Still one of the Marvel Universe’s most beloved superhero teams over half a century after their introduction into the world of comics, the X-Men have gone from being one of Stan Lee’s riskier creations to widely recognized household names. Their staying power and popularity are likely a result of the interesting and relatable heroes, socially relevant themes and enthralling stories found within their pages and the ever-expanding cast of characters all but guarantee that everyone can relate to at least a small handful of its characters. As the team’s roster has continued to grow over the decades however, several members of the team have gone on to have kids of their own, passing on the lessons they learnt as young X-Men on to a whole new generation of mutants.

With the comic book industry’s penchant for upping the ante with their plot and characters though, the lesser-known offspring of popular superheroes are often even more powerful than their parents, despite having limited appearances in the comics themselves. Sure, a lot of these superpowered kids are born in parallel universes and alternate timelines, but that doesn’t change the fact that these characters are often neglected -- narratively speaking at least -- in favor of their more recognizable mothers and fathers. With that in mind, we thought it was long overdue to take a look at 20 children of famous mutants that are actually more powerful than their parents.

20 SHATTERSTAR

Hailing from a dystopian alternate reality known as the Mojoverse, in which the twisted supervillain Mojo reigns supreme, Shatterstar was subjected to extensive genetic editing by the villain, who subsequently named him Gaveedra-Seven. Intended to serve as a gladiator for Mojo’s entertainment, Shatterstar was naturally given incredible physical capabilities for the job, further boosting the potential of his already impressive genes, with it later being revealed that his true parents were none other than the X-Men’s Dazzler and Longshot.

With superhuman speed, senses, reflexes, durability and agility to work with thanks to his altered genes, Shatterstar also has incredible strength.

In fact, Shatterstar is tough enough that he’s even capable of going toe-to-toe with some of Marvel’s most physically imposing heroes, managing to best even the Thing in combat. One of Shatterstar’s most impressive abilities however, is his superior intelligence. An incredibly fast learner and a tactical genius, Shatterstar is a true jack of all trades, able to master anything from new forms of martial arts to complex scientific concepts with very little effort. To top it all off, Shatterstar’s mutant ability lets him create bioelectricity, which allows him to generate intense shockwaves that can be used to “charge” his weapons with power.

19 LEGION

The result of an affair between Professor Charles Xavier and Gabrielle Haller, an Israeli psychiatrist with whom Charles fell in love with, David Haller’s latent mutant abilities didn’t kick in until he was caught up in a brutal terrorist attack, causing him to unintentionally disintegrate the minds of the perpetrators. The event was so traumatic to David that he developed dissociative identity disorder, with each of his countless and ever-expanding personalities exhibiting various aspects of his vast psionic powers -- which is where the moniker Legion was born from.

Collectively, Legion possibly has the most diverse and expansive set of superpowers in the entire Marvel Universe, with several of his personalities also changing his physical appearance, though the use of his powers is limited to whichever personality is in control at the time. Amongst his most prominent personalities are a telepath named Jemail Karami, Cyndi, a rebellious, pyrokinetic teenager and Johnny Gomorrah, a man capable of turning objects to salt. Between his various personalities, David can also assume the powers of time manipulation, telekinesis, super-strength, sound control, energy blasts and control of gravity. By far his most powerful personality however, is actually his core one, known as The Legion. Referred to as the “God-Mutant” by Magik, The Legion is one the Universe’s most unstoppable beings, with this version of David being capable of vast reality warping and Universe-bending abilities, even allowing him to erase the Elder Gods from existence at one point.

18 NOCTURNE

Born on Earth-2182, Talia Wagner, known by her superhero name Nocturne, is the daughter of an alternate Universe Nightcrawler and Scarlet Witch. A newly-crowned member of the X-Men in the reality she calls home, Nocturne is approached by the Timebroker soon after her induction into the team, where she learns that her history is becoming unglued thanks to a series of alternate-reality occurrences. She was forced to join up with the Exiles, a group of Universe-hopping superheroes tasked with keeping time and reality intact.

Nocturne fights to stop the death of her father at the hands of Mystique, which would subsequently erase her from existence.

