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Hey there Comic Attackers! If you’re like me you can never get enough X-Men. Yet, there are so many mutants out there that they’ve become incredibly hard to keep track of, let alone stay up to date on what their current power levels are. That’s why I have taken up the task to power rank all of the active X-Men post Messiah Complex from the very least to the top beast! There are 75 mutants in all to rank and today I give you the first five! 

So what are power rankings? Mostly used to rank sports teams on how well they are playing now, my power rankings are a list of X-Men based on what their power set is in current continuity (or most recent appearance). Other factors that determined a character’s ranking are: what their power potential is, what they’ve already proven they can do (so long as it is still relevant in current continuity), and their over all level of badassness. If you disagree with me that’s totally cool- please feel free to call me out and explain what your reasoning is. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, and while I believe this list to be very solid in it’s numbering, I’m interested to hear what you have to say! So without further adieu, lets get this ball rolling:

#75. Lockheed: The dragon side kick of the late Kitty Pryde, Lockheed ranks dead last in our power rankings. No offense to the little guy, but just about anyone on our list could give him a beat down if they really wanted to, be it with their powers or a baseball bat. Named after the company that built the X-Men’s jet, the Blackbird, Lockheed most recently appeared in Astonishing X-Men when he blew flame into the face of the villainous alien, Ord. Since Kitty’s untimely and saddening departure, we haven’t seen much of the alien dragon.

Powers: Lockheed can fly, breathe fire, and is immune to flame and heat. He also has some telepathic resistance as Professor Xavier has never been able to read his mind, and it is also believed that he possesses some empathic abilities due to his relationship with Kitty.

First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #166, 1983.

#74. Renascence (formerly Wind Dancer): Due to Sofia Mantega losing her powers on M-Day, she ranks low on our list. Since leaving the X-Men she decided to work as a waitress in a dumpy restaurant, but after much persuasion accepted an invitation to join the New Warriors where she took up the alias Renascence. She totally sucked in her first mission on the team, and has since decided to live off base and continue working her normal day job while living a normal life. You can read about her adventures in the recently canceled New Warriors series.

Powers: Currently she doesn’t have any, but Sofia used to possess Aerokinesis which allowed her to mentally direct air particles, permitting her to fly and create forceful blasts of wind. As Renascence she wears a suit with six metal cybernetic tentacles that release electricity from their claws. She is also equipped with a force field.

First Appearance: New Mutants vol. 2 #1, 2003.

#73. Vanisher: Tel Porter is one of the most unexpected members of an X-team to date. He was a member of X-Force, serving as a teleporter for the team, but he has recently fled from them. It shouldn’t come as a surprise considering he joined the mutant assassination squad against his will, forced to become a member since Elixir put a tumor in his brain, one that only he can remove. He’s covered in tattoos and while he looks bad ass, Porter proves that appearances can be deceiving as he’s a total sissy and is virtually useless in a brawl. Unless of course, you need to escape.

Powers: He has the power to teleport via the Darkforce Dimension while going from one place on Earth to another. Tel’s range and mass limits for teleportation are unknown, but he can go from So Cal to NYC in one teleport. He also has an extrasensory ability that prevents him from materializing his body within a solid object.

First Appearance: X-Men #2, 1963.

#72. Prodigy: Another victim of M-Day, we haven’t seen much of the powerless David Alleyne in recent X-books. Before Messiah Complex David had a rocky relationship with the mutant Surge, and has since become a brooding type of dude. He’s currently living in San Francisco with the rest of the X-Men, but stays mostly behind the scenes as he’s more of a liability than an asset in combat.

Powers: David used to be a Psychomimetic, meaning that when he was in a close proximity of another person he could scan and internalize the knowledge and skills of others, essentially giving him the ability to duplicate any non-superhuman talent. However, once the person left the range of his power he was unable to retain the the knowledge gained. After M-Day, The Stepford Cuckoos restored his memories and every skill he ever learned when he had powers. So while he may be powerless now, he’s still one helluva bright kid.

First Appearance: New Mutants vol. 2 #4, 2003.

#71. Wolf Cub: After the events of Messiah Complex, a young Nicholas Gleason took it upon himself to lead the Young X-Men. Unfortunately for him, that role resulted in his tragic death at the hands of the evil mutant hating cyborg, Donald Pierce. He was a stumpy 4’3″ and a light 113 lbs., so it should come as no surprise as to why he was killed and ranks so low on this list. The only reason why he trumps Prodigy and the others before him is because he still possessed powers and had the potential to shred someone if need be. Also, before his death he had proven to be able to hold his own in a fight. However, Wolf Cub isn’t any higher on the list because he did, after all, get himself killed. Plus, Gleason was voted most likely to cry at a movie by his teammates… so, yeah.

Powers: Nicholas had a permanent werewolf like form that gave him razor sharp claws and enhanced strength, endurance, speed, senses, and agility.

First Appearance: Chamber #1, 2002.

Check back in tomorrow for more Rankings!

Andy Liegl
andy@comicattack.net