The X-Men feature mutants who have always struggled to fit in, and throughout history, many mutants have been cursed by their own powers. It is hard to be a mutant as it is. Many humans in the Marvel Universe have a deep hatred for them simply because they are different, and this bigotry drives many of the storylines in the pages of the X-Men comics. However, many mutants have more to deal with and fear because their powers are a double-edged sword and hurt them, often more than they hurt other people. Sometimes this is a physical pain, but many other times, it damages these mutants emotionally and causes them to live a life of constant torment.
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From mutants whose powers hurt them physically to those whose powers make it hard for them to find the will to live, here are the most tragic mutants who remain cursed by their powers.
10) Quicksilver
Quicksilver is an interesting mutant because his powers don’t hurt him physically, but they are what cause him to be such a jerk to other people all the time. Quicksilver’s mutant power is super speed. This means that while he moves at speeds faster than anyone else, he also processes information at speeds faster than anyone else. He once explained that he had to train himself to move at a snail’s pace so that he could understand and communicate at the same speed as normal people.
He has to actively think more slowly than others to force himself to keep up. Superman and Flash once said that it looks like they can read a book in a matter of seconds, but for them, they are reading an entire book in one setting. This is what it’s like for Quicksilver, and Marvel has shown that it has caused him to suffer mental breakdowns and experience severe depression in his life.
9) Wolverine
Wolverine has a lot of problems thanks to his powers, and they are what cause him to have such a short fuse and remain so antagonistic to those around him. For one thing, every time he unsheaths his claws, they tear through his skin. His healing factor causes the holes to heal up almost instantly when he brings them back in, which means he injures himself every time he pops his claws out. His healing factor is also a detriment because he takes more damage than most mutants, just because he knows he will heal quickly.
He also had a great deal of trauma in his life thanks to Weapon X, and when Professor X messed with his mind when he joined the X-Men, it made things worse. His fractured mind is what causes him to go feral on occasion, and this makes him a danger to those around him as much as it does himself.
8) Professor X
Marvel Comics has revealed that Professor X is not an Omega-level mutant. However, his psychic powers are greater than almost anyone else in the Marvel Universe, behind only certain heroes like Jean Grey. This is a good and bad thing. He can control anyone, as he showed when he messed with Wolverine’s mind to force him to become an X-Men. However, it is also a double-edged sword, because Professor X can also read the minds of almost anyone.
When Xavier accidentally created Onslaught after shutting down Magneto’s brain, it was because of the trauma in his own mind due to years of fighting for mutants’ rights despite humans’ inherent bigotry. Professor X can hear everyone’s thoughts, and he knows how much people hate him and his beloved students. He can also hear and feel the pain of his X-Men when they are hurt and die, and this is something that has made him almost numb to his entire existence.
7) Strong Guy
Strong Guy seems like he has the best powers, but there is one significant problem for the big guy. Guido Carosella was the muscle of X-Factor, almost their version of Colossus. His primary mutant power is to absorb kinetic energy that occurs when he flexes his body upon taking damage. This, in turn, increases his muscle mass, and he gets stronger and stronger as the fight wages on. The problem is that his heart couldn’t handle it.
The side effect of his mutation was that he developed a heart condition, a situation that gets worse when his body changes mass during a fight. Strong Guy even suffered a heart attack that left him in a coma for several weeks. If he absorbs too much energy, his heart starts to weaken, and he now relies on a pacemaker to help keep his heart ticking. Strong Guy can only absorb about 90 seconds of energy now before needing to purge it all to protect his life.
6) Rogue
Rogue’s mutant powers almost ruined her life from the start. Her mutation manifested when she was kissing a boy, and he ended up in a coma thanks to her absorption powers. She ended up as a villain, being raised by Mystique and Destiny, until she stripped Carol Danvers of her powers and memories, which drove Rogue over the edge. This caused severe trauma to Rogue and Carol, and Rogue ended up running to the X-Men and begging them to help her gain control of her abilities.