Despite Talia’s resemblance to Nightcrawler, Nocturne doesn’t teleport in the same way her father does, but retains his superhuman levels of speed, flexibility, balance and agility, as well as sporting a useful prehensile tail. Nocturne is capable of firing “hex bolts” however, which takes extradimensional energy from the same dimension Nightcrawler teleports through and redirects it into powerful explosive blasts. Perhaps Talia’s most peculiar power is her ability to possess others, able to enter their bodies for up to 12 hours at a time before leaving them unconscious for a full 24 hours afterwards. Using this ability, Nocturne was even able to thwart an evil Cyclops by possessing Armageddon, using his telepathic powers to thrust a paralyzed Wolverine’s claws into Cyclops.

17 DAKEN

One of the very few X-Men to actually have a legitimate child within Marvel’s mainstream continuity, Wolverine’s offspring hardly sets a good example for the X-Kids to come. Birthed by Itsu, a Japanese local whom Logan was married to, Wolverine was unaware of Daken’s existence for many years, having believed his pregnant wife was murdered at the hands of the Winter Soldier. Instead, Daken was subjected to years of emotional and physical neglect under the tutelage of the mysterious Romulus, who eventually leads Daken back to his father for revenge.

Turning Logan’s life upside down, Daken embarks on a campaign of evil to get back at him, even joining Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers as the new Wolverine during the events of “Dark Reign”. Having the same powers as his father, Daken has an extremely effective healing factor and retractable claws in his wrists, which he later covers in metal from the Muramasa blade -- a weapon capable of negating Wolverine’s healing factor. An expert in combat thanks to his time with Romulus, Daken is more than a match for Wolverine, managing to cut even the most skilled warriors to ribbons, demonstrated when he sliced the Punisher into several pieces before decapitating him and then gleefully kicking his remains into the gutter.

16 AZARI

Making several brief appearances in comic book form as well as the animated movie Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, Azari is the son of an alternate-reality Storm and Black Panther. Existing in a Universe in which Ultron has conquered Earth, killing most of the original Avengers in the process, Azari is one of the founding members of the Next Avengers alongside James Rogers -- the son of Black Widow and Captain America, Henry Pym Jr. -- the result of Giant-Man and Wasp’s union, and Torunn – the daughter of Thor and Sif. While the character’s continuity is likely different in his brief comic book appearances however, his powers remain just as impressive.

Inheriting the abilities of both Storm and Black Panther, both of whom are already two of Earth’s most capable heroes, Azari is a sheer force of nature.

With superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, durability and senses, Azari is also proficient in the use of electrokinesis, allowing him to generate electrical blasts and force fields, and is even capable of creating seemingly-sentient life forms out of electricity -- which is shown off in full force when he creates an electric panther to fight by his side. As if he wasn’t already overpowered enough, Azari is also a master combatant much like his father, and has intelligence far superior to that of the average human.

15 CABLE

Boasting perhaps one of the most convoluted origin stories of Marvel’s entire mutant roster, Nathan Summers is the son of central X-Men character Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Cyclops’ former lover Jean Grey. After being infected with a deadly techno-organic virus by the villain Apocalypse, Cyclops reluctantly sends Nathan to the future hoping that Earth’s advanced technology will cure his son. It’s in this dystopian, war-torn future that Nathan Summers assumes the Cable moniker, honing his impressive skills and mutant abilities to become one of Marvel’s most formidable mutants.

Considered an Omega-Level Mutant, Cable’s mutant powers mirror those of his mother, giving him telepathic and telekinetic abilities that are amongst the most potent in the entire Marvel Universe. Although Cable’s powers have been dampened for much of his history thanks to the techno-organic virus in his body, a virus-free Cable has been proven capable of moving entire cities with his mind while fighting off enemies at the same time. Cable’s combat skills are also extremely impressive, with Nathan managing to lay a beatdown on the likes of Captain America, Wolverine and Falcon through sheer combat prowess alone. A tactical genius, Cable has even managed to defeat the powerful Red Hulk through ingenuity and skill, easily securing his status as one of Marvel’s most impressive warriors.

