With Inferno now in full swing and Jonothan Hickman’s time at the helm of the X-men line coming to a fast close, we look back at the influence, pop culture relevance, visibility, and just sheer clout of the Black mutant members of Marvel’s X-men. If you haven’t yet go check out our epic listing of over 100 black mutants from Marvel’s X-Men line.
- Maggott
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Created by: Scott Lobdell & Joe Madureira
1st appearance: The Uncanny X-Men #345, 1997
Born Japheth in South Africa he was the sickly second child of his family who was a burden on their resources. At the age of ten, he tried to commit suicide as he lay dying of thirst he was saved by Magneto, master of Magnetism who used his powers to help the boy activate his own. Two giant slugs erupted from his abdomen. Years later he tracked Magneto’s clone to New York and briefly joined the X-men along with Marrow and Cecelia Reyes. He was eventually sent by Beast to join Generation-X. Upon joining the team he was enamored with teammate Husk and became fast friends with Synch. He left the team to track down this hunter and wound up captured by a new Weapon-X program and was sent to a concentration camp. At the camp, he was sentenced to death under Sinister’s watch.
He later reappeared during Necrosha as part of Selene’s resurrected mutant army and most recently on Krakoa.
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Created by: Ed Brubaker and artist Pete Woods
1st appearance: X-Men: Deadly Genesis #2 (February, 2006)
The half-black, half-latino Darwin/Armando Edi Munoz is a mutant with the power of reactive evolution literally allowing him to survive anything, though it is completely involuntary. As a member of Professor Xavier’s failed X-men team lead by Vulcan he was presumed dead for years. Upon returning he rejoined the X-men and later X-Factor Investigations. With X-factor he battled Hela the Asgardian mistress of death in Las Vegas. After trying to cope with his newly acquired powers and leaving the team he came back to kill Wolfsbane’s son. After the dissolution of the team his current whereabouts are unknown.
- Gentle
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Created by: Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost
1st appearance: New X-Men #23,
Biography
A wakandan born mutant to a German father. He was ostracized even before his powers manifested for being a “half breed”. When his powers manifested he was quickly contained by the tattoos and sent to the Xavier School for the gifted. He remained there never using his powers until his team was sucked into hell by the reborn Illyana Rasputin. After this ordeal he fought again during the messiah Complex crossover and later moved to San Francisco to the X-men’s new home base. He remains there still.
- Oya
Created by: Matt Fraction
1st appearance: The Uncanny X-Men #528, 2010
Biography
Idie is a 14-year-old Nigerian mutant with the power of Thermo-Kinesis. Idie is a high-level thermo-kinetic mutant able to generate both heat and cold from her body. Not only can she generate Ice and fire but also control their shape and intensity she is also immune to temperature extremes.
When her powers first manifested she burnt her village to the ground [Uncanny X-men #528, 2010]. Branded a witch by locals she witnessed her family killed for trying to protect her. Taking refuge in a church and believing herself a ‘devil’ for the chaos she caused Idie is rescued by Storm and Hope Summers, the mutant messiah returned from the future [Uncanny X-men #528]. Hope stabilizes her powers and Idie is revealed as one of ‘five lights’ which signify the mutant race is not dying. After being rescued by Storm she joined the X-men.
- Manifold
Created by: Jonathan Hickman, Brian Michael Bendis and Stefano Caselli
1st appearance: Secret Warriors #4, 2009
Eden Fesi, also known as Manifold, is an Aboriginal Australian mutant with the ability to bend time and space, connecting one piece to another and allowing him to teleport. Under the tutelage of the X-Men ally Gateway. Eden was selected as one of the many unregistered superhumans, handpicked by Nick Fury as part of his Secret Warriors. Fesi joined the Avengers as a part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch. When the Avengers fell under S.H.I.E.L.D. authority, Manifold was one of the members who left and joined A.I.M., now under the leadership of Bobby Da Costa. He ended up in Wakanda where he assisted the Black Panther in stopping the revolts within the country by teleporting T’Challa and his Hatut Zeraze to strategic areas where the revolts were taking place.
