Although Fox's The Gifted is connected to the films, it doesn't have access to any of the classic X-Men characters. That doesn't seem to be a problem since the show is filled with a lot of exciting, powerful characters and mutants that can carry the show without the need for heavy-handed references to the greater franchise. It's why -- as long as you don't think about the continuity of the franchise -- The Gifted is a great show built around a solid concept. The conflicts and tensions are just as exciting as anything involving Xavier's team.

We'll be taking a look at the mutants on the show and ranking them according to how powerful they've proven themselves to be over the course of the show. For the sake of potential spoilers and a little bit of inclusiveness, we're only going to go through the characters of the first season, just for those of you who haven't yet had a chance to catch the first episode of the second season (in which case, you should get on that soon). For this list, we'll try and take as much as possible into account, so not only performance in a fight but potential and reputation where necessary. Now that that's clear, let's take a look at the least powerful of the bunch.

15 WES

Among the dozens of mutants saved by the Mutant Underground, one of the most useful was Wes. He was a young mutant with the ability to generate incredibly detailed illusions. At first, it seemed like he was only using those powers to charm Lauren, but later on he was shown to be using those powers to keep the Mutant Underground safe from human eyes.

It's an immensely useful power, but it isn't difficult to dispel those illusions, as Lauren proven around the first time she met Wes. He can evade people for a little while but he's not going to be winning any battles because of his powers alone. There's still a long way to go before he actually becomes useful in the war to come.

14 FADE

One of the most useful members of the Mutant Underground was Fade, who used his powers to smuggle fleeing mutants to safety. He had the ability to turn himself and anything he touched invisible, it didn't even need to be direct contact, which is why he's the one driving in "X-Roads."

With powers like that, Fade can be a mutant the humans need to take seriously. Without the aid of other mutants or special tech, the humans won't find Fade if he doesn't want to be found. His powers suit him, because he's proven himself throughout the series to be extremely distrusting and cautious, which is why even after everything they've been through, he still doesn't seem to trust the Struckers. Luckily for them, his powers are strictly defensive, so he's not as much of a threat as the others.

13 SHATTER

Though not a main character, Shatter is very clearly an active member of the Mutant Underground, doing his best to protect the mutant refugees. Shatter was very much a fighter with one of the more interesting abilities found around the Underground. His skin was extremely durable and he had the abilities to turn any surface brittle, allowing him to then break it easily.

It's more than just his mutant abilities that make him powerful. His strong will and determination make him a worthy leader and ferocious opponent, which is why the others trusted him to lead while they were off on one of their many missions.

12 BLINK

Without Blink, the Mutant Underground would have had a much harder time of fighting Sentinel Services. Blink is more than just yellow pupils and facial markings, she also has the ability to open portals between two locations great distances apart. Initially, it took great effort for her to hold a portal open but over the course of the series, she's developed into quite the skilled mutant.

It's more than just an efficient means of transportation. Blink has the potential to use those portals offensively and we've had glimpses of that from the character already. There's no doubt that as the character continues to develop, so to will her strength and power. She may not be the strongest yet, but she'll get there.

11 PEDRO

The first line of defense for the original Mutant Underground headquarters was Pedro, who could inflict a sense of dread onto all who wandered within range. Caitlin Strucker found that out the hard way in "rX." There are very few limitations on Pedro's powers. He seems to be capable of affecting multiple people at once, which is how he held off the assault on Mutant HQ in "X-Roads," if only briefly.

That attack revealed one crucial limitation to his powers. They are nowhere near as effective on those who have already faced their fears, which is how Agent Turner was able to soldier on and continue leading the assault. Even with that limitation, Pedro's powers make him a powerful mutant, able to turn the tide of a battle.

10 DREAMER

Sonya had a complicated relationship with most people around her and that was usually because of the nature of her powers. She had the ability to read, create, manipulate or remove memories through the use of pink mist. It doesn't sound like much, but with Dreamer's moral ambiguity, the impact of  those powers are considerably great.

She was able to grant Blink greater control over her powers by implanting false memories (which caused a rift between her, Blink and Thunderbird) and she removed Agent Turner's memories by accident, causing him to relive the trauma of losing his daughter. Her powers may not have amounted to much in a fight -- which is partly the reason why she perished -- but they did have real effects on the war between Sentinel Services and the Mutant Underground. That's true power.

9 CHLOE TAN

It was impressive that Sentinel Services was even able to capture Chloe, despite her mutant ability. She could move at superhuman speeds. She was so fast, in fact, that she would become almost completely visually imperceptible until she slowed down or came to a stop. As if that wasn't enough, she was also gifted with superhuman strength, which is how she could go toe-to-toe with Thunderbird for as long as she did.

Unfortunately, after Sentinel Services captured her, there was no escape. She was unable to rid herself of their influence and was eventually turned into a Hound, one of their controlled mutants. She was a powerful mutant, but Sentinel Services and of course, the tragic loss of her daughter, clearly took their toll on her.

8 THUNDERBIRD

One of the central figures in the Mutant Underground is Thunderbird, gifted with superhuman strength and senses bordering on being precognitive. He's a powerful asset for the Mutant Underground, which is just one of the reasons why he's seen as a leader.

There are many more powerful mutants than John Proudstar, but many of those mutants aren't nearly as strong simply because they lack the qualities that John possesses. He's a leader and he's incredibly devoted and loyal to the cause, which means he'll fight until he physically can't anymore. He's a former soldier, so that means if he does fight, it'll go on for quite a while and he'll end up doing a lot of damage.

7 PULSE

He wasn't in the show for very long but Pulse showed an incredibly useful ability that proved he could be a threat to others. He had the ability to disable electronics and mutant powers. Against Sentinel Services and their human agents, that may not have meant much -- which is why he was captured and turned into a Hound -- but against other mutants, he was dangerous.

His end at the hands of Otto Strucker -- who was unaffected by Pulse's powers -- though tragic for Thunderbird and Eclipse, came as a serious blow to Sentinel Services since they no longer had that powerful first line of defense against their mutant enemies, which made the Underground's fight that much easier.

6 AIDE

Aide is a man of few words and seems to do whatever Campbell commands him to do, even if it means taking a life, which is likely because he's another one of Sentinel Service's controlled mutant assets, and a powerful one at that. Without any kind of contact, Aide was able to cause a stroke in a DOJ rep in "eXtreme Measures" and performed the same feat on multiple targets in the heat of battle in "eXtraction."

His apparent control over organic material isn't just used for offense. He's capable of healing people too, as we saw with Dr. Campbell and his burn wounds. It wasn't the neatest or even the fastest healing job, but it definitely did the trick. Aide doesn't quite wield the power of life and death in his hands but he's pretty close, which makes him a powerful mutant.

5 ECLIPSE

There's more to Marco Diaz than meets the eye... often literally. He can do much more than just dazzle people with blinding light beams. He's able to control light completely; he can absorb it and intensify it, meaning he can simply light up a room or use intense beams to cut through concrete. Of course, as impressive as those powers are, they're only half of what makes him strong.

He's compassionate and stern, which are important qualities in a leader. He's not physically strong like Thunderbird but he doesn't shy away from a fight. That being said, he usually avoids combat if he can and will search for a more stealthy way around the likes of Sentinel Services. He knows his strength and when to use it, which makes him dangerous.

4 POLARIS

Even if it's never explicitly stated in the show, fans know that Polaris is the daughter of Magneto. She's proven herself to be every bit as powerful and every bit as capable of causing great levels of destruction, as she did in "X-Roads," when she pulled a plane carrying Senator Montez and Dr. Campbell right out of the sky.

Given that metal can be found almost everywhere, the threat Polaris poses to everyone should be clear. Even the X-gene-nullifying collars used by Sentinel Services couldn't stop her from using her powers, which is how she defended herself in "rX," but that wasn't just because she was mutant. A lot of that was pure willpower and rage. That's one of the reasons why she's more powerful than almost anyone else on the show. It's why she led the Mutant Underground and why the Frost sisters were so intent on persuading her to see things their way.

3 FROST SISTERS

There was and continues to be some level of uncertainty surrounding the Frost sisters. It started with Esme, who worked her way through the Mutant Underground in an effort to free her sisters. Even on her own, Esme was powerful. She was able to manipulate the people around her without ever really using her powers. It seemed almost effortless for her.

That power and confidence increased a thousand times over once her sisters, Sophie and Phoebe, were freed in "eXploited." Together, they were virtually unstoppable. They could completely dominate the minds of others, which is how they took out all the Sentinel Services agents when they escaped. They're well connected, manipulative and gifted with frightening abilities. There are few who can stand up to them.

2 LAUREN AND ANDY STRUCKER

The show began with Andy discovering that he was a mutant. He had the ability to create intense shockwaves. Controlling that power took some time but over the course of the show, Andy learned how to do it. Lauren was different. She had discovered her mutant abilities at a young age and could control her manipulation of matter quite well, so long as she limited herself to air molecules.

Separated, neither of them were particularly powerful. Together, however, they were gifted with the Fenris force, a power they had to use together, as a single entity. That ability allowed them to destroy anything they desired. They even managed to dent their adamantium cell in "eXploited" and wreak havoc on the room on the other side. Together, they're the most dangerous characters on the show.

1 FENRIS

The Gifted has made it very clear that two of the most dangerous mutants in its world were Andrea and Andreas Von Strucker, the twins known together as Fenris. We never see just how powerful they were individually, though it's implied that they were more than capable of engendering chaos by themselves, as we could see from Otto Strucker, who inherited his father's powers.

Together, they could destroy anything they desired, much like Lauren and Andy Strucker, only Fenris were in complete control of their power. That's why, as Andy discovered in "OutfoX," Fenris was sought after throughout Europe and why their name still brought fear to some in the present day. With a body count well over 400, Fenris possessed far more destructive power than anyone else on The Gifted, which made them the strongest, even if they've already perished.