Some of the most notable powers of the Marvel Universe belong to theX-Men. Just about every superhero on the Marvel roster boasts a unique set of abilities and skills, but some of the most creative andpowerful abilities belong to mutants. Mutantkind has the advantage of being all-encompassing in that anyone could have any power imaginable, limited only by a writer’s imagination.
Whether theX-Men sport some effective defensive powersor offensive powers, they usually live up to the spectacle of the brand name: a marvel to the eyes whenever splashed onto the page. Even better is the concept of secondary mutations, meaning that even the most established of mutants can suddenly manifest new, sometimes secret powers. Some of the most beloved and famous names attached to the X-Men have hidden powers that not even their most die-hard fans know about.
The Original X-Man’s Blood Has Healing Properties
One of the selling points of Krakoa, before the island’s closure, was how it was capable of resurrecting dead mutants. However, long before the living island was founded, afounding X-Men member could do thatthrough his blood. In the “Dark Angel Saga,” which begins inUncanny X-Force#11 by Rick Remender and Mark Brooks, Warren Worthington III acquires new abilities from the Celestial Life Seed that give him the power to bring back the dead. Since his mind was wiped in the process, an amnesiac Archangel was certain he was a literal angel, but that’s another story for another day.
What does matter is how this twist in Angel’s physiology is one of the rare instances of X-Men writers expanding on ideas first introduced during Chuck Austen’s X-Men run, which established that mutants are immune to diseases, such as AIDS. Angel’s power upgrade shows howa mutant’s blood can be used to heal.
9Beast’s Powers Gradually Make Him More Vicious and Animalistic
There’s a Reason Why He Keeps Developing Villainous Habits
Fans of Beast who have strictly seen his work in X-Men television shows and movies have no idea that the comics have rechristened Hank McCoy as an outright villain. Hank developed such an irredeemable persona as Beast Prime that he needed to be replaced by a good-natured clone. The younger Beast still has concerns about his villain potential, as he’s deciphered that, genealogically, his X-gene forces him to develop more animalistic behavior over time.
X-Men Has a Rather Big Beast Problem, But It Won’t Be Fixed Anytime Soon
Beast’s villainous turn remains a contentious issue among X-Men readers, and it looks like there’s no solution in sight to redeem this X-Men hero.
He explains to his therapist, Dr. Andrea Sterman, how he came to this conclusion inX-Men From the Ashes Infinity Comic#15 by Alex Paknadel and Phillip Sevy. The charm of Beast is that he’s a massive blue fur ball with a sophisticated vocabulary and a penchant for Shakespeare, but whether he wants to believe it or not, he harbors a dark side in his genes that’s naturally andliterally turning him into a monster.
8Jean Grey Has a Psionically-Empowered Form
She’s Only Shown This Power Once
When the X-Men’s original five members appear in the present day in a now-iconic time travel plot, the younger Jean Grey is put on trial by the Shi’ar to answer for Jean’s crimes as the Phoenix. Overwhelmed by the genocide that her future self commits as the Phoenix, Jean unexpectedly and unknowingly allowed her telekinesis and telepathy to work together at once, creating a formmade entirely of psionic energy.
The “Trial of Jean Grey” arc begins in 2014’sAll-New X-Men#22.NOW by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen and ends inGuardians of the Galaxy#13, released three months later. Young Jean unveils her psionic form inGuardians of the Galaxy#13 by Bendis, Sara Pichelli, David Marquez, Justin Ponsor, and Cory Petit.
This story was the first and last time that either teen Jean or adult Jean were shown to achieve this form, as no version of Jean has done it since. Perhaps it’s not necessary for her to pull it off now, considering she’s recentlyevolved into her true cosmic form, but this psionic form is one of Marvel’s most fascinating and unexplored ideas that revolves around the X-Men’s founding member
7Beast Has Pheromones That Make People Like Him
No Wonder So Many X-Men Fans and Characters Love Him
The reason why Beast’s villain turn comes as such a surprise to casual audiences is because Beast has earned a reputation as one of the most friendly and charismatic X-Men of the Marvel Universe. However, little do some readers know that much of that charm isn’t natural and is actually part of Hank McCoy’s mutant physiology. His body produces specificchemical agents that attract people to him.
His animalistic genes are what compelled Beast to become a villain, but the pheromones in his body are what allowed him to be a successful villain…
It certainly helps that Beast is an educated, well-spoken, silver-tongued devil at his core, but this secret power allows him to hide his villainy in the first place. His animalistic genes arewhat compelled Beast to become a villain, but the pheromones in his body are what allowed him to be a successful villain, as appearing so likable and approachable allowed him to hide in plain sight - until it was too late.
6Magneto Can Access the Astral Plane
Magneto’s Astral Projection Proves His Psychic Powers Are Nearly Equal to Xavier’s
X-Mencreators have often come up with creative ways to utilize Magneto’s mastery of magnetism, but there are some mutant powers under Max’s belt that even some Marvel creators tend to forget about, or at least don’t address as often. Among such powers is aforgotten psychic powerthat allows him to astrally project himself through sheer willpower. He uses this power during the earliestX-Menstories by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
What makes this power so significant is that in the same breath that Lee and Kirby portray this ability, they make it clear thatMagneto’s brain power is second only to Xavier’s. Whether he’s an ally or an antagonist, X-stories always emphasize how Magneto is an opposite or an alternative to Professor X, but it’s often forgotten that he is every bit of an equal to Charles in terms of psychic ability. Even if Xavier has a slight edge, the distance between them isn’t far off.
