In comics, appearances matter. A drastic uniform change can cause sales to plummet in the comics industry, where artistic talent matters just as much as writing. Getting a character’s signature “look” right is an important task that artists have to take seriously. A lot of times, it means the difference between a new character’s instant popularity or immediate shelving. In the world of the X-Men, writers are constantly adding new characters, which means there are always new character designs coming out. Beyond usually featuring the famous “X” logo in some capacity, these designs vary widely. Sometimes those designs represent the characters well, and, naturally, sometimes they don’t. Mutants come in all shapes and sizes, with each defined by a unique ability. The way a character looks frequently has something to do with their mutant ability, but sometimes the design isn’t entirely truthful.
Comic readers get a lot of information on characters visually, though sometimes that information doesn’t really match up to the writer’s true intention. We’re talking about characters that get designs that make them look considerably more powerful than they actually are. Because there are so many mutants in the Marvel Universe, this is bound to happen occasionally. It isn’t a bad thing, but it can be confusing for readers. It can also cause some really unneeded forum arguments about hypothetical character battles. Of course, having characters look more powerful than they actually are can be the basis of some interesting comic arcs and stories, so maybe artists and writers create them on purpose. Whatever the case, CBR is counting down 20 of these mutants who just don’t live up to our expectations.
20 SHATTERSTAR
Shatterstar is undoubtedly one of the strangest characters in Marvel comics. Whether you love him or hate him, you have to admit that his origin story, physical appearance, and power set all border on a little over the top. He’s the pinnacle of a bad ‘90s character, which means he looks incredibly powerful but actually isn’t.
As a Mojoverse gladiator, Shatterstar does have some pretty cool weapons, including a sword that has the ability to split into two. Although his gladiator gear is dated, it clearly shows a character who knows how to fight. You would assume he’d be a formidable foe, but in reality, he’s just a guy with a ton of poorly explained mutant powers and no clue how to use them.
19 SLIPSTREAM
Slipstream is one of those characters that almost no one remembers. He wasn’t in a lot of issues and the issues he was in were pretty bad. Him and his equally forgettable sister, Lifeguard, never had a large impact on the X-Men world, but they honestly looked pretty cool.
After developing his mutant ability to create teleportation portals, Slipstream got a red X-Treme X-Men uniform that was surprisingly slick. Unfortunately, Slipstream’s X-career was short-lived thanks to one fatal flaw in his powers. Yes, he could create portals to anyone on Earth, but he had to surf through them. Not only does that sound like someone else we know, it’s also really unpractical.
18 MARROW
Marrow is one of the few X-Men characters to make a cameo in Deadpool. So, why did director Tim Miller decide to give this B-rated comic character a brief shot in his movie? Because Sarah Rushman, aka Marrow, grows bones outside of her body. It doesn’t matter whether she’s on page or on-screen, that mutant ability always looks insane. Even without knowing what her mutant ability is, most viewers and readers just assume she’s powerful. Naturally, the truth is the opposite.
In the comics, Marrow can forcibly remove the bones from her body and use them as weapons. While that sounds all fine and dandy, most fans forget about one little thing: pain. Although she has a healing factor, Marrow’s ability is excruciatingly painful.
17 PETE WISDOM
There are countless numbers of mutants who rarely make it to the pages of Uncanny, yet they do technically exist thanks to the imaginations of X-Men writers. A great example (if you can call it that) is Pete Wisdom, a mutant with the ability to collect ambient heat and release it in the form of tiny, sharp knives.
If you’re thinking that Pete sounds a lot like famous X-Men member Gambit, you’re right. His power is almost identical to the Cajun mutant. The only real difference between the two is appearance. Pete is an English spy with the sharp wardrobe and gadgets that one would expect from such a job. He’s got a much sleeker look than Gambit, but fundamentally, they’re both fairly weak mutants.
16 SPIRAL
Most comic readers aren’t entirely aware of Spiral’s mutant powers. They know she has six arms and bluish skin, but beyond that things get a little foggy. This might be because Spiral isn’t popular at the moment, even though she’s a surprisingly interesting and complex character. Her main mutant ability is her mystical powers, which allow her to cast spells using various dances. She can use her magic to teleport, paralyze others, or turn invisible.
Spiral is a powerful character with a ton of potential. The reason she’s on this list is because of the discrepancy between her looks and her powers. Appearance wise, Spiral is kind of scary -- she looks like a vengeful god. She’s got some cool powers, but she’s no god.