Rogue now has control over when she uses her powers, so she no longer has to go her entire life without touching another person. However, her mutant powers still have serious side effects. As mentioned, she not only absorbs the powers of a person but also their life-force and memories, which include any trauma they may have in their minds. This has caused her to suffer from mental health issues since she takes on so much trauma and pain just by using her mutant powers.
5) Bailey Hoskins
It is easy to see how Bailey Hoskins’ mutant powers are a significant curse. He is a mutant with the power to explode. The only problem is that he can only explode one time, because he is not immortal, and using his power will kill him. The comic book series that told his story seemed like a joke, but it was one of the X-Men’s darkest storylines called Worst X-Man Ever. While the title seemed to be making a mockery of Bailey, it was the opposite.
This was a five-issue miniseries that showed Bailey’s life at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, where he went by he name X-Ceptional. However, for many mutants, he was a joke. That said, he also became friends with several others and went through his life unable to do much to help, as his power would ultimately kill him. That is how the series ended, though, as Bailey saved the world at the cost of his own life, allowing this story to end with him as the ultimate hero.
4) ForgetMeNot
ForgetMeNot’s name is also an indication of his powers. ForgetMeNot is a mutant whose powers are to be completely forgettable, literally. When people stop looking at him, they forget he exists. This has caused many problems, as he is a member of the X-Men, but no one remembers who he is, and he often causes conflict when he appears. While it seems like he has one of the most worthless mutant powers, he can execute covert missions, and no one knows any better, since they forget he was ever there.
However, this clearly has a downfall. He had died before, and no one could save him because when they stopped looking at him, they forgot he was even there. When he saves the world, or just his fellow X-Men, no one knows he was responsible. He can’t have any real friends because no one remembers him. Sadly, the people who do remember him, like Fantomex, don’t care enough to let others know he exists.
3) Jesse
One of the most tragic moments in X-Men history came with a young mutant named Jesse. When the teenager’s powers manifested, he didn’t know what was happening. His mother and dog were gone, although their clothes and dog tags were left behind. When he arrived at school, all the other kids began to burn up from the inside and disintegrate. His power was to kill everyone around him, and he fled into the mountains, hiding away from all others.
The sad part came when Wolverine showed up. Knowing what happened, Professor X sent Wolverine to kill Jesse and cover up the fact that a mutant caused the deaths. Wolverine explained that Jesse was a mutant and described his powers. The teenager understood and was mortified that he was responsible for all those deaths, even though he had no control. He asked Wolverine to kill him, and it ended up as one of Marvel’s most devastating moments.
2) Multiple Man
The Multiple Man has undergone significant transformations over the years. Jamie Madrox was unlike other mutants, as he displayed his powers from birth and created his first multiple when the doctor slapped his butt. Professor X was there from the start, offering a suit to Jamie’s parents to help the child repress his powers. When he became an adult, he didn’t want to be a superhero; instead, he worked with Moira MacTaggert on Muir Island.
Soon, though, he decided to become a hero and demonstrated the value of his powers. When Jamie creates multiples and sends them out, he retains any knowledge they intake. At one point, he sent out multiples to learn different occupations and skills, gaining all that knowledge for himself. However, the downside for Jamie Prime is that he also feels all the pain that his multiples feel. When one dies, or when several die at once, he feels all their deaths and pain, and that can be overwhelming.
1) Legion
The biggest downfall for Legion is that he has little control over his own mind, and this causes several problems when trying to use his powers. Legion is David Haller, Professor X’s son. His mutant power is to create spontaneous mutations. However, the downfall is that each new mutant power he creates comes with a different alter to use these powers. This has caused DID with possibly over 200 Omega-level mutant personalities.
In stories involving Legion, there are often looks inside his mind, where countless Davids are running around, fighting for control. Rogue even touched him and said there were thousands of powers being born all the time in his mind. This means he has very little control over his powers, which abilities he has active at any time, and how his alter will act when it takes over. David is the most unpredictable mutant in Marvel Comics, and his mutations are the most cursed in X-Men comics.
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