Since their inception of its universe,Marvel mutants have become known as some of the strongest beings within it. A fraction of mutants has also been classified as dangers to everyone, and for good reason. With mutants like David Haller, aka Legion, out and about, they present threats to everyone. Legion alone caused panic when he lost control, and he's just one mutant who let his powers loose -- of course, it doesn't help that he's dealing with other issues, as well.
In the comics, mutants are classified by their power level, the strongest being the Omegas. Legion is the most prominent, seeing as how his powers became a virtual threat to the entire planet, or even existence itself! However, one thing to keep in mind is that, while his mutant mojo is strong, he's not the most powerful. There are plenty of other mutants who can outclass Legion, most of whom belong to the Omega class. Take the Externals, for example, or, debatable, Apocalypse. Knowing that so many mutants have the ability to challenge a heavyweight like Legion, it would be extremely interesting to see how a mutant throw-down would go down. In lieu of that, we've compiled together a list of OP mutants who can overpower Legion.
15 VULCAN (GABRIEL SUMMERS)
The long-lost Summers brother became one of the strongest mutants in history during his time in space. Gabriel was born in space due to his mother being taken captive by D'Ken. After being forcibly delivered from his mother, he was then thrown into an incubation chamber. Gabriel then spent some time as a slave, until the efforts of Moira McTaggert saw him become the X-Man known as Vulcan.
As part of the X-Men, Vulcan went on several adventures with the team, though his untimely death put a hindrance on that. His story, however, doesn't end there. The events of M-Day saw Vulcan's dormant body absorb cosmic energy, and it was that energy which transformed him from an Alpha-level mutant to Omega. After this, Vulcan gained a massive boost in power, expanding his repertoire of energy manipulation abilities and using it to take over an entire empire in space... though that, too, didn't work out too well for him.
14 DARK PHOENIX (JEAN GREY)
There's no clear-cut point when Jean Grey became an Omega-level mutant, but her powers only increased as she grew older. Her first abilities manifested after witnessing her best friend's death. From there, Jean only seemed to gain new (and more powerful) abilities as she got older. When she became a student at Professor X's school, Xavier was forced to place psychic barriers in Jean's mind due to the massive power she held. He hoped the barriers would keep the Phoenix Force inside of her from getting it, but the barriers didn't hold for too long.
Once out, Jean embraced the power of the Phoenix and went through several troublesome adventures because of the cosmic entity. Though, on the plus side, Jean became one of the strongest telepaths in the entire universe with the Phoenix power inside of her, which would easily dwarf those of Legion.
13 FRANKLIN RICHARDS
Whatever happened to Susan Storm and Reed Richards when they were subjected to cosmic radiation, it doubled in their son. Franklin wasn't subjected to radiation like his parents, but he absorbed some of that same energy from them. Due to this unavoidable happenstance, Franklin was born a mutant, gaining powers of his own.
Unlike most other mutants, Franklin developed his powers much earlier in life. In fact, his first abilities manifested as a toddler, which he used to wake up the Thing, turning the tide in the Fantastic Four's fight with the Frightful Four. A few years later, Franklin received a major boost in power when Annihilus placed him inside of a machine that unlocked his full potential. However, this development forced Reed to place Franklin in a coma so that his power wouldn't destroy all life on Earth.
12 PHOENIX FIVE
Similar to Jean Grey, the Phoenix Five were hosts to the cosmic entity known as the Phoenix Force. The team was comprised of Emma Frost, Cyclops, Colossus, Namor, and Magik, all of whom absorbed pieces of the Phoenix. Together they became known as the Phoenix Five.
As the Phoenix Five, they set out to create a literal utopia for mutants. The cosmic team also went on to police the world, at one point, outlawing war. Their actions were always done for the good of the world but the Avengers saw it getting out of hand. When the teams found themselves in conflict, all it took was two members of Phoenix Five to beat the Avengers. Luckily, with a little help from the X-Men, the Avengers were able to force the Phoenix into a single host, Scott Summers. The bad news is that Scott turned into the Dark Phoenix immediately after.
