The defining trait of being a mutant in the Marvel Universe is having special abilities. These abilities can range drastically depending on the mutation, with some mutants having multiple powers. In some cases, the mutation comes with some very visible outward manifestations. That's a polite way of saying that their appearances can sometimes be quite hideous thanks to their genetics.
When it's hard to hide your mutation, it's hard to hide from people who would victimize you because of it. A mutant losing their powers can be devastating to their safety and their identity. So, here are ten times where a mutant was depowered.
10 Henry Gyrich Steals Storm's Powers
One of the mutant world's greatest enemies for a long time was Henry Gyrich, a government agent whose sole goal was defending humanity from the perceived mutant threat by any means necessary. This included blasting Storm, one of the X-Men's greatest members and leaders, with an energy weapon that robbed her of her mutant abilities.
She found solace in the arms of Forge, a mutant with the mutant gift to invent mechanical items. Their relationship kept Storm going until she found out that Forge was the one who made the weapon that Gyrich used on her. Awkward.
9 Banshee Screams Himself Out of the Game
The mutant with the scream to beat all scream was the master of using his sonic abilities in a variety of ways, from a vicious attack to flight. Banshee was a stalwart member of the X-Men and adjunct mutant teams. But his powers relied on his vocal chords to which could only take so much. After years of fighting the good fight alongside his fellow mutants, Banshee all but lost his powers due to stress on said vocal chords.
He was living the happy life of retirement until the arrival of the third Summers brother, Vulcan. Banshee mustered up one more scream in an attempt to stop Vulcan from harming innocent people, a mission he died on.
8 Cable isn't as Powerful as He Should Be
The son of Scott Summers, Cable, also known as Nate Summers, comes from a powerful mutant lineage. This gave him incredible telekinetic and telepathic abilities, something Apocalypse feared when he infected infant Nate with a techno organic virus.
Scott made the decision to send his son into the future to protect him. It worked as he returned as a grown man called Cable, though no one knew that for some time. Cable should be one of the most powerful telepaths on the planets but his abilities are consistently hampered by fending off the techno organic virus to the point that they honestly barely exist. But he has a really cool metal arm so it all worked out.
7 Moonstar Moves from Mutant to Valkryie
A member of the X-Men, New Mutants and X-Force, Moonstar was among the elite of the elite mutants. Her ability to create illusions based on other people's thoughts made her a formidable foe for almost anyone. Like many mutants, Moonstar lost her abilities on M-Day when Scarlet Witch stripped almost every mutant on the planet of their abilities.
Unlike those mutants, Moonstar also had a completely different set of abilities thanks to her time as an Asgardian Valkyrie. She was able to continue her career as a superpowered hero despite losing her mutant powers.
6 Jubilee Watches Out for Slayers
Another M-Day victim, Jubilee found herself fully depowered and without mutant abilities. Some might argue that wasn't a big deal as Jubilee's powers were never really that impressive in the first place. Still, losing those abilities was quite a blow to the young former mutant.
Like Moonstar, she did find new abilities from an alternate source, though Jubilee was far less willing in her situation. She was attacked by a vampire and became one, giving her the powers of the undead. It took more than ten years, but she was eventually cured of her vampirism and got her mutant powers back.
5 Emma Frost Loses Her Cool and He Powers
During the events of Avengers vs. X-Men, the Phoenix Force was divided between five mutants, one of whom was Emma Frost. The telepathic mutant was an obvious choice given her abilities and consistent desire for power. Naturally, it didn't work out and all five mutants lost their accelerated powers but Emma was the only one who also lost her regular mutant powers.
When it was all said and done, her telepathic abilities were gone but she did retain her ability to shift to her diamond skin form. After months of training, she did eventually get her telepathic powers back. Thankfully, her odd, incongruous secondary mutation remained untouched.
4 Angel Gets His Wings Clipped
Warren Worthington III was one of the original X-Men, flying high under the name Angel due to his wings and angelic good looks. But that didn't last. During his stint with the original X-Factor lineup, Angel's wings were irreparably damaged as part of the Mutant Massacre by one of the Marauders.
While in the hospital, Cameron Hodge used the opportunity to fully amputate Angel's wings, leaving him essentially powerless. This left him open for recruitment by Apocalypse, who offered Angel new wings in exchange for his service as Death of his Four Horsemen. Archangel was born from the ashes of Angel's destruction.
3 Wipeout Wipes Out Mutant Powers
Genosha has played a huge role in the mutant world over the past three decades. It has transitioned from a mutant slave state to a mutant utopia to what is essentially an post-apocalyptic mutant mass grave. Back when it was still essentially a slave state, Rogue and Wolverine were taken there against their will. They are two mutants you do not want to take anywhere against their will.
Well, unless you have a mutant named Wipeout on hand who can take any mutant's powers away permanently, which is exactly what he did. The duo was trapped in Genosha without their abilities though Wipeout was eventually forced to return them.
2 Gambit Loses His Powers...X-Tremely
While the X-Treme X-Men fought off an alien invasion, Gambit found himself captured and being used as a power source to open a portal. A villain named Vargas stabbed Gambit through the chest with his sword, stopping the portal from allowing the invasion through. It was an effective move but there had to be a more reasonable way to accomplish the same goal.
While Gambit survived, he lost his mutant powers in the process. As Rogue was also powerless at this point, they decided to retire from life with the X-Men and find some peace. That didn't last, of course, but you have to admire the effort.
1 Onslaught Leaves Professor X Powerless
One of the most devastating villains in the Marvel Universe is Onslaught, born from the powers and combined frustrations of Professor X and Magneto. He announced his arrival by easily beating the Juggernaut up, an impressive feat by any standard.
While Earth's heroes faced off against him, it was discovered that he was vulnerable to non-mutant heroes specifically. The Avengers, Fantastic Four and more seemingly sacrificed themselves to stop Onslaught, but were in reality saved by Franklin Richards who created a universe for them to survive in. The experience left Professor X powerless and in jail for his huge role in the incident.