X-Men
PURPOSE: To Train Mutants and Defend Humanity from Evil Mutants.
AFFILIATIONS: Excalibur, X-Factor
ENEMIES: Magneto, Freedom Force, Evil Mutants Everywhere.
BASE OF OPERATIONS: X-Mansion, Westchester, New York
FIRST APPEARENCE: Uncanny X-Men #1
HISTORY :
The X-Men is an organization of superhumanly powerful mutants that was founded
by Professor Charles Xavier for two purposes: first, to train such mutants in
the uses of their superhuman powers, and second, to serve as a combat team that
could defend humanity against attacks by superhumanly powerful mutants who use
their powers for criminal ends, as well as against other threats.
The civilian identities of most of the X-Men are unknown to the public. In their
civilian identities the X-Men are officially students at or alumni on Professor
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. The School, where the X-Men are based, is
housed in Charles Xavier's mansion at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center,
Westchester County, New York. The Mansion serves as the X-Men's base of
operations, training center, and living quarters. Although the true identities
of two of the X-Men's founding members, the Angel and the Beast, have become
public knowledge, they have apparently managed somehow to conceal the fact that
they attended Xavier's school from public awareness.
Virtually every member of the X-Men is a superhuman mutant. There have, however,
been exceptions, such as the Mimic, who could duplicate the superhuman powers of
mutants, and Longshot, an artificially created, genetically engineered humanoid
from another dimensional world.
Charles Xavier is himself a superhuman mutant who, as a young man, used his
telepathic powers to battle various menaces. After being crippled in an encounter
with the alien Lucifer. Xavier led a reclusive life as an academic and a
scientific researcher. He was contacted to help Jean Grey, who was then still a
child, and was unable to control her newly emerged mutant telepathic abilities
properly. Xavier used his own psychic abilities to erect psionic blocks in
Grey's mind to prevent her from using her telepathic powers until she was mature
enough to deal with them. Over the following years Xavier worked with Grey to
develop her mutant telekinetic abilities.
Xavier expected that normal human beings would eventually come to fear and
persecute the growing number of superhuman mutants. Xavier learned from news
reports of an adolescent mutant who nearly became the victim of mob violence
after he publicly displayed his superhuman power. This mutant, was being
investigated by Fred Duncan, an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Xavier contacted Duncan and told him of his intention to find young superhuman
mutants and train them in the uses of their power for the benefit of humanity.
Duncan and Xavier agreed to cooperate with each other. This cooperation between
Xavier and the federal government lasted for several years, but Xavier put an
end to it when he realized that the government's attitude towards superhuman
mutants was beginning to turn hostile. Xavier and his student Katherine Pryde,
an expert with computers, have seen to it that government records about the
X-Men dating from the years of cooperation with the F.B.I. have been destroyed.
Duncan was once reported dead, but this report may be untrue. His current
activities, if he is still alive, are unknown.
Using Duncan's files, Xavier deduced that the young mutant Duncan was
investigating was Scott Summers. Xavier sought out Summers and enlisted him as
the first of his X-Men, Cyclops. Xavier called the team "X-Men" because each one
had an "extra" power that normal people lacked. (Not so coincident ally, of
course, "X" was also the first letter of Xavier's last name, and he himself took
the code name "Professor X.")
Over the following months Xavier recruited three more superhuman mutants and
began training them in the use of their powers: Robert Drake, who took the name
Iceman, Warren Worthington, the Angel, who had already begun a career as a
costumed crime fighter, and Henry P. McCoy, a college student who became known
as the Beast. Xavier then invited Grey, who had already became quite adept in
the use of her powers due to his training, to join the team; she took the code
name Marvel Girl.
"Uncanny" X-Men #1 (In his school for Gifted Youngsters, Professor Xavier,
a wheel-chair-bound telepath, mentally summons his students. Like himself, his
pupils are mutants, each born with the capacity for a superhuman power. After
the professor tests their abilities, he introduces them to a new student Marvel
Girl. Shortly thereafter, the Cape Citadel missile base is taken over by a lone
mutant terrorist - Magneto. Professor X sends the X-Men on their first mission.
Guided telepathically from afar by their mentor, The X-Men confront Magneto and,
despite his superior power, manage to free the base from his control, but
Magneto manages to escape capture.)
"Uncanny" X-Men #2 (A costumed criminal called the Vanisher robs banks
in broad daylight and escapes, thanks to his power of teleportation. He then
announces his intentions to steal the US government's continental defense plans.
Professor X w ho suspects that Vanisher is a fellow mutant, sends the X-Men to
stop him, but Vanisher easily escapes them. When he returns to retrieve the
ransom for the return of the pans, Professor X accompanies the X-Men into battle
and defeats the Vanisher by mentally robbing him of his memories. With no
recollection of his mutant powers, the Vanisher is easily taken into custody)
Xavier's first five students were all adolescents when they joined the X-Men.
