In the world of mutants, there is a team of misfit teenagers that joined together to form the New Mutants. This team was created by Chris Claremont in 1983, with their own comic series that later spun off into different original series.
The New Mutants have taken different forms over the years, but the series has consistently told strange and unique stories that dive into the darker side of mutant abilities. With the upcoming feature film, X-Men fans can anticipate a thrilling story that features some of the haunting aspects of having mutant powers. Here are the New Mutant stories that Marvel fans should read before seeing the upcoming film.
10 The New Mutants: Renewal
This graphic novel is in many ways the origin story for the team of young mutants. This renewal tells the story of each character and how they come together under the care of Charles Xavier. Each mutant has a tragic backstory, each bringing something new to the team. In their first adventure, the young mutants must work together to rescue Professor X from a murderous villain who had kidnapped their teacher. This story really sets up the future of this strange group of mutants and establishes the unique direction that the characters would head into for years to come.
9 Hellions
The Hellions are a group of young mutant students that have become rivals to the New Mutants. They are students under the intimidating Hellfire Club, which has always been at odds with the students of Xavier. The Hellions first appeared in the early issues of the New Mutants and they are the perfectly matched rivals to the young group of misfits.
Emma Frost is the powerful teacher of the Hellions. This storyline is a must-read for the New Mutants because it shows how the team deals with a rival group that is highly trained by one of the most powerful villains the X-Men has faced.
8 Doug Ramsey
This story is centered around the death of Doug Ramsey. It is tragic and it shows how the New Mutants have bonded with one another. Losing a member of the team is a heavy moment for the students. Doug Ramsey is also known as Cypher and he was one of the founding members of the team. Cypher's death is tragic because he sacrifices himself to save someone he loves. The loss of one of the founding mutants has an impact on the future of the team. This is one of the more important stories to read because of the emotional impact it has on each character.
7 Magus
The New Mutants are always involved in stories that are truly strange. Warlock is certainly one of the stranger members of the New Mutants. He is an alien being who is made up of techno-organic matter. Warlock can shapeshift, change colors, and he has the ability to change organic life into the same techno-organic matter he is made of.
Magus is from the same alien world as Warlock, but he uses these strange alien abilities to fight the New Mutants. The battle against Magus is one of the best New Mutants stories because it explains the origins of Warlock, who certainly is one of the most loved members of the team.
6 New Mutants Annual #1
The New Mutants are usually involved in battles with demons from other dimensions and strange aliens that are attacking Earth, but in this storyline, the fate of the planet is in the balance. The team goes to a concert to enjoy the music from Lila Cheney, the best rock star on Earth. However, Lila Cheney also happens to be an expert thief on a cosmic level, and she has made a plan to steal the planet and sell the population to other planets as slaves. The New Mutants save Cheney's life and stop her plan by befriending her. The rock star ends up falling in love with one of the mutant teammates. This annual issue is an important part of the New Mutants' history because it is a fun adventure for the team in which they save the entire planet.
5 Exiled
The New Mutants get involved in the affairs of gods as their journeys take them to Asgard. They take sides in an ancient battle between gods, but it does not take long for the conflict to find its way to Earth. In the heart of San Francisco, forbidden magic starts bringing the dead back to life. The young mutants must work together to stop the magical attack on the city. This is a great story for any X-Men fan because it involves all mutants working to save the ancient gods of Asgard. Exiled is a cosmic adventure that mixes mythical battles with modern Earth.
4 Cable And The New Mutants
Cable has been a fan favorite mutant for years and his big on-screen appearance in the Deadpool sequel has made him even more popular. Before Cable and Deadpool had their memorable adventures together, Cable first came into the X-Men world with the New Mutants.
The time-traveling hero joined up with the group of misfits and together they fought villains like Sabretooth, Stryfe, and the Freedom Force. Cable helped the group transform from the New Mutants into the X-Force, a powerful group of mutants who did not mix well with the X-Men. Cable's adventures with the New Mutants are an important part of the group's development.
3 Legion
David Haller is the extremely powerful son of Professor X. Also known as Legion, David Haller's first appearance was with the New Mutants. Legion has always been a mutant that has not quite fit in with the other heroes, and oftentimes, he is too powerful to not be considered a threat. His telepathic abilities have shattered his mind to an unstable point. Legion was one of the first challenges the New Mutants had to face and he has gone up against them on multiple occasions. His fragile mind and his connection to Xavier make him one of the best adversaries of the group because he is such an interesting character.
2 X-Tinction Agenda
In this epic mutant event, the Genoshan government goes on a mission to invade the X-Men's mansion and kidnap several of the beloved characters. The Genoshans hope to kidnap and enslave mutants on their hidden island. Because of this attack, the New Mutants join forces with the X-Men and the X-Factor teams.
The three different teams of mutants all work together to rescue their friends and end this attack against mutants. This event is an important part of what creates the X-Force in the future and it is a story that has many emotional moments for the young mutants.
1 The Demon Bear Saga
The story of the demon bear is without a doubt the most impactful storyline of the New Mutants. This saga focuses on Dani Moonstar and how her past has come back to haunt her. Moonstar must face her demons and learn to trust her teammates in order to defeat this villainous bear. The demon bear is a huge menacing beast that the team must work together to battle. The storyline itself is important because it showed how the team works together and it solidified these young mutants as a great team of characters on their own apart from the X-Men.