14 THE STEPFORD CUCKOOS

After sentient bacteria and supervillain John Sublime harvests multiple ova cells from an unconscious Emma Frost, the villain creates an army of clones resembling the supervillain-turned-X-Man, with the program being referred to as Weapon XIV. Created with the intention of wiping out the entirety of mutantkind, five of Weapon XIV’s clones were eventually activated, though they were quickly placed under the protection of Emma Frost, who developed a close bond with the girls known as the Stepford Cuckoos.

Named Celeste, Esme, Mindee, Phoebe and Sophie, the clones share a hive mind, though their telepathic and telekinetic abilities are still formidable when separated.

Individually, the Cuckoos’ telepathic powers are strong -- although not nearly as strong as their mother’s -- but become incredibly potent when used together. Also inheriting Emma Frost’s rock-hard diamond form, the Stepford Cuckoos’ diamond structure is flawless, making it even tougher than Frost’s. After using their flawless diamond form to trap the disparate fragments of a fractured Phoenix Force inside their bodies, the Cuckoos also have pyrokinetic capabiltiies, as well as the ability to fly. Unfortunately, both Sophie and Esme were eventually killed during their time with the X-Men, leaving only Celeste, Mindee and Phoebe remaining, with the girls beginning to develop their own unique personalities and physical characteristics as time passes.

13 CHARLES XAVIER II

Conceived in one of Marvel’s various potential future timelines -- before attempting to wreak havoc in Marvel’s mainstream continuity, of course -- Charles Xavier II is the son of the original Professor X and Mystique, who seduced Xavier while disguised as Moira MacTaggert. After being abandoned at birth, Charles unintentionally killed his foster mother with his newfound powers, setting him on a bitter, villainous path. Taking center stage in X-Men’s “Battle of the Atom” story arc, Charles used his intense telepathic abilities to control the minds of his timeline’s X-Men, creating a new Brotherhood of Mutants with the intention of correcting what he sees as a perversion of Professor X’s original mission statement.

Deciding to tackle the problem at its roots, Charles and his unwilling team return to Earth-616 and attack the Jean Grey School, hoping to send the young time-displaced X-Men back to their original timeline, although his plans are eventually thwarted. Powerful enough to control an entire team of X-Men at once, it’s clear that Charles’ abilities rival even those of his father, with his intelligence also allowing him to concoct complicated and devious plans. It’s this ability to connive and manipulate that separates Charles from his late father, making him a much more threatening presence than the benevolent Professor X.

12 RACHEL SUMMERS

One of the seemingly-endless members of the revolving door that is the Summers-Grey family, Rachel Summers easily stands out as one of the family’s most powerful members to date, with an alternate-reality Cyclops and Jean Grey serving as her parents. Originating from Earth-811, better known as the “Days of Future Past” Universe, Rachel used her astral projection abilities to enter Earth-616, Marvel’s mainstream continuity, and was subsequently followed back home by an intrigued Phoenix Force. Moments before dying on a dangerous mission in her Universe however, Rachel is displaced from her timeline by the Phoenix Force and sent back to Earth-616, where she remains to this day.

Fighting alongside the X-Men as one of the team’s toughest heroes, Rachel has telepathic and telekinetic abilities comparable to those of Jean Grey’s.

In addition to this, Rachel Summers also has her own unique set of psionic abilities to draw from, most notable of which is her “chronoskimming” ability, which not only protects her from changes in the timeline but allows her to project the consciousness of others into the past or future. Deemed worthy enough to play host to the Phoenix Force, Rachel was able to easily defeat Galactus while possessed by the entity, and while under its influence has a godlike control over matter and cosmic awareness.

11 SIRYN

The mutant daughter of beloved X-Men member Banshee and his wife Maeve, Theresa Maeve Rourke Cassidy -- later known as Siryn -- was born in Banshee’s absence, with Maeve dying in an IRA attack soon after her daughter’s birth. Due to this, Banshee is unaware of his daughter’s existence, with his bitter cousin Tom choosing to secretly raise Theresa instead. Eventually reunited with her father, Siryn later joins X-Force alongside Deadpool, with whom she shares an on-again off-again relationship.

