gained powers over the years since his introduction, but he remains the least powerful member of the original X-Men lineup. Warren Worthington III was a mutant who possessed wings, meaning he could fly. That was his only mutant power. He was trained as a skilled fighter thanks to Professor Xavier and the Danger Room, but he could only fly into action, hit the villains, and fly away before they could return fire.
When Apocalypse equipped him with razor-sharp wings, from which he could shoot shards with his thoughts, he became an Archangel and was a lot more powerful. However, he was now someone who could fly and shoot dagger-like projectiles, which he would sometimes use to kill people. In the end, he was still the least powerful original X-Men member of them all.
4) Beast
In the original X-Men issues, Beast looked human, but he was larger than most people and possessed superhuman strength, agility, durability, and stamina. He could jump around and take out people of all sizes with his immense strength. Over time, he tried to “cure” himself of his mutant abilities and gained blue fur, looking more like a beast, but he maintained the same basic powers.
What puts him over someone like Angel is the fact that he is also one of the most intelligent X-Men members in history, a genius on the level of Marvel’s brightest, although still somewhat behind names like Reed Richards and Tony Stark. It was his brain that made Beast so dangerous when he began to lose his sense of right and wrong, but also made him a powerful mutant in his own right.
3) Cyclops
Cyclops is not the strongest of the Summers family, but he was still a powerful original X-Men member. Thanks to the manipulations of Mister Sinister when Scott was an orphaned child, he didn’t have control of his mutant powers when they manifested. As a result, he has to wear protective glasses to keep his powers under control. Those powers involve shooting concussive optic blasts from his eyes.
His brothers have similar powers, although they can control them. Havoc can pull energy into his body and shoot it out as blasts, while Cyclops can only shoot it from his eyes. Vulcan can also channel the energy, but after M-Day, he became an Omega-level mutant, which means he is stronger than both his brothers. As for Cyclops, what really makes him powerful is his leadership in battle, where Captain America called him the best tactical leader in all of Marvel Comics.
2) Iceman
It might be surprising for some to see Iceman so high, but it should come as no shock to people who actually follow X-Men comics. When Marvel introduced the X-Men, Bobby Drake wasn’t super powerful. In fact, he might have fallen behind Beast and Cyclops on the power scale at the time. However, things have changed over the years. Iceman is an Omega-level mutant.
Iceman’s powers are not at their highest levels on a daily basis, but he has had them unlocked at various times in the past by people like Emma Frost. When he is using his powers at their highest levels, he can freeze anything, including light, hellfire, and he can even freeze time to a standstill. Iceman is also mostly immortal because even if he is blown apart, he can find a way to put himself back together.
1) Jean Grey
The most powerful original X-Men member was the last of the five to join the team in X-Men #1. Jean Grey came to the Xavier Institute and believed she was no more than a telekinetic. She was much more than that, but Professor X messed with her mind and blocked her psychic powers to protect her until he thought she could control them. This was a bad idea since they were unlocked thanks to the Hellfire Club and the Dark Phoenix.
Speaking of the Phoenix Force, that is also a reason she is not only the most powerful original X-Men member, but one of the most powerful heroes in all of Marvel Comics. She is a psychic of the highest order, a telekinetic of the highest order, and the Phoenix Force basically makes her a god. There isn’t a single member of the original X-Men who could beat Jean Grey in a battle.
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