The term “Omega” gets thrown around a lot in X-Men comics, which lessens its weight. Every other week there seems to be an Omega-Level threat or an Omega-Level disaster heading straight for the mansion. It’s become the way X-Men writers express danger while still staying within the confines of mutant lingo. In short, it’s become monotonous. Audiences have forgotten what it truly means for a character to be an Omega-Level mutant. Modern X-Men comics are swamped with new, overpowered mutants, but the term “Omega” falls flat. When you take a step back, and begin to understand what the term “Omega” implies for mutants, it starts to become a lot more impressive. Of course, it means a mutant is powerful, but it also means a lot more than that -- it doesn’t just mean that a mutant is powerful at this very second. Being an Omega-Level mutant also entails the very important concept of potential.

An Omega mutant’s powers have the capacity to expand. Unlike most mutants, their powers allow them to unlock something much larger than what they initially discovered after their X-gene manifestation. Their potential to become more powerful is near limitless, or, in some cases, completely limitless. This is why Omega-Level mutants are so dangerous -- their powers are often times unpredictable. For readers, this means defining who is and isn’t an Omega-Level mutant isn’t always easy. Some, like the reality-writer Franklin Richards, are pretty obvious, but others, like the X-Men’s patron goddess Storm, aren’t so simple. CBR is counting down 20 mutants who we think could officially make the Omega club.

20 NAMOR

Aside from those terrible eyebrows, Namor is one of the coolest and most underrated mutants in the Marvel Comics Universe. He’s also one of the oldest, first appearing in 1939. Seventy-nine years of being in comics has allowed Namor to build up an insanely impressive array of powers that include superspeed, strength and durability.

His Atlantean DNA gives him the ability to live underwater and his (what most assume to be) X-gene allows him to fly. Like other Atlanteans, Namor ages slower and has extensive combat training, both on and off land. Namor is, at the moment, an Alpha-class mutant. While we think that’s a fair judgment, we definitely believe he has the capacity to become an Omega in the future.

19 FIRESTAR

When your first on-page appearance is an Archie-esque high school drama series (i.e. Firestar), you can’t really expect comic nerds to give you a lot of respect. This is the problem with Angelica Jones, aka Firestar. Although she took down the incredibly powerful telepath Emma Frost while still a teenager, many readers struggle to get past Firestar’s initial characterization, as a Betty and Veronica wannabe.

The truth is, Firestar is one of the most formidable mutants on Earth-616. Her ability to manipulate microwaves gives her full range over fire and heat, allowing her to melt or ignite anything in her vicinity. Recently, Firestar’s found that she’s stronger in space, which means there might be unexplored areas of her abilities that she’s yet to tap into.

18 MISTER SINISTER

Nathaniel Essex is the X-Men version of Frankenstein’s monster. Human by birth, Sinister only became a mutant after undergoing numerous genetic alterations. Over many decades, Sinister has stolen genetic material from mutants and grafted it onto himself in the hopes of spurning the manifestation of new mutant powers. For the most part, his grotesque experiments have worked, giving him all the class supervillain powers: superstrength, teleportation, immortality, and shape-shifting among others.

Sinister is constantly adding to his array of powers via DNA meddling. If he continues his experiments, he could potentially become an Omega-Level mutant through sheer determination. All he needs to do is capture some more superpowered mutants, which the X-Men are always able to provide.

17 MAGNETO

Magneto is a controversial pick for our list because a lot of fans adamantly refuse to believe he could ever be an Omega-Level mutant. His character has been through so many changes, from gaining more powers to losing his X-gene completely, that many readers believe that if he were able to become an Omega, he would have already. While we understand where these readers are coming from, we have to politely disagree. Why? Because this is Magneto we’re talking about.

Yes, there are tons of mutants more powerful than Magneto, but few have the pure force of will that he has. The Master of Magnetism has shown audiences again and again that, armed with intense emotions, there aren’t many things he can’t do.

16 BISHOP

Lucas Bishop came about in the ‘90s, when X-Men writers were trying to create the most powerful and over-the-top characters imaginable. These characters, which also include the Omega-Level mutant Cable, have long lists of powers that even the most diehard comic fans have a hard time remembering. For example, Bishop’s main ability is energy conversion, but he also has superspeed, a healing factor, and enhanced endurance.

There honestly aren’t too many things Bishop can’t do and, similar to Havok, Bishop’s energy absorption doesn’t have defined limits. This means he could (potentially) become an Omega just from absorbing some massive source of energy.

15 CYCLOPS

Cyclops’ optic blasts vary from series to series. If you’re watching X-Men: The Animated Series, his highlighter-like beams don’t look very impressive. But, if you’re reading Avengers vs. X-Men, where Scott becomes the newest incarnation of the Phoenix, he suddenly becomes a lot scarier. Depending on who’s writing him, Cyclops can be a very powerful foe, but it all hinges on how a writer understands the character.

