My 17 Favorite X-Men Villians

17)Shadow King

One of the most powerful telepaths on the planet (some put him in 2nd, some in 3rd most all have him in top 5 though), he is twisted greedy and just plain evil.  With ties in the past to both Storm and Xavier, he has both the power and the cunning to attack the X-Men in a way very few can. 

 

Favorite Story:The Muir Island Saga (Uncanny X-Men #277-280 and X-Factor #69-70) (By Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, Fabian Nicieza, Peter David, Paul Smith, Andy Kubert, Whilce Portacio, Steven Butler, Kirk Jarvinen, Scott Williams, Hilary Barta, Michael Bair, Joe Rubinstein)

16)Exodus 

Just look at that design!  He reminds me of something from Cobra-La.  Like between the 90s style and the design elements he just feels like an unused GI JOE figure from the movie.  He is also an extremely powerful mutant(although how powerful has fluctuated way more writer to writer than most characters do. He possesses a ton of superhuman powers, telepathy(at levels above Emma, Xavier and equal to Nate Grey at times but behind Jean and Rachel Summers), telekinesis (to the point of being able to completely reconstruct Charles after he had been obliterated), and teleportation (of up to hundreds of people at once, with distances from Earth to Avalon)), as well as superhuman durability and healing, including surviving full blast shots from Cannonball and Rogue as well as attacks from Wolverine's claws.  He may be immortal and has stated that he can raise the dead.  He may be the most powerful foe the X-Men have ever faced, just was never given the proper focus he should of been given.  Instead of being the big bad he was always just filling in for Magneto and then was demoted down to serve others as well.  Guy deserves to be the final boss for once.

 

Favorite Story:Bloodties (Avengers #368-369, X-Men #26, Avengers West Coast #101, Uncanny X-Men #307) (By Bob Harras, Nicieza, Roy Thomas, Scott Lobdell, Steve Epting, Kubert, David Ross, John Romita Jr., Jan Duursema, Tom Palmer, Matt Ryan, Tim Dzon,and Dan Green)

15)Krakoa

I know right now Krakoa is all over the books and has been given a new lease on life as the headquarters and possible driving force on the most recent X relaunch.  But my love for this villain comes from just one issue in particular, thats right Quasar #15, ok no obviously I mean Giant-Size X-Men #1, the issue that first introduced the All-New X-Men (the Wolvie/Storm/Nightcrawler team).  If not for that issue, I wouldnt give a squirt.  He has appeared in a few issues of What If and alternate retellings/flashbacks in so many stories, it feels like we saw him dozens of times when really we didnt see him in the X-Books for almost 30 years except in flashbacks.

Favorite Story:Giant Size X-Men#1 (By Len Wein, Dave Cockrum and Peter Iro)(cover by Gil Kane and Cockrum)

14)Omega Red

I say the following fully aware of all the ate this would get if anybody who cares is reading it, but I think Jim Lee is the best character designer in comics history.  Ok look beyond Red here, you got Backlash, Fabian Cortez(hey, hes on this list too), Fitzroy(hey, hes honorably mentioned below), Gambit, Hush, the X-Men #1(93) redesigns and more than half the Wildstorm Universe, not a bad track record.
Now back to Mr. Omega himself here, the tentacles are unique and bad ass, the Evil Russian was played out by time he debuted but it still worked given the spin put on it by Byrne, Lobdell, Nicieza and Hama.  He was just a great looking character with just enough intrigue to keep you caring.

Favorite Story: A Skinning of Souls (X-Men #17-19) (By Nicieza, Kubert, Mark Pennington, Dan Panosian, Bob Wiacek and Al Williamson) 

13)Juggernaut and Black Tom

Honestly, Juggy is number 17 but I wanted to include Black Tom cause I loved them on X-Men:TAS, and by adding him it bumped them up to 13.  Black Tom Cassidy, brother of Banshee, uncle to Siryn, I really liked until the secondary mutation thing that turned him from a mercenary to some supernatural plant elemental magic guy.  Juggy, Ive always loved. Him being so physically dominate and that playing against his brothers mental powers is also just brilliant storytelling.  Funny thing is I would of thought Juggy should be higher but honestly there was a lack of memorable stories that focused on him during my team reading the books.

