The X-Men have what is probably the hardest role among Marvel’s superhero teams. The X-Men battle against threats to the world, saving the world that hates and fears them, while also defending the existence of the mutant race in particular. The X-Men have gotten drawn into some of the most harrowing battles in the Marvel Universe, taking on enemies that want to wreck them, the mutant population, and the world, and sometime not in that order. The X-Men have some of the most powerful villains in comics, and yet thanks to the team, their evil plans have been stopped every time. The X-Men have been able to beat the odds on multiple occasions over the years, taking down villains whose plans would have ended everything they hold dear. Sometimes, these victories came completely against the odds, as their foes have the X-men outclassed in every way.
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However, looking at many of the X-Men’s battles, they should have lost numerous times There have been occasions when the villains held all the cards. The X-Men only won because they were the good guys, pulling out a win when their enemies should have easily defeated them. These seven X-Men villains had the team dead to rights and should have been able to win, but the X-men some how beat the odds and won, saving the world and ending villainous plans before they could reach a terminal stage.
7) Magneto
Magneto’s morality has always been complicated, to the extent that there are whole generations of X-Men fans who would say that the mutant master of magnetism should have won ages ago. However, if we’re just talking about specific examples, two that immediately spring to mind come from X-Men (Vol. 2) #1-3 and “Fatal Attractions”. In the first story, Magneto had the X-Men beaten dead to rights and took them prisoner instead of just dumping them out of the airlock of Asteroid M. He then took Xavier and Moira MacTaggert hostage to force Moira to allow him to edit (for lack of a better term) the X-Men’s minds. Magneto had just found out about Xavier and Moira tampering with his mind to make him a good guy after he was de-aged, but he should have known it didn’t work in the long run because it didn’t work for him. It was a dumb plan and he could have had a victory over the X-Men if he hadn’t enacted it. In “Fatal Attractions”, Magneto gave the X-Men every chance to join him instead of just attacking them with the full force of himself and his new Acolytes. Magneto could have killed all of the mutant superheroes in one fell swoop if he would have dropped an iron meteor on the funeral of Illyana Rasputin. There are other times that Magneto could have beat the X-Men, but those are two of the most egregious occasions.
6) Cassandra Nova
New X-Men is a classic X-Men series, and it kicked off by introducing an all-new X-Men villain — Cassandra Nova. Cassandra Nova is Charles Xavier’s twin, whom he killed in the womb. She survived as a cluster of cells and created her body from scratch, and began to plan her revenge against her brother and his students in the X-Men. Cassandra was able to initiate the wild Master Mold, creating the Wild Sentinels, unleashing the Mega-Sentinels on Genosha, and tricking Wolverine and Cyclops into capturing her and bringing her to the X-Mansion. She then attacked the team from the inside, and was able to trade bodies with Xavier, putting him into the wrecked body she created. From there, she brutalized Beast by taking control of Beak and went to the Shi’Ar Empire, where she destroyed the Empire merely because of Xavier’s relationship with Empress Lilandra. That was her mistake, as the X-Men were able to figure out something was wrong while she was gone. However, if she would have just stayed on Earth, she could have secretly picked the X-Men off one by one. Her mania for revenge was her undoing; she would have had all the time in the universe to destroy the Shi’Ar if she took down the X-Men first. Cassandra Nova was superlatively powerful and if she would have used that power smartly, instead of going for revenge right away, she would have been successful in her plot to completely destroy her brother’s life.
5) Enigma
Nathaniel Essex was a Victorian geneticist who got mixed up with Apocalypse and mastered cloning. At some point, he learned about the concept of a Dominion, a godlike being that exists outside space and time, and predicted that machine life would come about. He made four clones of himself and an AI form, all in order to figure out how to become a Dominion. At some point, Essex succeeds in becoming a Dominion and becomes Enigma. Enigma began to move pieces against the X-Men, and eventually, they discovered his existence. After defeating the Orchis Initiative, the X-Men went after Enigma and defeated him with the power of the Phoenix Force. However, this never should have happened. Enigma existed outside of time; he could look at any possible past, present, or future. He should have began killing the X-Men long before they ever became X-Men (something he tried exactly once with Hope Summers, and was defeated because Jean Grey knew what to look for). Enigma was all-powerful in a way that few villains in the Marvel Universe have ever been. He should have easily been able to erase the X-Men from existence.
4) Dark Phoenix
“The Dark Phoenix Saga” is an X-Men legend, and it showed how far the team would go to save a friend. Jean Grey fell to the Phoenix Force, and became the Dark Phoenix, devouring an entire solar system before the X-Men were able to reach the good person inside her. However, it honestly never should have gotten that far. Jean Grey still had a modicum of control over the Phoenix Force, but there’s no way that the team should have been able to stand up to her power at the point she was at. “The Dark Phoenix Saga” is considered a cosmic epic, but it’s just as much about how far the X-Men will go for a friend. However, Dark Phoenix never would have allowed it to get that far, even at the level she was at. The Dark Phoenix should have destroyed the X-Men with ease, even with Jean Grey doing her best to remain in control. In fact, it’s weird that the Phoenix Force didn’t just eat Sol instead of flying all the way to the D’Bari system to feed. It’s one of those occasions where the only reason the X-Men won is because they are main characters.
3) Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Pryor is an iconic X-Men character, playing a huge role in the history of the team. Created by Mister Sinister to seduce Cyclops from the DNA of Jean Grey, she started a family with Scott Summers and had a baby. Jean Grey’s return to life destroyed her family, and things would only get worse when Mister Sinister targeted her. Her mental state was further compromised when she learned that she was a clone, and eventually she fell in with the demons of Limbo, leading an invasion of the Earth. This was chronicled in the story “Inferno”. The various mutant teams, as well as basically every hero in New York City, were able to defeat the invasion, but they honestly shouldn’t have. Madelyne Pryor had an army of millions of demons at her disposal, and should have been able to overwhelm everyone in the city. Limbo also allowed her to touch any period of time, so she could have used that to destroy the main levers of resistance against her. She even had an echo of the Phoenix Force inside of her, which should have also played a role in her victory. Madelyne Pryor should have handily won “Inferno” with everything she had access to.
2) Apocalypse
“The Twelve” is an underrated X-Men story (in my opinion at least) from the end of 1999. It revolved around Apocalypse capturing the mutants known as the Twelve, which should have given him godlike power and allowed him to conquer the world. However, the X-Men were able to learn what Apocalypse was doing — partly from the Skrulls that Apocalypse had been using as servants — and was able to win in the end. However, Apocalypse had assembled the Twelve. He had Wolverine as his Horseman of Death. Apocalypse even had X-Man, the alternate universe Cable with godlike mental power. Apocalypse should have been able to defeat the X-Men with the power of the Twelve, but lost because he bonded with Cyclops. Apocalypse didn’t use the power he had gained to its utmost extent, and that cost him.
1) Onlslaught
Onslaught was born when Professor X mindwiped Magneto. Magneto’s evil went into Xavier’s mind and the psychic parasite began its quest to wipe out humanity. At first, Xavier was still a part of Onslaught, and that’s why Onslaught didn’t kill the X-Men immediately; he still had love for his students and that influenced Onslaught. However, in Onslaught’s second phase, when he also had access to the power of X-Man and Franklin Richards, he got rid of Xavier as anything but a power source. Onslaught had control of two of the most powerful telepaths on Earth and the most powerful reality warper. He could have killed every Marvel hero with a thought, and there was no Professor X with his morality holding Onslaught back anymore. There’s no reason for Onslaught to have lost, other than he was toying with everyone for yucks.
What X-Men villains do you think should have won? Sound off in the comments below.
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