The Best X-Men Mutants That Did Not Debut In The Comics

With the X-Men being extremely close to making their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut and fans speculating about the nature of their arrival, it’s no surprise that hardcore X-Men readers might be wondering just who among the Xavier School’s students will be among the first to go to the big screen. Although fan favorites like Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Wolverine are a no-brainer, some fans might be wondering if any more love will be given to obscure X-Men characters.

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In fact, while there are indeed hundreds of Mutants who need more screen time after their debut in the comics, there are still some Mutants who first appeared outside comics that may deserve a spot in the films. Although some of them already got screen time in both recent films and shows, these non-comics characters have interesting stories to share.

1

X-23

A Killer Trying To Be A Little Girl

Considering the widespread acclaim of X-23 in X-Men comics, it’s no surprise that the revelation that she wasn’t an original comic book creation can stun even hardcore fans. X-23 – or Laura Kinney – actually made her debut in X-Men Evolution. While most X-Men: Evolution characters were reimagined versions of the X-Men team in a high school setting, Wolverine remained a seasoned veteran and was generally detached from fans. Laura Kinney being a young clone trained as a killer directly contrasts Logan’s amnesiac berserker, giving younger audiences a more “relatable” figure similar to Wolverine.

Reception to Laura’s past and story made her a breakout success in X-Men comics. She remains an iconic part of Wolverine’s legacy, to the point where she was even chosen as Logan’s successor to the Wolverine mantle in modern works. Whereas Wolverine and Laura both struggle to come to terms with their past, their father-daughter relationship remains a sight to behold regardless of the material – which is also what made the Logan film quite a tear-jerker in the eyes of many.

2

Spyke

A Newcomer Whose Role Represents The Viewers

Evan Daniels was a typical high school athlete until his powers of bone manipulation suddenly manifested in a basketball match. It’s only after Professor X helped Evan out of prison that he decided to attend the Xavier’s Institute under the codename Spyke – with his story in X-Men: Evolution involving the juggling of his schoolwork and the occasional missions to save New York. Being a total newcomer in the X-Men franchise, Spyke serves as the viewer’s lens into Evolution’s take on Mutants.

Throughout the story, Spyke is known as a bit of a troublemaker before eventually maturing into a “protector” role when his powers “evolve” and inspire him to join the Morlocks. Although his powers are similar to those of Marrow’s, the creators of the show didn’t indicate if they have any relation.

3

Morph

One Of Logan’s Closest Friends

Originally making an appearance in 1992’s X-Men: The Animated Series, Morph is notable for his shapeshifting abilities. Unlike Mystique who can only perfectly shapeshift humans and humanoids, Morph can even “mimic” the physical characteristics of the people they shapeshift into – allowing them to fly like Angel or even have Wolverine’s claws, but none of their “true” physical characteristics. Morph initially had a small role in the X-Men’s first outing – having sacrificed themselves to save Wolverine from a Sentinel. Believing to have been killed in the fight, Cyclops ordered the team to retreat and leave Morph behind. Morph eventually came back under the influence of Mister Sinister, having turned on their former colleagues in the belief that they abandoned them.

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A testament to the complexity of characters and storylines in The Animated Series, Morph has struggled with their desire for redemption throughout the series. They are also close with Logan, who has become a kindred spirit of sorts throughout the series. X-Men ‘97 creator Beau DeMayo revealed that Morph had romantic feelings for Logan.

4

Firestar

One Of Spider-Man’s Earliest Allies

In 1981’s Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Spider-Man is seen working with two rather peculiar super-friends: Bobby Drake or Iceman, and Angelica Jones or Firestar. Despite her name, Firestar isn’t a Pyrokinetic, but rather someone who can convert energy into microwave radiation, which she can then manipulate to cause a target to melt, explode, or burst into flames.

These powers can even let her emit microwave radiation to fly. Unlike other prominent Mutants in Marvel Comics, Firestar wasn’t a prominent member of the X-Men. While she’s stayed for a while with the Mutant superhero team, Firestar was a more prominent member of the West Coast Avengers. In the cartoon, Firestar and Iceman were both X-Men until they both quit.

5

Aimi Yoshida

Rumored Daughter Of Sunfire

When players choose a character in X-Men: Destiny, they can select the Japan-hailing Aimi Yoshida as their main character. Smuggled out of Japan by her parents, a young Aimi could only feel resentment towards them as they thought they had abandoned her. In truth, they wanted to send Aimi to San Francisco so she could avoid incarceration as a Mutant.

Unlike other X-Men in the comics, Aimi has access to special “suits” that can be combined with X-Gene sets to grant herself different powers. It seems her “canonical” power is energy projection, allowing her to create energy in the form of beams, shields, and grenades. It’s implied that Aimi Yoshida’s father was Sunfire – this means she likely inherited his Pyrokinesis. Aimi doesn’t appear in the X-Men comics.

6

Grant Alexander

Oblivious To Mutant-Human Relations Until It Became His Problem

Among the other available Mutants for players to choose from in X-Men: Destiny is Grant Alexander, a varsity hopeful who was once oblivious to the tension between Mutants and Humans… until discovering he had the X-Gene himself. Similar to Aimi, Grant can combine different X-Gene sets into special suits in order to acquire different powers.

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Interestingly enough, the old X-Men: Destiny website claimed Grant’s canonical power was that of density manipulation. This should technically mean transforming the body into something extremely dense to become extra durable and superhumanly strong, lowering one’s density to potentially increase one’s speed, jump higher, or even “pass” through objects. Unfortunately, Grant doesn’t make any other appearances outside X-Men: Destiny.

7

Adrian Luca

Trained To Hate Humans

Another character players could choose in X-Men: Destiny is Adrian Luca, this time raised among Purifiers and was taught to hate Mutants because of their threat to Humans. He begins the game craving for vengeance as his father, another Purifier, was killed by an anti-Mutant extremist. Despite having Mutant powers, Adrian is raised as a “soldier” for this cause. Compared to the other playable characters, Adrian Luca suffers from frequent hallucinations of his deceased father – it’s unknown if this is a mental condition or another thing entirely.

Similar to Aimi and Grant, Adrian can also use X-Genes into suits to grant him various abilities. It seems his “canonical” power is that of Shadow Matter, allowing Adrian to create invisible blades or use it to create superhuman bursts of speed.

8

Samuel Kamerhe

Once Luis Reyes’s Assistant

When a suspected attack from the Brotherhood caused chaos in the memorial rally for Charles Xavier in X-Men: Destiny, Samuel Kamerhe was caught in the crossfire. Formerly the personal assistant of Mutant Response Division’s Luis Reyes, Samuel had to find his boss to find the truth about the situation. However, things change drastically for Samuel after awakening his X-Gene, giving him powers of energy manipulation – allowing him to create energy blasts, defensive auras, and charged attacks.

Unlike the console versions of X-Men: Destiny, the Nintendo DS version only allows players to play as Samuel. He doesn’t appear in other versions of X-Men media, making him a DS-exclusive character.

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