Nowadays, comics are so different from the ones created in the 20th century that it’s pretty easy to forget they even exist. Yes, we all know that we have to credit Stan Lee and Jack Kirby with the first issue of X-Men, but how many modern-day X-Men fans have actually read that first issue? Or even the first 50 issues? Because modern writers and illustrators have reinvented the earlier versions of the X-Men in comic series like X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Origins, there isn’t always an obvious reason why new readers should pick up classic volumes. For some, the dated illustrations and defunct dialogue make reading the old stuff pretty unbearable. Even though that “old stuff” is the reason we have all the current series’ that are out today, we get it. Cyclops being a chauvinistic jerk to Marvel Girl isn’t really our cup of tea either.

Still, there’s something to be said for getting back to the root of comics. The X-Men started in 1963 and since then Marvel writers have slowly added more and more mutants to their lineup. In order to really appreciate the development of the X-Men, you have to go back to some of those dusty volumes of Uncanny X-Men. For this list, we’re going back to a prime moment in the X-Men timeline: the '80s. The era of neon lights and shoulder pads graced us with an abundance of super-charged mutants -- many of whom still dominate the pages of X-Men comics today. CBR is counting down the 20 most powerful mutants to be introduced during the ‘80s.

20 JUBILEE

Jubilee

Jubilation Lee may be the quintessential ‘90s girl (with a stereotypical affinity for malls and oversized trench coats) but Marvel first introduced her to comics in May of 1989. An all-female X-Men lineup found her running from crooked cops in Uncanny X-Men #244 and brought her back to their temporary Australian base.

Since then, Jubilee’s ability to create fireworks has proved to be surprisingly useful for the X-Men. Jubilee’s colorful light blasts can detonate like bombs, causing serious damage. Though her creators, Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri, were mostly concerned about adding a relatable and comedic teenager to the X-Men, they also ended up creating a fairly powerful mutant.

19 FORGE

Forge

In 1984, in Uncanny X-Men #184, Chris Claremont and John Romita Jr. introduced the mutant known as Forge. He is a pretty mysterious guy with a short origin story and only a few key issues in the '80s. Most of his appearances in the ‘80s have to do with Forge’s strained relationship with Storm

His mutant gift of intuitive genius makes him a mechanical and technological genius, who’s capable of inventing (or fixing) just about any piece of machinery imaginable. This power comes from his ability to “see” potential energy in a machine before making it a reality. We know being good with machines doesn’t sound that impressive but believe us: the X-Men rely on Forge for everything. Without him, the X-Mansion would still be stuck in the Victorian era.

18 WOLFSBANE

Along with many of the other New Mutants, Rahne Sinclair made her debut in 1982 in Marvel Graphic Novel #4. Her mutant ability to transform into a wolf is a little fantastical when compared to other mutants, but by the ‘80s, writer Chris Claremont was adding some (let’s just say) “unique” characters to the X-Men lineup.

In 1982, gone were the days of Cyclops and Marvel Girl. Readers wanted teams of X-Men with imaginative and, in Rahne’s case, scary mutations. Wolfsbane’s mutation gives her not only the physical appearance of a wolf, but also strength, speed, and hyper senses associated with your average lycanthrope. She also has claws and fangs -- as if we needed another reason to never get on her bad side.

17 RICTOR

Rictor

Julio Richter, aka Rictor, eventually became a New Mutant as well, but he was originally introduced in the series X-Factor in 1987. We’re fairly certain writer and artist duo, Louise and Walter Simonson, created Rictor because they wanted to show how distressing mutant life can be for kids and teens. Rictor lived part of his childhood in a jail and the rest of it on the run from anti-mutant terrorists. It doesn’t really get worse than that.

During the ‘80s, Rictor spent a lot of time with the X-Factor team, who taught him how to control his ability to generate and release seismic waves. His time on the New Mutants team and X-Force really honed his skills. On a good day, Rictor can level multiple city blocks with his earth-shaking powers.

16 MOONSTAR

Dani Moonstar

Dani Moonstar got her start alongside Wolfsbane in the 1982 Marvel Graphic Novel #4. In the ‘80s, the Native American mutant was the only telepathic member of the New Mutants, with the ability to create extremely convincing allusions showing a person’s greatest fears and desires. To put it lightly, when Dani was a New Mutant, she scared her foes until they begged to leave the fight.

During her childhood, Dani was forced to spend a few years in the wild, alongside her tribe’s chief shaman Black Eagle. Her time living off the land made her an expert archer, fisher, and horseback rider. After Dani lost her powers during M-Day, these skills became her only defensive and offensive weapons.

15 DAZZLER

80s Dazzler

Alison Blaire, aka Dazzler, is the '80s personified. When we first see her in X-Men #30, she’s sporting an all-white jumpsuit, long blonde hair, and some really dated lingo (“dy-no-mite” should never have been said -- even in the ‘80s). For modern tastes, Dazzler’s original popstar persona is probably a little (or a lot) lamer than what we expect from comic books today.