Cyclops gathers the energy for his optic blasts from the environment around him, which means, like his brother, he could potentially absorb massive amounts of energy. In past comics, Cyclops has stated that his blasts can crack small planets when unleashed at full force. Whether or not that’s true is up for debate.

14 ROGUE

Every character on this list has the potential to be an Omega-Level mutant. However, Rogue is one of the few who probably should’ve already reached that status. Rogue absorbs the powers (and memories) of the people she touches. The longer she touches someone, the more likely the transfer of powers will be permanent, as in the case of Ms. Marvel, who gave Rogue the irreversible ability to fly.

If Rogue was so evilly inclined, she could permanently absorb the powers of every X-Men member around her. If she could master that absorption and not lose control, she could easily become an Omega-Level mutant. It all just depends on whether she would ever want to do that.

13 GENTLE

Before the recent X-Men Red series, Nezhno Abidemi, aka Gentle, wouldn’t have come close to making our list. His ability to increase the muscle mass of his body (thus increasing his strength) was paired with psychological scars that made the transformation excruciatingly painful. Naturally, this held Gentle back and kept him from pushing his powers further.

In X-Men Red, Jean Grey completely rewrote Gentle’s character by erasing those scars, allowing him full rule over his mutant power. Without those barriers, Gentle’s strength is well within the realm of Hulk. At the moment, we're not sure just how strong Gentle can get, which is why we wouldn't be surprised if he went Omega in the future. 

12 PSYLOCKE

Surrounded by extremely gifted mutant telepaths like Jean Grey and Charles Xavier, Psylocke rarely gets the spotlight, even though she frequently deserves it. Betsy isn’t the most powerful telepath on Earth, but her unique style of telepathy sets her apart from the other psionic X-Men members. Unlike Xavier or Emma, Betsy can center her telepathic energy into a psionic knife. The knife is extremely sharp and can do serious psychic damage. In severe cases, it can take lives.

Beyond her psychic weapons, Psylocke is capable of many other telepathic feats, including astral projection, mind control, and mental paralysis. Because her powers mirror Jean Grey, writers don’t always give her a lot of attention. If they did, she could easily become an Omega-Level mutant.

11 DARWIN

If it weren’t for the film X-Men: First Class, most casual X-Men fans probably wouldn’t know a single thing about Armando Muñoz, aka Darwin. He isn’t a popular character on the page and his on-screen appearance was unfortunately fairly short-lived. Still, Darwin’s mutant ability is surprisingly complex and grants him more powers than perhaps even his creators realized.

Darwin is capable of instantaneously adapting his physical form to any environment or situation he’s placed in. More recently, he’s shown the ability to cause spontaneous mutations in those around him in order to keep him safe. Equipped with these powers, there isn’t really an end to Darwin’s abilities. The more severe the environment, the more powerful he’ll become.

10 MONET ST. CROIX

Monet St. Croix, or M, has a pretty straightforward mutant talent: being perfect. Physically, she represents the perfect (or, at least near-perfect) human specimen. She’s faster and stronger than any athlete and has harm-resistant tissue that, when injured, heals almost instantly. Telepathy and telekinesis are also under Monet’s command, as is a genius-level intellect. Using sheer will, she can fly faster than 500 miles per hour, though her top-speed is still unknown.

Monet’s power makes her perfect at practically everything she tries to do, which could mean that’s there no limit to her powers. We suspect her powers will continue to evolve, leading to her classification as an Omega-Level mutant.

9 HELLION

Telekinesis is one of the strongest markers of a powerful mutant in the Marvel Universe. From Jean Grey to Apocalypse, many of the biggest X-gene players have TK in their arsenal. Still, few are as strong as Julian Keller, aka Hellion. Although fairly young, Hellion is an extremely advanced telekinetic, with the ability to manipulate atoms and fly at the speed of sound.

When he first arrived at Xavier’s, Hellion was powerful, but he was far from his true potential. After a few years of training, Emma Frost used telepathy to unlock the psionic bonds on his mind, releasing all of his pent-up power. With the bonds removed, Hellion quickly became one of the X-Men’s heaviest hitters and, perhaps, a future Omega.

8 HAVOK

Being the younger sibling of one of the most famous X-Men characters ever isn’t easy. Alex Summers (Havok) constantly lives in his brother’s shadow even though he might just be more powerful than good ole’ Slim. Havok has the ability to absorb ambient cosmic energy into his body and use it to produce plasma, which he can then release in a destructive blast.