 

 

And Simply because Im contractually obligated by my status as a nerd on the internet:

Favorite Story:Uncanny X-Men #322 (By Lobdell, Tom Grummett, Green, Pennington, Ryan and Al Milgrom) and X-Men Unlimited #12 (By John Francis Moore, Epting, Ariel Olevetti and Kevin Conrad)

12)Hellfire Club Inner Circle

I'm talking the Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Harry Leyland, Donald Pierce era.  This team was every bit the X-Men's equal, at least after Mastermind warped Phoenix into Dark Phoenix.  Too show how important they are in cannon, the very first issue after Claremont's decades long run, the first writer after him used them as the primary villains in the very next issue.  They have all been used in various ways in the years since that issue, a new Inner Circle has debuted multiple times, some including X-Men members (Storm, Archangel, Psylocke, Magneto and Sunspot all have at least served in it), but none have had the lasting impact or the even the duration of this line-up. In a lot of ways the Upstarts were essentially a reworked version of the concept (even had a Shaw and Fenris Twins involved as well as Selene), and they had to be sacrificed so that the Upstarts could thrive, when that didn't work each of them was brought back individually.  Emma would join the X-Men, Shaw hung out with X-Force, the characters always seem to be around somewhere near the actions.

 

Favorite Story:Uncanny X-Men #129-135 (By Claremont, John Byrne, and Terry Austin)

11)Mystique 

Raven is a character whom we know nearly everything about and yet next to nothing.  We have the details but like her appearence, what they mean is forever changing.  An enigma wrapped in a rid...you get the reference. I hate that Marvel, under Shooter at least, wouldnt let her and Destiny be a lesbian couple (they hinted at but were not allowed to state it) and that they would have been the first same sex parents in comics in the late 80s had Shooter not balked at the ideal still irks me.  But back to the character herself, manipulative, self serving, untrustworthy liar who somehow is still honorable and a good ally to have.  Former lover of Sabretooth, Wolvie, Forge and many others, mother to Rogue, Graydon Creed and Nightcrawler.  

 

 

 

Favorite Story:X-Men Unlimited #4 (By Lobdell, Richard Bennett and Steve Moncuse)

10)Sabretooth

Before I ever read comics regularly my cousin Josh gave me a few dozen books.  Among the books he gave me were two staring Wolvie, both featured him battling Sabretooth, one was Wolverine #10, the other some issue of Uncanny whose number I can't recall.  But those issues made me fall in love with this evil hunting machine.  The work Lobdell, Nicieza and John Francis Moore did with him later, both to first humanize then completely flip the script to make him even more of an animal was great long term story telling.  But...hes on the list because he has been a part of some of the damnedest most brutal fight scenes in comics history.  Wolverine #90 in particular is a brillant fight and the last few pages, just beware the third claw bub.

Favorite Story:Wolverine #10 (By Claremont, John Buscema and Bill Sienkiewicz)

9)Stryfe 

Ok at the time I stopped reading I think the official line was that Cable was Nathan Summers and Stryfe was the clone (Cable#6), but for the majority of the time I read the books it wasnt confirmed which was which.  Being cloned by from a Summers to help fight Apocalypse(or fight for Apocalypse?  I cant remember why he was cloned exactly now) he kinda has ties to all the other major X-Villains except maybe Magneto(although you could argue that Havok/Polaris relationship ties them too).  His armor was majestic and his powers off the charts, he led the MLF and was driving force behind one of the stories that defined my comic reading experience.

