Everyone, be they X-Men fans or not, know of Wolverine. He made his debut in 1974's The Incredible Hulk #180 before joining Xavier’s team in 1975's Giant-Size X-Men #1. He has become synonymous with the X-Men, but he also stands apart from them. While the X-Men generally seek coexistence through peace, Wolverine is the quintessential antihero since he isn’t afraid of using force. He’s obsessive, powerful, and he’s one of the biggest brooding loner types we’ve ever seen. He’s the rebel, the one team member willing to go full berserker mode, slashing down anything in his way. For many reasons, this makes him a great asset to the X-Men and it also makes him one worth fearing.
Wolverine’s behavior comes in no small part from his mutant ability itself as his healing factor grants him uncharted regenerative abilities. So, he heals fast and can rarely be kept down for long. This enabled him to have adamantium grafted to his entire skeleton, providing him with his famous metal claws. Born in the late 1880s, his healing ability is compounded by his heightened animalistic senses and enhanced physical strength and agility. It is no wonder he has been sought after by teams including Alpha Flight and the Avengers. Wolverine is a force, but he is hardly the most fear-inducing of the X-Men. From Storm to Jean Grey, and Deadpool to Mystique, there are a slew of X-Men past and present, film and comics, who you should fear more.
20 CABLE
Anyone who watched Deadpool 2 knows that Cable, alias: Nathan Summers, is a force to be reckoned with. Sure, Wolverine has been known to scour the Earth, hunting his enemies with a vengeance, but if you cross Cable, you are in danger wherever you hide.
Able to jump timestreams, this guy will go back in time and end you before you even become a problem. Just ask Russell, a.k.a Firefist. He can also see multiple potential future events before they occur, and to top it off, he has telepathic and telekinetic abilities, which is not really a surprise considering his mother is Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean Grey.
19 DEADPOOL
Most people think the “Merc with a Mouth” Wade Wilson, also known as Deadpool, is just like Wolverine when it comes to abilities; after all, they both sport that nifty healing factor. However, the two are hardly cut from the same cloth, especially when it comes to little things like morals and mayhem.
Sure, Wolvie goes into berserker mode once in a while, and he has a decent amount of burdens on his shoulders, but Deadpool? Well, before being an X-Man of sorts, his job title was “mercenary.” Ending people isn’t just a means of making money for Wilson, he basks in the thrill of eliminating bad guys, and usually does so with zippy one-liners to boot. He kind of makes Wolverine look something other than fear-worthy.
18 XORN
Anyone familiar with Xorn's powers and complex relationship with the X-Men knows that he doesn’t have the feral ferocity Wolverine is known for, but of the two, he is certainly the one to be more worrisome. Just considering mutations alone, Xorn has Wolverine beat, hands-down.
Sure, Wolverine can shred his enemies with his adamantium claws, but Xorn could eliminate you from a distance. His brain is a tiny star, empowering him through emitting enough energy to vaporize another being, and if he felt like it, he could also make the star collapse and create a black hole that he pulls you into. Plus, he can heal himself just like Logan can. We wouldn't want to be the ones who got on his bad side.
17 MAGNETO
Magneto is literally Wolverine's natural enemy. He’s called the Master of Magnetism for crying out loud! For Logan, whose entire body is grafted with the metal alloy adamantium, Magneto should be his worst-case scenario.
Logan isn’t the only one who should live in fear of Max Eisenhardt, perhaps better known as Erik Lehnsherr. All species had best beware of him as he works to end mutant intolerance and see a superior race rise above all others. Time and again, he has not only bested the X-Men and other foes of his, but he has come uncomfortably close to achieving his many perilous schemes. Just think of what he’s done in the X-Men movies alone and you will want to run in the opposite direction.
16 EMMA FROST
Wolverine may often go solo, but when the chips are down, you know his allegiance is to the X-Men; and if he is against you, you will know it. However, with Emma Frost, you never know what her next play will be, and it could cost you.
Where Wolverine is blunt and obvious, Emma is manipulative and conniving. Her sense of self-preservation could give Logan a run for his money, and if you are her target, you’d better get Magneto’s helmet quick. Even when it involves Jean and Scott’s relationship, Logan may have had his moment with the girl, but Emma had a full-on psychic encounter with Scott.