- Synch
Created by Scott Lobdell and Chris Bachalo
1st appearance: X-Men #36, 1995
Biography
Everett Thomas was born into the Thomas family and lived in St. Louis. He is described as Calm, Over Confident, and a portrait of synchronicity. Everett always worked hard and dreamed of going to college and of majoring in political science…he wanted to reach out to people—to make a difference. Little else is known about his past before he manifested his mutant abilities. During the Phalanx Covenant, he accidentally channeled the powers of the X-man Banshee, resulting in shattered glasses and traumatized citizens. After the Phalanx Covenant, he joined Generation-X where he dated Monet St. Croix but tragically died before reaching his true potential. Reborn on Krakoa, he infiltrated “The Vault” and was critical in obtaining information about the Children of the Vault before joining the X-men team and coming to the attention of the High Evolutionary.
- Frenzy
Created by: Bob Layton and Keith Pollard
1st appearance: X-Factor #4, 1986
Biography
Nothing is known of her youth except she has a younger brother whose name is Gareth. She became a mercenary early on and had a brief fling with the x-man Gambit. She came to be recruited by Apocalypse into his alliance f evil and clashed with the original X-factor. They were defeated numerous times until they were abandoned by Apocalypse and the group separated. She then joined with Nightshade in the femizons but when their leader was killed they disbanded. Under Magneto however she found her true calling, fighting for mutant rights before later joining the X-men. An altered timeline romance with Basilisk/Cyclops made her truly reform. On Krakoa she found a new purpose as a member of S.W.O.R.D and is Earth’s mutant ambassador.
- Cecilia Reyes
Created by: Scott Lobdell and Carlos Pacheco
1st appearance: X-Men #65, June 1997
Biography
Cecilia grew up in a poor community while in her native Puerto Rico. She was the second child of her family after older brother Miguel. One day she witnessed her father’s death outside the house and unable to save him he died in her arms. This traumatic event left young Cecelia a very motivated young woman who dedicated her life to the study of medicine. This ambition and single-minded drive allowed her to leave her life in Puerto Rico and pursue her dreams in the United States. During Operation Zero Tolerance she was ousted as a mutant and lost her job but became a member of the renegade X-men. Even after she left the team she remained a close ally always ready to join the battle and aid her adopted family either as a Doctor or warrior. Cecelia also shared a romance with the X-men’s Beast. On Krakoa she is the head of the medical team working with X-Force.
~DIG DEEPER INTO CECILIA REYES HERE~
- Prodigy
Created by: Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis
1st appearance: New Mutants vol.2 #4, 2003
Biography
David Alleyne is a former student of Xavier’s school for the gifted. While a student’s he lead the reformed New Mutant squad and had a rivalry with Hellion. After being depowered on M-Day he had all the knowledge and skills he had ever accessed, activated. Now one of the most brilliant minds on earth he sides with Cyclops during Schism. After Avengers vs. X-men he defected from the X-men and joined the Young Avengers where it was revealed he was bi-sexual. On Krakoa he is a member of the X-factor investigations team and dating Speed, the son of the Scarlet Witch.
~DIG DEEPER INTO PRODIGY HERE~
- Gateway
Created by: Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri
1st appearance: Uncanny X-Men #229 (1988)
Biography
The man who would come to be known only as Gateway has a past shrouded in complete mystery. He appears to be in his 60’s or 70’s but because of his ability to travel through time and space he may well be an ageless immortal. As a member of the Aborigine people of Australia, he is an elder and shaman. After being blackmailed by the Cyborg villains known as the Reavers who threatened to destroy land his people deemed sacred he agreed to work with them. Rescued by the X-men he became their ally for years, mentoring the M-Twins, rescuing Monet when she was imprisoned in the Penance/Hollow form by her brother Emplate and is also the grandfather of the X-men’s Bishop. He is also the mentor of Eden Fesi/Manifold. On Krakoa he is a member of S.W.O.R.D’s teleportation squad.
