The X-Men were created by Professor X to bring peace to the world - to fight for acceptance - and bring down anyone that stood in their way. However, that doesn't mean they've not had their fair share of enemies that they've had to kill over the years, sometimes doing so in horrendous fashion.
They've fought ancient mutants, aliens, and sometimes each other, but no matter who they have to defeat, their powers have caused them to do some hideous things. With such potent superhuman abilities, they've been responsible for murders committed in such a brutal way, so we look at 10 times and X-Men viciously took a life.
10 10. Emma Frost Snaps Beast's Neck
In 2009's What If? Astonishing X-Men, we see what would've happened if Ord had resurrected Jean Grey instead of Colossus. Emma Frost isn't too happy about seeing Jean again and worries that even though she's no longer consumed by the Phoenix Force, she's still a threat to their existence.
With the help of Cassandra Nova and the Stepford Cuckoos, Frost becomes consumed with the power of the Phoenix, destroying Breakworld and then turning her attention to the X-Men. Before she's separated from the Phoenix Force and killed, Frost snaps Beast's neck using her telekinetic abilities without any kind of warning to the readers.
9 9. Kitty Pryde Squeezes Wolverine's Brain To Mush
The great thing about What If? comics is that literally anything can happen, and anyone can die. In What If? Wolverine Enemy of the State comic, Hydra has managed to control Wolverine into killing most of the superheroes in the world. Leading a team consisting of Magneto, Sue Storm, and Kitty Pryde, Captain America must stop him at all costs.
Cap has come up with a plan to take him down, but after it all goes south and Wolverine murders the whole team, Pryde is the only one left. For the entire issue, she had tried to resist resorting to violence, but in the end she uses her abilities to reach into her mentor's head and squeeze his brain to mush.
8 8. Iceman Severely Dehydrates Ginniyeh
The Neyaphem may not be widely known as one of the X-Men's most feared enemies, but as a bunch of demonic mutants, they've certainly caused them a problem or two. Back when Emma Frost used Iceman's powers in brand new ways, utilizing his ability to manipulate liquid, one Neyaphem mutant called Ginniyeh experienced these newfound powers firsthand.
Iceman manages to rescue the X-Men from her control, and in doing so removed every drop of moisture from her body, turning her into a dried out bag of skin and bones. This act of violence brought out a new side of Bobby Drake and showed that he's more than just comic relief.
7 7. Cyclops Burns Charles Xavier To Death
In Avengers vs X-Men's penultimate issue, Cyclops - consumed by the Phoenix Force - tries to kill Charles Xavier. After realizing Cyclops has become a deadly threat, Xavier sides with the Avengers, and in one last ditch effort to stop him, stands before the first leader of the X-Men and uses his telepathy to make him try to see sense.
Cyclops uses his power to attack Xavier but is stopped by Captain America, Magneto and other members of the Avengers and X-Men. Eventually he manages to get rid of the distractions and kill Xavier with the whole power of the Phoenix Force. Charles has been killed many times over the years, but the way it happened in Avengers vs X-Men #11 was one of the most brutal.
6 6. Wolverine Decapitates Sabretooth In Hell
Wolverine and Sabretooth have had tons of fights over the years, and what's made them so great is that they both possess healing capabilities, making each bloody brawl seemingly last forever. What made this particular encounter so savage, is what happens after Wolverine acquires the Soulcutter blade from the hands of his number one foe.
Whilst in hell, Wolverine speaks with his father, but Sabretooth interrupts and attacks him with Satan's trusty weapon. Logan manages to get hold of the weapon and uses it to cut Creed into pieces, providing one of the goriest deaths in the history of the X-Men.
5 5. Magneto Rips Wolverine Adamantium Out Of His Body
During the Ultimatum story arc, Magneto goes on a warpath after his children - Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch - are killed. In some truly harrowing scenes, Magneto manipulates Cyclops' visor and Iron Man's suit to fire powerful blasts of energy to burn the skin off of Logan. Hawkeye manages to fire Cyclops' visor off, and Storm stops Iron Man, but it's too late.
Wolverine is a mess, but he's not dead yet. In his broken and withered state, Logan claims he's not dead yet. As Magneto chillingly says, "Then die now," he rips the adamantium from off his skeleton, leaving only charred bones on the floor as his colleagues stand there shocked.
4 4. Havoc Blows Up Storm
In Uncanny X-Men #248, the X-Men battle the Reavers, a team of cyborgs led by Donald Pierce that love to murder mutants. When Psylocke, Dazzler, and Havoc are captured by the Reavers, they're put in armor that can be controlled. Nanny - the armor's creator - uses them to attack Storm and Colossus, but Storm uses her abilities to save them.
Nanny manages to escape in an aircraft, but Storm chases her. Havok, who is still being controlled by Nanny, fires a plasma blast at the aircraft, killing Storm in the explosion. At the end of the issue, Storm lies in the wreckage, with Havok looking on in horror at what he has done.
3 3. Iceman Melts At The Hands Of Nightcrawler
In 2012, Iceman was working for Apocalypse, and in an attempt to kill him, Deadpool, Wolverine, and Nightcrawler travel to Mandripoor. Deadpool fails first after his somewhat interesting method of dressing up as a lady ends up with Iceman freezing his weapons and escaping.
Nightcrawler then plans to blow up Iceman, but the bomb falls to the ground. With plenty of civilian lives at risk, Wolverine dives on it so that it doesn't explode and kill everyone. Finally, Nightcrawler and Iceman fight in an industrial building that leaves Drake powerless, and after some reminiscing of the good old days, Nightcrawler throws his former friend into a furnace, exclaiming, "I would have burned this entire world down to kill you."
2 2. Storm Rips Out Marrow's Heart
Storm has been a valued member of the X-Men, and more often than not has led them on tough missions to come out the end as victors. Storm was also once the leader of the Morlocks - a group of deformed mutants that dwell underneath New York City.
Marrow - a former member of the Morlocks - was now a part of a terrorist group known as Gene Nation, and after trying to hunt her down, Storm finds Marrow and they end up coming to blows. After Marrow leaves Storm with a decision to kill or save her, Storm reaches into Marrow's chest and pulls out her heart, leaving her to die.
1 1. Colossus Tramples Shadowcat To Death
In the finale of the Age of Apocalypse saga, Colossus has been consumed with rage after realizing that if Magneto manages to rewrite history, his sister Illyana would be dead. In an effort to stop this from happening, Shadowcat tries to stop her husband, and what follows is both tragic and horrifying.
Believing that their love can conquer all, Shadowcat steps in front of Colossus and doesn't phase as she believes he won't go through her, but he ends up trampling her to death. When he realizes what he's done, The metal X-Man Colossus is devastated, but it's too late as his beloved wife lies on the ground, lifeless.