15 ARMOR
In what may be a case of the student surpassing the teacher, Wolverine’s former trainee, Armor, has become a formidable force (one even he might think twice before messing with). Armor, alias: Hisako Ichiki, can generate and sustain an enormously strong, impenetrable psionic exoskeleton. This not only acts as body armor, but it also gives Armor superhuman strength and it amplifies the concussive force fueling her attacks.
She is completely engulfed by the exoskeleton, which keeps her safe when she finds herself in combat. In an alternate end of Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes, Hisako defeated Wolverine by burning him until his healing factor gave out.
14 MYSTIQUE
Wolverine is little match for Mystique, which means that none of us would stand a chance against this shapeshifting assassin. From the movies to the comics, Raven Darkholme has proven to be incredibly hard to dispatch and extremely effective in executing her plans.
She is agile, focused, and usually doesn’t seem weighed down by silly things like a conscience. Couple that with her ability to look like anyone, from one's own mom to the person themselves, and we get a little freaked out. Where Wolverine is a bull in a China shop, Mystique is a smooth and stealthy operator that you do not want to cross. Is that her sitting next to us now?
13 ROGUE
Rogue is one powerful mutant who could leave you in a coma, or worse, with just the touch of her hand. In the movies, she is depicted as being younger and weaker than her comic book counterpart, yet she still left Wolverine unconscious twice with no real effort on her part.
In the comic books, Rogue debuted in 1981s Avengers Annual #10 as a member of Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. A seemingly spooky new addition to the X-Men universe, she permanently absorbed Ms. Marvel's superpowers, which included flight and super strength. We feel a lot better knowing that she has since become a loyal member of the X-Men.
12 ICEMAN
Original X-Man Bobby Drake, a.k.a. Iceman, is known for his funny, somewhat immature demeanor. Between him and Wolverine, most wouldn't mess with the latter, but before you cast your vote for Logan, let’s take a more thorough look at Iceman.
Bobby’s powers have grown far beyond slinging snowballs; today, he's an Omega-level mutant. He can create ice golems, reattach broken limbs while in ice form, and, when in pieces, pull himself together from steam to his flesh. When infected by the power of Apocalypse in Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3, Iceman almost froze over the entire planet; he also literally froze his father’s heart just by thinking it. Nothing against Wolverine, but it is Iceman who leaves us frozen in fear.
11 STORM
Storm is one of the most lovable members of the X-Men, making us feel safe and at home. Those on the receiving end of her powers, however, will remind you that she is literally a force of nature and she will crush you if she must.
We can think of few beings who could easily subdue Logan in a number of ways… ways that would decimate your average Joe. By controlling the elements, Ororo could freeze you solid, blow you away, or send bolts of lightning through you, which would be really unpleasant for someone filled with metal like Logan. Storm has also famously bested both X-Men leader Cyclops, and leader of the Morlocks, Callisto. The takeaway: don’t push the weather witch.
10 ELIXIR
Joshua Foley, codename: Elixir, used to be a member of the Reavers (an anti-mutant group), before becoming an Omega-level mutant with seemingly god-like powers. His mutation allows him to control the biological elements of any organic organism. This allows him to heal himself, others, and he can boost/restore mutant abilities.
He sounds like a good friend to have, but just as he can giveth, he can taketh away. By that, we mean he can inflict on others a variety of ailments and even cause them to expire. As much as we know how formidable Wolverine can be, we fear Elixir a bit more. He even has the power to resurrect himself, so good luck trying to beat him.
9 LEGION
Ever since Professor Xavier’s son, David Haller, alias: Legion, got his own television series, a lot more people have become aware of him and his extensive powers. Experiencing a form of dissociative identity disorder, Legion is just that: a legion of personalities.
These varying personalities control David’s different mutant abilities. The extent of this Omega-level mutant’s powers is unknown, and each personality uses them in different ways, so the element of surprise is always on his side. Now, we aren’t saying that Logan is the poster child for sanity, but even at his most out of control state, he doesn’t worry us as much as Legion.
8 VULCAN
This Omega-level mutant Vulcan is a truly under-appreciated character who should leave you quivering in your shoes. Born Gabriel Summers, Vulcan is the brother of Cyclops and Havok, and he has the power to psionically manipulate and absorb large amounts of energy in any form.
There was a time when it was believed that he had passed when the sentient island Krakoa swallowed him along with Sway, Petra, and Darwin. Ever the survivor, he absorbed his teammates’ abilities, including time manipulation, physical adaptation, and Earth manipulation. Our point? Vulcan is a determined survivor that won’t be kept down. We pity the fool who crosses him.