11 ICEMAN (BOBBY DRAKE)
As surprising as it is to say, Iceman is an extremely powerful mutant, at least in comparison to most others. What a majority of fans might not know is that Bobby Drake is an Omega-level mutant. Yes, the prestigious title of Omega belongs to yet another X-Man. It's unclear why Bobby has been classified this way but it likely has to do with his manipulation of water.
Apart from sliding around on ice and freezing his enemies, Iceman also possesses the ability to reconstruct his body. He put this ability on display when his ice form was completely shattered, save for his head. With a little-borrowed moisture, Iceman reassembled the shards of his form. Although, this experience solidified the fact that his body had completely turned into ice, making it impossible for the human Bobby Drake to return.
10 HOPE SUMMERS
Whether you've noticed it or not, strong mutants tend to be born to and/or raised by other powerful mutants. As the first mutant born after "M-Day," Hope was a miracle, not just thanks to her immense power. Being Cable's adoptive daughter, it's no surprise she has come to temper that power through strict controls.
As far as Hope's powers go, she can duplicate and mimic the abilities of any nearby mutants, which may not sound like much at first. But, when we consider what Hope could do with oh, say, Magneto, Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler, and Jean Grey's abilities, she'd pretty much become unstoppable, and that's just one example. The point is, Hope has the edge over any mutant she comes into contact with, which is what makes her such a formidable combatant, especially against someone like Legion.
9 PROTEUS (KEVIN MACTAGGERT)
Out of the various mutant powers out there, the reality-altering ones are probably the scariest. Since those powers can be used to change reality to an individual's liking, it makes them especially dangerous. Kevin MacTaggert is no exception; in fact, he may be worst of all. Kevin's powers actually caused his human form to burn out. In turn, Kevin had to continually swap host bodies so that his energy form could survive.
Due to the vampiric nature of his ability, Kevin made it his goal to find a suitable host but never managed to. It was his death that actually put a halt to him searching for the right person to take over. By this time, he'd abandoned his identity as Kevin MacTaggert for the more appropriate codename of Proteus. As Proteus, his misanthropic adventures continued until the X-Men seemingly killed him. Afterward, Proteus merged with Gilbert, which concluded with Proteus erasing them both... though even that didn't last.
8 ABSALOM
To some, Absalom might not count as being a normal mutant. Since he's a member of the Externals, an immortal race of mutants, he's on a whole nother level of power. The best comparison of Absalom's powers can be seen in his brethren, Apocalypse. From that, you can get a sense of where Absalom stands in the ranking of mutants.
As far as Absalom's origins go, his are a bit different from other mutants. Rather than his mutant abilities manifesting during adolescence, Absalom's were triggered by his first death in 1896. Absalom awoke two days later to discover that he'd gained immortality, as well as the ability to transmute bone-like extensions from his body. He grew to resent these abilities but they served him well when he joined up with the other Externals.
7 SCARLET WITCH (WANDA MAXIMOFF)
Technically, Scarlet Witch isn't a very powerful mutant. She's only been classified as Beta-level, which is a few pegs below Omega, and doesn't seem fair when we look at the extent of her abilities... which are difficult to describe, at best. To sum it up, Scarlet Witch wields "chaos magic," which, in the modern era, gives her the vague ability to alter reality as she sees fit. She's actually done this on several occasions, the most notable being the M-Day event. During that time, she depowered a majority of mutants, reducing a population of millions to hundreds in a split second.
Scarlet Witch may no longer be considered a mutant (it's a long story, ridiculous story), but her lasting effect on the population is notable. Much like Legion, she changed the very fabric of the universe and created her own variation. She also suffered from severe mental instability. Thus, she would, at very least, be a challenge for David... but we think she has the possibility to surpass him.
6 APOCALYPSE (EN-SABAH-NUR)
Like Absalom, Apocalypse is believed to be a member of the Externals. For those unfamiliar with the name, the Externals are a group of immortal mutants that are a step up above the rest. They also distinguish themselves from other mutants in how they mature and their powers develop. For En Sabah Nur, it was being wounded by Kang the Conqueror and having his heart (metaphorically) ripped out that tripped his incredible, almost god-like powers into being.
