Ranked from Worst to Best by Matthew Perpetua
http://www.buzzfeed.com/perpetua/94-x-men-members-ranked-from-worst-to-best
The list proper will follow my comment version. Some notes to start off with, there is no introductory paragraph that I could find on the site. Mr. Perpetua does write a few sentences for each character but that’s it. Also, I am not sure how much of a fan he is, as some of his descriptions imply that he is up to date but then there are others that indicate he hasn’t been reading for years.
So I have no idea why students made the list when they were never part of an actual field team. Also, field teams count such as X-Treme X-Men and X-Force, even Dark X-Men counts.
Something I think needs to start being considered in these lists, or at least, in terms of making these lists. If a character hasn’t been active in a while, I feel that should hurt their overall standing. Now, as a Nightcrawler fan, if any list was made during the time he was dead, I can see him not making any top ten lists (though he will always be in my top ten) but he is also a respected member and been part of every legendary line up, for the most part.
94. Broo – I like Broo, but he’s a student, he may have had adventures but I’m not sure what team you would say he has been a member of. Wolverine and the X-Men is a title about the Jean Grey School. He was active in AvX, so maybe that’s what counts. He is not the worst X-Man, by a bunch.
93. Slipstream – Member of X-Treme X-Men and has been pretty forgotten.
92. Lifeguard – Also a member of X-Treme X-Men, I have no real interaction with, at least she is paired with her brother.
91. Thunderbird (Neal Shaara) – I do agree that Thunderbird isn’t really a codename that should have a legacy for it, especially as Proudstar’s own brother didn’t want to pick it up as his own. I know Neal as being the reason why Warren and Betsy broke up.
90. Joseph – The clone of Magneto, that made it only quasi-acceptable that Rogue had a relationship with as he was at least closer in age to her.
89. Mimic – I know him more as a supporting cast member of Excalibur and Rogue’s final run on X-Men Legacy. There was an awesome version of him in Exiles, that I would have liked our version to learn about, probably send him into an even deeper depression.
88. Warbird – I don’t despise her as much as others seem to. I like that she finds Iceman attractive, it brings out a fun side to her personality.
87. Toad – Not a field member but janitorial crew in Wolverine and the X-Men, I suspect this guy doesn’t know how that title works.
86. X-Man – He pal-ed around with New Mutants for a bit but never been a member of a proper X-Men team.
85. Hepzibah – Part of the Uncanny turned Starjammers Brubaker team, does that really count? I guess that team did have a few Earth adventures, so it does.
84. Omega Sentinel – Fun character on Facebook’s Avengers Alliance, and I liked her when she was part of Rogue’s team during Mike Carey’s awesome run on the title.
83. Stacy X – Completely missed out on Chuck Austen’s run so I have no connection to her. So I am surprised she made the list over actual members.
82. Cloak and Dagger – Only been part of Emma’s Dark X-Men, which was nothing more than a fake team to mess with Norman Osborn. Does that really count? I am a big fan of this Bill Mantlo created duo, though, but they are not X-Men.
81. Maggott – I don’t hate him like many do, he just barely missed being part of the 35th Anniversary team.
80. Dust – Only been a student
79. Legion – Only ever been a foe of the New Mutants.
78. Blindfold – Only been a student – this list is so confusing. A reference to Whedon, her creator, but no referenced to X-Men Legacy.
77. Frenzy – Still getting to know this character, she is currently a member of Wolverine’s teaching staff.
76. Thunderbird (James Proudstar) – How does this guy rank so high, he had two adventures and completely failed during the second one. In-story, he isn’t even that well remembered, except for when people list dead X-Men.
75. Juggernaut – Barely a member, and during Chuck Austen’s era. I liked him on New Excalibur.
74. Firestar – She is the nega-Thunderbird, she is only now having her first adventure and ranked so high? I feel like I’m only doing this list to make fun of the author. She will always be a New Warrior and Avenger during Busiek’s amazing run.
