Following the events of ‘The Phalanx Covenant,’ Scott Lobdell and Chris Bachalo introduced Generation X, a new group of young mutants under the watch of Emma Frost and Banshee based at the Massachusetts Academy. Regularly facing off against Emplate, a villain who feasted on the marrow of mutants, the team battled for mutantkind for several years before disbanding. It wasn’t until 2017’s ‘ResurrXion’ that original Generation X alumni, Jubilee, would reform the team.
Compiled mostly of misfit, unreliable, and unpredictable students, both versions of the junior team have boasted a varied roster of youngsters capable of incredible and unusual feats. Let’s take a look at the 10 most powerful mutants to have served as a member of Generation X.
10 Husk
Having originally joined New Mutants with her brother, Cannonball, Husk was no stranger to battle when she joined the original Generation X line-up, but the full potential of her powers was explored in this new series. With the useful ability to shed her skin to transform her body into any form she desires, she’s an adaptable member of the team. For example, she has been known to turn her body into impenetrable steel and stone, increasing her strength and invulnerability. She’s also a notoriously hard worker with high intelligence. Fueled by sibling rivalry, Husk used her time studying and fighting alongside Generation X to try and prove that she is a better mutant than her brother.
9 Banshee
Banshee’s civilian background as an Irish Interpol agent gifted him with excellent strategy and combat skills, making him a valuable teacher for a new, often unruly group of mutants. Banshee’s true power lies in his vocal cords, as he is capable of emitting a sonic scream powerful enough to shatter objects, perforate eardrums, and even generate blasts to knock his opponents unconscious. His voice also allows him to fly, an ability he’s been able to hone with the help of his costume. Despite his brilliant power, his time with Generation X showed that he was a troubled and unstable leader, playing a key factor in the lead up to the school’s demise.
8 Chamber
A founding member of Generation X, Chamber is a walking embodiment of pure psionic energy. Losing the lower half of his face to the explosive energy when it first manifested in his body, the flame that always burns in his chest fully sustains him. Having lost the ability to speak, Chamber can communicate telepathically, though these powers are limited. His most impressive skill is his ability to psionically release fiery blasts at will and cause objects to explode. Although Chamber embodies an immense level of power, his Generation X days saw him struggle to control it, even becoming jealous of other mutants who were better able to harness and perfect the use of their abilities.
7 Gaia
A mysterious mutant, very little is known about Gaia. Although she only appeared fighting alongside Generation X a handful of times, she wields incredible power. Originally from an alien planet, Gaia was responsible for protecting the Universal Amalgamator from evil, apparently going so far as to let her home planet perish to carry out her duty. Her superhuman strength, telepathy and telekinetic powers, makes her an asset to any team, but her real gift is her ability to warp reality at will, creating and reshaping objects as she desires. It’s believed her youthful appearance is a side-effect of her reality-warping ability, cloaking her 17,000-year-old body in a teenage-shaped shell.
6 M
A key member of Generation X, M hit the jackpot when it came to superhuman abilities. The list of what she is capable of is near limitless; incredible strength, flight, enhanced senses, genius intelligence, expert combatant, and a healing factor which, when combined with her ability to withstand powerful attacks, makes her practically invulnerable. She is also able to merge with her siblings, Nicole and Claudette, merging their powers. In fact, the twins impersonated M at the beginning of Generation X as they attempted to free their sister from their brother, Emplate, who had imprisoned the real M in Penance’s body. M and Penance were finally separated, allowing M to have a successful future fighting alongside various X-Teams.
5 Jubilee
A member of the original Generation X and the founder and leader of the revived team, Jubilee is perhaps one of the most underrated mutants in the X-Men roster. Capable of projecting powerful fireworks in various shapes from her fingertips, Jubilee can control these explosive blasts and is even able to reabsorb their energy. Upon detonation, each blast is capable of temporarily blinding opponents and has the strength to shatter metal. An Olympic-level gymnast, she’s also formidable in a fight, having been trained in combat by Wolverine.
But it’s perhaps her attitude that makes Jubilee truly powerful; not only does the impact of her blasts appear to be dependent on her emotions, but her quick-thinking, direct approach makes her a valuable teacher, capable of keeping her unruly students in line with her cutting sarcasm.
4 Synch
Borrowing powers from other mutants has proven time and again to be a useful ability, and Synch used it to his full advantage while serving alongside Generation X. Capable of adopting the powers of any superhuman in the immediate vicinity, he had near-unlimited potential. The abilities he adopted often proved to be more powerful when he used them. These powers do have a dark side, though.
Synch once connected to Emplate, taking on the parasitic mutant’s persona and abilities, making him a deadly foe as he turned on his friends and family. The true potential of Synch’s powers remained unlocked, as the young hero sacrificed himself during an encounter with Adrienne Frost to save his Generation X teammates.
3 Emma Frost
The White Queen, Emma Frost is one of the most capable telepaths in the entire Marvel Universe, making her a desirable ally for any team—no matter whose side they are on. Her abilities are on par with Professor X’s, allowing her to read and manipulate minds with ease, controlling others at will. She can use her psionic powers to protect, creating strong shields and cloaking her mind, and to attack, projecting searing pain and knocking opponents out cold. Her experience allows her to overcome telepathic probes from other powerful mutants, including Nate Grey and Rachel Summers. She can strengthen and protect her exterior, too, able to turn her body into a hard diamond. Above all, it’s her willingness to protect mutantkind at all costs makes her a formidable and respected leader.
2 Kid Omega
An Omega level mutant gifted with incredible psionic abilities believed to surpass almost all other telepaths in the Marvel Universe, Kid Omega joined Jubilee’s Generation X team. His telepathic powers are almost unlimited, with Kid Omega even capable of creating an entire miniature world—complete with an AI population—in his mind. He can influence multiple minds at once and use his abilities to disarm and disable enemies with ease. His mind is never at rest, as his psychic intelligence grants him the ability to think millions of thoughts per second. He has even hosted the Phoenix Force, which mistook Kid Omega for Marvel’s most powerful telepath, Jean Grey.
1 Franklin Richards
It may not be surprising that one of the most powerful Omega-level mutants in the entire Marvel Universe is the son of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. Despite still being a child, Franklin Richards has demonstrated various feats of immense power, having stood against Galactus and the Celestials—and won! Holding powerful telekinetic energy, Franklin is capable of much more than mind control. He can manipulate matter on a quantum level, allowing him to distort reality with nothing but his imagination. His dreams grant him precognitive visions, making him privy to events to come in the future. Able to manipulate space and time, he’s also shown that he is capable of time travel. Given that he’s still a child, Franklin will undoubtedly grow up to become one of the most valuable, if OP, mutants on Earth.