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Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.
Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.
Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.
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More than sixty years ago, Professor Charles Xavier forged Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel and Beast into the X-Men. However, as of 2026, only two of these original five heroes still use the codename that Professor X bestowed on them in those early days.
Jean Grey Was MARVEL GIRL, Now She's THE PHOENIX
Jean Grey started out as a telepathic hero in a striking yellow and green costume, going by the codename Marvel Girl. Never a great codename, the title has less relevance to her mutant power than her civilian name (which references the 'grey matter' of the human mind.)
Jean's apparent death in 1976's X-Men #100 led to her rebirth as the cosmically powerful Phoenix, and she's flipped between that codename and simply going by 'Jean Grey' ever since.
The 2019-2024 Krakoan era of X-Men comics briefly brought back Jean's Marvel Girl costume, but as fans knew from the start, it didn't last.
Warren Worthington III Was ANGEL, Now He's ARCHANGEL
The X-Men's billionaire winged wonder was transformed forever in 1987's X-Factor #23, when he was reborn as the Archangel. Following experimentation by Apocalypse, Warren became a monstrous creature with razor-sharp, poison-coated metal wings. His Archangel form has blue skin, sharp claws and a bestial rage that makes it the perfect predator.
Technically, in current comics, Warren tends to go by 'Angel' in his usual form, becoming 'Archangel' when the team needs an enforcer. However, because Warren's powers have never been that impressive, he pretty much always goes by Archangel, since his far more powerful form is the version fans actually want to read about.
Hank McCoy Was THE BEAST, Now He's THE CHAIRMAN
During the 2019-2024 Krakoan era, Beast went from hero to villain, corrupted by his leadership of X-Force and (according to retcon) a breakdown in his powers which awoke a new set of predatory instincts.
The original version of Beast seemingly died in X-Force #50, and was replaced by a clone who has a version of his memories missing approximately the last 40 years of X-Men stories.
However, the recent Age of Revelation event revealed that the original Beast survived. He's now the leader of the villainous 3K group, utilizing a custom-made body and going by 'the Chairman', pursuing a mutant supremacist agenda.
While this may seem like a temporary twist, there's every reason to believe it's permanent. The Chairman has engaged in such horrific acts of evil - including experimenting on prisoners, slavery and attempted genocide - that's it's hard to see why Marvel would ever want to try and redeem him, especially since he's already been replaced by a clone that's indistinguishable from the version fans know and love.
Iceman Has Gone from Team Joker to God
In current comics, only Iceman and Cyclops still go by the names Xavier gave them, but that doesn't mean they haven't changed. Over the decades, Bobby Drake's powers have evolved to the point that he's one of the most powerful superhumans in Marvel lore.
Iceman can now inhabit dozens of bodies (including a towering kaiju form) and even stop time by freezing molecular motion to a stop. Iceman has survived having his body totally destroyed and was pivotal in terraforming Mars.
Of all the X-Men, Iceman is the one who should have changed his name, as his powers have gone far beyond creating ice slides and throwing snowballs.
Cyclops Has Become X-Men's Main Character
Finally, Cyclops has replaced Professor X as the de factor leader of mutantkind. While he's gone by aliases including Slym, Captain Krakoa and Prisoner 10, these have all been temporary rebrandings, with Cyclops slowly but surely becoming the beating heart of the X-Men franchise.
Movie(s) X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
First Film X-Men (2000)
TV Show(s) X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)
Character(s) Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
Video Game(s) X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
Comic Release Date 213035,212968
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
English (US) ·