Possessing the same mutant abilities as her father, Siryn’s abilities are more potent and versatile than Banshee’s ever were, able to apply her powerful sonic screams to a variety of different uses. As well as knocking back and subduing opponents, the screams can be used to deflect projectiles, shatter objects and even fly. The most notable difference between Banshee and Siryn’s powers however, is Siryn’s ability control others with her sonic screams. Able to influence and hypnotize others into divulging information and doing her bidding, Siryn can even force others to fall in love with her, an ability she once used on Spider-Man. Since becoming the new incarnation of the Morrigan -- a mystical, godlike entity -- Theresa has also gained a whole new host of magical abilities, the extent of which are currently unknown.

10 HOPE SUMMERS

Following the cataclysmic events of “House of M” in which Scarlet Witch erased the powers of over 90% of Earth’s mutants, the X-Men faced perhaps their darkest period yet. With no new mutants being born whatsoever, mutantkind appeared to be on the brink of extinction -- before the aptly named Hope Summers was born, that is. Catching the attention of the Purifiers, an anti-mutant terrorist organization, Hope is taken to an alternate timeline and raised by Cable for her own protection.

Prophesised to either destroy the world or save it, Hope is loved by some, hated by others.

While the exact genetic lineage of Hope hasn’t been confirmed as of yet -- but come on, the red hair and connection to the Phoenix Force are dead giveaways -- Cable has served as the most prominent father figure in her life, resulting in her taking on the Summers name. Possessing a diverse set of mutant abilities, the extent of which haven’t been clearly defined yet, it appears that Hope’s primary power is mimicry, enabling her to assume the abilities of other mutants, to a much more intense degree. With potent psionic powers at her disposal as well as playing host to the Phoenix Force, Hope is supposedly one of the most powerful mutants ever to exist, despite not having met her full potential just yet.

9 OLIVIER LEBEAU

Olivier LeBeau, later referred to as Olivier Raven in honor of his mother, is the child of the X-Men Gambit and Rogue from Earth-41001, the Universe in which the X-Men: The End and GeNext titles take place. Set in a war-torn world in which large numbers of X-Men are dying, Olivier LeBeau, along with the children of Scott Summers and Emma Frost, are kidnapped and held captive by Mr. Sinister, who hopes to keep their genes on record for use in the future. With superpowers similar to those of his mother, Olivier has the ability to absorb the powers, memories and abilities of those he comes into physical contact with, having more control over this power than Rogue previously did.

He’s also managed to permanently absorb the powers of telepathy and flight, though the source of these abilities remains unknown. Making him even more formidable, Olivier managed to take on several of his father’s best assets, too. Preferring the discipline of martial arts like his father -- as opposed to the rough-and-ready brawling techniques of his mother -- Olivier is a highly skilled fighter, having been trained by Gambit himself. It’s even been hinted that Olivier has the potential to perform hypnosis in the same vein as Gambit, further expanding his already impressive roster of abilities.

8 RAZE DARKHOLME

Much like his half-brother, Charles Xavier II, Raze Darkholme is the son of Mystique from a potential future timeline of the Marvel Universe designated as Earth-13729. Having apparently seduced Wolverine not long after giving birth to Professor X’s child, Raze and Charles eventually came into contact with each other and bonded over their shared issues, resolving to take down Earth-616’s X-Men in “Battle of the Atom”. Raze is less calculating but more overtly evil than his brother, even murdering Mystique before taking her place in his timeline. With his ultimate goal being to rid Earth of all non-mutant humans to create a new Utopia for disenfranchised mutants across the Multiverse, Raze’s high ambitions are matched only by his impressive set of powers.

Lucky enough to have the powers of both Wolverine and Mystique, Raze Darkholme’s appearance is an even mix between his two parents.

He has blue, malleable skin and red hair that resembles his mother, and his facial hair and weaponized claws resembling his father. Able to shapeshift at will, Raze’s mastery of disguise is said to be even greater than Mystique’s, which is quite the tall order. Paired with his razor-sharp bone claws, brutal fighting style and ferocious demeanor, Raze is a near-perfect killing machine.

