Who are the Most Beloved X-Men Characters?

image: John Byrne

The X-Men are one of Stan Lee’s and Jack Kirby’s most popular creations. Created as a metaphor for the civil rights movement of the 60s, a lot of the greatest X-Men stories deal with discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and fear of the other.

With a history spanning over 60 years, and an ever-changing team roster, the X-Men have produced some of Marvel Comics’ most popular and fan-favorite characters. In this article, we are going to take a look at just a few of the most popular X-Men ever to grace the pages of Marvel Comics.

Gambit

Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit, is a charming, gambling, wandering mutant, with the ability to manipulate kinetic energy. The way he most often utilizes this ability is by charging playing cards with kinetic energy, and throwing them as powerful explosives.

Gambit gets his name from a gambling term, which refers to a high-risk, high-reward play. These types of plays are quite common when it comes to casino games, which thanks to the power of the internet, can now be played online. By looking through the sites listed on this page, you will also notice that a lot of casino sites also double as sportsbooks, and so will appeal to fans of sports and gambling alike.

Gambit has had a long-term, on/off relationship with fellow X-Men, Rogue. The two recently tied the knot, and for a while starred in an ongoing comic together, aptly called Mr. and Mrs. X.

Wolverine

Created by comic book legends, Roy Thomas and Len Wein, the Wolverine is by far one of Marvel’s most iconic characters. His gruff exterior, paired with his heart of gold make him a fan favorite among fans of both comics, and the X-Men films, where he was famously portrayed by superstar, Hugh Jackman. Wolverine is famous for his killer catchphrase “I’m the best at what I do, but what I do ain’t so pretty”, and for his membership in multiple superhero teams, including the X-Men and the Avengers.

The Wolverine’s powers are his nearly unbeatable healing factor, unbreakable, metal skeleton, and his claws that can cut through anything. Another thing which makes Wolverine famous is the onomatopoeia of the noise his claws make when they pop out of his body, Snikt! The noise was so popular that Marvel Comics, teamed up with famed mangaka, Tsutomi Nihei, to produce a graphic novel titled Wolverine: Snikt!

Magneto

Long-time X-Men villain Magneto, often listed on the best comic book villains lists that permeate the internet, is the last character we will discuss in this article. Whether you know him as Erik Lensher, or Magnus, or most recently, Max Eisenhardt, Magneto is one of the greatest villains, and characters in comics. His backstory is a tragic one, having been the victim of discrimination all his life, not just due to his mutanthood, but his ethnicity, Magneto made a vow to never let his people face any discrimination, and as any good villain, took his vow too far.

As his name suggests, Magneto has control over the electromagnetic spectrum, which often earns him the moniker “master of magnetism”. His popularity also stems from his role in the X-Men films, where he has been portrayed by two powerhouse actors, Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender.