When the mutants were first introduced to Marvel, they were intended to be a way to have the X-Men be separate from the other superhero characters that existed. Professor Xavier and his X-Men were unique characters in that they weren't super-powered due to an accident; they were born with special powers. Over the years, more characters were added and the overall number of mutants continued to grow at an exponential pace.
But who were the first mutants to be introduced to Marvel Comics readers? The characters introduced in the X-Men comics, long before the International team took them from barely known to the most popular super-team in comics?
10 Professor X
Introduced in the first panel of X-Men #1 was Professor Xavier, one of the first Omega-Level mutants, commanding his class of students from the very beginning. At the time, he had a group of faithful young teenagers working with him, eager to master the strange powers they’d been gifted with. The comics have come a long way from this, and now Professor X is one of the leading members of Krakoa, trying to enact a plan that’s been centuries in the making, guiding not only the X-Men, but all of the mutants, in the hope of protecting their race from humankind.
9 Cyclops
Scott Summers was introduced in X-Men #1 alongside his classmates. In the first issue, the character is a long way from the leader he is in the modern era, and is more about trying to win the affection of Professor X as an adopted son. That said, while he’s very much eager to prove himself to the Professor, he’s also capable of defeating the entire team of X-Men by being more capable as a fighter as well as with his powers even in the very first issue. Unsurprisingly, he grows into the premiere leader for the X-Men going forward, even decades later.
8 Iceman
Another of the X-Men introduced in the very first issue of Uncanny X-Men, Bobby Drake is a long way from the character he is today. There, he’s more of a jokester, and the book shows him trying to freeze Hank McCoy as a practical joke.
He also makes himself look like an actual snowman, only to get a bowling ball tossed at him for his trouble. To his credit though, Bobby’s the only member of the X-Men not to objectify Jean Grey when she first appears.
7 Angel
Warren Worthington the III was a much more reasonable character in the first issue of Uncanny X-Men than he is these days. He’s right alongside Cyclops in seeking the approval of Professor Xavier. He’s already a master with his flight abilities, capable of dodging some of the most dangerous threats in their testing facilities that aren’t yet referred to as the Danger Room. The character would later receive an even greater power-up when he was transformed into Archangel and worked for Apocalypse, making him one of the deadliest fliers in the Marvel universe.
6 Beast
Hank McCoy was also introduced in the first issue of Uncanny X-Men #1, and was the second person to show off their powers, after Iceman used his to nearly freeze Hank’s arm. His incredible agility and dexterity through incredible balancing acts. Though Hank would later become known as one of the foremost scientists in the X-Men world, in the first issue the character is known more for his mutant powers, including the power to grab a rocket flying in the air and direct it to Jean Grey with his feet.
5 Jean Grey
The last of the X-Men to appear, Jean Grey was the fifth member of the team to join. Most of the boys spent the first issue trying to impress her aside from Iceman, though she quickly showed she was more than able to deal with her childish teammates.
Boasting impressive telekinetic abilities, she adapted to the true purpose of the X-Men, defending the world against evil mutants, quite quickly. She was able to deflect a missile from it’s intended target by Magneto into the ocean where it could explode safely.
4 Magneto
The first non X-Men mutant to appear is Magneto. At the time, little was known about the man readers would eventually recognize as Erik Lensherr. The mutant revolutionary was still forming, and at the time Magneto viewed the X-Men as a threat that didn’t need to exist, which is kind of wild considering he would later be allowed to join the X-Men team. Literally, the character declared them as mutants that weren’t fit to rule the Earth, shoving an inflamed cart of rocket fuel at them. It wouldn’t be until much later that he became someone who wanted to protect all mutants and becoming the anti-hero readers know today.
3 Vanisher
The second villain the X-Men face popped up in Uncanny X-Men #2 in 1963 in a X-Men story everyone's forgotten by now. The Vanisher wasn’t like Magneto, and didn’t really care about destroying all humans. Instead, he was perfectly fine employing human flunkies to work under him while using his teleportation power to do everything from rob banks to stealing military secrets. The X-Men tried to fight him and were defeated, and in the end it took Professor Xavier making him forget his identity that saved the day.
2 Blob
The third threat the X-Men faced was Fred J. Dukes, the Blob. Making his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men #3, the character first appeared as a carnival circus act. His special power was superhuman strength and skin that can’t be penetrated even by gunfire. The X-Men attempted to recruit him to their team, but he refused and wound up leading his entire carnival crew against the X-Men in combat. Though this was a surprisingly close battle, the team defeated the Blob’s crew and erased all of their memories to save their secret identities. Honestly the character was minding his own business, and really deserved better.
1 Toad
The Uncanny X-Men introduced four new characters in its fourth issue that were all mutants: Toad, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Mastermind. But Toad was technically introduced first, part of a new group formed by Magneto in his attempt to not only conquer all humanity but defeat the X-Men. This early on, Toad’s special abilities are only his incredible leaping ability as well as superhuman agility and reflexes. Toad is the only loyal person working for Magneto, as the others all have their own reasoning for working with him. Of course, that doesn't mean anyone ever wants to see the character in any future X-Men projects.