7 BECKA MUNROE

Another inhabitant of Earth-41001 alongside the likes of Olivier LeBeau, Becka Munroe can be found in the X-Men: The End trilogy of books and is the daughter of Marvel powerhouse Storm and an unnamed father, though it’s assumed that he resides in the Savage Land. One of Marvel’s more introverted mutants, Becka is portrayed as somewhat insecure and is consistently reluctant to use her powers, fearing that she won’t be able to properly control them given the nature of her abilities.

Having access to Storm’s extensive library of weather-based abilities, Becka is able to manipulate the weather, increase or decrease temperature and even change atmospheric pressure, in addition to utilizing wind to fly. With a particular penchant for lightning, Becka frequently employs electricity as a weapon, sending out powerful electrical blasts at will. What makes Becka more of a wild card than her mother however, is her ability to turn “savage”, which happens during periods of intense anger or emotion, which serves as the basis of her insecurity. When angered, Becka gains superhuman physical attributes, including strength, speed, stamina and durability, and develops a large set of razor-sharp claws and teeth similar to those of a big cat, leading to the theory that her father may in fact be Black Panther.

6 LUNA MAXIMOFF

Initially thought to be the first child of both a mutant and an Inhuman, Luna Maximoff is the young daughter of Quicksilver, a longstanding ally of the X-Men, and Crystal, a member of the Inhumans’ Royal Family. Much to Quicksilver’s chagrin, Luna originally displayed no superpowers whatsoever, with the prevailing theory being that Luna’s Inhuman and mutant genes cancelled each other out. After losing his powers during M-Day however, Quicksilver desperately exposed both himself and Luna to the Terrigen Mist with the hopes of unlocking some form of power.

To his surprise, Luna’s powers suddenly began to kick in, manifesting as mild empathic abilities that grew stronger and stronger with subsequent exposure to the Terrigen Crystals.

Repeated use of the Mist soon rendered Luna addicted however, forcing the Inhumans to try and develop a cure to the dependence while Luna trains with her newfound powers. Able to sense the thoughts, feelings and truthfulness of those surrounding her, Luna perceives these states as intensely bright colors, forcing her to wear a set of specialized shades. While this power may not seem all that useful on the surface, Luna can use her abilities to mentally manipulate others, influence their emotions, track specific forms of energy and objects, and even predict the moves of others in combat -- a method she’s employed to defeat Karnak in the past. On top of it all, it’s clear that Luna’s powers are still growing, and may actually become one of the most formidable members of the Inhumans in years to come.

5 TIER SINCLAIR

The result of a fling between the lupine-powered mutant Rahne Sincliar (aka Wolfsbane) and the Asgardian Wolf God Hrimhari, Tier Sinclair remains the first child born of both god and mutant, and is more powerful than both of his parents as a result. In fact, Tier Sinclair was so powerful even as an unborn child that Wolfsbane was forced to assume a lupine form in order to birth him, which she eventually did so through her mouth. Immediately upon his birth, Tier’s instincts took over, attacking the god Agamemnon as well as Siryn and the Multiple Man, with Siryn’s sonic scream being the only thing capable of subduing the rampaging infant.

Aging a dozen years in only a few short months, Tier Sinclair quickly became even more powerful, possessing incredible strength, senses and durability in addition to an intimidating set of large fangs and claws. Thanks to the peculiar circumstances of his birth as well as his Asgardian ancestry, Tier also has as-of-yet undefined mystical abilities, appearing immune to several kinds of magic and even proving himself capable of battling and killing several Hell Lords at once, including Hela, Satana and Pluto. Able to slay some of Marvel’s most powerful beings at such a young age makes Tier Sinclair one of the most potentially powerful Marvel characters in existence, making his status as a relatively unknown character all the more strange.

4 WICCAN

One of the long-lost sons of Scarlet Witch and Vision, the true circumstances of Wiccan’s existence are amongst the most convoluted and mysterious occurrences in all of the Marvel Universe, with no definitive answer having been given at this point. Boasting the same magical powers as his mother, Billy Kaplan is described by Vision as one of the most powerful mages on the planet, making him perhaps the most vital member of the Young Avengers. Able to cast spells with nearly endless possibilities, Billy can produce energy blasts, forcefields, telekinetic beams, lightning-based attacks and illusions -- all of which are only a small sample of his past feats.