First Aboriginal member of the mutant squad and second black member who joined during the ‘Australian years’.
~DOG DEEPER INTO GATEWAY HERE~
Created by: Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo
1st appearance: Uncanny X-Men #316, September 1994
Biography
Monet St. Croix, also simply known as M, is one of the more powerful new mutants of her generation with powers eerily reminiscent of Kryptonians under a yellow sun. Monet also has the distinction of coming from a family filled with mutants, from older brother black supervillain Emplate/Marius St. Croix and twin sisters Claudette and Nicole. She was involved with the now-canceled X-Factor Investigations and was a former member of Generation-X. Recently she has become a member of the all-female X-men squad alongside Storm, Rachel Summers, Cecelia Reyes and Psylocke, served as the White Queen for the Hellfire Club, dated Sabretooth and merged with her brother Emplate and was the Villain in the last Generation X series. On Krakoa she has became a prominent figure as head of X-Corp, the business side of the mutant race. She can now also access her Penance form and aided the team that cured Storm of her Techno-Organic infection before leading the reformed X-Corp!
Monet is treated as racially ambiguous by most fans but newsflash she has a black father and according to creator Chris Bachalo, his inspiration was the singer Sade…who also has a black father, so yea, deal with it!
~DIG DEEPER INTO MONET ST. CROIX HERE~
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Created by: John Byrne, Jim Lee, and Whilce Portacio
1st appearance: The Uncanny X-Men #282, 1991
Lucas Bishop is a mutant from the 22nd century that traveled into the past, becoming a temporary member of the X-Men. He has the power to channel kinetic energy, releasing it generally through beams of energy. In recent years Bishop betrayed the X-men to kill the mutant messiah Hope Summers and was left stranded in the future. In 2013 he returned to the present in the pages of Uncanny X-force first as a foe and later as an ally. During the Krakoa era, he has served as the Red Rook of the Hellfire shipping company, was originally one of the Great Captains of Krakoa but later became the Captain Commander of Krakoa when Cyclops stepped down.
Bishop was a 90’s phenomenon! Apart from his grandfather Gateway, he was “technically” the second black male member of the X-men!
- Sunspot
Created by: Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod
1st appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel #4, 1982
Brazilian-born Roberto is a mutant with the power to absorb Solar energy and use it in a variety of ways. When he uses his powers his body becomes pitch black with a glowing corona and dark globes of energy floating around him. Roberto can use the stored solar energy to augment his strength to lift about 50 tons. Unlike most superheroes who have super strength, Roberto is not invulnerable and only possesses enhanced durability. He has been a member of the X-Men, Hellfire Club, New Mutants, Fallen Angels, X-Force, Mutant Liberation Front, X-Corporation, Avengers, and A.I.M. Sunspot s the highest profiled Afro-Latino in Marvel comics besides Miles Morales/Spider-Man.
For those who don’t know in his debut Sunspot’s powers activated while he was being beaten up for being a “nigger”!
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SUNSPOT HERE!
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Created by: Len Wein and Dave Cockrum
1st appearance: Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975)
Ororo Monroe/Storm is a mutant with the ability to perceive and manipulate the forces and elements that govern weather. She’s a mainstay and veteran member of the X-Men, tactical field leader, Avenger, African Goddess, Thief, former member of the Fantastic Four, former Headmistress of the Jean Grey School, former Queen of Wakanda and current Queen regent of Mars/Planet Arrako/Sol. She is more than a mouthful and twice as powerful! On top of all that she is easily the most recognizable and famous black superhero thanks to appearances in multiple video games, every X-men cartoon to date, and being portrayed by Halle Berry in the live-action X-men series. Storm is a pop culture phenomenon, Icon, and Marvel’s answer to DC Comics Wonder Woman!
She is also the first Black member of the X-men born to a Kenyan Princess and an African American father!