73. Sage – X-Treme X-Men represent! Also a nice run on Exiles, which also doesn’t count.
72. Genesis – Only a student, what are the parameters for this list?
71. Marrow – She has a fun interaction with Kitty during the 35th Anniversary era.
70. Doop – Only been a part of the X-Force / X-Static and is staff at the Jean Grey School. He is slowly growing on me.
69. Aurora – He writes himself that she is barely an X-Man and that is being generous. She has never been a member.
68. Husk – Generation X representation and was part of Chuck Austen’s team, wherein he had her date Warren.
67. Goldballs – This guy has already quit the team once and has had one bad experience in Limbo and witnessed Battle of the Atom, how is he so high? But see how he is a new member within the past year? Who made this list?
66. Angel Salvadore – He references that Angel was suppose to be the opposite of Kitty Pryde, is that stated anywhere? Once Morrison was done with his run, I don’t believe she has been used since. Are all of her children still alive? I know some have
65. Lady Mastermind – Was part of Mike Carey / Rogue’s team. Such a fun time.
64. Armor – Was slated to be huge but now is only a student. She was part of an epic Astonishing team by Whedon / Cassaday but she is a kid so I can see Wolverine wanting to keep her in the classroom.
63. Madison Jeffries – Was part of Matt Fraction’s era Uncanny and then X-Club. Started out as Alpha Flight.
62. Deadpool – Part of Wolverine’s X-Force
61. Wolfsbane – Mostly New Mutants member, was on Wolverine’s X-Force for a bit as well as Peter David’s X-Factor.
60. Magma – Also, mostly a New Mutants member but was part of Matt Fraction’s “Everyone is an X-Man” era.
59. Polaris – Second daughter of Magneto’s (well third but that’s a sad story) member of X-Factor a couple times and was part of Chuck Austen’s team.
58. Danger – Started as an Astonishing foe, then was part of Gillen’s Extinction Team during his Uncanny run.
57. Warlock – Now he has only ever been New Mutants, and now part of Peter David’s third X-Factor. List maker gets props for making a Community reference though Cypher is the Troy to Warlock’s Abed if anything.
56. Cypher – I like Doug as a character, with 94, the half way point is 47 and he should at least be considered the top half of characters. Though he has only ever been a New Mutant.
55. Hijack – Another new Bendis character and only has 20 appearances to his name, no way is he above Doug, at the very least.
54. Chamber – Generation X leader and teacher at the Jean Grey School.
53. Sunfire – Should Sunfire even be considered for this list, as he hates the X-Men? He is part of Uncanny Avengers, half of the time so he should be lower on the list.
52. Warpath – Hellion, X-Force and Brubaker’s X-Men, decent character. Going to be in X-Men : Days of Future Past.
51. Domino – Mostly X-Force, a couple different versions but was on several of Fraction’s adventures.
50. X-23 – She was part of New X-Men, was part of Avengers Arena and Avengers Academy but proper X-Man? Maybe here and there.
49. Dr. Cecilia Reyes – I liked her the best of Maggot and Marrow. She was recently part of the last team of Astonishing X-Men.
48. Beak – Since Morrison, I don’t think he has been used that much, was on Exiles for a moment and was depowered and was part of that Former Mutants New Warriors team.
47. Longshot – Here we are at the halfway part, all of the characters below are not better than Longshot? I can cherry pick at least ten to fifteen that are.
46. Blink – She has only been a part of the Pre-Generation X team, and then died. She is only known for her Age of Apocalypse version. She came back to life for X-Necosha but as a villain. Should be lower on the list.
45. M – Generation X and now on Wood’s X-Men team.
44. Sabretooth – Was part of the Havok run X-Factor team and then Rogue’s team. Neither was ideal for him.
43. Hope – Part of Gillien’s Extinction team and now part of Cable’s current X-Force. She is okay but after AvX, has served her purpose. Also, Generation Hope, not that many characters have had ongoings named after them.
42. Sunspot – Another New Mutant, is currently an Avenger.
41. Pixie – I never thought of her as a mix of Magik and Jubilee that is an interesting view on the character. Was part of Fraction’s era.
40. Northstar – Now Northstar has had proper runs as a member of the X-Men, pun very much intended!
39. Banshee – Started as part of the All New All Different team, I know him best as one of the two mentors of Generation X.
38. Bishop – I was lucky enough to miss out on his first years, but I liked him in X-Treme X-Men. Before he chased Cable and Hope and killed millions so that he could try to kill a baby.
