Of every hero and villain in Marvel Comics, the mutants have it the hardest. Not only do they have to deal with the regular shenanigans that affect everyone else in the Marvel Universe, but they also have to deal with a heap of racism on top of that. The X-Men have saved the world countless times, yet they're always the bad guy to someone out there.

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Being a mutant requires a level of bravery that makes other heroes look quaint in comparison. Their lives are a constant struggle, which proves how some of the bravest heroes and villains are mutants.

10 Bishop Survived A Terrible Dystopian Future

A shot of an injured Bishop with a face bandage

Whenever the future is shown in the X-Men books, it rarely paints a good picture. The world is usually wrecked and only has a small band of mutants who survived. Bishop comes from one such future. As a commander in the XSE (Xavier Security Enforcers), he's battled both evil mutants and the destructive machinations of humans, all while trying to keep Xavier's dream alive in a broken world.

Bishop fought hard his whole life, and that didn't stop even after he arrived in the present. He even had the courage to turn against his friends when he thought Hope Summers was the catalyst for the terrors from his future. Bishop has more nerve in his pinky than most heroes have in their whole bodies.

9 Rachel Summers Came Through The Worst Torment And Never Fell To The Power Of The Phoenix

Rachel Summers

Rachel Summers has lived through some of the worst things imaginable. Growing up in the monstrous "Days Of Future Past" timeline and enslaved by Ahab the mutant hunter, she broke free and returned to the present. The power of the Phoenix made her a formidable opponent. However, she also walked along a knife-edge as she held back her demons to avoid giving into the darkness.

Rachel's whole life centered around overcoming everything in front of her without flinching. She held the Phoenix Force for longer than anyone – never becoming the Dark Phoenix – and survived traumas few others could.

8 Wolverine Conquered All Her Demons

Laura Kinney's Wolverine runs into battle, claws extended, in Marvel Comics

Laura Kinney had the opposite of an easy life. She escaped Weapon X, lived on the streets, and finally got a chance to prove herself after joining up with the X-Men and the Avengers Academy. She never let her past define her and became one of the greatest heroes of her generation. Laura is just as fearless as her father, which has helped make all the difference in her life.

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Whether she was X-23 or Wolverine, Laura always threw herself into the fight in front of her, regardless of her odds. No battle was too much for her, which is why she more than earned her spot with the X-Men.

7 Sabretooth Is A Lot Of Horrible Things, But He's Definitely Brave

Sabretooth

There's no disputing Sabretooth is a monster. The only joy in Sabretooth's life is hurting people – a sadistic pleasure he's gone to great lengths to indulge. So long as he gets to kill, he'll do anything that's asked of him, which is why he's fought on the side of good and evil. However, his bravery cannot be denied.

Sabretooth throws himself into every fight. There's no enemy too big or too daunting for him. He lives for the fight, the blood, and the guts. The odds he faces don't matter because fear is a foreign concept to him.

6 Mystique Has Made A Habit Of Being Fearless

Mystique by Artgerm

Mystique is one of the deadliest mutants the X-Men have ever faced. Her shapeshifting skills have made her the perfect infiltrator while the nerve she's shown is uncanny. There is no challenge too great for Mustique, and she'll overcome any odds to get her way. She's also a ridiculously skilled combatant and not known for backing down in a fight.

Mystique's life is one of perseverance. She uses her powers and resources to come out on top more often than not, but whenever tricks don't work, she'll fight her way out instead. Mystique is as tough as she is smart, and she forgot the definition of fear years ago.

5 Jean Grey Has Been Facing The Terrors Of The Mind For Years

Jean Grey in her Hellfire Gala Outfit in Marvel Comics

Jean Grey's formative experience was feeling her powers manifest as she watched her friend, Anne get hit by a car. She felt her die and went into a coma because of the shock. With the help of Professor X, Jean was able to come out of her coma and has since dealt with the worst thoughts of the most horrendous people. She's survived all of that while being one of the X-Men's premier members and a consistent presence on the battlefield.

Jean Grey has long been one of the team's bravest members. She's faced things no one else has and always made it through to the other side. She mastered the Phoenix Force and death itself, becoming the team's patron saint in the process.

4 Cyclops Is The Consummate Leader

Cyclops X-Men Jean Grey Polaris

Cyclops's life is marred by tragedy. He's survived everything ever thrown at him, but not because of the power of his optic blasts or his skills as an X-Men. It's Cyclops's valor that defines him. Professor X saw a young man on the verge of ruin and built him up, making him a leader and giving him a purpose. This set the young mutant on the right path, who used the strength it gave him to become one of the bravest X-Men.

Cyclops has stared down the greatest threats, both to himself and mutant-kind without ever turning away. He faces the world with a single-minded determination. Fear is no longer part of the equation for him.

3 Magneto Survived The Holocaust

Magneto Avengers Disassembled Cropped

Magneto has been a hero, a villain, and everything in between, proving how brave he is as a survivor of the Holocaust. Despite losing everyone he loved, he never gave up. This resilience birthed a fearlessness in him that defined him whether he was battling the world or helping the X-Men.

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Magneto's never been scared to fight for what he believes in. He'll face any odds to prevent what happened in the Holocaust from happening again, even if he has to take on the world by himself.

2 Storm Has Faced Her Fears Many Times

X-Men SWORD Storm Tarn 3

Storm's powers put her in the upper echelons of Omega class mutants, yet she's always been more than just her powers. Storm has overcome fear her entire life. As a claustrophobe, she's had to deal with her terror of small spaces many times over in her dealings as a superhero. She's battled powerful enemies even without her powers and led the X-Men against foes that would freeze the blood of the stoutest hearts.

Storm is a study in bravery. She's survived everything anyone has thrown at her with fear the last thing on her mind. As one of the greats, her power is a part of why, but if it wasn't for bravery, she'd have died long ago.

1 Wolverine Has Never Met A Fight He Didn't Like

Wolverine Maverick Krakoa 1

Wolverine is the best there is at what he does. Wolverine has battled the odds his entire life, fighting in every conflict of the 20th century, including engaging in black ops missions throughout the Cold War and fighting against the biggest superpowered threats of them all. Wolverine is the epitome of brave.

There isn't a fight that Wolverine hasn't thrown himself into claws first. He's not even afraid of the Hulk, which should say everything about how fearless he is. Wolverine fights, no matter the odds, and nothing stops him in his relentless quest to end the worst threats the world has ever seen.

NEXT: Wolverine's 10 Greatest Accomplishments