Omega-level mutants are the most powerful of all mutantkind: there’s weather-wielding Storm, the telepath Jean Grey, and Magneto, master of magnetism, to name a few. But the mightiest — and merriest — mutant of all is Santa Claus, according to a Christmas Eve encounter with the X-Men. In 1991’s Marvel Holiday Special #1, a yuletide tale by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Dave Cockrum (titled “A Miracle a Few Blocks Down From 32nd Street”) wished readers a merry X-Man with the reveal that the gift-bringer is gifted.
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The all-new, all-different X-Men — Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Banshee, and the bah hum-bub Wolverine — are decking the halls of the X-Mansion when Cerebro, the X-Men’s mutant-detecting computer, locates “the most powerful mutant ever registered.” As the X-Men head to Rockefeller Center to determine whether the mutant is friend or foe, they find that the mystery mutant is targeted by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants: Mastermind, Toad, Blob, and Unus the Untouchable.
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The teleporter Nightcrawler defeats the leaping Toad, but the metal-skinned Colossus and the sonic-screaming Banshee find Blob to be unmovable. While Wolverine’s adamantium claws attempt to cut through the impenetrable force field that makes Unus untouchable, Storm’s weather-manipulating powers make her too great a match for the illusion-making Mastermind.
When the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants suddenly disappear, it’s revealed that a mall Santa Claus transformed them into toys (accessories and batteries not included). Revealing his name to be Kris Kringle, Santa teleports the X-Men to just outside of Rockefeller Center —but without their memories from the past hour. It was almost as if this merry misadventure never happened at all.
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Years later, when the X-Man Jubilee met Santa and helped save a young mutant in 1998’s Generation X Holiday Special, she asked if he was a mutant. With a wink and a smile, and a jolly shush to his lips, Santa never did answer the question. “Merry Christmas, Jubilation Lee,” Santa said. “Merry Christmas.”
And then Santa dashed away in his sleigh led by eight tiny reindeer. As for his mutant powers, Marvel’s Santa is a teleporter with super-strength (but only on Christmas Eve), and he can, of course, levitate up chimneys and detect who has been naughty or nice. With that, Santa Claus wishes to all a merry “X“-Mas.
