The mutants in the Marvel Universe have a wide variety of powers that are all granted by the addition of a powerful x-gene in their genetic make-up, which quite a few characters have spent their lives studying to understand better. Some of these intellectuals are mutants themselves, only hoping to know more about what has separated them to become homo superior.
While those gifted minds stand tall as some of the X-Men comics' most brilliant characters, there are a few mutants whose powerful abilities have also made them known as the smartest kids in school. So today we are going to take a look at a few of the X-Men's smartest characters that have appeared in the comics and why they sit at the top of the class.
10 Sage's Mutant Telepathic Brain Multitasks Like An Incredibly Fast Organic Supercomputer
When the woman known as Tessa first appeared she was a member of the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club who worked closely with Sebastian Shaw, though it was eventually revealed that she was actually a mutant known as Sage who was working undercover for Professor Xavier.
Sage's powerful mutant mind is not only telepathic but is able to multitask with supercomputer levels of computation, she has a photographic memory and has biokinetic abilities including a genetic sight that allows her to perceive and even alter DNA, which she can do to herself. This ability intuitively allows her to understand genetic science on an entirely different level.
9 Forge's Mutant Power Allows Him To Intuitively Understand Mechanics And Engineering
The maker known as Forge may not have the same credentials as some of the other X-Men characters that could be considered the smartest, but he still has a unique understanding of mechanics and engineering that are second to none.
His mutant power gives him the intuitive knowledge to build and create anything he can think of, which made him the perfect choice to build a number of the X-Men's most powerful devices. Forge has created or upgraded advanced technology like the Blackbird, Danger Room and even Cerebro, as well as his own prosthetic cybernetic limbs.
8 James Bradley/Dr. Nemesis Has An M.D. And Years Of Study In Biology, Genetics, And Robotics
Doctor Nemesis is a century-old mutant whose power is similar to Forge's in that he has an intuitively enhanced intelligence and polymath who is capable of learning, understanding and retaining a higher level of knowledge than most human brains. James Bradley worked as a medical doctor before he decided to become a superhero known as Doctor Nemesis.
He used his high level of intelligence to enhance his lifespan and upgrade his own body with cybernetics and enhanced genetics. Doctor Nemesis was part of the scientific X-Club and has continued working alongside the X-Men to help create the new disease-ending drugs that are produced by Krakoa.
7 Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat Has A Ph.D. In Astrophysics And Is A Genius-Level Computer Expert
When Kitty Pryde first joined with the X-Men, she was one of the youngest members of the team. However, she still continued her schooling and even left the team for a bit to attend the University of Chicago. There she received a PH.D. in Astrophysics, though that wasn't her only accomplishment over the years.
Kitty Pryde is also a genius-level computer expert whose advanced knowledge in programming and hacking even alien computer systems made her a perfect recruit as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., especially given the fact that she is also multilingual and can speak human and alien languages like Japanese, Russian, Skrullos and multiple dialects in the Shi'ar language.
6 Monet St. Croix/M Has An Eidetic Memory, Genius Intelligence And Enhanced Intuition
Generation X introduced a few new powerful mutants including Monet St. Croix, who is better known as M (or Penance when she is in her more bestial form). M is enhanced in almost every way, as her strength, speed, and durability are all well above human peak physicality, which also extends to her powerful telepathic mind.
M also has an eidetic memory and a genius intelligence that is coupled with an enhanced intuition that allows her to work out patterns and process information with an incredibly deductive mind that made her a valuable member of X-Factor Investigations before she joined the rest of the X-Men on Krakoa.
5 Mister Sinister Has An M.D And A Ph.D. in Genetics Along With A Lifetime Of Studying Mutants
Nathaniel Essex was a scientist in the Victorian era whose theories about the oncoming development of mutantkind made him a pariah in the scientific community at the time, though his theories caught the attention of the powerful and eternal mutant named Apocalypse.
Essex was transformed by Apocalypse which allowed him to unlock many genetic secrets that he would spend centuries refining on himself and others. Mister Sinister is an expert geneticist with a unique skill for cloning and manipulating mutant abilities that have proven essential in the Krakoan age of mutants, though it has also made him one of the X-Men's deadliest foes as well.
4 Dr. Moira MacTaggert Is A Biogeneticist Who Increased Her Knowledge Over Multiple Lives
For years, Dr. Moira MacTaggert was a geneticist who became known as one of the world's foremost experts on mutants which led her to establish the Mutant Research Center on Muir Island as a way to help mutants understand and control their abilities.
However, it was eventually revealed that Moira was a mutant herself who was able to relive her life after she died, which resulted in ten different lifetimes. Moira X expanded her knowledge and changed her field of study a number of times over those lifetimes, which saw her turn into both a protector and a conqueror of mutantkind.
3 Professor Charles Xavier Has Five Ph.D.'s And First Graduated From Harvard At The Age Of 16
It's no surprise that Professor Charles Xavier could be considered one of the smartest characters to appear in the X-Men comics, as he was the founder and headmaster of the Xavier School for Gifted Children where the X-Men were first formed. He is a genius-level intellect and has earned five Ph.D.'s at Oxford in the years before he founded his own school.
He also completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard by the time he was 16 which led to his enhanced knowledge in fields like genetics, mutation and biology that made him a well-versed teacher of his many mutant students. Xavier also has one of the most powerful telepathic minds on the planet which has helped guide his dream of human and mutant coexistence.
2 David Alleyne/Prodigy's Mutant Power Allows Him To Absorb And Retain Knowledge
David Alleyne/Prodigy was already a brilliant individual who had completed a number of college courses while still in high school before he ever learned of his mutant psychomimetic ability which has resulted in a super-genius intelligence. Prodigy's limited telepathy allowed him to absorb and mimic both skills and knowledge of anyone in his immediate vicinity.
This includes some of the smartest mutants and superheroes on the planet and beyond. The Stepford Cuckoos further unlocked his abilities which allowed him to retain the skills and knowledge he had absorbed even after he lost his mutant abilities. Prodigy's skills and knowledge made him the perfect team member for Krakoa's investigative arm known as X-Factor.
1 Henry McCoy/Beast Has Six Ph.D.'s And A Lifetime Of Experimenting With The Mutant Gene
The bouncing and brilliant X-Man and Avenger known as Beast is also Dr. Henry McCoy, and he holds claim to being one of the smartest people on the planet. McCoy has six different Ph.D.'s in fields like biochemistry and biophysics as well as a medical doctorate and an enhanced understanding of technology.
This puts him in the same field as other scientists like Reed Richards, Hank Pym, and Tony Stark. He has also been experimenting with the mutant gene for years, which has resulted in his own bestial form that proves even the smartest people can make bad decisions.