Who was on the first X-Men team: getting to know the basics of the cult franchise’s lore

The X-Men saga is still considered one of the most confusing superhero universes. It has multiple prequels, spin-offs, and alternate versions even in its movie incarnation. It’s hard for a newcomer not to get lost in all this variety of content, so we’ve put together a guide to the first X-Men lineup: after all, you need to start by understanding its legacy – at least on the scale of the film adaptations.

Cyclops is the first to believe in the X-Men

The hero’s childhood, like most mutants, was not easy – first he survived a plane crash in which he lost his parents, but gained the ability to release a killer laser beam from his eyes. Then he was taken to an orphanage, where the guy was experimented on. And it’s hard to say what would have happened to Scott if one day Professor Xavier hadn’t come to him.

The scientist immediately saw Cyclops’ power and found a way to contain it – ruby-quartz glasses. It was in them that the character began to spend most of his time, making it difficult for James Marsden, who played the role of Cyclops for 14 years. The actor admitted that it was hard to show emotions with hidden eyes, but it did not prevent him from conveying the character’s character – restrained, pedantic and strict. Other X-Men call Cyclops an overgrown boy scout, which makes it difficult for him to compete with Wolverine – the main opponent in the fight for Jean Grey’s heart. However, this trustworthy, Swiss-watch-worthy guy can’t be underestimated – he’s the leader of the team, the first official member of the X-Men.

Gin Grey’s massive influence

The new girl at Mutant High who immediately grabbed everyone’s attention. This girl, who possesses the most powerful telekinesis, is the main love line of the story, as well as a series of unexpected plot twists. So it’s no surprise that Jean Grey was at one point honored with solo projects, becoming one of the central figures of the franchise.

The release of movies in her time has only cemented the heroine’s status as an iconic character in pop culture. And a significant contribution to this was made by Famke Janssen, who managed to find a balance between fan expectations and her own vision of Jean. Even to those viewers who were unfamiliar with the comics, the actress conveyed an important message: Jean Grey is a tragic heroine, full of contradictions and questions to herself. To convey her duality, caused by the division of the girl’s consciousness into “dark” and “light”, the artist immersed herself in the study of psychological disorders such as bipolar, split personality and schizophrenia. Thanks to this, Jean on the screen looked realistic with all her list of incredible features: she, as fans note, one moment can be a gentle, caring “mom” of the team, and the next – the main horseman of the Apocalypse.

Ice Man as a way to defuse the situation

Every team has someone who likes to make “jokes for 300” even in the midst of burning deadlines, and the X-Men team is no exception. The youngest mutant on the team is Bobby Drake, aka Iceman, aka Iceberg in the Russian localization.

His ability to turn everything he sees into ice wasn’t immediately recognized: at first he hid it, and then he even ran away from home so that the robots tracking mutants wouldn’t find him and hurt his loved ones. The plan worked only halfway, and when the guards did find Iceman, he was rescued by the X-Men. The hero accepted the invitation to get into “Xavier’s School for Gifted Teenagers” instantly, and his journey of growing up began. He had to overcome insecurities and conquer his own fears, which was perfectly emphasized in the films by Shawn Ashmore, who embodied the hero on the screen: he showed that youthful naivety of Iceberg, which is so quickly replaced by seriousness and thoughtfulness, and in later adaptations used a beard and a different physics of movement to show how Bobby grew up and finally realized that he was in the epicenter of the fighting.

And in the films, he showed the youthful naivety of Iceberg, which is so quickly replaced by seriousness and thoughtfulness.

The Metamorphosis of the Beast

Gazing at this anthropomorphic predator, few would assume that the man before them is a respected scientist in the field of biochemistry and genetics. But that’s the truth: in a very clear way, the X-Men once again raise stereotypes and show that you can’t judge a man by his appearance alone.

Interestingly, it was the Beast who suffered the most in the movie adaptations of the comics: he was cut out of the first part of the main trilogy, given a minor role in the second, and only in the third was he put in a decisive battle with Magneto – here the character was played by Kelsey Grammer. The actor used all his charisma to look like a representative of the U.S. government in such a massive makeup, and it’s not even an exaggeration – in the lore, the Beast is very influential, because he created a cure for mutation and was very disappointed when it began to be used for military purposes.

Angel who decided to be himself

With a 4.5-foot wingspan and simple jeans, the superhero costume of Warren Kenneth Worthington III, known as Angel from X-Men. 

He was lucky enough to be born into a well-to-do family, where his father was immediately involved in the issue of his mutation: he tried to create a cure for his son, and at one point he even succeeded, except Warren himself refused the injection. At the last moment he decided that the mutation is a part of himself, so it just needs to be accepted. Angel fled the lab and found refuge at Xavier High School, where he was accepted into the superhero team. Warren’s first appearance in the movie happened in the movie “X-Men: The Last Battle” played by Ben Foster. The actor specially trained for this role to build muscle mass, and on the set performed most of the stunts himself.

Summary: Professor Xavier and his grand scheme

The main characteristic of the X-Men lies in their purpose – they don’t save people just because they can, but try to mend relations with society in a peaceful way, even if they themselves don’t always like the idea. But if you look at it from the point of view of Professor X, the team’s founder, the picture gets even bleaker: as a genius with the ability to penetrate other people’s minds, he knows his subjects and what they can do when no one will hold them back.

While selecting the strongest mutants, Xavier kept in mind that they were the biggest threat to humanity. So in order to use their abilities for good, he gave them the opportunity to help both himself and other lost heroes. It seems like an act of kindness, but in reality it’s a way of control. Mutants act primarily as weapons for Xavier, and he uses them with the utmost care.

And in the same way, actor Patrick Stewart, remembered by audiences as this controversial scientist, approached his role. And while Professor X is absolutely his character, he once stunned fans at a Comic Con with a sudden confession.”

And while Professor X is absolutely his character, he’s not the only one who’s been in the spotlight for a while.

“I would love to play any female character in any of the X-Men movies, because then I’d have a chance to win an «Oscar».”