The X-Men have long been one of Marvel's most popular franchises. For just about the entirety of the last forty years, the X-Men have been the comics sales leader and are one of the biggest success stories in the history of comics. There are so many amazing stories from X-Men history, ones that have transformed the team and the comic industry as a whole.
Some of the biggest creators in the industry have worked on the X-Men, supplying some breathtaking stories that fans just can't get enough of. There are some X-Men stories that every fan should read, ones that have changed the team and made them one of Marvel's greatest groups.
10 House Of M Changed Mutants Forever
House of M, by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Olivier Coipel, isn't technically an X-Men story— but the biggest effect from this event affected the X-Men like no other. Scarlet Witch's de-powering of the mutant race took place in this book, an event that completely changed the X-Men forever.
While the comic itself has its ups and downs— things can drag a lot, especially during the middle section of the book— it's still important to read because of just how much its change meant to the X-Men. It would set the stage for years of X-Men stories going forward, creating a new status quo.
9 Avengers Vs. X-Men Pitted The Two Teams Against Each Other With Some Big Stakes On The Line
Avengers Vs. X-Men— by writers Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, and Jason Aaron & artists John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel, and Adam Kubert— saw the Avengers and the X-Men battle it out over the oncoming Phoenix Force. This one event would lead to some heavy drama, including the re-powering of mutantkind.
For years, fans had gotten used to the X-Men being on the ropes, but this story ended all of that, setting things on the road to the present. Re-powering the mutant race was this story's biggest legacy and while it can be hit or miss because of the sheer amount of creators on the book, it's still a fun story.
8 X-Men: The Age Of Apocalypse Is One Of Best Stories Of The '90s For The X-Men
The Age Of Apocalypse was a What If... story come to life. Taking place in a present where Xavier had been killed before he started the X-Men and Apocalypse rules America, it saw the X-Men— led by Magneto— fighting against the ancient mutant to save the world from his predations. It's also one of the best '90s X-Men books out there.
Crossing through every X-Men book being published at the time, it remains a highlight for X-Men fans. Alternate universe X-Men stories were changed forever by this one and while it's a lot to read, fans shouldn't be daunted by its length. It's completely worth every page.
7 X-Men #30 Showcases The Most Important Wedding In X-Men History
Cyclops and Jean Grey are the X-Men's quintessential couple. Since the book's earliest days, their relationship has been a focus and it would finally all come to fruition with X-Men #30 by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Andy Kubert. Fans had spent decades waiting for this wedding, and it did not disappoint.
Cyclops and Jean Grey's wedding is one of those rare X-Men moments where everything goes off without a hitch. Seeing the two finally get together and for it to go as well as it did in this issue was a big moment and one that every fan should read.
6 X-Men: Schism Finally Saw Wolverine & Cyclops Come To Blows
X-Men: Schism— by writer Jason Aaron and artists Carlo Pacheco, Frank Cho, Daniel Acuña, Alan Davis, & Adam Kubert, saw the X-Men split by a conflict of ideology between Cyclops and Wolverine. While the status quo the book set up is long over, it's a still a great story that sees a fight decades in the making.
Wolverine and Cyclops had fought wars of words for years but this story is the first time they really came to blows like this. That makes it a huge deal for fans of both characters. It represents an interesting time for both of them that changed the X-Men for years.
5 X-Men: Days Of Future Past Created The Blueprint For X-Men Alternate Futures
X-Men: Days Of Future Past by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne was a revelation that would change the X-Men forever. Dystopian alternate futures are par for the course for comics and this story was one of the X-Men's— and Marvel's— firsts. Every alternate future story that came after this one would borrow from this story in some way.
Days Of Future Past is one of the X-Men's greatest alternate universe stories. It's become one of the most influential stories not just within X-Men lore but also Marvel's. Its popularity made dystopian futures the next big thing and comics would look very different without it.
4 X-Men: Mutant Genesis Contains One Of The Greatest Magneto Stories Ever
X-Men: Mutant Genesis, by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, has a lot of plaudits under its belt. It's the introduction of the Blue Team, one of the most popular X-Men rosters ever; Chris Claremont's last time writing the team for almost a decade; and contains the best selling comic of all time in X-Men #1. It also has gone down as one of the best Magneto stories ever.
Pitting the X-Men against the Mutant Master of Magnetism and his new allies the Acolytes, Mutant Genesis brought the team into the '90s. The story has proven to be timeless, though, and it's one that every fan of the team should experience.
3 House Of X/Powers Of X Completely Changed The X-Men
House Of X/Powers Of X, by writer Jonathan Hickman and artists Pepe Larraz & R.B. Silva, took everything about the X-Men and turned it on its head. Hickman made a lot of changes in these two books and anyone who wants to follow the modern X-Men has to read these arcs to know what's going on. Starting by having the X-Men found their own nation, Hickman and company keep the surprises coming throughout these twelve issues.
After years of editorially mandated marginalization, HoX/PoX completely changed the X-Men, making them into what they always should be: One of the biggest forces in the Marvel Universe. The changes wrought by these book have created an all new, all different X-Men for the first time in years.
2 New X-Men: E Is For Extinction Took The X-Men To Brave New Places
New X-Men: E Is For Extinction, by writer Grant Morrison and artists Frank Quitely & Ethan Van Sciver, is the beginning of Morrison's blockbuster New X-Men run. Morrison set out to recreate the X-Men after the '90s, so they went in a new direction by starting a mutant population boom— one that would be endangered by a new foe with ties to the team's past.
So much of what creators have done in the 21st century has been in answer to Morrison's New X-Men. It was the first time in decades the X-Men had felt fresh. And while it would end sooner than it deserved, it's stood the test of time.
1 X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga Is One Of The Most Important & Well-Known X-Men Stories Ever
X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga, by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, is probably the most well known X-Men story of them all. The tale of the team's battle to save the soul of their friend Jean Grey from the power of the Phoenix Force, it would become a turning point in the comic industry.
Claremont's poetic style of writing perfectly fit this Greek tragedy of a comic. He's able to capture the team's love for Jean and their resolve to save her wonderfully. Meanwhile, Byrne's pencils bring the whole thing to life, capturing the big superhero action, the breathtaking emotions, and the stakes of this groundbreaking tale.