 

 

Favorite Story: X-Cutioner's Song (Uncanny X-Men #294-297, X-Factor #84-87, X-Force #16-19, X-Men #14-16) (By Lobdell, David, Nicieza, Brandon Peterson, Jae Lee, Kubert, Greg Capullo, Joe Quesada, Austin, Milgrom, Pennington, Harry Candelario, and Panosian)

8)Fabian Cortez

Who knew Judas translated to Fabian?  The great betrayer.  Magneto's chosen right hand man, he turned on him and gave up the seat at the right hand in Avalon for an attempt at immortality on Earth (sounds familiar somehow).  Imnot sure what it is about his design but he just looks like a creepy bastard.  Always willing to do anything to survive (even bargain Magneto's grand-daughter Luna's life) and not above selling out his friends (ie Magneto) hes way more dangerous than he at first seems.  He spent long time as either leader or 2nd in command of the Acolytes and that made him all the scarier as that army alone was a battle for any X-Team.

Favorite Story:Bloodties (Avengers #368-369, X-Men #26, Avengers West Coast #101, Uncanny X-Men #307) (By Bob Harras, Nicieza, Roy Thomas, Scott Lobdell, Steve Epting, Kubert, David Ross, John Romita Jr., Jan Duursema, Tom Palmer, Matt Ryan, Tim Dzon,and Dan Green)

Im not going to just repost the same covers from the Exodus Entry so here are a few Acolyte Pics:

 

 

 

7)The Upstarts

A group of young mutants that just wanted it all.  And did they ever go about getting it.  At various points they were thought responsible for deaths of Inner Circle and Hellions (Shinobi Shaw and Trevor Fitzroy), Magneto (Fabian Cortez), The Reavers (Fitzroy again) as well as nearly taking out Cyclops, Storm and Xavier (Siena Blaze) and Mystique and Sabretooth (Graydon Creed).  In the end all of the killed have returned except Hellions, so technically I guess Fitzroy should be the winner.  Selene helped form the game while Gamemaster (one of my fave villains ever) was the arbiter of points and disagreements.  Fenris Twins were also involved with the team, but never given official membership.  Gamemaster called the competition ended after a confrontation with Paige Guthrie(Husk) where she challenged him to help lead the next generation instead of leaving them to Magneto and Charles. (One rumor I have heard is that at one point he was the leader or conversely the main antagonist in the Gen X pitch originally.) 

 

Favorite Story:Child's Play (X-Force #32-, New Warriors #31,45-46) (By Nicieza, Tony Daniel, Darick Robertson, Jonathon Holdredge, Larry Mahlstedt, Mark McKenna, Mark Stegbauer, Danny Bulandi and Ian Arkin)

6)Onslaught

Oh man, on one hand I fucking love this character, the mysterious build up, the overwhelming feeling that nothing would ever be the same (and soon after the realization that nothing ever was), this was the first villain introduced in years that literally felt like they would change the X-Books(and boy did he ever, not just the X-Books but the entire fucking industry in the end).  He set up story seeds the lived off of for twenty years after and at the same time tied up stories that had been hanging for a decade by this time.  On the other hand I hate the character assasination that this required of Charles Xavier.  I know its true that we like our heroes flawed, makes them more human(if you doubt this just remember Stone Cold and The Rock drew more people than Hogan or Warrior, and most religions teach humans are flawed, its built in to relate to fragile flawed people) and he, much like Cap or Hal Jordan, made a great target to knock off the perch, problem was the knock on him was way rough than on the other two because he didnt have a person to blame but himself, his actions directly caused Onslaught's creation.
On a fully personal note, this was for better or worse the story that ended my faithful reading of the X-Books.  It wasnt this storyline or anything like that, but shortly after this wrapped up I moved from AZ living with my Grandma and sister and to SC to live with my Dad and another sister.  For whatever reason I couldnt find most of the X-Books so I started reading Thunderbolts and Green Lantern more often and continued reading the X-Books only casually over the years, so Onslaught will always hold a place in my heart.