37. Karma – New Mutant and Astonishing X-Men member at the end.
36. Forge – Has he ever really been an X-Man? I know he has been part of Cable’s current X-Force and was on X-Factor with Havok. Not a fan.
35. Triage – The second of Bendis’ new members on his Uncanny X-Men.
34. Oya – Member of Generation Hope, and the very reason the Schism happened. Now a student at the Jean Grey School.
33. Tempus – Defeated the Avengers with barely a wave of her hand. Definitely deserves to be in the upper half.
32. Morph – He literally only had one moment, which I get people love in that solo adventure late last year with Emma but to be ranked higher than Tempus, seems crazy to me.
31. Dr. Nemesis – Fraction era, then X-Club and now Cable’s current X-Force, he ha a charm that grows on you.
30. Cable – Joined the X-Men when his father merged with Apocalypse.
29. Xorn – Really, the mess that is Xorn makes it this close to the top 25? Inconceivable!
28. Jubilee – The replacement Kitty Pryde!
27. Dani Moonstar – Probably my second favorite New Mutant. She’s almost have done too much as a character that now writers have a hard time knowing what to do with her.
26. Gambit – Wow, of the ‘known’ and ‘beloved’ X-Men, Gambit can’t crack the Top 25, this list may be have an agenda. Let’s face it, all that came before has been nothing more than an excuse, these lists strive for who makes the Top 25, then Top 10, Top 3 and who is the number one gunna.
25. The Stepford Cuckoos – Wow, so the Cuckoos make the Top 25, and they are only now becoming interesting. Phoenix Warsong really killed my enthusiasm for these ladies but the farther we get from that story the better.
24. Rachel Summers – My first of my favorite characters, of my personal top five, she is usually at number five. Glad she made it, just barely but she made it.
23. Namor – The first mutant, though only technically as in, he is really a mutant and not an X-Gene mutant. But still, a mutant is a mutant. Part of Fraction’s era and then Gillen’s Extinction team.
22. Dazzler – Outback era and then from there, floated about. My least favorite era, but I come around to her again during New Excalibur, wherein she felt like a new character. In my heart, I only really know her as the mutant that came after Kitty Pryde. One would think I’m a bigger fan of hers based off of how much I want Mystique to free her.
21. Fantomex – Wow, can’t believe Fantomex made it this high up!
20. Mystique – Mystique, was a member of X-Factor (forcibly) and then Rogue’s X-Men (with an agenda of her own) but she does serve some fun dynamics.
19. Quentin Quire – Quire should have been lower on the list. Barely a student, but Marvel keeps trying to make him into something.
18. Havok – Leader of X-Factor, been part of the next crew after the Original Five, I feel for this guy during Mutant X, an awesome series. Was part of Chuck Austen’s time and now is the leader of Uncanny Avengers – when Captain America lets him.
17. Iceman – Oh wow, the first of the Original Five to make the list. Did not think Bobby would be the first one listed. Now that Kitty broke up with him, I am not that much of a fan of his.
16. Cannonball – One of the leaders of the New Mutants, was the first one to graduate to the big team and now is an actual Avenger.
15. Angel – Warrant is probably my least favorite of the Original Five, but I did like him as Archangel and then when he was Psylocke’s boyfriend. Not so much as Husk’s boyfriend.
14. Psylocke – Once she got her latest uniform, looking at her in her purple bathing suit is hard to do, such an improvement and it is sad that her old one lasted as long as it did. I do miss British Betsy but that’s not my Psylocke.
13. Colossus – Ugh, my least favorite X-Man, and he made top 13! At least he’s number 13, but that feels like a hallow victory.
12. Magik – I would have made her at least top ten, especially with the two who knocked her out of the running.
11. Professor X – He is like Barry Allen and Jean Grey, he now works so much better as a dead character than a living one.
10. Magneto – I do like Magneto, but more than Magik? Impossible! I do like how they have been on the same team twice now, Extinction and Bendis’ Uncanny. They could have more interactions. He was her mentor during his team on the X-Men and when he was watching over the New Mutants.
9. Emma Frost – Can’t believe she is ranked before Jean! She would not like that, and I would have her over the next two!