5Magneto’s Hypnosis Is Defined as Magnetic Attraction
Just Like Metal, Magneto Attracts People to Do His Bidding
Another forgotten power in Magneto’s arsenal is hypnosis, arguably his weirdest superpower. In a bit of wordplay, this power puts a new twist on Magneto’s magnetism powers, as henot only attracts metal, but peopleas well. Referred to as “Magnetic Attraction,” this power is only seen inThe X-Men#18 by Lee and Werner Roth. Just by gazing in his eyes, Magneto’s magnetic stare allows him to control the minds of whoever dare look in his direction.
Marvel’s New Magneto May Be a Threat, But Their Power Isn’t What Anyone Expected
Marvel’s new Magneto shockingly subverts expectations by making the next generation supervillain distinct from her predecessor, despite her design.
After all, X-genes and mutations themselves are constantly evolving in the world of the X-Men. Secondary mutations have gifted recurring mutants entirely new powers, thus making them even more powerful than before. This seemingly minor stort is merely a subtle means of doing just that for Magneto.
4Wolverine’s Hot Claws Make Him Even More Dangerous
Wolverine’s Claws Can Be Fueled by His Anger
The way that audiences understand Wolverine’s claws has constantly evolved over the years. There was once a time that readers understood his claws to have always been metallic and made of adamantium, but once Magneto stripped the adamantium from his body, X-Men fans learned of his bone claws, establishing that his claws were originally made of bone.
That wouldn’t be the last time that fans would discover something new about Wolverine’s extreme (and sometimes gross) powers.One of Wolverine’s secret powersis his hot claws, which aretechnically part of his own biology. Whenever Wolverine falls into his famous berserker rage, his claws naturally heat up, spelling imminent doom for whoever is unlucky enough to be in his path. He takes the term “burning rage” to a whole new level.
3Wolverine Sometimes Devolves into a True Animal
Wolverine Falls into a Primal, Animalistic Rage
Magneto removing the adamantium from Wolverine’s body did far more than just expose Logan’s original bone mutation. It also revealed that the adamantium placed in Wolverine’s body by the Weapon X program was actually suppressing what his X-gene actually does:turn him into a feral creature. The longer that Wolverine no longer had adamantium coursing through his veins, the further he devolved away from his humanity.
Looking for some unexpected Wolverine action? Check out the alternate-timeline story from 2024,Wolverine: Revengeby Jonathan Hickman and Greg Capullo, which is available now in single issues from Marvel Comics. The collected edition is available June 24th, 2025.
This “devolution” meant that the X-Man was slowly turning into something less than human, losing his nose and distorting his face into something more animalistic. His mannerisms and mind devolved just the same before hegot his adamantium back. Had Wolverine waited any longer to get his adamantium back, he might have become something closer to a primate and would’ve remained as such to this day.
2Cyclops Has an Intuitive Understanding of Angles and Trajectory
An Extra Power That Enhances His Skills as a Leader
Cyclops has a reputation as not only one of the X-Men’s best leaders, but one of the best leaders andcombat specialists of any super-teamin Marvel history. Much of it comes from natural conviction as a leader, but it’s also secretlyingrained into him as a mutant power.Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes#2 by Warren Ellis and Clayton Crainillustrates it best as Scott Summers takes the time to explainhis three mutant powers: “My mutant gift comes in three parts. First, the eyebeams. Secondly, an ability to judge angles of attack. Thirdly, I have a degree of immunity to my own blasts.”
The second part is most important, as it canonizes that Cyclops' ability to aim his beams in the right place at the right time every time isn’t just an act of key precision or strategy. In actuality, it is pinpoint accuracy achieved through and as a superpower. It doesn’t take anything away from Scott as a leader and, if nothing else, shows how these powers enhance his leadership skills.
1Cyclops Is Immune to His Own Energy Beams
Which Also Makes Him Immune to Similar Powers
Readers cannot overlook the third power mentioned in Cyclops' explanation of his extra set of powers:“Ihave a degree of immunity to my own blasts.” This power ismore defensive than offensive, but still proves to be just as handy. Not to be mistaken for heat vision, Scott’s optic blasts are actually kinetic energy, which, if someone were to reverse in his direction, wouldn’t deal as much damage to him as it would his opponent. Cyclops can simply endure the same kind of damage that he’s dishing out.
X-Men’s Cyclops Just DESTROYED His Brother with 1 Sentence
X-Men’s new status quo is turning Cyclops and his brother Havok into enemies, as their very different teams are set on an explosive collision course.
The same applies if someone with a similar kinetic blast to his were to fire in his direction - namely someone like Havok, who is his brother Alex. The younger Summers brother can also fire blasts - in his case, cosmic plasma energy emitted from his body - but like with his own blasts, theX-Menleader can take as much as he can dish out.
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