Still, that doesn’t mean we should ignore her character’s light projection abilities because, honestly, they’re coolest thing about her. Dazzler’s mutant ability transforms sound into bright beams of light. The louder the sound, the more light she can emit in a single blast. The X-Men frequently use her powers to distract or, in dire cases, to temporarily blind.

14 KARMA

Karma

Xi'an Coy Manh, aka Karma, first appeared in Marvel comics in 1980, in Marvel Team-Up #100. The Vietnamese mutant went on to become a member of the New Mutants and, in 2018, the business sponsor of the (new) New Mutants.

Karma is a low-level psychic, with the ability to possess another person's body. As the only member of the New Mutants capable of telepathic feats, she was an important player throughout the series. She also has limited telepathic powers, allowing her to read thoughts and send psychic blasts. Her time as a New Mutant was more complicated than the other members because of the Shadow King, who possessed Karma and turned her against her teammates.

13 EMPATH

Empath

Even though Manuel de la Rocha is a very powerful empath, he’s undoubtedly the least known character on our list. Why? Because he was never actually a member of the X-Men. Back before Emma Frost became Headmistress of Xavier’s School, she worked as a “teacher” at the Hellfire Club’s Massachusetts Academy during the ‘80s. There she trained a group of young mutants called the Hellions.

Manuel, or Empath, quickly became one of Emma’s favorite pupils thanks to his vast potential and his willingness to manipulate others. What makes him most dangerous aren’t his empathic powers, but rather his general lack of morality. He will do anything to get what he wants -- even if it means hurting a so-called “friend”.

12 KITTY PRYDE

Kitty Pryde as Shadowcat

If the past seven characters didn’t ring any X-Men bells, we’re fairly certain this one will. Katherine “Kitty” Pryde first met the world of mutants in X-Men #129 in 1980. At that time, she was a 13-year old girl with the ability to phase through solid matter. Charles Xavier and the X-Men took in Kitty and taught her how to use her fantastic ability.

Throughout the ‘80s, Kitty remained the token young teenager on the X-Men. Her childish antics were for amusement and her character wasn’t taken seriously. However, writers since then have tried to redefine Kitty, as seen in the current X-Men Gold series where a grown-up Kitty leads a team of X-Men who were once her mentors.

11 CANNONBALL

Cannonball 80s

Sam Guthrie, aka Cannonball ,became a surprisingly popular character during the ‘80s, when he starred alongside Magik and Moonstar in New Mutants. Born-and-raised in Kentucky, Cannonball brought a certain Southern charm to a team made of misfit mutants.

Lanky and awkward, Sam doesn’t seem particularly useful as an X-Men member but don’t let appearances fool you. His unique gift of thermo-chemical energy propulsion grants him the ability to fly at top-speeds and survive massive explosions. During his time as a New Mutant in the ‘80s, Cannonball saved his teammates from certain destruction on numerous occasions. Since then, his powers (and social skills) have only gotten stronger.

10 SIRYN

Siryn

Theresa Cassidy, or Siryn, shares a striking resemblance to her father, the original Banshee Sean Cassidy. Red Hair and Irish accent aside, they both have a sonic scream that can decimate their enemies with a single blow. Unlike a lot of the other characters on this list, Siryn didn’t make her first appearance in an X-Men comic, nor was she a very independent character during the ‘80s.

Instead, Theresa acted as a sort of pseudo-Banshee, sporting the same signature costume as her father. Still, her impressive voice-related abilities easily grant her a spot on our list. A mutant who can use a sonic scream to fly isn’t someone you want to mess with.

9 HUSK

Husk appeared in comics two years after her brother, Sam Guthrie. She did not become a member of the New Mutants like her brother, mostly because she didn’t like being compared to him. Instead, she joined Emma Frost’s Generation X team and focused on using her omni-morphing skills to become a better mutant than her brother.

During the ‘80s, Paige was a young mutant who was just starting to become comfortable using her bizarre power. By “tearing” her skin, Husk can transform her physical body into different substances, including stone, glass, wood, and diamond. Depending on the substance, Paige can have super strength or super durability. Husk’s only weakness is that she must be familiar with the substance in order to transform into it.

8 FIRESTAR

Firestar

We first saw Firestar in the cartoon Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends which came out in 1981. Four years later, she appeared in Uncanny X-Men and, a year after that, she got her own miniseries, Firestar. The series tells the story of a young girl dealing with her recently-developed mutant ability. Throughout Firestar, Angelica learns how to use her powers and meets the X-Men for the first time.

While her name may be reminiscent of the Human Torch, Angelica’s fiery powers come from her ability to collect and release microwave energy. Using this intense heat, Firestar can fly and throw offensive blasts of microwave energy. While still a teenager, she easily took down Emma Frost and destroyed the Massachusetts Academy with hardly any effort.