8. Jean Grey – I like Teen Jean and I feel like Adult Jean, we got everything we were going to get from her, besides an actual relationship with Wolverine but we saw what happens if they get together during Earth X.
7. Storm – I use to love 80s Storm but she should have been allowed to be married and disappeared for a while. I get why the X-Office didn’t want to let her go but what they did with her and since, has it been worth it? No.
6. Nightcrawler – Kurt I would have in the top five and especially over the next two on the list. He deserves that much at the very least, such a great character.
5. Rogue – Have no clue how current day Rogue is on this list. She was given her own series, practically, in X-Men Legacy but once that was over, she didn’t go anywhere and now that she is a member of Uncanny Avengers (and dead at the moment) she hasn’t been seen at all.
4. Beast – I guess I would rate Beast as my second favorite member of the Original Five, didn’t know that until right now. But current day Beast is not the Beast that I feel for so long ago. Gone is the fun genius and has been replaced with whatever he is now. I guess Fraction had an issue with Beast as it was soon after Whedon’s Astonishing run that Hank McCoy stopped being fun.
3. Kitty Pryde – Here we go, this is the entire reason why I am even giving this list any additional thought. She is number three and it makes sense with who has the top two positions, she really can’t be ranked any higher. I mean, I could do it and Marvel easily did it for their Top 50 Mutants list but still. I adore that the author used a Paul Smith image for her, that’s awesome. His paragrah about her being Colossus’ girlfriend makes me think he isn’t reading current comics. But he refrences her replacing Xavier as the mentor to the Original Five X-Men. Contradictions! What does it all mean!?!
2. Wolverine – No denying that Wolverine is the most popular member of the X-Men but I am glad he is ranked number two as he isn’t the most important.
1. Cyclops – It is crazy how much of a fan of Cyclops that I am. I wouldn’t have said I have always been a gigantic fan. It definitely started with Whedon’s run as I didn’t read Morrison’s as it was published. Then Matt Fraction really got me liking Scott. I guess him being with Emma, really cemented Scott to me. I do love 80s Cyclops but I would say he is better now than he ever was back then. I mean, this guy has Magneto bowing down to him and showing him the respect!
Thanks Matthew Perpetua for creating your list, and giving me a post to create! Sorry I went after you so much, I’m just confused over the criteria for the list but thanks for ranking Kitty as high as you did!
The List, Proper!
94. Broo
93. Slipstream
92. Lifeguard
91. Thunderbird (Neal Shaara)
90. Joseph
89. Mimic
88. Warbird
87. Toad
86. X-Man
85. Hepzibah
84. Omega Sentinel
83. Stacy X
82. Cloak and Dagger
81. Maggott
80. Dust
79. Legion
78. Blindfold
77. Frenzy
76. Thunderbird (James Proudstar)
75. Juggernaut
74. Firestar
73. Sage
72. Genesis
71. Marrow
70. Doop
69. Aurora
68. Husk
67. Goldballs
66. Angel Salvadore
65. Lady Mastermind
64. Armor
63. Madison Jeffries
62. Deadpool
61. Wolfsbane
60. Magma
59. Polaris
58. Danger
57. Warlock
56. Cypher
55. Hijack
54. Chamber
53. Sunfire
52. Warpath
51. Domino
50. X-23
49. Dr. Cecilia Reyes
48. Beak
47. Longshot
46. Blink
45. M
44. Sabretooth
43. Hope
42. Sunspot
41. Pixie
40. Northstar
39. Banshee
38. Bishop
37. Karma
36. Forge
35. Triage
34. Oya
33. Tempus
32. Morph
31. Dr. Nemesis
30. Cable
29. Xorn
28. Jubilee
27. Dani Moonstar
26. Gambit
25. The Stepford Cuckoos
24. Rachel Summers
23. Namor
22. Dazzler
21. Fantomex
20. Mystique
19. Quentin Quire
18. Havok
17. Iceman
16. Cannonball
15. Angel
14. Psylocke
13. Colossus
12. Magik
11. Professor X
10. Magneto
9. Emma Frost
8. Jean Grey
7. Storm
6. Nightcrawler
5. Rogue
4. Beast
3. Kitty Pryde
2. Wolverine
1. Cyclops
Shadow and Flame with Magik 