The X-Men are the true veterans of the superhero movie genre, and throughout that time have demonstrated some incredibly impressive superpowers.
Part of what makes the arrival of the X-Men in the MCU so exciting is that their superpowers are among the most impressive in Marvel movie history. Until now, the X-Men have been precluded from the MCU as Fox had ownership of Marvel’s mutant characters, something which changed with Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019. Until then, Marvel was unable to depict the myriad superpowers of mutants in the MCU, which was a shame because not only are there so many mutant characters but Fox had already proven that their powers could make for some unparalleled spectacles.
Suffice it to say that many of these characters would have come in handy when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes faced off against their strongest villains. Some of the powers that Fox’s X-Men franchise depicted throughout their movies were tantamount to those of the Infinity Stones. Space-hopping, time control, or the eradication of an entire species with just a thought are just some of the powers that the mutants of the X-Men franchise have demonstrated. These are the most impressive ones that have been used so far.
10Kitty Pryde’s Chronoskimming Altered Entire Timelines
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
The somewhat surprising “chronoskimming” power that Kitty Pryde – AKA Shadowcat – demonstrated was the MacGuffin of X-Men: Days of Future Past that allowed Wolverine’s consciousness to travel back in time and rewrite history. Kitty Pryde’s abilities thus far comprised phasing through solid matter, which is a pretty impressive feat on its own, but the power of any measure of time control cannot be overstated. After all, time control turned Loki into a full-on god, while the Time Stone is arguably the most powerful of all the Infinity Stones.
9Wolverine’s Healing Factor Saw Him Survive A Nuclear Blast (While Protecting Ichirō Yashida)
The Wolverine
The devastation of a nuclear bomb is close to the most powerful force available to non-superpowered humans, yet it was not enough to kill Logan as he withstood the blast and quickly healed from its effects. Though he was also partially shielded from the brunt of the force, the insidious after-effects of a nuclear blast were also nothing for Logan to worry about. While Logan has withstood many mortal wounds throughout his long life, the ability to withstand a nuclear bomb is on another level of durability.
8Magneto Manipulated Traces Of Metal In Blood
X2: X-Men United
Fox’s X-Men franchise has done a stellar job of showcasing what complete control over metal can accomplish. Magneto has pulled off some incredible feats in his career, but the sheer size of the objects he has been seen to manipulate perversely pale in comparison to the smallest. Namely: the traces of metal found in a prison guard’s blood. With just the tiniest trace of metal, Magneto decimated the plastic prison in which he was kept in X2: X-Men United by turning it into lethal projectiles and a thin platform on which to float toward freedom.
7Jason Stryker’s Telepathy Overpowered Professor X
X2: X-Men United
It’s common knowledge that Xavier is one of the most powerful characters in Marvel, whose powers of telepathy are rivaled by just a handful of other characters. Jason Stryker, it would seem, is one of them, as his ability to project powerful illusions directly into the minds of others was enough to manipulate Xavier into very nearly killing all mutants. While the fact that Xavier could kill thousands on a whim is indicative of his power levels, the fact that Stryker could almost effortlessly misappropriate that power shows what he is capable of if put before the right mutant.
6Leech Stopped The Juggernaut
X-Men: The Last Stand
Juggernaut was underwhelming in X-Men: The Last Stand, as his limited scenes saw him burst through some walls, reference an obscure meme, and then knock himself out. Regardless, the third X-Men movie still established what makes Juggernaut formidable: that he is unstoppable once he gets going. That is until he got close to Jimmy – AKA Leech – whose ability to drain the powers of mutants within a certain proximity was the only thing that could stop the “unstoppable” Juggernaut. Needless to say, Jimmy’s ability to hamstring any mutant that simply gets close to him is exceptionally powerful.
A comic-accurate Juggernaut would likely be impervious to Leech, as his powers are granted by the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak rather than a mutation.
5Blink Trivialized Space And Bisected Sentinels
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Blink’s fleeting role in the X-Men franchise truly lives up to her chosen moniker, as she was killed twice by the Sentinels in X-Men: Days of Future Past in short order. That wasn’t before she showcased some of the most impressive powers demonstrated by a mutant, however, both practically and visually. Blink was able to get the drop on multiple Sentinels through her portal-slinging abilities – which is a power that she used to mind-bending effect. Blink could instantly place her colleagues in strategic positions and even sever the arm of a Sentinel by closing a portal on it.
4Professor X Accidentally Killed Multiple Mutants
Logan
Though Professor X was thankfully stopped before he killed every mutant and every human on Earth in X2, the extent of these abilities tragically came to fruition in Logan. In this swansong movie for Wolverine, Professor X is in a bad way following a catastrophic turn of events in which a seizure caused him to kill multiple mutants. While these mutants are not named, Xavier’s power is shown to be exceptionally dangerous as he was able to kill some of the most powerful beings alive purely by accident.
3Quicksilver Saved Every Mutant In Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters
X-Men: Apocalypse
If the MCU failed Quicksilver by having him bested by bullets, Fox’s X-Men franchise more than made up for it by showing exactly what Pietro is capable of in X-Men: Apocalypse. Evan Peters’ Quicksilver had already demonstrated what he could do in an enclosed space while bullets were flying in X-Men: Days of Future Past. X-Men: Apocalypse proceeded to step this up a notch by showing how the characteristically glib Maximoff was able to rescue all but one of the mutants present in the Xavier Institute from the explosion inadvertently caused by Alex Summers.
The scene shows how Peters could zip through every room that contained life, using the immense force created by his speed to effortlessly carry or fling bodies from the building while an explosion was in progress. The implications of this power are pretty mind-boggling, as it would take an exceptionally quick-thinking individual to get the drop on him – something which was later demonstrated by Apocalypse himself. Yet that wasn’t before Quicksilver’s powers gave way to one of the X-Men franchise’s most enjoyable scenes.
2Deadpool Regenerated His Entire Body
Deadpool 2
Deadpool 2 began with the shocking depiction of Deadpool’s futile attempt to end his life with a huge explosion. The explosion was enough to completely dismember him. Still, he would quickly discover that not even a complete decapitation was sufficient to suppress his healing factor, thus demonstrating the extent of his near-immortality. It was a characteristically shocking opening to Fox’s highest-grossing X-Men movie and quickly established just how powerful the Merc with a Mouth is, whether he likes it or not.
1Jean Grey Killed The World’s Most Powerful Mutant
X-Men: Apocalypse
Though Fox’s X-Men franchise failed twice to win audiences over with their rendition of the iconic Dark Phoenix story, the inordinate power levels of the Phoenix Force-empowered Jean Grey were still capably depicted. These incredible psychic powers first manifested in X-Men: Apocalypse, where it fell to Grey to destroy the world’s first and – until that point – most powerful mutant. After being partially subdued by her teammates, even Apocalypse recognized the power that Grey harbored as she wielded it against him, removing the godlike entity from the picture for good.