7 MAGIK

Magik New Mutants

A lot of mutants can teleport, so you may be wondering why Illyana Rasputin  got such an enviable spot on our list. Magik has the mutant ability to create teleporting “stepping discs”, but that isn’t her only ability. Originally, Chris Claremont introduced Illyana as X-Men member Colossus’ younger sister in 1975. She was abducted and taken to Limbo (a demonic dimension) where she stayed for many years. While there, she became a powerful sorceress and eventually the ruler of Limbo.

When she returned to Earth, she brought her dark magic and her signature Soul Sword with her. Her new abilities also included mystical armor from Limbo and knowledge of ancient weaponry. In 1984, she took on the name “Magik” and became the hero we all know and love.

6 ROGUE

Rogue aka Anne Marie in Marvel Comics panel

Out of everyone on our list, Rogue (might) be the one mutant with the most potential. She appeared in comics for the first time in 1981, in Avengers Annual #10 but, after a few years, she became an X-Men staple. Her mutant ability to all about absorption; she can absorb, through skin-on-skin contact, the personality, powers, memories, and physical features of anyone she touches. Ordinarily, the effect is temporary, through prolonged contact can make the transfer permanent.

Rogue became a popular, and powerful, character in the ‘80s. In battle, she can instantly become just as powerful as the person she’s fighting. No matter what, she can always be a step ahead. She definitely has her weaknesses (taking a person’s memories isn’t fun) but overall, she’s easily one of the most powerful new mutants of the ‘80s.

5 MEGGAN

Meggan is extremely easy to overlook. Arriving in comics in 1983, Meggan became a regular in the series Excalibur but never found the popularity that her teammates did. We’re honestly a little unsure why she didn’t become a bigger player in the world of X-Men considering how powerful she is. The British mutant is an empath, a metamorph, and an elemental. She can morph into any living thing and can duplicate the powers of any superhuman she physically mimics. Meggan also can control all four elements, which grants her flight and super strength.

With Meggan, it’s almost easier to list the things she can’t do than list the things she can do. She doesn’t look like it (or act like it) but she was easily one of the strongest mutants that Marvel introduced during the ‘80s.

4 MISTER SINISTER

80s Mister Sinister

The ‘80s saw a big shift in the X-Men franchise, with writer Chris Claremont introducing a slew of new heroes and, not surprisingly, new villains. Aside from Magneto, the X-Men didn’t have the strongest rogues gallery pre-1980. To rectify that, Marvel gave readers a few new villainous mutants bent on destroying Earth-616 as we know it. One of the most famous of these creations was Mister Sinister.

Nathaniel Essex, aka Mister Sinister, has a long origin story that we’re not going to cover here. For this list all you really need to know is that Sinister became a mutant via genetic modification and is extremely powerful. He’s telekinetic, telepathic, and immortal, among many other powers. To top it all off, he’s constantly giving himself new mutant DNA and thus new abilities.

3 RACHEL SUMMERS

Rachel Summers as Phoenix

In the early ‘80s, the X-Men found themselves down one redheaded telepath, so, naturally, they added another one. Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and John Romita Jr. created an alternate-reality where Jean Grey and Cyclops had a child: Rachel Summers. After her reality turned into an apocalyptic war-zone, she came to Earth-616 and took over the position as the Phoenix in Jean Grey’s absence.

Her powers were nearly identical to Jean’s: telepathy, telekinesis and the ability to tap into the Phoenix Force. During most of the ‘80s, Rachel served as the X-Men’s connection to the powerful Phoenix Force. Although she was never as popular a character as her “mother” Rachel was still a formidable Phoenix incantation. During the ‘80s, she manipulated both time and subatomic matter.

2  APOCALYPSE

Apocalypse

Excluding the Master of Magnetism, Apocalypse is probably the X-Men’s most famous villain. He first appeared in X-Factor #5, but it took a little while for his character to build up the history, and notoriety, we associate with En Sabah Nur today. Still, even during his introduction, Apocalypse proved to be a fatal foe. Armed with thousands of years of experience, extensive telepathic and telekinetic powers, as well as super strength and speed, Apocalypse is far above your average grey-skinned mutant.

During the mid to late ‘80s, Apocalypse and Mister Sinister ruled X-Men comics. Like Legion and Rachel Summers, Apocalypse represented the next stage in mutant powers. Instead of just having one or two abilities, he has tons. His character begins to answer the question: how powerful can a mutant be?

1 LEGION

80s Legion

David Haller is a hard character to like. This isn’t (just) because of his annoying personality. It’s mostly because of his status as a deus ex machina in X-Men comics. Long lost son of Charles Xavier, Legion has the ability to create new personalities within himself that have different mutant abilities. For example, he could create a personality with the mutant power of telepathy, or optic blasts, or regenerative healing. The possibilities are truly endless.

Legion arrived on the page in 1985 and quickly became a sort of anti-hero character, with both devious and heroic traits. He grabs the number one spot on our list because there’s hardly any situation he can’t get himself out of. Every mutant trait is within his grasp. The only thing that holds him back is himself.