The X-Men live in a world that hates and fears them, but that doesn’t stop them from being heroes. Professor Charles Xavier’s dream is a world where humans and mutants live side-by-side in harmony. The formation of the X-Men is an attempt to make that dream a reality. However, just because a person has fought on the X-Men doesn’t mean they have what it takes to be a hero. There have been points in time when some of your favorite X-Men have given up the superhero life, and in a lot of instances, it was for the best.
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Our list of X-Men who would rather not be heroes includes both actual heroes and villains, with the latter group also being among the X-Men at various times. The X-Men have been around for a long time, so it’s not unnatural to see villains join up and then go back to villainy, or for heroes to become disillusioned with the fight for mutant rights. And hey, being a hero isn’t for everyone. It takes a strong-willed person to fight for others, so it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
7) Cecelia Reyes
The X-Men’s poster child for not wanting to be a hero is Dr. Cecelia Reyes. Cecelia has the mutant ability to create a force field around her body, and has never once thought about fighting for mutant rights. However, she got caught up in the X-Men’s drama during the Operation: Zero Tolerance crossover in 1997. Operation: Zero Tolerance is where readers were first introduced to X-Men ’97 villain Bastion.
Cecelia’s true love is the medical field, specifically trauma surgery. Instead of being on an X-Men field team, Cecelia Reyes typically stayed behind to tend to the wounded and offer her medical expertise that way.
6) Colossus
Piotr Rasputin’s metal skin may be impenetrable, but it doesn’t mirror his emotions. Colossus always seems to let his emotions get the best of him, leading to some very questionable decisions. After the death of his younger sister, Magik, Colossus joined Magneto’s Acolytes and left the X-Men. Keep in mind, this happened right after Magneto had ripped Wolverine’s Adamantium from his body.
Other alternate timelines have also depicted Colossus as having evil tendencies. For example, we currently have Colossus, Magik, and Omega Red ruling over the Eurasian Republic in Ultimate Wolverine, where they turned Logan into their assassin, the Winter Soldier. Colossus also joined with Omega Red, Deadpool, Mastermind, and Sabretooth in Wolverine: Revenge, with Logan killing all of them except Sabretooth. Colossus’ son tried to get revenge for his father’s death, with Wolverine electing to let the boy think he killed Logan instead.
5) Beast
Dr. Henry “Hank” McCoy, aka Beast, is one of Charles Xavier’s original X-Men and has a brilliant mind. However, over time, Beast has changed from a lovable furball to what many would call a “madman,” becoming one of the main antagonists in X-Force during the X-Men’s Krakoan era. Even alternate universes have introduced evil versions of Beast, most notably Dark Beast from Age of Apocalypse.
With Beast always leaning into his darker impulses, it makes you wonder if he would be better off not trying to be a hero. Beast has done a lot of good as an X-Man, but it’s almost as if he’s guilt-ridden to do good, instead of being inspired to be a good person.
4) Mystique
Raven Darkholme is a bit of cheating, since she’s primarily known as an adversary of the X-Men. However, Mystique has also been a member of the X-Men. We’ve seen heroic versions of Mystique, like the freedom fighter Opposition member in Ultimate Wolverine. But let’s be honest… nothing about Mystique has ever screamed, “Hero!”
Mystique has only cared about herself, unless her wife, Destiny, is involved. Even fighting alongside the X-Men couldn’t change Mystique’s true nature, and that’s a shame. The only time we’ve seen Mystique be a hero is in FOX’s X-Men franchise, where she was played by Jennifer Lawrence.
3) Cyclops
The “Boy Scout” Scott Summers follows in Beast’s footsteps as both an original X-Man and a potential for darkness inside them. Cyclops has adopted more militant views over the last couple of decades, which is what led Beast to pluck the original five X-Men from the past in All-New X-Men. Cyclops was also responsible for Charles Xavier’s death in the finale of Avengers vs. X-Men, though he was under the influence of the Phoenix Force.
Cyclops has been persecuted and thrown in jail for his beliefs, but he’s never backed down or changed his opinion. If anything, Cyclops has doubled down on not caring what anyone thinks about him. The public probably sees Cyclops as a villain, which he doesn’t care about, and even though they do, he still does the right thing. It’s just worth noting that Cyclops would do the right thing whether he was a hero or not.
2) Namor
The King of Atlantis is one of Marvel’s oldest heroes, having fought alongside Captain America and Bucky Barnes in World War II. But as a king, Namor’s first responsibility is to protect Atlantis and its people. This brings him into conflict with the surface world time and time again. However, Namor has also been an X-Men on several occasions. Namor is best served as an antihero, fluctuating between hero and villain depending on what the story dictates.
If you were to ask Namor himself, he would say he’s not a hero. Those people have responsibilities that Namor doesn’t concern himself with. He is, after all, pompous and narcissistic, which is why fans love Namor the Sub-Mariner.
1) Magneto
Magneto was the first threat the X-Men faced, and is Charles Xavier’s closest friend. While Professor X fights for human and mutant rights, Magneto is only concerned with what’s best for mutants. Great villains always see themselves as the hero in their own story, and that’s the case with Magneto. A subset of fans will understand and even side with the Master of Magnetism. The only problem is that Magneto will go to extreme measures to win.
Magneto has taken his place among the X-Men as Charles Xavier’s handpicked replacement, as well as a part of Cyclops’ teams. He also took a larger role when the X-Men and mutantkind moved to Krakoa. Xavier, Magneto, and Moira MacTaggert were the architects of Krakoa, and Magneto even sacrificed his life to help save Arakko. Magneto has played both villain and hero, but most fans won’t think of him as the heroic type.
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