Over a dozen movies in the Fox X-Men franchise, and still there are films that prove that the superheroes that make up the team would be better off flying solo. These independent heroes may work well as part of the X-Men group, but they also have important singular abilities.

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These X-Men are heroic teammates in their own way. However, they also take off on their own at times, and have entire stories that are dedicated exclusively to themselves. Throughout the franchise, these heroes amongst the X-Men have shown they can work better alone than they do with the group.

10 Beast Values His Friends More Than His Team

x-men's beast

While Hank McCoy, better known as Beast, is always interested in serving the interests of the X-Men, he has priorities that very few people have. He values Charles Xavier as well as his sister, Raven Darkholme— also known as Professor X and Mystique, respectively— and places their well-being above the well-being of the team at times.

When Charles falls apart, Beast supports him instead of taking care of the school. Similarly, when Mystique is killed, Beast breaks from the team in order to get revenge for her. When he wants to serve his own interests, he is more than ready to fight on his own as needed.

9 Colossus Gives Everything To His Team

Colossus-Deadpool-2

When Colossus appears in the X-Men timeline, he is almost always depicted as cleaning up other people’s messes. He is shown helping out the team in movies like X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, and appears in X-Men: Days of Future Past as one of the only surviving X-Men left in the dark timeline.

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Always to the detriment of himself, Colossus serves others. Even when he shows up in Deadpool and Deadpool 2, he’s serving as a member of the X-Men above all else. Colossus is a mutant with singular powers, and yet he is always serving the X-Men and never truly gets to use them. The X-Men are constantly holding him back from his full potential.

8 Deadpool Has An Entirely Different Moral Compass

Deadpool 2

Deadpool has proven time and time again, throughout the comics, the movies, and beyond, that he works better alone. He is a mercenary above all else, and it’s simple to pay for his skills. The X-Men aren’t exactly a for-hire band of heroes.

In the movies, Deadpool gets help from the X-Men and considers himself a sort of honorary X-Man, but he’s not really a part of the team. Doing the specific tasks and jobs he has to do are things only an independent hero could do.

7 Nightcrawler Is Something Of A Radical

x2 nightcrawler

When Nightcrawler was first introduced to the X-Men universe, he was acting as a radical. He violently attacked the United States president in a display for mutant rights. While he learns to fight with the X-Men team, it’s obvious that his priorities lean toward more radical acts.

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Professor X, by nature, tries to have a less radical team than Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants. Somebody like Nightcrawler is a difficult fit for the X-Men team.

6 Phoenix/Dark Phoenix Can't Be Reasoned With

the dark phoenix

A huge part of why the Phoenix is better off working alone has to do with the more intense part of her personality— the hero (of sorts) known as Dark Phoenix. Some still call Dark Phoenix an anti-hero, and others say she’s simply a villain. In any iteration, Jean Grey is so powerful that it’s difficult for her to work with the X-Men.

They hold her abilities back; Professor X, especially, suppresses her Dark Phoenix personality on purpose. Unfortunately, the fact that Jean Grey is so explosively dangerous is part of why that personality had to be suppressed. She puts the other X-Men at risk just by being around them; it would be better if she simply worked alone.

5 Quicksilver Has Been Alone A Long Time

Quicksilver

While Quicksilver is known in the comics for having a famous superhero twin, Scarlet Witch, he did not have his sister counterpart in the Fox X-Men movies. A small, red-haired girl was shown in passing, but Quicksilver is functionally by himself. In addition, he struggles to connect with his father, Magneto.

He creates a sort of solitary environment for himself after so many years of having a hard time connecting with others. Quicksilver is showing up in the MCU now, hopefully to team up with Scarlet Witch, but he has been pretty much standing on his own throughout the Fox universe until this point.

4 Rogue Is A Danger To The Team

Anna Paquin as Rogue in the promotionals for X-Men

 

When Rogue was first introduced to the X-Men universe in the franchise’s first entry, X-Men, she thought that she would be better off by herself. Because her abilities put her teammates at risk, much like Jean Grey and her powers, Rogue knows that it’s better for her to work by herself.

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Right away, she almost kills Wolverine, and possibly could have if his healing factor wasn’t an element of his abilities. While she might be a helpful team member, Rogue is ultimately a danger to those around her, including her own teammates.

3 Shadowcat Keeps Getting Pushed Aside

Kitty Pryde in X-Men Days of Future Past with Wolverine

Much like Colossus, Shadowcat is a character that deserved more space within the franchise, and yet their dedication to the team was always holding them back. While Shadowcat should have been the one going back in time in X-Men: Days of Future Past, this role was instead given to Wolverine.

The franchise had an ongoing problem with prioritizing Wolverine above all else, to the detriment of other characters. If Shadowcat had space all alone to truly grow as a character, the X-Men would see this as a loss— but it would be Shadowcat’s gain.

2 Storm Has More Interesting Stories Outside The Team

storm in x-men

It is true that many see Storm as a member of the X-Men team who would likely never leave. Much like other X-Men such as Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Wolverine, she is commonly associated with the X-Men and does not often fight alone.

However, as the X-Men are apparently entering the MCU shortly, fans are hoping to see more of Storm’s solo stories take a center stage. Her romantic relationship with Black Panther is also something that pulls her away from the team, and could possibly be a reason for her to work alone in the MCU, if she appears in the franchise moving forward.

1 Wolverine Just Prefers To Be Alone

Hugh Jackman As Wolverine

The X-Men teammate Wolverine is practically synonymous with “superhero who would work better alone.” While he will help out the team no matter what and frequently fights alongside them, he, like other gruff heroes of his sort, prefers being alone.

The X-Men franchise loved him so much they made sure he was never alone, but if there’s one thing Logan always made clear, it was that he would rather be anywhere else.

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