 

Favorite Story:Onslaught Saga (By Ever body, like there is a decent chance you worked on it, I mean I'm pretty sure I didn't but I might just be that guy you know)

 To the Cover Gallery (Just way too many to put here, 57 of 'em)

So to fill space:

 

 

5)Sentinels (Nimrod/Bastion/Master Mold)

This includes all Sentinels, I only call out those three by name because they tend to be thought of separately usually. Mutant hunting robots, their immense size and power alone make them a danger, even if you can handle the power, when something that big falls, it damages things, and they always (almost) dont come alone, preferring to attack in packs.  Project:Wideawake, Days of Future Past and other stories have already shown the danger of the Sentinel program, and the faster technology evolves the more threatening they become.

Favorite Story:Days Of Future Past: Uncanny X-Men #141-142 (By Claremont, Byrne, and Austin)

4)Mojo

Hes basically a sleazy reality TV producer that was created before reality TV was even a thing.  I mean honestly how that haven't done a live action TV show set in Mojoverse that is a parody of reality TV is beyond me, shit writes itself and lets you get a bunch of C or D list heroes and villains exposed to fans the same way Suicide Squad does for DC movies only with a lot less cost, but I digress.  Anyway besides having one of the best designs in the history of comics(being some quasi-Giger Lovecraft techno-organic monstrosity while still somehow looking like a sleazy TV exec)  he is just such a likable villain as in one that is easy to root against but still be entertained by.  Being a "smart" wrestling fan, he in many ways reminds me of the image some fans have of Vince McMahon, lol.  Spiral, Longshot and Shatterstar all owe their existence in some way to Mr. Mojo.  He also was in X-Men on the Sega Genesis, and his level was both super tough and awesome to 12 year old Nathan.

 

Favorite Story:X-Men #10-11 (By Lee, Lobdell, Wiacek, Panosian, Williams and Karl Altstaetter)

3)Mister Sinister

Single dumbest names, single best design in Claremont's entire run on the book.  He looks absolutely bad ass.  He is the definition of Magnificent Bastard(Evil version).  He has an air of sophistication to him that just masks his ice cold heart.  His obsession with the Summers family and his role in the Legacy virus creation/release guarantees he will always sit near the head of the X-baddie table.  His Maurders and Nasty Boys, among many other goons(including Gambit), are the toughest most ruthless of cannon fodder baddies.  Among the Maurders, Sabretooth and Malice are of particular note.

 

Favorite Story:X-Men #45 (By Nicieza, Kubert and Cam Smith)

2)Apocalypse

Survival of the fittest. The First Mutant (if that's still canon).  The master manipulator who has had forever to set his plans in motions.  The Age of Apocalypse, as well as Cable's future world show that he is capable of being the biggest threat in the Marvel Universe.  He has an amazing design, a nasty disposition and a habit of evolving stale characters into new interesting takes, nothing to not love here.  He has had many minions over the years, from the Dark Riders to his numerous versions of the Horsemen.

 

Favorite Story:Cable #35 (By Jeph Loeb, Ian Churchill, Scott Hanna and Art Thibert)

Honorable Mentions: 

Trevor Fitzroy and Siena Blaze

Proteus

Arcade

Mikhail Rasputin

The Brood 

Madeline Pryor/ Goblin Queen

Phalanx 

X-Cutioner 

1)Magneto

My favorite X-Men villain and probably my 2nd favorite villain of all time.  First visually, chef's kiss, perfection.  From the color to the design, every version of the costume(except that strange purple M get up) has been great.  You see every bit of his internal and external struggles in his face.  As bad guy he is brutal, he has the power to pretty much destroy the planet and not all that many heroes could even stop him.  What makes him so compelling is that what he wants, his people to be free of oppression is a noble goal.  We all want what Erik wants, but we are not all willing to cross the lines he is to get it.  In a lot of ways he is just a super powered Punisher who targets all of humanity for their combined crimes.  His relationships with Charles and Rogue are highlights of his appearances. One of the great things about him is that he has elevated other characters just by being associated with him, ie Cortez, Exodus, etc.

   

 

Favorite Story:X-Men #1-3 (By Claremont, Lee and Williams)