Like Scarlet Witch, Apocalypse's powers have become increasingly difficult to define. Basically, he can reshape his body and those of others around him to his will. Usually more a master of malevolent machinations, he is usually pulling strings from the sidelines rather than engaging in battles himself. Regardless, an ancient mutant empowered further by the nigh-divine might of Celestials (Marvel's weird space gods) would make more than a match for a one Mr. David Haller.
5 PHOENIX (RACHEL SUMMERS)
Rachel Summers originates from one of the alternate realities where Jean Grey doesn't succumb to the power of the Phoenix Force. On Earth-811, Jean survives her ordeal with the Phoenix then marries Scott Summers, who she has one child with. Their child, Rachel, went on to study at Professor X's School for Gifted Youngers, followed by her becoming a member of the New Mutants (not the same team seen in the upcoming film of the same name).
As a part of the New Mutants, Rachel Summers played a very important part of the Marvel universe. What with Jean possessing both telepathic and telekinetic abilities, as well as the ability to tap into the power of the Phoenix Force, she was quite a valued member of the team. Unfortunately for Rachel, an attack on the X-Mansion saw her captured and turned into a Hound under Ahab's control. Luckily, she broke free, travelled back in time and has been a valuable member of various X-teams since.
4 PROFESSOR X (CHARLES XAVIER)
It should come as no surprise to see Professor X on this list, mainly because he's the progenitor of David Haller and his abilities. Being David's biological father, he's the original telepath of their gene pool. Being that he is widely regarded as the strongest telepath on the planet, he is of course legendarily powerful. Plus, Xavier's years of experience perfecting and honing his abilities have made him much more capable than his son. One might argue that David's shown a raw strength not present in Xavier, making him the stronger one. But what those fans fail to remember is that David mostly uses his abilities on reflex, rather than with the surgical accuracy of Xavier.
Not often has David competently used his abilities to solve a problem -- at least from what we've seen of him on FX's Legion. He may develop a better grasp of those abilities further down the line but for now, it looks like he'll only be able to tap into the full extent when necessary.
3 MISTER M (ABSALON MERCATOR)
When it comes to god-like beings in the Marvel universe, Absalon Mercator stands at the top of those rankings. Now, he's not as powerful as one of the celestials but his powers of manipulation, all of which happen on a subatomic level, make him one of the strongest mutants there is.
What's strange is that Absalon used to be one of the most unassuming guys, fixing toasters and household appliances. It wasn't until M-Day that he truly embraced his mutant identity, becoming somewhat of a savior to the 198 mutants still empowered. The bad news is that Absalon was murdered by Leech and Magma, who were under Johnny Dee's control. The upside is that after Absalon's funeral, his body transmuted itself into a kaleidoscope of butterflies; this being a sign of Absalon's evolution from a carbon-based form into an energy state.
2 JAMIE BRADDOCK
As it turns out, Jamie Braddock Jr. is also somewhat of a god-like being. Jamie wasn't born that way, of course, and his mutation didn't trigger during adolescence, which is particularly strange. Most of the stronger mutants develop at an early age and grow more powerful as they age, but Jamie is the exception. Jamie's powers first manifested while being tortured by Doctor Croc.
After some time under Doctor Croc's knife, the pain and hallucinations triggered a latent stage of mutation in Jamie's body. The result gave Jamie reality-altering abilities, abilities that allowed him to change everything on a cosmic scale by manipulating "threads" of reality -- the very fabric of existence, if you will. These abilities were never fully tested but he managed to evade death on multiple occasions, and even found a way to wake himself from a coma.
1 HYPERSTORM (JONATHAN RICHARDS)
Jonathan Richards, the offspring of a possible future Franklin Richards and Rachel Summers (both of whom have appeared on this list), turned out to be one of the most powerful mutants ever when he was born. No one knew exactly how strong Jonathan would become, but it had a profound effect on the future. Because Jonathan's limitless power gave him virtual control over everything, he used it to reign over the post-apocalyptic world he grew up in.
As the villainous Hyperstorm, he went about conquering more worlds than just his own. He visited every planet in his universe, dominating it in every sense of the word. With the power to manipulate fundamental forces of the universe, Hyperstorm eliminated anyone who stood in his way, up until the point that Galactus devoured him whole. Although, there's no telling how long an infinitely powered being like Hyperstorm will be gone for.