There isn’t a known limit to how much energy Havok can absorb, which is why we’re putting him within the realm of Omega status. When he encountered a cosmic star (that easily would’ve ended a normal person), Havok used its energy to augment his powers to an insane degree. Havok's star-eating ventures could make him into a god-like Dark Phoenix 2.0.

7 MEGGAN

Meggan Puceanu is one of those characters with almost too many powers. Aside from starring in the series Excalibur, Meggan isn’t an especially popular character and yet her X-gene arsenal is overflowing with unused abilities. She can manipulate the elements, transform into any living thing, and fly at superspeed. When morphing into another superhero, Meggan can also take on the powers of that person, which makes her potential capabilities nearly endless.

Because not a lot of writers have given Meggan much panel-time, her powers aren’t really fully fleshed out. Still, from what we know, she definitely could become an Omega in the future. With as many unique powers as she has, we think it should’ve already happened.

6 GAMBIT

Gambit is an unsuspecting character. His mutant gift of molecular acceleration is naturally slighted by readers when they see his weapon of choice: playing cards. It can be hard to take the Cajun staff-wielding X-Man seriously until you really examine what his power entails. The way Earth-616 Remy uses his ability to “charge” objects with energy isn’t all that impressive and doesn’t come close to Omega classification.

However, Remy does have the potential to become something much greater, as seen in his alternate self “New Sun” from Earth-9921. Under more severe circumstances, this Gambit used his mutant power to become stronger than a god. New Sun proves that, with intense enough training, Gambit can control kinetic energy on an atomic level and become an Omega.

5 HYPERSTORM

Hyperstorm is the epitome of a bad ‘90s character. Son of alternate versions of Franklin Richards and Rachel Summers (two of the most powerful mutants in existence), Jonathan Richards’ character sounds more like a product of X-Men fan fiction than an actual comic. Still, somehow, this character came into existence and, strangely enough, he wasn’t automatically considered an Omega.

Armed with pretty much all of his parents’ powers plus some, Jonathan was a pretty pesky villain for the Fantastic Four during the mid-'90s, but not a single writer declared him an Omega-Level mutant for whatever reason. Since both Rachel and Franklin are easily Omegas, we think Hyperstorm could pretty easily jump into the realm of overpowered mutants.

4 SEBASTIAN SHAW

How do you beat someone who only gets stronger after every punch you throw? That’s the million dollar question for the X-Men when up against one of their greatest foes: Sebastian Shaw. Shaw, the (once) Black King of the Hellfire Club, is practically impossible to defeat in hand-to-hand combat.

His mutant ability allows him to absorb the kinetic energy from his attackers and metabolize it, increasing his own endurance, strength, and speed. His opponents have to be pretty creative to take down this high-powered mutant. Shaw could become an Omega in the future because of the massive potential his mutant ability has. For Shaw, the bigger the hitter the bigger the payout.

3 POLARIS

Polaris and Magneto fulfill the motto, “Like father, like daughter” perfectly. Whether they would admit it or not, they share some obvious personality traits along with their magnetic abilities. Like her father, Polaris has the potential to become an Omega purely because of her raw determination and passion. Using her emotions as fuel, Polaris has shown incredible control over magnetism that rivals the master himself.

She’s also capable of absorbing energy from two different sources at the same time. In an effort to move an entire island into space, Lorna once absorbed both Cyclops’ optic blasts and Havok’s energy beams. If that’s not Omega-Level, we’re not sure what is.

2 EXODUS

While not one of the X-Men’s most popular enemies, Exodus is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful. He’s a telekinetic, teleporter, telepath, and immortal. With enough concentration, Exodus can bring others back to life or heal extensive injuries.

Unlike anyone else on our list, Exodus gets his powers from two different sources: psionic energy and (weirdly enough) confidence. Exodus can feed off of others psionic energy in order to charge his abilities or he can use the faith he and others have in his abilities to fuel his attacks. With these two modes of powering his mutant abilities, Exodus has at his disposal a bottomless reservoir of energy that could edge him over into Omega territory.

1 PROFESSOR X

Charles Xavier started it all when it comes to the X-Men, but, surprisingly enough, he’s rarely considered an Omega-Level mutant. Although his first student, Jean Grey, quickly surpassed Xavier’s telepathic abilities after becoming Dark Phoenix, Xavier is still considered by many to be the most (or, at least one of the most) powerful telepaths in the Marvel Universe.

Xavier’s mind is capable of vast feats -- many of which Charles himself isn’t completely aware of. His restrained “dark side” (which helped create the X-Men villain Onslaught) has proven to be an extremely powerful, but evil entity. Were Charles to completely let go of his moral compass, we think he could potentially become an Omega-Level mutant.