7 PSYLOCKE
For those familiar with Psylocke, it doesn’t take much imagination to see how quickly and efficiently she could make Wolverine cower. She is a master martial artist and a telepath capable of mind reading and control, astral projecting, tapping into other mutants’ powers, and projecting illusions. She can also teleport through shadows, which we saw in X-Men: The Last Stand.
She also has her signature psi-weapons, which could stun you or outright eliminate you. As X-Men: Apocalypse demonstrated, Psylocke is a formidable enemy that requires a handful of mutants just to slow her down. We're thinking Wolverine might be better off laying low in this battle.
6 NAMOR
Namor the Sub-Mariner is Marvel’s first mutant, and while he doesn’t get as much attention as his DC-counterpart, Aquaman, he is a lot more powerful and most certainly darker. Namor grew up with strong anti-“land-dweller” sentiments, so you are already at a disadvantage. In fact, he almost once submerged all of New York City in water out of vengeance.
What would Wolverine have done, scratch it with his claws? A few of Namor’s abilities include controlling aquatic life, flight, healing himself, and immunity to radiation. Both Magneto and Professor X have tried to recruit him, and he was even chosen by the Phoenix Force to be part of the Phoenix Five. Nowadays, he is more the hero-type, but we wouldn’t push him.
5 KITTY PRYDE
You may be thinking there is no way Kitty Pryde should be feared more than Wolverine, but maybe you don’t know her as well as you think. She can phase through solid matter, so good luck catching or stopping her, and when she phases through any tech, from computers to Sentinels, she instantly exterminates it.
If she were to phase her hand through anyone's head and then turn solid, well, you’re done for (and that's just her first mutation). X-Men: Days of Future Past revealed her secondary mutation, chronoskimming, which allows her to send someone’s consciousness back in time… say, to the day they were born. Finally, Kitty is essentially god-like now that the Black Vortex enhanced her powers on a cosmic level.
4 DARWIN
Wolverine fancies himself a survivor, which isn’t untrue, but it is a lot more work for him than it is for Darwin, alias: Armando Muñoz. His mutation allows him to instantaneously adapt to his surroundings in order to survive. Visually, Darwin’s abilities were best displayed in X-Men: First Class, but unfortunately, he also didn’t survive the film.
The Darwin of the comics is known to be a harbinger of one's demise and even maintains some of the features that his mutation developed to survive a given situation. Generally speaking, Darwin can survive anything that anyone or any situation throws at him, even Wolverine himself.
3 SUNSPOT
Anyone who watched Days of Future Past got to see Sunspot in all his live-action glory as he fended off Sentinels with the other X-Men of the future. Still, this did little justice to the character, who really shines in the comics. Wolverine may be hot-headed, but the impulsive Bobby da Costa has the mutant ability to absorb and harness actual solar energy.
He can use this energy to create concussive solar blasts and can transform into a non-reflective state of black that allows him to absorb solar energy constantly. His film counterpart can also fly and shoot blasts of fire. We definitely want him to stay on the side of light because we know he could torch us.
2 PROFESSOR XAVIER
If you don’t fear Professor Charles Xavier, you aren’t paying attention. Most people see Xavier as a leader and father figure, as well as the founder of the X-Men. He is also a powerful telepath who could defeat any of us, including Wolverine, through mind manipulation.
As he mentioned to Logan in X2: “Continue smoking that in here, and you'll spend the rest of your days under the belief that you are a six-year-old girl.” His power is spooky and there have been times that Xavier has shown a dark side willing to abuse that power. For example, take the mental blocks he put in Jean’s mind to control her, even when he isn’t being manipulative, the fluid nature of Xavier’s powers could end us all. Remember Logan?
1 JEAN GREY
X-Men: The Last Stand would have you believe that Wolverine is stronger than Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix, but we all know that’s not true. Even without the Phoenix Force, Jean is an Omega-level mutant who is much worthier of our fear and admiration than Logan, or almost any other mutant for that matter.
She is a telepath and telekinetic who can control minds, create psionic force fields and weapons, and possess and manipulate others. When coupled with the Phoenix Force, well, even entire planets aren’t safe; she has even defeated Galactus! Thankfully, Jean is usually not wicked, and unless you are a villain or Emma Frost, you needn’t worry about her. Just don’t get too comfortable thinking she will stay gone.