15 STRONG GUY
Ordinarily, mutants with dangerous abilities have built-in safeguards to protect them from their own abilities. Magma, for example, has a body that can withstand the heat that her powers generate. Of course, sometimes biology isn’t so kind to the mutant race, as in the case of Strong Guy.
Guido looks like your typical strong mutant, with huge muscles and an incredible seven foot height. While he is definitely strong, Guido’s ability to absorb kinetic energy and release it in the form of physical strength is constantly taking a toll on his body. He’s always in pain and his heart could give out at any second under the stress. He may look like a superpowered mutant, but Guido’s powers are seriously limited.
14 LADY MASTERMIND
We will never understand the apparent need to create female versions of famous villains, but whatever the reason is, we have them. Lady Mastermind is the daughter of the original Mastermind, and took up her father’s mantle soon after mastering her psychic mutant abilities. Like her father, Lady Mastermind can generate telepathic illusions in the minds of people around her. Unlike her father, Lady Mastermind does this while rocking a sleek, all black leather uniform.
Marvel creators liked Lady Mastermind’s outfit so much that they ended up giving a similar look to Emma Frost. Lady Mastermind is powerful, but compared to other mutant psychics, her ability is narrow. However, her costume makes it seem as though she could take over the world if she wanted to.
13 WARPATH
A lot of the characters on our list have mutant abilities that relate to physical strength. While they’re obviously very strong and capable, they pale in comparison to mutants with mental abilities, such as telekinesis or telepathy. Undoubtedly a great warrior, X-Men member Warpath could never win a fight against someone with mental mutant capabilities.
Armed with “super” everything and a nifty healing factor, he makes a good foot soldier but he isn’t a heavy hitter, even though he certainly looks like one. Like all the strong arm mutants, Warpath is impressively muscular and carries with him a pair of vibranium knives. Add some face paint and a wicked uniform and you have a superhero who looks cooler than he actually is.
12 SURGE
Surge is one of the newer X-Men characters on the list, though her mutant ability isn’t especially unique. The Japanese immigrant absorbs electricity into her body and can release it in the form of lightning blasts. While we definitely believe Surge has the potential to be a powerful mutant, she hasn’t had too many opportunities to show off her skills. Shooting lighting is a cool trick, but without proper control, it can become a bad accident quickly.
At the moment, Surge still has to wear special gauntlets to control her powers. On-page, the blue-haired mutant is frequently drawn surrounded by lighting, wearing a fierce expression and wielding her robotic gloves. She looks like an Omega, but in reality, she’s not even close to Alpha level.
11 SABRETOOTH
We know what all you Wolverine fans are thinking: Sabretooth is just as powerful as he looks. Since this list is a matter of opinion, we beg to disagree, even though we’re well aware Wolverine fans aren’t going to change their minds any time soon. Yes, Victor is a powerful mutant. He goes toe-to-toe with everyone from Rogue to Jean Grey.
The thing is, his feral appearance puts him above what he’s actually capable of. The claws, sharp teeth, and beady, animalistic eyes make him way scarier appearance wise than Wolverine, which is a real accomplishment. But, when you really inspect his character, he isn’t all that great powers wise. He’s a slightly weaker Logan with, somehow, an even worse vocabulary.
10 WOLFSBANE
Rahne Sinclair, aka Wolfsbane, is a mutant with the ability to transform into a wolf at will. In the Marvel Universe, werewolves do exist, but she isn’t one of them, which means her powers aren’t as restricted. Still, to the average reader, Rahne looks like a typical bloodthirsty werewolf. Her wolf form is scary, with its sharp claws and fangs, huge physical build, and furry coat. Out of all of the New Mutants, Rahne is probably the scariest, but the fear she instills in her attackers isn’t always warranted.
Rahne’s wolf form can do some damage, but, like so many characters on this list, her powers are purely physical. Without some sort of psychic ability, Rahne is really just a normal wolf.
9 GAMBIT
We assume everyone saw this one coming, since it’s kind of obvious. Gambit always lands himself on the weakest X-Men lists, even though his power isn’t all that weak. In a different reality, an alternate version of Gambit became powerful enough to drop the Phoenix. His ability to charge objects with energy has massive potential, but in Earth-616 he doesn’t know how to use it. Although throwing flaming cards looks nice on the page, it isn’t that helpful in battle.
The reason Gambit has become a popular character is because he’s the quintessential “cool guy.” The trench coat, the red eyes, and the long hair make for a weirdly magnetic character. As a member of the X-Men, he looks more important than he actually is.
8 COLOSSUS
We know a lot of fans aren’t going to be happy about this one, but X-Men veteran Colossus had to make an appearance on this list. The metal mutant giant has one of the fiercest physical appearances in X-Men comics, yet, compared to his tiny blonde sister, he’s surprisingly delicate.
