8 most underrated X-Men characters of all time
X-Men has been one of the most popular superhero lineups for some time now. It easily stands on even footing with other superhero teams like The Avengers, the DC lineup of heroes, or even the limited series, Watchmen.
When we talk of the X-Men, the mutants who come to our minds are almost always the same people—Professor X, Wolverine, Magneto, Cyclops, Jean Gray, the Beast, and a handful of others. More often than not, we forget some of the other mutants who may not be as popular as the flagbearers but are very capable characters themselves.
Here are some of those mutants among the X-Men who have the potential to be as great if not more than the old guard of mutants but have remained as underrated characters, almost hidden in the shadows of the franchise regulars.
Forge, Havok, and 6 other underrated X-Men who have the potential to be great
1) Forge
One of the most celebrated characters in the entire Marvel Universe is Iron Man, the genius billionaire. While the character's idiosyncrasies and Robert Downey Jr.'s explosive acting made him a fan-favorite in the MCU, his technical skills and adaptability made him such an asset in the comics.
However, Forge, the engineering mastermind of the X-Men, never really got that kind of attention. Forge is a Native American mutant from the Cheyenne tribe with a superhuman genius. With his unparalleled intuition toward machines and a penchant for inventing new technology, he is practically unbeatable in anything tech-related.
Forge could discern and understand any form of tech, human or alien, while also being able to dismantle it or create a countermeasure for the same.
2) Daken
We all know and love Wolverine, the nigh-undying mutant with the adamantium claws. He has been a sort of flagbearer for the entire X-Men franchise over the years, so to say. However, his next generation may not have reached close to his kind of fame.
Daken is Wolverine's son with his deceased Japanese wife, Itsu. Itsu was killed with Daken still in her womb, who survived the ordeal because of his inherited regenerative capabilities. He grew up to hate and blame Wolverine for everything and started as an antagonist in the X-Men franchise before coming around.
His powers are largely similar to that of his father—retractable claws, accelerated regenerative powers, and superhuman senses. However, one thing that sets him apart from Wolverine is his ability to control the pheromones of others. This lets him manipulate the emotions and thought processes of others.
3) Multiple Man
Unlike the first two characters, Multiple Man, aka Jamie Madrox, has already made his appearance in this cinematic universe. The character was featured in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, and played by Eric Dane.
Multiple Man can make copies of himself by absorbing kinetic energy. He can also copy the clothes, weapons, and equipment on him at the time. His "dupes" have their own thought processes, while being linked telepathically to the original Madrox. Also, the experiences, memories, and emotions that the "dupes" go through get integrated into Madrox when he absorbs them.
4) Armor
Armor, aka Hisako Ichiki, is a Japanese mutant who joined the Xaviers School for Gifted Youngsters. She was a part of Kitty Pryde's team, Paladins, alongside Wing and Blindfold.
Her powers let her envelope herself with a psionic exoskeleton over her entire body, which she uses to go into battle. The armor created is extremely sturdy and nigh impenetrable and also grants her superhuman strength. She can change the armor size according to her will, but mastering her power was a long ordeal.
She received combat training from Wolverine and strategy training from Cyclops, two veteran Alpha-class mutants. This makes her a force to reckon with in the mutant universe.
5) Ink
Ink is among the founding members of the Young X-Men, a young group of mutants under the X-Men house. Initially, he did not have any powers of his own. All his powers were given to him by a mutant tattoo artist Leon Nunez, who could bestow powers upon those he tattooed.
A biohazard symbol on his right-hand palm gives him the ability to induce sickness. A tattoo on his left hand resembling the metallic banding on Colossus' body gives him superhuman strength. A pair of lightning bolt tattoos on his temples gives him telepathic abilities. He has tattoos of wings on his back, which gives him the ability to fly. A tattoo on his right bicep gives him the power to blow things up. He also has healing powers from a Caduceus tattoo on his left hand.
His most powerful tattoo is undoubtedly that of a phoenix around his eyes. This allows Ink to tap into the primordial Phoenix Force and even resurrect his friend from death. However, the Phoenix tattoo disappeared after that and also left him comatose, similar to what happened to Leon Nunez when he gave Ink that tattoo.
6) Darwin
Darwin, aka Armando Muñoz, is among the mutants who have already debuted in the X-Men cinematic universe. Played by Edi Mūe Gathegi, he appeared in X-Men: First Class (2011) as part of the mutants recruited by a young Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr to go against the Hellfire Club.
Darwin's power is instantaneous adaptation, which allows him to adapt to any kind of environment, situation, or attack. This makes him one of the most durable mutants out there with the capability of overcoming all kinds of hardships he comes across.
However, even after all this, Darwin was among the first few victims in the film. This attracted critique from fans and audiences, who all claimed that Darwin's power was meant to counter something like that.
7) Polaris
Polaris, aka Lorna Dane, is Magneto's daughter who was born out of an affair he had with Suzanna Dane, a married woman. At the age of three, Lorna manifested her powers and mistakenly killed her parents in an airplane crash. This was when she was found by her true father, Magneto, who was attracted to her strong magnetic pulse.
Lorna grew up unaware of her true lineage and mutant powers until she was discovered by the Cerebro at the age of 20. Since then, she has been part of the X-Men crew alongside Iceman, Havok, and others. Her powers are similar to that of Magneto, with the capability to manipulate magnetic fields. With this, she can create force fields, fly, create blasts, manipulate metals around her, and so on.
8) Havok
Havok, aka Alexander Summers, is the younger brother of X-Men veteran Cyclops. Like some of the other members on this list, Havok has also made his appearance in the X-Men cinematic universe, in X-Men: First Class (2011), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), and X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). The character has been played by Lucas Till so far.
Havok can absorb and store cosmic energy in his body, which he can then emit as a destructive plasma blast. However, he can't freely control the path of the attack unless wearing a containment suit designed for him. With his power, Havok is practically immune to heat and radiation and can even attain flight by directing his energy emanation properly.
Although considered to be at par or even more powerful than Cyclops, Havok has never attained a similar kind of popularity that the mutant with the laser-shooting-eyes has gotten.
These are some of our picks of mutants from the X-Men franchise that we think deserve much more popularity and are worth much more than the general audience values them for.
If fans have any personal picks of underrated mutants, be sure to drop a comment down below.