The ‘Hellions’ moniker has been assigned to several teams in Marvel’s history, as well as currently being one of the most interesting X-Books on the stands right now. One of the recurring themes of the team is bringing together a group of mutants that clash with the X-world at large, from Emma Frost’s first group of angry youths to Xavier’s team of rebellious teens to this current incarnation with mutants that don’t quite fit into Krakoa’s society.
In this list, we’re going to take a look at the most powerful members of these teams, from the oldest version to the newest.
10 Warpath
Another of the original Hellions, James Proudstar was recruited by Emma Frost in the wake of his brother John perishing on an X-Men mission. John, of course, was Thunderbird, one of the new wave of internationally diverse X-Men. Since then Warpath has become a valued member of both the X-Men and X-Force, proving himself time and again in the face of incredible odds.
With his incredible physical strength and nigh invulnerability, he makes a perfect tank for the team. He also has incredible tracking abilities and a surgical talent with his daggers.
9 Mercury
A member of the New Hellions, Cessily Kincaid has an incredible power set that has left her home life in tatters: once her mutant abilities manifested, her parents were disgusted by her and forced her to stay indoors. That revulsion left emotional scars on Mercury, no matter how much support she’s gotten from her friends.
Mercury’s body is a malleable organic metal with the same properties as – you guessed it – the element of mercury. This allows her to change her physical shape, transfer from solid to liquid, and gives her superhuman strength.
8 Scalphunter
John Greycrow served time as one of the original Marauders, Mister Sinister’s band of savage mutant-slayers. They were a brutally effective group that murdered scores of morlocks and other mutants, and Scalphunter himself has been a constant thorn in the X-Men’s side.
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As a new recruit to the Hellions (after having made amends with the X-Men through Nightcrawler), Scalphunter brings an eclectic skill-set to the team: not only does he have an accelerated healing factor, but he also the ability to morph any technology to a weapon he can wield.
7 Dust
Another transmorph like Mercury, Dust has been an intriguing member of the X-community since her introduction in New X-Men by Grant Morrison. She’s assigned to the Hellions squad where she explored further uses of her powers while making close friends with the other members. She also stays true to her faith by incorporating a niqab as her uniform.
Dust has the ability to transform her body into a pliable cloud of sand-like silicon particles, which she can use for offensive and defensive purposes. She’s also resilient to telepathic attacks and magic.
6 Empath
Another original Hellion, Empath trained with Emma Frost on how to use his powers to serve his own desires. In fact, when he was part of Frost’s rival mutant school in Massachusetts, he was instructed to use his powers to influence Magneto to transfer the New Mutants there to study.
Empath’s powers are, as his name would suggest, empathic in nature: he can sense the emotions in others, as well as control the emotions of others. This effectively gives him the ability to manipulate others to bend to his wildest desires.
5 Psylocke
Formerly known as Revanche, an associate of famous Wolverine enemy Matsu’o Tsurayaba, Kwannon’s body housed Betsy Braddock’s mind for years. Now that they are separate beings again – and now that Braddock has assumed the mantle of Captain Britain – Kwannon has assumed the Psylocke moniker and found purpose working for mutantdom.
Originally Psylocke had empathic mental powers, but since the split, she has retained Braddock’s telepathic powers (including the ability to read and anticipate an opponent’s attacks) as well her ability to conjure knives from her hands made of psychic energy.
4 Havok
One of the most well-known mutants on this list, there are few teams Alex Summers hasn’t been a part of – including the Avengers. In fact, his leadership is one of the reasons he’s so high on this list. Well, it’s a small part of the reasons, as the rest deal with Havok’s devastating powers.
Havok’s body is a conduit for ambient cosmic energies, constantly absorbing the energy as a passive reflex. When he has enough juice Alex can fire off intense plasma-blasts which he can focus into targeted beams.
3 Magma
Debuting in the New Mutants, Amara “Magma” Aquilla spent time in two versions of the Hellions groups as well as different iterations of X-Men. She brings an incredible amount of power to whichever team she happens to be supporting.
Magma has geothermal powers, including the ability to adopt a lava-like form and to control tectonic plates within the planet. Magma has a unique bond with Earth and its raw power, which can cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In her lava form, she emits intense heat and can even heal herself.
2 Hellion
Of course the one former member that adopted the team name as his own nom de plume has to be on this list! In addition to having a codename that reflects his most well-known team, Hellion is one of the strongest telekinetics on Earth.
Hellion is able to move objects at an atomic level, fly at speeds over the speed of sound, and fire blasts of telekinetic force. The scariest thing about Hellion is how strong his powers have gotten over the years, and what his true potential may be.
1 Mister Sinister
One of the single most loathsome X-villains also just happens to be one of the most powerful, which Nathaniel “Mister Sinister” Essex’s ability to adapt his study of mutant genetics to his own person.
He has cloned armies of himself, improving the base model each time, for centuries, leaving him basically immortal. He has telepathy, super strength, the ability to control his body on a cellular level, and to top it all off he has a superior intellect and a better understanding of mutant genetic structure than any other person on Earth.