Like Strong Guy, Colossus is capable of amazing feats of strength that go well beyond the realm of human capabilities. But, Colossus also has some serious weaknesses. His impressive organic steel form is susceptible to all stronger metals, such as vibranium and adamantium. Colossus may look more powerful than some of the X-Men’s slighter and less shiny members, but that doesn’t mean someone with telekinesis couldn’t crush him like a tin can.
7 ROCKSLIDE
Rockslide is exactly what his name suggests: a giant rock. Santo Vaccarro is a young mutant made completely out of inorganic granite. Rockslide can manipulate the rocks that make up his body, which means he can make himself any size or shape. A rock man the size of a truck isn’t someone you want to mess with.
Or, at least not someone you would think you would want to mess with. In reality, Rockslide is a low to medium threat at best. While strong, Rockslide is extremely susceptible to breaking into pieces. When hit with a large enough energy blast, Rockslide can go from a granite giant to a pile of pebbles.
6 KYLUN
Out of all the characters on this list, Kylun might just be the most obscure, and for good reason. Along with a bizarre origin story, the ‘80s mutant has the strange ability to replicate any sound he hears using his vocal cords. His useless mutant ability is paired with an undoubtedly feline form that challenges Beast in terms of catty qualities.
As ridiculous as Kylun sounds, he does look ferocious on the page. He isn’t so much a cat as is a full-grown vicious lion. Of course, he’s a lion without much of a bite. While a trained and skilled swordsman, Kylun is defenseless against attacks that don’t involve typical hand-to-hand combat styles.
5 NORTHSTAR
Northstar isn’t a rock giant or a lion man, but he does have a really cool suit, glowing eyes, and some sick elf ears, which is why he made our list. The famous mutant first appeared in comics alongside his twin sister, who shared the same light-related powers as him. Together, they could create powerful beams of light and run at super speed. Separate, each twin is still capable of some impressive feats, although they always work best when together.
Northstar’s characteristic uniform and general “look” give him the appearance of the perfect superhero. Im DC terms, he looks like Superman but is actually a third incarnation Green Lantern.
4 DAZZLER
During the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Marvel writers were trying to grab onto any trend they could in an effort to attract new comic readers. One of their most obvious ploys was the character Dazzler who acted as the comic manifestation of the disco craze. While Dazzler easily could’ve been a “one issue and done” kind of character, her mutant ability to convert sound into light shows intrigued audiences. Before long, she became an X-Men regular.
But, even though she’s frequently on the team, everyone knows Dazzler isn’t exactly on the same level as most of the X-Men. Her high-fashion getups and incredible confidence make her seem like a heavy hitter, but she’s really more suited for the stage than the battlefield.
3 BEAST
Because readers see Beast so often (as one of the founding X-Men members, he’s an on-page regular) they can sometimes forget just how jarring his appearance is. Huge, blue, and covered in fur, Hank McCoy doesn’t exactly look like the world-renowned biochemist that he actually is. While he is physically strong and fast, Hank’s real power lies in his brain.
Of course, just by looking at him, that probably wouldn’t be your first guess. The juxtaposition between Beast’s smarts and looks is a common topic in the comics. A powerful looking animalistic man who’s actually a brilliant scientist makes for an interesting (and sadly comedic) tale.
2 CABLE
Cable is an Omega level mutant. If you think we’re crazy for adding him to this list, you might be right. When Cable is at his strongest, he probably shouldn’t be on this list. The thing is, Cable is almost never at his strongest. The techno-organic virus that claimed his arm years ago requires constant psychic concentration to keep from spreading, which means his attacks are never as powerful as they could be.
Cable is also always losing his mutant abilities of telepathy and telekinesis, with most readers not even knowing what powers he has in what series. With all that being said, Cable’s glowing eye and futuristic portable arsenal make him look like he could take on Apocalypse single-handedly.
1 ANGEL
Honestly, we feel a little bad about putting Angel on this list, since he’s gone through so much drama in his long, fictional life. From his transformation into the cold-hearted Archangel to his recent disappearance from modern X-Men comics, Angel hasn’t had it easy.
Still, that doesn’t mean Angel doesn’t deserve the number one spot on our list of characters who look more powerful than they actually are. After all, Angel’s only power is flight, which is something tons of other mutants have. Angel’s Archangel form, with its metal wings and blue skin, is pretty scary but once again, it isn’t all that powerful. While Archangel’s hypersonic scream and poisonous feathers are nice party tricks, they won’t be winning him too many serious battles.