Xavier was apparently not opposed to inducting to inducting an adult into the
X-Men, and in fact offered membership in the team to the adult Blob, who rejected
it. Afterwards, Xavier seemed un-interested for years in recruiting new member
for the X-Men. Calvin Rankin, the Mimic, insisted on joining the group, although
he resigned soon afterwards. Two other young mutants, Lorna Dane, alias Polaris,
and Scott Summers' brother Alexander, alias Havok, became reserve member of the
X-Men, although it is unclear whether they actually became members of Xavier's
school.
Professor Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters is a fully accredited institution
of learning, and Xavier provides his student with the equivalent of a high school
and college education in traditional academic subjects while also training them
in the uses of their mutant powers.
The X-Men first publicly appeared as a team when they first battle the powerful
mutant Magneto, who had captured the American missile base at Cape Citadel. The
American military was grateful to the X-Men for driving from the base, and
initially the X-Men were publicly regarded as heroes. However, fear and distrust
of mutants continued to rise, reaching one of its first peaks, perhaps, at the
time that Bolivar Trask publicly revealed the existence of his mutant-hunting
robots, the Sentinels. Over the last several years the X-Men have been publicly
regarded with suspicion, and have been unjustly accused of various crimes. Indeed,
since the end of Xavier's cooperation with the F.B.I., the X-Men have officially
been regarded as outlaws.
Requiring seclusion while he prepared to deal with a forthcoming invasion of
Earth by the alien Z'nox, Xavier had the mutant Changeling impersonate him in
order to supervise the X-Men in Xavier's absence. However, the Changeling, as
Xavier, died heroically in action, and Xavier felt obliged to continue the
pretense of his death. Of the X-Men, only Marvel Girl knew that Xavier was still
alive, and she was sworn to secrecy by Xavier. Duncan had the X-Men disband
briefly, but the team later reunited, and finally, Xavier revealed to the four
male X-Men that he was still alive. The X-Men then assisted Xavier in defeating
the Z'nox.
Years later, the original team of X-Men were trapped by the mutant entity known
as Krakoa the living Island. Xavier therefore was obliged to recruit new X-Men
to rescue his original team and to defeat Krakoa. The new recruits came from
various countries: the Irish Banshee, the Soviet Colossus, the German
Nightcrawler, the African Storm (who was born, however, in the United States),
the Japanese Sunfire, and the American Indian Thunderbird. Most of these new
members were adults, and were already quite adept in using their superhuman
abilities. These "new" X-Men, together with the original members, dealt
successfully with Krakoa, and all returned safely to Xavier's mansion. Soon
thereafter all of the original X-Men left the team except for Cyclops. Sunfire
also quit the group, and Thunderbird was soon killed in action, but the other
new members stayed in the team.
A manifestation of the phoenix-force, a sentient energy being, adopted the form
and persona of Jean Grey, and, as Phoenix, joined the team only to sacrifice its
existence in Grey's form months later. The Banshee left the X-Men due to injuries.
New members who joined were Katherine "Kitty" Pride, an adolescent known a
Shadowcat, who was the team's youngest member at that time, the X-Men's former
enemy Rogue, and Rachel Summers, the second team member to be known as the
Phoenix, who comes from the future of an alternate time line.
At a time when Xavier believed that the X-Men might have been killed, he decided
to form a new team of adolescent superhuman mutants, whom he would train at the
school in the use of their powers; but whom he would not send into combat. The
members of this team, the New Mutants, have nonetheless often found themselves
in battle through circumstances, and have frequently aided the X-Men in combat.
The X-Men's greatest opponent, Magneto, had reevaluated his life and beliefs
acting as the X-Men's ally. When Xavier was on the brink of death due to severe
injuries, he persuaded Magneto to take his place as head of his school in his
absence. Xavier was teleported off Earth to the Shi'ar Galaxy by his lover, the
Shi'ar Princess Lilandra Neramani, and his ally Corsair. Xavier fully
recovered, thanks to Shi'ar medical science, but was unable to
return to Earth. Magneto, under the alias of Michael Xavier, Charles Xavier's
alleged cousin, now runs the school and instructs the New Mutants. Magneto was
also now a member of the X-Men, although Storm was now the team's actual leader.
Xavier's original five students, then all adults, did not trust Magneto and
were dismayed that the current X-Men had allied themselves with him. As a result,
Xavier's five original students formed their own organization, X-Factor,
in order to find and train superhuman mutants.
Following these events, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Shadowcat had to take leaves of
absence from the X-Men due to severe injuries. Reserve member Havok had become
an active member of the team, and three new recruits joined as well: the
Dazzler, Longshot, and Psylocke.
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