Although Wiccan is already an extremely powerful hero in his own right, he’s destined for even greater things in the future.

Billy confirmed to be the next Sorcerer Supreme upon Doctor Strange’s retirement from the position. Not only that, but Wiccan is also prophesied to become a being known as the Demiurge, a reality-warping entity with godlike power who’s set to “rewrite the rules of magic”. Wiccan once assumed the role of this being in the past -- albeit only briefly -- and was essentially omnipotent and omniscient, able to bend the Universe to his will and perceive time in a way only an extradimensional entity could.

3 HYPERSTORM

Hailing from a post-apocalyptic alternate Universe ravaged by vicious Sentinels, Jonathan Reed Richards, taking on the mantle of Hyperstorm, used his supremely powerful mutant abilities to become the cruel tyrant of a broken Earth. Hyperstorm didn’t stop there however, expanding his reign of terror to the stars, conquering the entirety of the Universe he calls home. Renowned for his evil ways and complete disregard for life, it’s hard to believe that Hyperstorm is in fact the son of an alternate Universe Franklin Richards and Rachel Summers, two of the most powerful (and benevolent) mutants in existence.

Wielding the “Supreme Power”, Hyperstorm is able to control and manipulate the four fundamental forces of the Universe -- gravity, electromagnetism, strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force -- essentially allowing him to create, destroy and alter matter (and even reality) in any way he sees fit, on a Universal scale. With pretty much every other superpower in existence under his belt too, Hyperstorm is super-strong, a powerful telepath and telekinetic, a tactical genius and is also a master of mind control. While Franklin Richards may be the most powerful mutant in the Earth-616 Universe, it seems that Hyperstorm’s power dwarfs that of even his father, marking him as the most dangerous entity to ever exist in his respective Universe.

2 NATE GREY

An alternate version of Cable from Earth-295 -- more famously known as the “Age of Apocalypse” Universe -- Nate Grey is one the few existing mutants considered Omega-Level. Artificially created by Mr. Sinister using the DNA of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, Nate was intended to be the most powerful mutant in the Universe, with Sinister hoping to overthrow Apocalypse with the help of his creation. After being rescued from Sinister by Cyclops however, Nate ultimately became a hero, helping to put a stop to Apocalypse once and for all -- although the resulting fight led to him becoming stranded in Earth-616.

Easily sitting in the upper echelons of Marvel’s hierarchy of psychics, Nate Grey’s telepathic, telekinetic and psionic powers are profoundly powerful, working on a cosmic level.

Nate is even able to control matter at a molecular level with his telekinesis, enabling him to manipulate light and water molecules to create illusions, create psychokinetic blasts and is even capable of bending the electromagnetic fields of entire planets. Utilizing his abilities in creative and unexpected ways, Nate has also used his powers for cross-dimensional travel and astral projection, with Moira MacTaggert noting that Nate Grey’s powers may equal those of a Phoenix Force-bonded Jean Grey.

1 X-23

Part of a newly rebuilt Weapon X program led by the sadistic Dr. Zander Rice, Laura Kinney, more commonly referred to as her Weapon X codename “X-23”, was a tremendous success for the shady program. Hoping to replicate the unrivalled success of Wolverine’s creation, Rice and his fellow scientists used Logan’s genetic material to create X-23, making her the infamous Canadian mutant’s genetic offspring. Although Wolverine isn’t exactly Laura’s father in the traditional sense of the word, the pair do share the same genes -- with Wolverine even assuming a somewhat fatherly role in Laura’s life.

With a pair of adamantium-coated retractable claws on each hand as well as a defensive claw in each foot, X-23 essentially has the same abilities as her father, including an extremely potent healing factor that allows her to soak up incredible amounts of damage with little issue. While Wolverine may be the older, more experienced combatant however, Laura’s potential may be even greater than that of Logan given her relative youth. Even the cosmically-powered Enigma Force has made note of Laura’s tremendous power and skill, with the entity apparently taking a shine to the young mutant. Beating out the likes of the Invisible Woman and Spider-Man as its chosen host, the Enigma Force claims that the two will one day become bonded, making them an unstoppable -- not to mention terrifying -- force to be reckoned with.