When it comes to mutants in Marvel Comics, the X-Men are the team that everyone talks about when it comes to teams for the outcast heroes. However, while this is the heroic team that defines mutants, there are several other mutant teams in the Marvel Universe, some as X-Men spinoffs and others as rival teams that are not connected to the main team. While there are plenty of villains, like the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, there are also plenty of hero mutant teams. These teams range from young mutants trying to prove themselves to counter-terrorist squads to a team that only cares about their level of popularity.
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From official X-Men spinoff teams to those set up to ensure they countered what they felt was wrong with Professor Xavier’s vision, here are the best mutant teams in Marvel Comics not called the X-Men.
10) Morlocks
The Morlocks are less of a “team” and more of a community. But they were an essential part of the darkest mutant storyline in Marvel Comics. The Morlocks were a community of mutant outcasts living in the underground tunnels of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Most of these mutants were unable to fit in and hide in public life, and they only found safety by hiding. However, in the Mutant Massacre, Mister Sinister sent his Marauders in to slaughter the entire community. Only a few survived, including Caliban, Callisto, and select others.
9) X-Statix
X-Statix is a controversial mutant team because they are not really that heroic. After X-Force seemed to sacrifice themselves to save the world, businessperson Spike Freeman decided he could succeed with a public mutant team sponsored by the government, and managed by the mutant known as Coach. Coach and the mutant Zeitgeist sacrificed their first lineup, believing that would make the team more popular with the tragedy. They changed their name from X-Force to X-Statix when the real X-Force returned and fought them for it. They really didn’t do much worth mentioning, but they were, if anything, quirky.
8) Exiles
The Exiles is a unique team because it is not strictly an Earth-616 mutant team, but rather a multiversal team, as it comprises members from all over the multiverse. A group called the Timebreakers sought champions from different realities to help save the Omniverse, and they decided to choose mutants from different realities. These included Blink (Age of Apocalypse), Mimic (Earth-12), Nocturne (Earth-2182), T-Bird (Earth-1100), Morph (Earth-1081), and Magnus (Earth-27). The team later worked with non-mutant members like Peggy Carter’s Captain America (Earth-86315) and Iron Lad, but they had several big adventures, always working to keep the multiverse safe.
7) Generation X
Generation X was a new team of mutant teenagers that formed under the guidance of Emma Frost and Banshee. The most popular member at the start was Jubilee, and she was joined by Husk, Synch, M. Chamber, Skin, and Penance. Much like the New Mutants at the Xavier Institute, the primary goal was for Emma and Banshee to teach the teens their school subjects while also training them to use their powers more effectively. They ended up lasting seven years and finally disbanded when Synch died and the kids learned that Emma Frost had committed a murder (she killed her sister Adrienne, the new White Queen).
6) Excalibur
Excalibur is one of the government-sponsored mutant teams, and they fight for the people in the United Kingdom. It isn’t just mutants working with this team, as Captain Britain often works with them as part of the team. The entire purpose was to carry on Professor X’s dream and legacy after he appeared to die. They also reformed during the Krakoa era. Throughout their history, the team has had some big-name X-Men members, including Kate Pryde, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee, Rachel Summers, and many more. As the U.K. superteam, it remains a highly respected lineup of mutant heroes.
5) Hellions
When the Hellions first appeared in Marvel Comics, they were initially antagonists, as Emma Frost had established her own school in opposition to Xavier’s school. They ended up as the teenage villains to the New Mutants, although they were all pretty much just kids who were following their instructor’s teachings, which were in opposition to each other. When the original Hellions almost all died, that is what caused Emma to finally start her redemption arc. However, the Hellions got a new lease on life in Krakoa. This was the better version of the Hellions, with Mister Sinister forming the team and Havoc taking a leadership role. The members included some impressive heroes, including Psylocke, Empath, Orphan-Maker, Wild Child, and Greycrow. They ended up being one of the best Krakoa-era teams.
4) New Mutants
The New Mutants was the first time that Marvel Comics tried to create a new team of teenage mutants since the original X-Men were all younger. Professor Xavier created the team to help bring in teenage mutants to help keep them safe, ensure they got their education, and learn how to use their powers safely. The team has some big-time members who served on it, including Magik, who went on to become a major X-Men member. Sunspot went on to help lead an Avengers team, and Cannonball was one of X-Force’s most important members. One of the most useless mutants on the team, Douglas Ramsay, is now the lead in his own mutant crossover series, Age of Revelation. The New Mutants eventually dissolved before forming X-Force, although the original team has returned in recent years.
3) Marauders
The Marauders remain one of the most fun X-Men spinoff teams in history, but only for their second iteration. The original Marauders were villains, formed by Mister Sinister and the cause of the Mutant Massacre. However, the best version of the team came in Krakoa when Kate Pryde started her own team as almost mutant pirates sailing from Krakoa to Madripoor, and even into space. Joining Kate for this team was Emma Frost, representing the Hellfire Trading Company, and heroes like Iceman, Psylocke, Pyro, Bishop, Storm, and more. It was a big-name team, delivering fun swashbuckling mutant action.
2) X-Factor
X-Factor is a team that has undergone several changes over the years, and through it all, it has included some of Marvel’s most popular mutants. The original team was the original X-Men (Cyclops, Angel, Iceman, Beast, and Jean Grey), and they tried to save mutants by “capturing them” for the government. The second version was also under government control by Val Cooper and included Wolfsbane, Polaris, Strong Guy, Multiple Man, and Quicksilver. After this, Multiple Man took over and made the team a detective agency. In Krakoa, this continued, with Northstar taking the leadership role and bringing in Daken, Prodigy, Eye-Boy, Darwin, and more. This was the team that solved crimes for the mutant nation.
1) X-Force
X-Force is easily the most popular X-Men spin-off team. This team formed when Cable chose to end the New Mutants and make them so much more. Instead of teenagers fighting for Xavier’s dream, they were a deadly counter-terrorist team who set out to stop future threats by any means necessary. After a few New Mutants left, Cable brought in some new names like Domino and Boom Boom. He also added Warpath, Shatterstar, and Feral, and even worked with Deadpool after the merc initially tried to kill him. In more recent years, the team evolved into the X-Men’s black ops unit, willing to do things that the X-Men can’t, and includes notable members such as Wolverine, Psylocke, Bishop, X-23, and other big names.
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